IPL 2011- Shah Rukh Khan invites Kareena to cheer KKR

With the beginning of Indian Premiere League, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has a surprise for everyone.

A source close to King Khan stated that Shah Rukh is planning to invite Kareena Kapoor to cheer for his team Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL.

A source stated “Kareena is the female lead in Ra. One and the actor wants to club the promotion of his film with IPL.”

The source added “Kareena will soon join the Delhi schedule of Agent Vinod, but she has been asked by SRK to try to make it to the KKR matches.”

Shah Rukh had promoted his film “Ra One” during the recently held World Cup by buying an advertisement spot. And now the actor is looking forward to garner attention for his upcoming home production “Ra One” via IPL too.

Kareena Kapoor along with Saif Ali Khan and Anil Kapoor had promoted their film “Tashan” during IPL 2008. Hope this time too Kareena agrees with Shah Rukh to promote their upcoming film at the IPL.

The opening ceremony of the IPL conducted by Wizcraft will be a short and colorful affair with lots of singing and dancing performances.

The performers list include Sona Mahapatra of ‘Paas aao na’ fame along with renowned singers such as Sunidhi Chauhan, Kunal Ganjawala and Akriti Kakar.

(Reporting by Eugene Desiree in Mumbai; Editing by Reeyanki)

IPL 2011 off to a Grand Start

Chennai Super King : 153/4 in 20 Overs  [ A Srikanth 64, S Raina 33, MS Dhoni 29,Albie Morkel 15 * , Kallis 2/34] beat Kolkata Knight Riders 151 /7 in 20  Overs [ Kallis 54 , MSD Bisla 27, HK Tiwary 27 ] by 2 runs.

Man of the Match: S Anirudha [CSK]

Captain Cool MS Dhoni outwitted his fellow Indian Team mate Gautam Gambhir as Chennai Super King [CSK] pulled off a thrilling 2 runs victory over Kolkata Knight Riders [KKK] in the exiting opening match of IPL 4thversion. It seems that Indian Captain has a Midas touch. Whatever is doing now is working in his favor , whatever is touching is turning gold. CSK for most part of the match were on the back foot. KKK was cursing by mid way of their innings. But brilliant bowling changes and field setting by Dhoni and some smart stumping led CSK win the thriller.  There was not even a World Cup hangover. Worshippers of cricket assembled in good numbers, danced and sang as the home team made a winning start.

A revamped KKK with a depleted side for absence of three key players Bret Lee, Brad Haddin and Saquibul Hasan [busy in ODI series in Dhaka] held the upper hand for most part of the game. But poor fielding and inexcusable batting order setting by Gautam Gambhir cost them the match.

IPL T20 Championship featuring 14 Indian Franchise and displaying cricket talents from all over the cricket world went off to a glamouorous start yesterday. World cricket remains glued to this cricket festival as it is glamorous cocktail of Bolywood and World cricket. The fourth edition has widened its scope as not two more franchise has been added widening it still deep into Indian Territory.

Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat. KKK could have put CSK on the back foot very early if Yusuf Pathan did not drop two easy catches to get rid of Rina and Aniruddha Srikanth.Junior Srikanth went on to score 64 and Raina added useful 33 in a low scoring match Dhoni looked a little bit dazed. Still he scored 29 .KKK Bowlers Kallis, Iqubal Abuddlah and Yusuf Pathan bowled tight line and length to restrict CSK to manageable score of 153.

Instead of Gambhir opening the innings with Kallis Bisla was sent in. The opening pair added 64 before Bishla fell to Jakati. Gambhir must have come in at number 3 .But instead Yusuf Pathan was sent .Yusf looked shaky and ran himself out. Gambhir at number 3 could have piloted the innings as Kallis looked in usual touch. By the time Gambhir appeared at number 6 it was already late. CSK n bowlers stemmed the flow of runs.Tiwary and Morgan could hardly make any impression. When Kallis left at 54 skying one from Ashwin the slide started. Still Tiwary and Shukla kept the momentum till second last over. KKK required only 7 runs in the last over for photo finish. Dhoni brought in Tim Souhtee. It still appeared a cake walk with 4 wickets left. But Southee bowled a superv last over picking up the wicket of Shukla and conceding only 4 runs. CSK won the first match by 2 runs on the last ball.

IPL 2011: Lavazza partners with Rajasthan Royals for IPL season IV

Global coffee house Lavazza, which operates 'Barista Lavazza' cafes in India , on Friday said it has partnered with Rajasthan Royals for the fourth edition of the IPL T20 cricket league that starts tonight.

"We are very excited to partner with the Rajasthan Royals team as their official coffee partner. A host of exciting promotions and activities to engage with our consumers are being planned at the Barista Lavazza cafes," Lavazza Director South Asia R Shivashankar said in a statement.

As part of the partnership, the company said it has lined up various promotional activities at the Barista Lavazza cafes.

Consumers will also get a chance to meet Rajasthan Royals players and get signed merchandises such as bats and balls and other Barista Lavazza vouchers, the company added.

IPL 2011: Are you ready for IPL 4?

With all the hoopla surrounding Indian cricket after becoming world champs, the stage is set for Indian Premier League season 4. IPL as seen in the previous years has been amongst the most entertaining cricket events of the year. IPL 4 kicks off tomorrow with the defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on the star studded Kolkata Knight Riders 8 PM IST. The match will be played on Chennai’s home turf and according to sources there will be a grand opening ceremony to the event. Shah Rukh Khan is expected to dance to the tunes in the opening ceremony which will surely set the stage on fire.

