Sachin Tendulkar hands over Mumbai Indians captaincy to Harbhajan Singh

Mumbai, Apr. 2 (ANI): Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar on Monday handed over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians in the fifth version of Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament to off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

According to reports, the latest decision came following a conversation with the management of Mumbai Indians, a Mumbai-based IPL franchise owned by IndiaWin Sports Pvt. Ltd, a group company of Reliance Industries Ltd.

Tendulkar said the judgment was taken after due thought. "The Mumbai Indians is more than a team. It is like a family to me. At this point of time, I feel I need a break from the liability of captaincy of the Mumbai Indians. After due consideration, I discussed my meaning to hand over the Captain-ship of the team to Harbhajan Singh," said Tendulkar in the media release.

"I was touched by the graciousness and wholehearted support they offered me while emphasizing that they would accept any decision which helps me to continue enjoying the game," he added. Harbhajan on his part said it was a huge honor for him.

IPL 2012 will be played at 12 venues over 54 days in India. Starting from April 4 to May 27, there will be 72 matches in the fifth season of IPL. (ANI)

Read more »

Andrew Strauss : Captains knowledge inconsistent fortunes

In England terms, this Test is about one man: Andrew Strauss. England's captain has said that he has not considered resigning in spite of England's losing run on the sub continent of four successive Tests and his own middling form which, Tests against Australia apart, has gone on for more than two years. An England victory or an innings to restate his worth is sorely overdue. 

It is no doubt the case that he has not thought of acceptance and neither has England's selectors yet seriously thought of forcing him to stand down. They are all observing a problem and trusting that it will go away. One of Strauss' strengths as a captain is that he is extremely confident about his rightful place at the centre of things. He can be short of runs and chided for what are seen as overly suspicious tactics but even without England's position at the top of the Test rankings, he would understandably be perceived as crucial managerial material. If he threatened to move to the Cayman Islands, it would probably persuade the government to drop the top rate of tax by another 5p. 

Strauss' urgent fate might rest on a hard selection. England need to decide whether pace or spin is their best chance of rescuing their Test credentials. Shane Warne took 11 in his one appearance here while the wicket-taking list is headed by an unsurprising name: Muttiah Muralitharan claimed 52 wickets in nine Tests. England has not played here since Sri Lanka's inaugural Test in 1982 when Derek Underwood and John Emburey combined to take 14 wickets. 

Sri Lanka, by contrast, is experiencing love, second time around, for Mahela Jaywardene. After the retirement of Murali, decline seemed likely. England, comically vulnerable against spin all winter, has fired Sri Lanka's conviction that taking 20 wickets in a Test remains achievable.

Read more »

Chennai Super Kings settled eye more success

Runners-up, semi-finalists, champions. Thus reads Chennai Super Kings' record crossways the first four seasons of the IPL. They have been the most reliable and successful team in the league by far, and are the most settled side as well, after retain most of their squad in last year's shuffle. That they have a settled line-up was reflected in the 2012 auction, when they were willing to spend their full purse on a single acquisition:

Ravindra Jadeja. They were concerned in a fierce bidding war for Jadeja with Deccan Chargers, and eventually beat them in the tie-breaker. Even so, Super Kings cannot afford any complacency and Coach Stephen Fleming knows it. "There is a fine line between finishing first or indeed missing out on the finals," he said in an interview on the franchise's website.

They have tread that line on several occasion - in 2008 and 2010 Super Kings faced a must-win situation in their last league game to make the semis, while last year they almost difficult things for themselves by delay their launch till the very last moment in a stiff chase in the play-off against Royal Challengers Bangalore. In 2011 the batting was typically solid, with MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Michael Hussey, S Badrinath and M Vijay all aggregate in the vicinity of 400 runs. R Ashwin, expectedly, led the team's bowling charts with 20 wickets at 19.40 apiece.

If Super Kings have a weakness, although, it is on the fast-bowling front. Their opponents have often got off to fliers against the quicks, before Dhoni has functional the squeeze and always turned the match with the spinners. On that count, they will be happy to have the services of Australia's Ben Hilfenhaus this time around. When he arrives from the West Indies, he should form a solid partnership with Doug Bollinger, Super Kings' pace spearhead over the last two seasons. Off the field, Super Kings have been at the centre of several controversial issues - as well as a possible conflict of interest with BCCI president N Srinivasan also managing India Cements, the owners of Super Kings - but their on-field performance has been strong enough to steal the headlines and turn aside negative publicity.

Read more »