The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Saturday decided to invite Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 champions for the Champions League tournament to be hosted by India in October.

The BCCI working committee’s decision to invite a Pakistani domestic team means domestic Twenty20 champions Sialkot Stallions, led by Shoaib Malik, would be seen in action in October.

Bilateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan have been put on hold after the terrorist attack in Mumbai in 2008 by Pakistani nationals.

“The Working Committee has decided to invite a team from Pakistan to play in Champions League Twenty20 to be held in October,” BCCI president N. Srinivasan told reporters after the working committee meeting.

“This is a recommendation that the BCCI will make to the Governing Council. CLT20 is owned by BCCI, Cricket Australia, and Cricket South Africa. So we will recommend to the Governing Council that the BCCI has no objection and is prepared to invite a Pakistan team in the Champions League.

“CLT20 will be played in India. As far as inviting a Pakistani team is concerned, it will be done by the Governing Council. The BCCI will make the recommendation to the Governing Council which will decide on the matter,” he added.

During the meeting, the BCCI also decided that from the surplus of IPL, the board will make a one-time benefit payment to cricketers who have retired before 2003-04 in recognition of their services to Indian cricket, in both international and domestic levels. Around Rs.70 crore will be distributed among 160 cricketers.

The BCCI also decided to set up its Anti-Corruption Unit on the lines of the one in the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The working committee also approved a limited number of friendly matches to be played by IPL teams with associate and affiliate countries of the ICC, between June and August, subject to guidelines to be framed by the BCCI.

© IANS

Place and Date for DLF IPL Opening Ceremony
Date – 3rd April 2012
Venue – YMCA College of Physical Education,Nandanam, Chennai
Time – 7:30 pm

Performers IPL Opening Ceremony 2012
1. Katy Perry
2. Amitabh Bachchan
3. Salman Khan
4. Kareena Kapoor
5. Priyanka Chopra
6. Prabhu Deva
7. Colonial Cousins

Ticket Prices:
Silver: 1500 Rupees
Gold: 3000 Rupees
Diamond: 5000 Rupees
Platinum: 8000 Rupees

You can watch the opening ceremony live here
http://ipl.indiatimes.com/watch-ipl-online/

or

http://www.youtube.com/user/indiatimes

DLF Ipl is the most popular form of cricket now days. Therefore the broadcasters around the world are showing interest telecast it live. Below we have a list of TV Broadcasters who are showing IPL This Season.

TV Broadcasters of DLF IPL 2012

Watch IPL 2012 Live on Internet Here are the official broadcasters of Indian Premier League 2012. http://ipl.indiatimes.com or http://www.youtube.com/indiatimes

Watch IPL 2012 Live on Mobile In India, you can watch the matches with 5 minute delay via via Apalya, Avani TV and iPad app.

In Middle East, live feed across local telecom operators in UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Chennai: A galaxy of stars, including Amitabh Bachchan and American pop star Katy Perry, will set the ball rolling for the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a glittering opening ceremony that promises to enthral the audience here on Tuesday. High-octane Twenty20 cricket will get underway on April 4, promising excitement and entertainment for the audience in the next 54 days when nine teams featuring international stars and unheralded players will be competing.

Having proved its success in the past four editions with growing popularity, the Indian cricket board’s money-spinning event will formally be launched with the IPL Opening Nite. The dazzling show will be graced by Bachchan and other Bollywood stars, including Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and Salman Khan.

The gala ceremony at the YMCA College of Physical Education would also feature all the nine team captains taking the MCC Spirit of Cricket pledge. Although very little information has been shared on the opening ceremony, whose tickets start from Rs. 1,500, the evening is expected to provide a sumptuous feast of dance and music for the fans with Perry set to perform for the first time in India during the show, which will also have India’s dancing sensation Prabhudeva.

The tournament proper will kick off on April 4 with the holders Chennai Super Kings taking on the last year Champions League Twenty20 winners Mumbai Indians in the inaugural match at the MA Chidambaram stadium. Mumbai captain Sachin Tendulkar will play for the first time before home fans after achieving the feat of 100 international centuries in the Asia Cup.

A total of 76 matches will be played at 12 venues across the country in the run-up to the finals on May 27 here. The league stage will comprise 72 ties with each team playing the other eight in a home-and-away format. The play-offs would be hosted by Bangalore and Chennai, the finalists from the previous edition.

The edition has been reduced to a nine-team affair after last-year entrants Kochi Tuskers Kerala were terminated by the BCCI in September last for a breach of terms of agreement. Expectedly, not many are daring to hazard a guess on the favourites to win the coveted trophy, though the MS Dhoni-led Chennai and Mumbai are in the forefront.
© PTI

Wellington: Troubled New Zealand player Jesse Ryder’s attempt to return to cricket ahead of the IPL turned out to be a stormy affair as he got into an altercation with a rival player during a club game and was reported for indiscipline by the umpires. “Jesse Ryder has been charged with breaching Cricket Wellington’s code of conduct, following an incident during a club match on Saturday,” the media here reported.

Ryder, who will represent Pune Warriors India during the IPL, was playing his first match after taking a sabbatical from the game due to his drinking problems.

The altercation happened during an appearance for his Naenae Old Boys’ club. “Ryder reacted angrily to a comment made to him by Wellington team-mate Harry Boam, who was playing for Karori, and the pair had to be separated by umpire Stu Bullen,” a report said.

Ryder left for India on Monday, a day later than originally scheduled.

“Bullen and fellow umpire Jeremy Busby filed their report from the Naenae-Karori match with Cricket Wellington this morning, in which they alleged that Ryder breached the players’ code of conduct. CW have reviewed the report and decided it did warrant a hearing. None has been scheduled yet, although it is expected one will take place this week. Ryder’s evidence can be heard in absentia,” CW chief executive Peter Clinton was quoted as saying.
© PTI