The biggest news in this season’s IPL is the reshuffling of players which will surely have some people confused. So, the next time you see the former Delhi Daredevils captain wearing a Kolkata Knight Riders jersey don’t be surprised because he has been paid a whopping amount to play for KKR. Secondly, there has been an addition of two new teams, Sahara Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers which is sure to spice up the contest even further.

Another change in this year’s IPL edition is that the number of matches that are reduced from 94 to 73. All ten teams are divided into two groups of 5 teams each and all of them will play 4 league matches against each other and two more against the fifth team which will be chosen randomly. IPL4 is set to define the future of Indian Premier League as many think that cricket has been overdone while others think that adding new teams and re-shuffling the players will add more spice to this curry.

It’s only been a week since the world cup got over and since then the Indian team has been showered with gifts. There is a huge high after the world cup and people surely want to see Dhoni, Sachin, Sehwag and for that matter the world champs back in action. Though, it will be difficult for people to adjust their sentiments after the world cup win but the event promises to be a cracker.

While some players will be playing to enhance their resume just after the world cup win while others will be playing to seek a comeback into the national team. Players like Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan and Robin Uthappa have already stated that they want to use IPL as a stepping stone to enter into the national team.

The IPL has always been an unpredictable tournament which certainly makes it one of the most exciting events of the year. This season kicks off 8 PM in the evening tomorrow and the TRP’s are expected to soar higher than ever before.

SRK to dazzle at IPL 4 opening ceremony

Shah Rukh Khan is all set to dazzle in the IPL opening ceremony in Chennai on Friday, according to sources. The Wizcraft-conducted event is scheduled to be a short, but colourful affair, with a lot of song and dance.

Sona Mahapatra of "Paas aao na" fame will be among the performers. "It was quite a late decision to have a colourful opening ceremony," Mahapatra told TOI on Wednesday. She added that Sunidhi Chauhan, Kunal Ganjawala and Akriti Kakar are expected to be among the prominent performers who would be on the stage before Chennai Super Kings take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match.

According to sources, Shah Rukh Khan will dance to the tunes of the IPL anthem. It was not too difficult to rope in the KKR owner as he would have been present anyway, for his team's opening match.

"In fact, I was asked to be part of the show about two weeks back," Mahapatra added. "It was quite a surprise as I normally travel with my band and I don't get invitations to perform in shows like these. But then I thought this would be good opportunity and took it up."
"Dumadum mast kalandar" is one of options being considered for Mahapatra's performance. "It seems to be a very appropriate song for the occasion," Mahapatra said. "However, it is not closed yet," she said.

There are a few other songs being considered. "With India winning the World Cup, it was felt that more spice should be added to the opening ceremony to celebrate this victory. Although the time was short, I am sure things will go smoothly."

IPL 2011 Opening Ceremony likely to be hosted by Amitabh Bachchan

IPL 2011 opening ceremony venue has been decided and this time Chepauk stadium in Chennai is going to host the important opening event of IPL season 4. Chennai is the home ground of IPL season 3 winner Chennai Super Kings.

According to reports, Indian Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan is likely to host the IPL opening ceremony. Also industry’s  Mr. Perfect, Aamir Khan, might make a guest appearance during the ceremony.

First look of “Thayn Thayn” song from Dum Maaro Dum will also be released on the opening day of IPL 4, it is being said.

The opening ceremony of IPL 2011 will start at 3.30 PM on April 8th, 2011. Chennai Super Kings will face  Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL opening match at 8 PM IST after the opening ceremony is over. Chennai is going to host nine IPL matches for this season including the IPL 4 grand finale.

IPL 2011 tickets for matches are already available online, through sites such as Kyazoonga and bookmyshow. Also, different franchises have made them official online ticketing partners.

The cost of tickets this time is high and P2 stand ticket for a three hour IPL T20 match will cost Rs 55,000. If you want to enjoy the match from J Corporate stand, it'll cost you Rs 33,000. A seat in the P4 stand is priced at Rs 27,500.

IPL 2011 Opening Ceremony likely to be hosted by Amitabh Bachchan

IPL 2011 opening ceremony venue has been decided and this time Chepauk stadium in Chennai is going to host the important opening event of IPL season 4. Chennai is the home ground of IPL season 3 winner Chennai Super Kings.
According to reports, Indian Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan is likely to host the IPL opening ceremony. Also industry’s  Mr. Perfect, Aamir Khan, might make a guest appearance during the ceremony.
First look of “Thayn Thayn” song from Dum Maaro Dum will also be released on the opening day of IPL 4, it is being said.
The opening ceremony of IPL 2011 will start at 3.30 PM on April 8th, 2011. Chennai Super Kings will face  Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL opening match at 8 PM IST after the opening ceremony is over. Chennai is going to host nine IPL matches for this season including the IPL 4 grand finale.
IPL 2011 tickets for matches are already available online, through sites such as Kyazoonga and bookmyshow. Also, different franchises have made them official online ticketing partners.
The cost of tickets this time is high and P2 stand ticket for a three hour IPL T20 match will cost Rs 55,000. If you want to enjoy the match from J Corporate stand, it'll cost you Rs 33,000. A seat in the P4 stand is priced at Rs 27,500.