Tendulkar to skip series in Sri Lanka

July 5, 2012
sachin

Indian batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar will skip the upcoming series of limited-over matches in Sri Lanka, the national selectors announced on Wednesday. India will play five One Day Internationals (ODIs), starting in Hambantota on July 21, plus a one-off Twenty20 match on August 7.


The 39-year-old Tendulkar, who completed an unprecedented century of centuries during the Asia Cup in Dhaka in March, is the world’s leading run-getter in both Test (15,470) and one-day (18,426) cricket.


Tendulkar, who does not play in international Twenty20 games, has dismissed talk of retirement but has chosen to play in only some of India’s ODIs in recent years.


“Sachin is not available [for selection]. He must be aiming for the England and Australia series later this season,” chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth said.

“We have selected the best possible side and hope this season starts with a bang.”


Hard-hitting opener Virender Sehwag and key paceman Zaheer Khan both return to bolster the side after missing the Asia Cup due to injuries.


Sehwag last year became only the second batsman after Tendulkar to hammer a double-century in One Day Internationals. He has far scored 8,090 runs in 245 one-dayers with 15 hundreds.


Zaheer, who played his last one-dayer in February, has bagged 278 wickets in 195 matches.


Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha has replaced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who was part of the Indian squad in the Asia Cup. Ojha played his last One Day International in Sri Lanka in August 2010. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the 15-man squad, with batsman Virat Kohli as his deputy.



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News Network
March 22,2024

IPL.jpg

The start of the world’s most lucrative cricket tournament in India is presenting investors with another big opportunity to cash in on the sport, months after the world’s most populous nation hosted the Cricket World Cup.

The eight-week long Indian Premier League begins March 22 for its 17th season. Since its inception, the fast-paced cricket tournament has become a corporate juggernaut to rival the National Football League in the US and the English Premier League in value.

Just as October’s Cricket World Cup boosted consumption in India for months, fans are expected to flock to restaurants, pubs and food delivery platforms over the duration of the tournament. This year’s IPL also coincides with general elections that will last for six weeks starting April 19, a period when companies are expecting higher food and drink sales as people flock to rallies and other events.

“There’s going to be a lot of spending,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at Bank of Baroda. “IPL, as well as the election, gives a three-month corridor with enhanced economic activity.”

Stocks in India such as McDonald’s franchise operator Westlife Foodworld Ltd. and peer Sapphire Foods India Ltd. gained ahead of the first match on Friday, as well as hotels and beverage makers. Packaged-food companies could also stand to benefit from the IPL craze, said Sachil Bobade, an analyst at investment firm Dolat Capital Market.

The IPL ecosystem was valued at $11 billion (Rs 91,721 crores) in 2023, including the value of media rights and sponsorships, according to Indian valuation consulting firm D&P Advisory.

The league is also attracting record sums of money from sponsors and broadcasters. Conglomerate Tata Group won the title sponsorship rights of the tournament in January for a record 25 billion rupees ($300 million). Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s media venture secured the digital streaming rights in 2022 for five years for $2.7 billion, while Walt Disney Co. paid roughly the same for TV rights.

“There was a serious amount of bidding even this year,” said Vinit Karnik, head of entertainment, esports and sports at media agency GroupM South Asia. “I see growth in IPL in double digits year-on-year,” he adds.

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