Gambhir must win IPL to prove selectors wrong: Akram

Kolkata: Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram Monday said that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Gautam Gambhir must win IPL 5 to prove a point to the Indian selectors who have removed him from the vice-captaincy of the Indian cricket team. Ridiculing the selectors' decision to drop Gambhir from the Indian vice-captaincy, the KKR bowling coach said: "First time, I saw the vice-captain was dropped after losing. Usually the captain is dropped after losing...I don't understand what made the selectors to drop him. If I were Gambhir, I would try to win the IPL to prove my point."

Akram said KKR have a balanced side and every member of the team was enjoying each other's company. "In general, we have the same team with five or six local players, who have been recruited keeping in mind the future. We have a very good coach in Trevor Bayliss who has immense T20 experience. The best thing about this team is they like each other's company. They will enjoy the success. This is the secret of any team's success, to support each other's success or failure.

Akram also welcomed the return of New Zealand wicketkeeper batsman Brendon McCullum. McCullum, who represented the Kolkatan team for the first three seasons, played for Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the last edition. "It's great that he [Brendon McCullum] returns to the team. This team has variety in both batting and bowling. Our captain [Gautam Gambhir] leads from the front. And we have a great hitter in Yusuf Pathan."

Akram said that the Knight Riders would benefit immensely from sports psychologist Dr Rudi Webster. "When I was a player, I used to speak to my wife as she was a psychologist. The idea to have a sports psychologist is to give confidence to the players going through a lean phase. This guy [Webster] is very experienced having worked with Gary Sobers, Viv Richards, Brian Lara. He is the sports psychologist with cricketing experience. When you are mentally comfortable, it helps in your game."

He also said that the Kolkatan side was looking forward to playing on any kind of wicket. "Wicket does not make any difference as we have a good side. We all know the Eden wicket, which is a good batting track."

Asked whether he was looking forward to their contest against the Sourav Ganguly-led Pune Warriors India, Akram said, "It would be a very exciting contest. Sourav is a great friend of mine. I have worked with him, both as a player and commentator. He is a fierce competitor. The pressure will be on him and not on us. First time, we will see him under pressure."

IPL 5: The definitive season awaits

It's that time of year. When colored pajamas, DLF Maximums and Citi Moments of Success, strategic time-outs, cheerleaders, Bollywood, entertainment, razzmatazz and Navjot Singh Sidhu collectively assault the Indian public’s conscious and living rooms. When Twenty20 cricket becomes a reason for fans to get together, in front of television sets or doing the Mexican wave in the stands; for housewives and vegetable vendors alike to talk about the previous evening's game; for industrialist and investment banker to hotelier to talk cricket instead of just work; and for newspapers and news channels to use Twenty20 cricket to try and distract the nation from more depressing and disturbing news.

Or so the Indian Premier League organizers would like to have happen. After four seasons of the lucrative Twenty20 league, this season could be the one that really tests the Indian audience and the floorboards of the IPL. The Indian fan and media's memory is generally fickle, but considering the disastrous year that Indian cricket has endured since April 2, 2011 when the World Cup was lifted on a starry Mumbai night, there is much riding on the success of the IPL and its ability to put the fan in front of the action.

Season four of the IPL produced the lowest TV ratings of any, which according to reports was 29% down from season three. The 2011 final in Chennai, between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore and boasting players such as India's captain MS Dhoni, the tournament's blockbuster package Chris Gayle, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, was watched by less than half the amount that viewed the 2010 final. The disconnect evident between the on-field action and the fans was a telling statement in 2011, and the volume of matches of matches was undoubtedly a factor in this.

The disbanding of the Kochi franchise was also bad news for the tournament, as was the spat between the Sahara group, sponsors of the Indian team and owners of the Pune team. Pune Warriors India will participate in the IPL, after withdrawing from the auction in Bangalore earlier this year, and how Pune fares will be crucial to the franchise's brand value. On top of all this, there were allegations from former IPL supremo Lalit Modi that the 2009 auction had been rigged by CSK to accommodate former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff. Sufficed to say, the IPL had drawn plenty of controversy and criticism between seasons four and five, and for it to flourish the cricket will have to put bums on seats.

So here are the basics, just to refresh the memory - the fifth season of the IPL will comprise nine teams and 76 matches, will start and concluded in Chennai, and each team will play each other home and away during a league phase consisting of 72 matches at 12 venues. Seventy-six matches is 20 less than in 2010, and two more than in 2011, but is it too much? Time well tell.

On the field, there is plenty to look for, plenty of tasty subplots. Will Gayle be able to produce a season as stunning as last year's, when he smashed his way to the highest number of runs while almost single-handedly taking Bangalore to the final? Now that he has relinquished the Mumbai Indians' captaincy, will Sachin Tendulkar bat freely and enthrall fans? Can Kolkata Knight Riders actually get it together this season? Do Delhi Daredevils finally have a match-winning team? Will Yusuf Pathan regain his form? Can anyone stop Chennai? Will the absence of Yuvraj Singh and Graeme Smith severely hurt Pune, and exactly is Michael Clarke going to bring to the table? These are just a few cricketing aspects of IPL 5 that the fans can look forward to.

Indian cricket needs a lift following eight successive Test defeats and the failure of the ODI team to qualify for consecutive multi-team finals. Once again the club versus country debate has cropped up, and there will be plenty of eyes on the likes of Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, whose performances for India of late has been decidedly poor, most glaringly that of the Daredevils' captain. A strong tournament for Raina and Jadeja – bought for a staggering $2 million by CSK – could be just what is needed to bring out their best in limited-overs cricket, and to watch their progress will be interesting. As for Dhoni, whose reputation as captain has taken a hit, finding his leadership mojo in CSK yellow could also be the anecdote he desperately needs.

