Ponting decided to skip IPL

Ricky Ponting has surprisingly skipped the upcoming IPL season saying he wants to focus on his country's commitments. In his column in the Australian Ponting wrote that "My country comes first and there was no way I could give my all for Australia if I used the only two-week break we have to go and play in India.

" I have been talking with my team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, for a month or two now and in the end my only choice was to withdraw from the 2009 competition, but I will most certainly be back for 2010 when I hope to be able to make a much greater contribution."

With a virtually packed international schedule this year, the decision by Ponting to not take part is a further blow to the Kolkatta Knight Riders allready reeling from the non involvement of the Pakistani players like Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Salman Butt and Mohammed Hafeez.

Ricky Ponting joins his vice captain Michael Clarke and England all rounder Stuart Broad in the list of players who have opted out of this year's IPL due to various reasons.

IPL loses out on $31 million deal

With just over a month to go for its second season, the IPL has lost out on a US$31.16 million deal spread over four years because of a dispute between Sony, its broadcasters and prime sponsor, and Big TV, a direct-to-home (DTH) provider.

Big TV officials have confirmed that they are no longer with IPL and have cited contractual violations as the reason for the pullout. The reason for the dispute is a separate deal that Multi Screen Media Pvt Ltd (MMPL), which holds the IPL contract under the Sony umbrella, has signed with Airtel Digital TV, which is Big TV's rival.

IPL had signed the DTH deal last August with Big TV, which is owned by the Reliance Anil Dhirubai Ambani Group, primarily for on-ground advertising and visibility at match venues. But earlier this year, Sony, which bought the IPL's telecast rights along with World Sport Group for US$ 1.02 billion, struck an on-air advertising deal on its own with Airtel - only Airtel's ads will be shown, in the DTH category, during IPL telecasts.

The IPL has now asked MMPL to clarify its position and the dispute has given rise to speculation that the IPL is reviewing its relations with Sony. In fact, matters took a curious twist today with reports emerging that Kunal Dasgupta, the chief executive of MMPL, had put in his papers.

However, Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, was quick to clarify that Dasgupta's departure has nothing to do with the aborted Big TV deal. "He was the first person to have believed in what we were doing and it is very sad for me to see him go," Modi told Cricinfo. "He will be surely missed." Sundar Raman, the IPL CEO, said the league is working for an early resolution to the dispute. "Sony are our broadcasters and another ground partner has raised a valid issue, for which we have asked for a clarification," Raman said.

Rohit Gupta, president, network sales, MMPL, dismissed suggestions that the ongoing dispute would affect Sony's long-term deal with IPL. "We are discussing the issue with the BCCI and we are confident it will be resolved," Gupta said.

However, Big TV officials are clear that they will revive their IPL deal only if all the original conditions are met. "According to our IPL deal, we had the first right of refusal for an on-air advertising deal," Sanjay Behl, group head, brand and marketing, Reliance Communication, told Cricinfo. "Sony did come to us with their on-air offer but awarded the contract to a rival before we could respond. We have pulled out of the IPL and will look at reviving the arrangement only if the original terms and conditions are adhered to."

What's troubling Lalit Modi

• February 2005: After a controversial election, Lalit Modi becomes president of Rajasthan Cricket Association, controlled by the Rungta family for 38 years.
• December 11, 2008: Vasundhara Raje, in whose election campaign Modi played a key backroom role, is ousted as Rajasthan chief minister.
• January 21, 2009: A group headed by Kishore Rungta lodges a complaint against Modi alleging misappropriation of funds.
• January 28, 2009: Modi is accused of forging residence documents to enable him to contest the RCA elections in 2005
• January 30, 2009: Modi appoints a three-member arbitration tribunal comprising retired Supreme Court judges to look into the charges filed against him
• February 15, 2009: An NGO accuses Modi of fraud, alleging that a promised Rs 6 crore (US$1.2million) donation never reached the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
• February 16, 2009: In a bid to pressure the RCA, Modi has suggested the home matches of the Rajasthan Royals could be shifted out of Jaipur. The Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur hosted the Rajasthan IPL team's home games last season.
• Much of Modi's troubles are cropping up because elections to the RCA are round the corner. They were scheduled to be held on February 21 but a Jaipur court has stayed the election process till February 24.

Cuttack and Ahmedabad added to IPL's list of venues

Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, has announced today that 11 venues have been shortlisted so far for the Twenty20 games during the 2009 season. Cuttack and Ahmedabad are the new names in addition to the two grounds in Mumbai - the Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Sports stadium - and the seven other venues from last year.

Modi said each franchise had the option of choosing two grounds in and around its catchment and the final list will be decided in the next couple of days. "There is an additional venue being discussed but we are waiting for a final decision on that from the franchise which is looking at another venue," Modi said. Owing to that the IPL has postponed the tender process for the IPL production rights to Friday.

Modi also said that the IPL's governing council had given him the authority to have the final say in case there was any opposition to the staging of matches at a venue from the state or city machinery. Modi, who is also the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) president, had an FIR filed against him recently for misappropriation of funds and subsequently there were doubts over Rajasthan Royals hosting its matches in Jaipur. Modi said Rajasthan still preferred to host their matches in Jaipur, but expected cooperation from the state government.

