“We will be playing flavour of India and carnival of India all across the tournament,” says IPL Chief Lalit Modi.

The tournament may have moved out of India but there will be no shortage of crowds flocking to see the games the double header to kick off the IPL in Cape Town has already been sold out.

Type: News Article
Source: Times of India

IPL bosses have smartly priced tickets at very affordable rates. The lowest ticket is available at just about 70 Indian rupees and the most expensive ticket will set you back by just a shade over 1000 rupees.

“We have taken IPL sto South Africa to ensure that we deliver once in a lifetime experience to the South African fans. Not only the game of cricket will be interesting, but also the bollywood, the entertainment and the local performances that go along with it,” says Sundar Raman

And in a bid to maximize commercial time on television, it has been agreed that there will be a 5 minute break after every ten overs allowing the broadcaster to fit in more advertising.

The break may upset the momentum of a game but teams concede that this format needs to consider the demands of Indian television audiences.

“Obviously this is a great event for the Indian crowd. Not only Indians in South Africa but also across the globe,” says TV co-ordinator, John Buchanan

So whether you are watching at home or at the stadium it promises to be quite an African safari.

In a snub to Maneka Gandhi, Mayawati said if the BJP MP knew a mother’s pain, she would not have endorsed the hate speeches of her son Varun Gandhi for which he has been booked under NSA, PTI reported.

Hitting back at Maneka, who had said that the UP Chief Minister did not understand a mother’s pain since she was not one, Mayawati said that if she was a good mother she would have inculcated the right values in Varun.

“Had Maneka inculcated good values to her son (Varun) he would not have to spent night in the jail. She must apologise not only to me but to the entire nation for her shameful and unfortunate comments”, Mayawati told reporters.

Justifying the action of Pilibhit district administration to charge Varun under NSA, Mayawati said that in case riots had erupted, thousands of mothers would have rendered childless.

Maneka should understand pain of thousands of mothers, she said.

“Maneka kewal ek bete ka dard samajhti hain but main karodo beton ka dard samajhti hun” (Maneka only understands the pain of one son but I feel pain of crores of sons), Mayawati said at a hurriedly called press conference.

Maneka had on Friday attacked Mayawati for targeting her son and attributed political motive behind the move to keep him in jail during election time, PTI says.

“Ma ka dard samajhne ke liye ma hona zaruri nahi hai. Mother Teresa bhi ma nahi thi lekin unhone pyar pure vishwa ki janta ko diya”. (It is not necessary to be a mother to understand her pain. Mother Teresa was not a mother but she bestowed her love on the people of the entire world),” Mayawati said.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said that no one would be allowed to vitiate law and order situation of the state irrespective of their parties and position.

29-year-old Varun was held under NSA in connection with his hate speeches in Pilibhit last month.

Varun had subsequently surrendered before a local court in Pilibhit and was sent to the district jail there. He was later shifted to Etah jail.

After initial dithering, the state government on Friday had allowed Pilibhit MP Maneka Gandhi to meet her son and incarcerated BJP LS candidate from Pilibhit Varun Gandhi in Etah district jail. She is expected to call on Varun on Saturday.

It all began on Friday morning when Maneka Gandhi reportedly informed the Etah district administration about her plans to visit Varun in jail. Her request, however, was turned down by the jail authorities who cited provisions of the Jail Manual and the National Security Act under which Varun has been detained.

As per the Manual and the Act, any detenue is allowed only two meetings with the outsiders per week. Any further meeting by anyone is subject to an official written clearance from the office of the DM concerned. As Varun has already had his quota of meetings, including ones with his mother, aunt and some senior BJP leaders including Venkaiah Naidu, the jail authorities decided to decline Maneka’s request on Friday morning.

However, the issue gained momentum when Maneka, in a statement to a news channel called the restriction as ‘‘frivolous’’ and ‘‘result of political vendetta’’.

In no mood to grant the saffronites a political mileage, the state government on Friday evening issued a written clarification stating that no restrictions whatsoever have been imposed on Maneka meeting her son.

The communique also stated that the Etah DM has been entrusted with the authority of granting permission to the visitors according to his discretion.

Shortly after the order was issued, the office of Etah DM Gaurav Dayal informed Maneka that she may meet Varun on Saturday. Dayal’s office also confirmed to TOI that Maneka was slated to visit Varun on Saturday.

Zaheer capitalised on the bounce at the Basin Reserve track to return with impressive figures of five for 65, his seventh fiver, as the hosts folded up their first innings for a paltry 197 in reply to India’s 379.

The Indians were 51 for 1 in their second essay at close of second day to have an overall lead of 233 runs, with Gautam Gambhir (28) and Rahul Dravid (9) at the crease.

It was a disciplined bowling performance by the tourists who kept the pressure for most part of the Kiwi innings with a tidy line and length.

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was the other successful bowler with three for 43 while pacemen Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel chipped in with a wicket apiece.

Visiting captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had also a busy day as he took six catches, the most by an Indian wicketkepeer, eclipsing Syed Kirmani’s five catches.

Ross Taylor (42) and Tim McIntosh (32) were the two Kiwi batsmen who got decent starts but none of the other batters could hang around for long on a day which was completely dominated by Dhoni and his men.

With three full days left in the game, the Indians will now look to take a mammoth lead and press for their first Test series triumph on New Zealand soil in 41 yrs. PTI

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