New Delhi: More corporates are expected to throw their hat into the ring as the IPL bidding process for the two new teams begins afresh on Tuesday.

Reports emanating from different quarters indicate that business houses were now looking at the team auction more proactively after it "has started to make business sense".

Atul Chordia, chairman and chief executive of Panchshil Realty and part of the consortium bidding for the Pune team, was quoted as telling a business daily that they were not concerned about the bid price going up.

Watching the Indian Premier League (IPL) action live is something the city of Pune has missed for the past two seasons. But come 2011, it could change, as the city has emerged as one of the favourites to get one of the two new teams of the cash-rich T20 league.

The owners of the two new teams will be announced on Sunday, and reliable sources told Sakaal Times, that one of the bidders, who hails from Pune, has shown serious interest in making the city a home base.

Ahmedabad, Feb 26 : India will be eyeing a series whitewash against South Africa they meet in the third and last-one day international at the Sardar Patel Stadium here Saturday.

With the series already won, besides the No.2 spot in the ODIs, India have taken the liberty of resting their key batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. While their absence can dampen the crowd enthusiasm a bit, it will give several youngsters a chance to prove their worth.

Mumbai: Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) of the UK is planning to join a consortium bidding for one of two Indian Premier League (IPL) franchisees to be sold next month, according to Telegraph Sport. A base price of $225 million per franchisee has been set for the two new franchisees.

The negotiations, if in favour of MCC, will take IPL matches to be played at Lord’s, perhaps from 2011 and the MCC would become major players in the expansion of club T20 cricket. The club, in tandem with India, is redeveloping the historic Lord’s ground.

GWALIOR - India defeated South Africa by 153 runs in the second ODI and wrapped up the three-match series at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium here Wednesday.

Sachin Tendulkar scored a record 200 not out as India piled up 401 for three in 50 overs. In reply, South Africa were bowled out for 248 runs in 42.5 overs.
http://blog.taragana.com/sports/2010/02/24/india-beat-south-africa-by-15...

Thrashed in the first Test in Nagpur, Team India's [ Images ] fighting spirit stood out to the core during their convincing victory in the second Test in Kolkata, said Harbhajan Singh.

The ace off-spinner bowled a match-winning spell of five for 59 in the second innings to lead India to a thumping victory by an innings and 57 runs against South Africa [ Images ] in Kolkata, on Thursday.

Corrie van Zyl, the South Africa coach, has said Virender Sehwag's aggressive batting and the vociferous crowd at Eden Gardens unnerved his bowlers in Kolkata. Sehwag scored 165 - his hundred came off 87 balls - and Sachin Tendulkar composed 106 to give India the lead by the end of the second day.

"It is unsettling to everybody, yes," van Zyl said. "The fact that he [Sehwag] scores so quickly and gets the crowd behind him, so all of that is unsettling."

Lucknow : Former Indian cricket team captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi believes that in the present era each team was aware of the strategy of the other team so it is not very surprising when even the strongest teams are bowled out cheaply or their bowling strategies do not work.

Virender Sehwag can easily be called Team India's crisis man. Quite often, when the team looks for a boost, he provides the impetus with an innings of character and pluck at the top of the order.

That was more evident on Day 2 of the second and final Test in Kolkata, when he, in the company of his idol Sachin Tendulkar, pummeled the South African bowlers into submission.

Archie Henderson: Eden Gardens was not as full as expected yesterday but there was a strong sense of India's cricket passion at the ground on the first day of the second Test against South Africa.

Many stands at the world's biggest cricket ground have been taken down for renovation, yet it could still accommodate about 35000 - which was a nice change from the week before, when the drab attendance at Nagpur made the first Test crowd resemble a Supersport series match in Kimberley.