For Dhoni, stability added to team by Irfan is crucial

July 22, 2012

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Hambantota, July 22: India showed good fighting skills against Sri Lanka in the opening ODI here on Saturday and while there were several stand-out performances with the bat as well as with the ball, skipper MS Dhoni chose to specially credit Irfan Pathan.

Pathan claimed 2 wickets and had earlier smashed a boundary, coming in to bat late in the Indian innings. His seven runs took his side to 305 but it was his all-round ability that, according to Dhoni, helped India. "Zak bowled good but it was Irfan Pathan who played well. He lends a balance to the side which is very important in the absence of (Ravindra) Jadeja and Yuvraj (Singh)," he said in the post-match ceremony.

Irfan was the first to claim a wicket when Sri Lanka came out to bat. He caught Tillakaratne Dilshan in front of the stumps to send him walking back in the second over. The all-rounder later returned to remove Thisara Perrera who had smashed a six and three boundaries in his innings worth 44.

Earlier in the day, former Pakistan seamer Wasim Akram had also lauded Pathan and said he should be given more chances by the Indian selectors.

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News Network
March 22,2024

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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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