Kochi Tuskers Kerala players to be re-auctioned?

With the IPL governing council meeting scheduled for next month, there might be some ray of hope for the players allied with the sacked IPL franchise, Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

According to the media reports, Kochi players can be put on auction once again and the IPL governing council is deliberating various ideas to allow the other franchises to spend some extra bucks on them in the IPL-5 auctions.

The players are yet to receive a small part of their payments from the terminated Kerala franchise.

However, its learned that the BCCI is likely to provide the players with an opportunity to earn their price in the next IPL auctions.

The likes of Mahela Jayawardene, VVS Laxman, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sreesanth, RP Singh, Brendon McCullum and Parthiv Patel could all now be free to sign for one of the remaining nine IPL sides after representing Kochi last season.

Earlier this year, the BCCI confirmed that Kochi Tuskers have had their Indian Premier League license revoked.

The Kerala-based franchise was one of two new sides added to the competition for the 2011 season alongside Pune Warriors and was sold to a consortium called Rendezvous Sports World in an auction for US$ 333.33million.

Both Kochi and Pune had appealed for their initial bids to be reduced after the originally scheduled 18 matches per season was lowered to 14 for each side, but their case was rejected.

Reports suggested that Kochi's current problems are related to defaults on their payments, but while BCCI president N Srinivasan confirmed they would no longer be part of the lucrative Twenty20 league he did not expand on the reasons.

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Andy Flower named Best coach of the year

England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive David Collier has praised the work of England team director Andy Flower after he claimed two awards last night at the 2011 UK Coaching Awards.

Flower won the prize of UK Coach of the Year and High Performance Coach of the Year at a ceremony in London, having led England to their first Ashes triumph in Australia since the winter of 1986-87 at the start of this year and then taking the team to number one spot in the world Test rankings with a 4-0 whitewash of India.

Collier said: "Andy has been an outstanding coach to the England cricket team and I am delighted that his dedication, knowledge and all-round leadership skills have been recognised within the wider sporting world.

"The last 12 months have been momentous ones for the England cricket team and this is in no small part due to Andy's personal drive and determination to bring the best out of his players and ensure that our preparation and performance are second to none."

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Virender Sehwag pin hope on Ravichandran Ashwin

Virender Sehwag has hope that Ravichandran Ashwin, India's best cricketer in the Test series next to the West Indies, will carry on to present well and get more awards in future.

The BCCI had announced Ashwin's name for Dilip Sardesai Award after his series winning presentation next to the Windies.

Appreciating the Indian Cricket Board's choice to award Ashwin with Rs 5 lakh prize money, India's stand-in-skipper Sehwag said Ashwin was going in the right direction.

"It's truly good for him. I am truly happy for Ashwin because he has performed really well. It's good that his presentation is respected by the BCCI," said Sehwag.

"May he get more awards in future? When you get award from the government that's the biggest achievement. Getting a national award like Arjuna or Padma awards is the biggest achievement for a sportsperson.

"I hope in coming years he performs well. I am sure that Ashwin will get those also," he added.


Ashwin picked 22 wickets in his debut Test series, as well scoring a century in three matches against the West Indies and picked up two men of the match awards en route to being adjudge the player of the series.

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Ricky Ponting: Overhaul 10 years past due

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has back Cricket Australia's new renovate process saying "it was past due for last ten years".

Under force to hold his place in Australia's batting order, 36-year old Ponting said cricket was taking a more qualified track under the new regime led by chairman selectors John Inveracity and existing head coach Mickey Arthur.

Cricket Australia has announce series of sweeping changes in which turning round policy and selection process have come under huge scrutiny.

"I think it's great. I think it's the way the game should have gone a long, long time ago," Ponting told journalists.

"I think the way things have twisted out at the instant is what (former coach) John Buchanan was asking for 10 years ago."

"It's a much more professional move toward. "We've got quality people in and approximately the team and I think, even already now, we're starting to see just a somewhat different feel and a few different results as a result of that," he said.
"I think Australian cricket is absolutely on the right track."

Ponting also backed skipper Michael Clarke's comprehensive role in team selection and the new policy is bound to take Australian cricket to the top spot from the fourth position.

Ponting's thumbs up to the new CA policy comes after the former coach Geoff Lawson sharp criticism of the turning round policy in team selection.

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