"If any government, anywhere, is going to deter us from holding any of the IPL matches the governing council has authorised me make the final decision on whether or not to hold matches at any venue," Modi said.

Meanwhile, the IPL has decided to host this year's final at the Brabourne Stadium and has submitted its terms and conditions to the Cricket Club of India (CCI), the ground's owners. CCI's present constitution does not permit seating in the pavilion, something the IPL wants desperately. Modi is hoping the CCI members will arrive at a positive decision during the special general body meeting on February 27.

"Rajasthan Royals, the defending champions, have the rights to host the finals," Modi said. "Their first choice is CCI and the second is DY Patil. So the IPL has approached CCI to hold the final and sent its terms and conditions," Modi said. "At the moment the CCI constitution doesn't permit pavilion seating, which we need. We have offered to give them 5000 seats in the West end. If that does not work out then Rajasthan can decide on DY Patil stadium as an alternative or move to any other venue in the country."

Chennai Super Kings, last year's runner-up have the rights to hold the semifinals and they have decided to host both the games in Chennai. Modi added that from this year onwards the semis and finals will be operated by the IPL and the revenue would be shared between the IPL, the BCCI and the franchise that holds the rights.

Tait could make a huge impression - Berry

Darren Berry, the Rajasthan Royals' director of coaching, has said Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait could make an "enormous" impression during the IPL's second edition if he is available for the whole season. Although Rajasthan, the inaugural champions, will miss the services of Pakistan left-armer Sohail Tanvir, the highest wicket-taker in the 2008 season, Berry believed Tait could be as destructive with his pace as Tanvir was with his swing.

"I'm extremely excited about the fastest bowler in the world, Shaun Tait," Berry said as he announced Rajasthan's three latest overseas signings. "He has been out of the Australian team for a period but both [Shane] Warne and myself are quite close to Tait and believe he could have a significant impact in the IPL. Depending on his selection for the Australian ODI team [against Pakistan], we will have him for at least half of the tournament and his presence will be enormous. He is crucial given Tanvir's absence this year."

Berry said Rajasthan were aware the expectations will be higher after their "fairytale" triumph in the inaugural season. "Last year after the defeat in the first game against Delhi Daredevils I read headlines that Rajasthan were the circus of the IPL," he said. "The story that unfolded after that was like a fairytale. This is a new group of players, a new season and all other franchises will be looking to beat Rajasthan Royals. Last year we were the underdogs and this year we are the top dogs, but we still confident."

PCB requests IPL to revise Asif's ban

The PCB has asked the IPL to revise the time-period of the ban imposed on Mohammad Asif, requesting that it end in July this year as opposed to September.

Asif was banned for one year earlier this week by an IPL drugs tribunal for testing positive for nandrolone, a banned anabolic steroid, during the IPL last year. The ban has been back-dated to when the IPL imposed a suspension on him, on September 21, 2009.

The Pakistan board, however, has asked for the ban to begin from the day the IPL announced Asif had tested positive - July 14, 2008., which would mean the ban is lifted on July 14 this year.

"We have sent a letter officially to the IPL," Ijaz Butt, PCB chairman, told Cricinfo. "The ban runs till September 21 this year for the moment, but we have said in the letter that it should be back-dated to the date on which his result was announced."

IPL officials, however, say it is not in their hands but with the ICC. "As far as the IPL is concerned his ban stays till September," an official told Cricinfo. "Even the ICC has agreed to that. If he wants any review he will need to speak to the ICC."

Should the request be accepted, it will give Asif an outside chance of being available for Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka, slated for July this year. Pakistan have struggled to field their first-choice pace attack over the last two years with injuries and disciplinary issues continuing to plague the likes of Asif, Umar Gul and Shoaib Akhtar.

Asif remains suspended by the PCB pending the end of the ban but Butt said recently that he was keen to induct Asif back into the fold as soon as the ban ends, fitness permitting.

Stuart Broad interested in IPL

 Stuart Broad, the England fast bowler, has said he would like to feature in the IPL sometime despite skipping this year's tournament because of a hectic international schedule and fitness concerns.

"There's no doubt that I would like to be involved in the IPL at some stage in my career but at this moment in time I want those three weeks [after the West Indies tour] to rest my body and mind before the summer that includes the World Twenty20 and the Ashes series," said Broad.

"I just feel that at this stage of my career as a 22-year-old, having quite a busy winter with four Tests and five ODIs in the West Indies, I was just going to use that three-week window as a break leading up to what is going to be a massive summer."

Broad also felt English cricket would receive a major boost as a result of hosting this year's Twenty20 World Cup. "I think hosting the event is a massive plus for us. Twenty20 is really big in England on the domestic side so to be having the World Twenty20 is going to make the crowds even more excitable," he said.

"The crowds in England love it when players hit fours and sixes and I imagine with a tournament like this they're going to love it even more, I think it's going to be a really exciting event."