Viru Back Again!

Virender Sehwag, the explosive batsman is on his way back as he recovered from his injury. Viru's return might mean that David Warner, who has been really superb, will have to make way for Daniel Vettori. However, a final call will be made only tomorrow. Sehwag just had a few words with the reporters when he actually announced that he is fit to play. The following is a gist of viru's speech.

The other problem about T20 is that it's very hard to build momentum once you start losing. On Sunday, Kolkata Knight Riders looked low on energy, momentum and confidence. They are at present a team that is finding ways to lose, and this can be an extremely hard time for the players. Kolkata just need to stop fearing defeat and start enjoying their game. They have nothing more to lose now, so they must go and have a great time.

A team that was in an identical situation last year was Deccan Chargers. However, they have been the comeback kids this time. Adam Gilchrist has always been an exceptionally gifted player and leader, and he has been handling the local players really well this time round. It's crucial to get wickets quickly if we want to confirm our ticket in the semifinals. We have a batting line-up that can chase down any score, but our bowlers need to show some class tomorrow.

The big news over the last couple of days is the reporting of Kamran Khan and Amit Singh for suspect action. I did not see too much of Amit but when I saw Kamran, I thought his action was interesting, to say the least. I am glad that the tournament is being played and watched seriously, because it's important that we correct the younger players in the fray asap because it benefits them in the long run.

My Views on the Second Season of IPL?

Indian Premier League abbreviated "IPL", is all set to start its action again by April 18 at South Africa. The first season of IPL was a great success and it was fruitful to all the sponsors. Last year, IPL turned out to be a great piece of Entertainer in India. All Indian fans were on their feet during the last season, that is the first ever IPL tournament. But due to the fact that the general elections are clashing with the dates of IPL, the government gave its dissent for the tournament this year.

The reason was Security issues as it is absolutely not possible to provide adequate security both for IPL and Elections. Though the Indian government had asked IPL officials to conduct the tournament at a later part of this year, the IPL officials refused it due to unavailability of international players apart from April-May. This forced the IPL board to switch the second season of IPL to South Africa.

My personal feeling is that IPL will not be a great success as it was in the previous season considering the fact that many Indian cricket fans are not happy about the IPL shift. Even some of the Players do feel the same. Since it is not going to be played in India, the aggression and enthusiasm will undermine due to nominal amount of Indians in South AFrica. If it was to be played in India, every state would have wished for their team to win and the crowd cheer for the home team would have actuated the home team and made them more enthusisastic.

Though IPL is not going to be more exciting as it was, but still it is going to be a good entertainer. Not only Indians but also the Cricket lovers from all over the globe are looking for it. Lets hope for a great tournament.

BCCI stages IPL Abroad?

IPL in India looks a difficult task due to security concerns as the IPL dates clashes with the dates of General Elections in India.The Indian cricket board will stage the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament abroad this year. The reason for this decision seems that the Indian government are not in a position to provide security forces and this has forced the IPL officials to host the tournament outside India.

Cricket authorities in South Africa and England confirmed that they had been asked to look into hosting the event.The BCCI had failed to get government clearance for security cover despite revising the match dates three times because the tournament clashes with the country's general election, to be held between April 16 and May 13.The IPL will be played on its original dates, between April 10 and May 24, and is scheduled to return to India next season.

The South African cricket board said it had received a request from the BCCI to be a possible host.They received an official approach to be one of several options they are considering to host the tournament outside India.South Africa will also stage the Champions Trophy one-day competition beginning in September.

The England and Wales Cricket Board later released a similar statement, saying that at the request of the BCCI and the IPL it was "examining the feasibility of hosting the 2009 IPL in England and Wales".Indian officials said the huge financial implications and a tight international calendar had forced their hand. The World Twenty20 begins in England in early June.

Under the given circumstances, there is no other period for the conduct of IPL matches, the BCCI said in a statement and apologised to the cricket-crazy Indian fans for not being in a position to host the event at home this year.Security concerns have dominated the build-up to the lucrative eight-team event, involving many big-name international players, after an attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in the Pakistani city of Lahore earlier this month.