There will also be reputations at stake, and after Rahul Sharma's dramatic elevation to India's limited-overs teams there will be other bowlers out there who will believe that a strong IPL can give them a shot at national selection.

And so, from April 4, 2012 the IPL circus will kick off. Hate it or love it, it's a brand of cricket you cannot ignore. Let the games begin.

Source: http://cricketnext.in.com

IPL 2012 Macth Schedule : IPL 5 Schedule

The Indian Premier League (IPL) Five, involving 76 matches among 9 teams, will commence and finish in Chennai, from 4 April 2012 to 27 May 2012....

Match	Date	Time (IST)	Teams	Venue
1	April 4	20:00	Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians	M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
2	April 5	20:00	Kolkata Knight Riders v Delhi Daredevils	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
3	April 6	16:00	Mumbai Indians v Pune Warriors	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
4	April 6	20:00	Rajasthan Royals v Kings XI Punjab	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
5	April 7	16:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Delhi Daredevils	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
6	April 7	20:00	Deccan Chargers v Chennai Super Kings	Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
7	April 8	16:00	Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders	Sawai Mansingh Stadium Jaipur
8	April 8	20:00	Pune Warriors v Kings XI Punjab	Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
9	April 9	20:00	Deccan Chargers v Mumbai Indians	Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
10	April 10	16:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
11	April 10	20:00	Delhi Daredevils v Chennai Super Kings	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
12	April 11	20:00	Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
13	April 12	16:00	Chennai Super Kings v Royal Challengers Bangalore	M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
14	April 12	20:00	Kings XI Punjab v Pune Warriors	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Chandigarh
15	April 13	20:00	Kolkata Knight Riders v Rajasthan Royals	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
16	April 14	20:00	Pune Warriors v Chennai Super Kings	Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
17	April 15	16:00	Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
18	April 15	20:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
19	April 16	20:00	Mumbai Indians v Delhi Daredevils	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
20	April 17	16:00	Rajasthan Royals v Deccan Chargers	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
21	April 17	20:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Pune Warriors	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
22	April 18	20:00	Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Chandigarh
23	April 19	16:00	Deccan Chargers v Delhi Daredevils	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
24	April 19	20:00	Chennai Super Kings v Pune Warriors	M A Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
25	April 20	20:00	Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Chandigarh
26	April 21	16:00	Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals	M A Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
27	April 21	20:00	Delhi Daredevils v Pune Warriors	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
28	April 22	16:00	Mumbai Indians v Kings XI Punjab	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
29	April 22	20:00	Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders	Barabati Stadium, Cuttack
30	April 23	20:00	Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
31	April 24	16:00	Pune Warriors v Delhi Daredevils	Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
32	April 24	20:00	Kolkata Knight Riders v Deccan Chargers	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
33	April 25	16:00	Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Chandigarh
34	April 25	20:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Chennai Super Kings	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
35	April 26	20:00	Pune Warriors v Deccan Chargers	Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
36	April 27	20:00	Delhi Daredevils v Mumbai Indians	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
37	April 28	16:00	Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI Punjab	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
38	April 28	20:00	Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
39	April 29	16:00	Delhi Daredevils v Rajasthan Royals	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
40	April 29	20:00	Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
41	April 30	20:00	Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
42	May 1	16:00	Deccan Chargers v Pune Warriors	Barabati Stadium, Cuttack
43	May 1	20:00	Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Daredevils	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
44	May 2	20:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kings XI Punjab	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
45	May 3	20:00	Pune Warriors v Mumbai Indians	Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
46	May 4	20:00	Chennai Super Kings v Deccan Chargers	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
47	May 5	16:00	Kolkata Knight Riders v Pune Warriors	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
48	May 5	20:00	Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Chandigarh
49	May 6	16:00	Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
50	May 6	20:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Deccan Chargers	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
51	May 7	20:00	Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
52	May 8	16:00	Pune Warriors v Rajasthan Royals	Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
53	May 8	20:00	Deccan Chargers v Kings XI Punjab	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
54	May 9	20:00	Mumbai Indians v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
55	May 10	16:00	Deccan Chargers v Delhi Daredevils	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
56	May 10	20:00	Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Super Kings	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
57	May 11	20:00	Pune Warriors v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
58	May 12	16:00	Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
59	May 12	20:00	Chennai Super Kings v Delhi Daredevils	MA Chidambaram Stadium,  Chennai
60	May 13	16:00	Rajasthan Royals v Pune Warriors	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
61	May 13	20:00	Kings XI Punjab v Deccan Chargers	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Chandigarh
62	May 14	16:00	Royal Challengers Bangalore v Mumbai Indians	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
63	May 14	20:00	Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
64	May 15	20:00	Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
65	May 16	20:00	Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
66	May 17	16:00	Kings XI Punjab v Chennai Super Kings	Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
67	May 17	20:00	Delhi Daredevils v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
68	May 18	20:00	Deccan Chargers v Rajasthan Royals	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
69	May 19	16:00	Kings XI Punjab v Delhi Daredevils	Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
70	May 19	20:00	Pune Warriors v Kolkata Knight Riders	Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
71	May 20	16:00	Deccan Chargers v Royal Challengers Bangalore	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
72	May 20	20:00	Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
73	May 22	20:00	Qualifier 1 – TBC v TBC (1st v 2nd)	Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
74	May 23	20:00	Eliminator – TBC v TBC (3rd v 4th)	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
75	May 25	20:00	Qualifier 2 – TBC v TBC (Winner Eliminator v Loser Qualifier 1)	MA Chidambaram Stadium,  Chennai
76	May 27	20:00	Final – TBC v TBC	MA Chidambaram Stadium,  Chennai