Feb 26, 2014 / No Comments

Deccan Chargers invite bids from prospective buyers

Deccan Chargers invite bids from prospective buyers

Sep 5, 2012 / No Comments

New Delhi : The Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL) on Wednesday issued a tender notice inviting bids from prospective buyers for its IPL franchisee Deccan Chargers, which is currently in a financial mess.

The Indian cricket board's (BCCI) working committee on Monday decided to allow DCHL to go ahead and issue tender notice in the leading national dailies

According to the tender notice, "under this invitation to tender issued by DCHL, the winning bidder will acquire from the DCHL on an "as is where is" basis the right to own and operate the IPL team currently known as Deccan Chargers, which is and will continue to be based in Hyderabad and which competes in the Indian Premier League and which has the opportunity (if applicable and subject to qualification) to compete in each and any CLT20 which is staged from 2013 onwards".

The term "as is where is" means that the new buyer will have to use the name Deccan Chargers and will have to clear the liabilities of the current owner.
The invitation to tender and the bid document can be acquired from the BCCI office in Mumbai from September 7 upon a payment of Rs 5 lakh by demand draft or pay order favouring DCHL.
According to the IPL constitution, 5 per cent of the bidding amount will be acquired by the BCCI.
The last day for submitting the bid will be 12 noon on September 13 and the winning bid will be announced on the same day.

The new potential buyer may have to pay the salary of the Deccan Chargers' players for the fifth edition of the IPL.

The move will also help consortium of banks, which had loaned out significant amount to DCHL, to recover their money since the name of the team will remain Deccan Chargers.
Earlier in June, DCHL had appointed investment banking institution, Religare to find a potential buyer but they were unable to find one, who would readily buy the team with its financial liabilities.

SRK is a rock star, says Sourav Ganguly

SRK is a rock star, says Sourav Ganguly

Sep 4, 2012 / No Comments

He may have been out of the international cricket scene for a while, but that doesn't deter Sourav Ganguly from talking about the sport. Known for his aggressive nature, Sourav has seen a lot of high-octane action in his career, on and off the field.

From critics making many a scathing comment when he was not at his best to being hailed as one of the most successful Test captains of all time, Dada's had it all. KT caught up with the former cricketer recently...

"I don't miss international cricket much. Even though I am not playing for the team as such, I am always associated with it," says Sourav, who quit playing international cricket in 2008. The 'Prince of Calcutta' then played three seasons for the Kolkata IPL team, which is co-owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan. And though Sourav was dropped from the team in 2011, after a series of controversies involving the team management, Dada claims that he still shares a friendly equation with the Bollywood badshah. "I met him at a couple of events and we still talk. He's shuttling between movies and cricket, which is a great thing. He's a rock star!" says Sourav.

The IPL season 5 saw Sourav take over as the captain and mentor for the Pune team, but it was his home team that took the cup home. Does he miss playing for the home team? "Not really. In fact, I am looking at beating them during the next season," he guffaws. So, is he expecting to have a long run with the IPL? "No, I don't think I will be with the IPL for a long time," he says a tad mysteriously.

This year has already seen the retirement of two senior Indian cricketers - Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman. "Thhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife shelf life of a cricketer is short. Laxman has been a tremendous player and we should respect his decision to quit international cricket." But with several senior players not with the team anymore, is India missing out on experienced players? "Even the Australian team has lost a lot of senior players over the last couple of years. This is a transition period, which paves way for several youngsters to play for the country," he says.

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Has time caught up with Sachin Tendulkar?

Has time caught up with Sachin Tendulkar?

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NEW DELHI : Sachin Tendulkar is facing unprecedented calls to retire after a string of failures fuelled speculation that time had finally caught up with India's cricket icon.

Tendulkar, who is now 39, has shouldered the hopes of a nation for 23 years, in the process becoming the world's leading run-getter in both Test and one-day cricket with 100 international centuries.

But a string of recent poor scores -- combined with the manner of his dismissals -- has turned sections of the media and a once adoring public against him.

Sunil Gavaskar, the first man to reach the 10,000-run milestone in Tests, suggested during this week's second Test against New Zealand in Bangalore that Tendulkar's reflexes were on the slide.

"The dismissal that was most disturbing was that of the 'master' when he was bowled through the gate," Gavaskar wrote in his syndicated column.

Pressed further, on air during the second Test, Gavaskar said: "With age, the feet don't come to the pitch of the ball, the eyes don't pick up the ball early."

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin also said Tendulkar's feet were not moving well in the crease and he was constantly playing across the line.

"It is clear his reflexes have slowed down," Azharuddin said.

Tendulkar has scored a record 51 Test centuries but he has now gone 25 innings without a hundred in the five-day game since making 146 against South Africa in Cape Town in January, 2011.

His top score in the recent series against the lowly Kiwis was 27, prompting The Times of India to post pictures of three of his dismissals -- all bowled -- on its front page under the headline: 'What's wrong with India's batting genius?'

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