Erstellt am 09.05.2008 - 15:33

The No. 12 shirt

Cricinfo staff

May 8, 2008

Mine sells better than yours © AFP


The 12th man is Numero Uno:
On Wednesday night, almost all the Mumbai Indians replica shirts at the DY Patil Stadium in Nerul had the No. 10 and Tendulkar printed on the back. So when you arrived at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, the expectation was that Ganguly would be the name of choice on the black-and-gold jerseys. Not quite. The Ganguly shirts were conspicuously absent, with the Number 12 'Khan' shirt the attire of choice. That should tell you all you need to know about the new breed of Indian 'cricket' fan.

Where the mind is without fear: Right from the moment you land in Kolkata, everything from the radio to posters on the walls inform you that May 8 is Rabindranath Tagore's 148th birth anniversary. The first Indian to be awarded the Nobel prize (1913), Tagore would probably beat off competition from Satyajit Ray, Chuni Goswami and Ganguly if Bengal was ever to choose its favourite son. And with the rain pouring down, Shah Rukh Khan, he of the No.12 shirt, paid tribute by reciting Where The Mind is Without Fear and the Head is Held High, one of Tagore's most famous works. His team followed that message when they came out to field.

Not the Mystic Masseur: As the Kolkata openers prepare to face the first ball after an interminable rain delay, the camera pans across to Shoaib Akhtar in the dug-out. Not fit enough to play this game, Shoaib makes himself useful by giving one of his new team-mates a shoulder massage. A man of many talents.

Double jeopardy: Murali Kartik played a vital role in reviving the Kolkata innings, but when he could only scoop out a yorker from Praveen Kumar, no one was quite sure if it was a bump catch or not. Wriddhiman Saha was already halfway down the pitch, and Praveen, who had taken the catch on his follow-through made doubly sure by taking the bails off long before Kartik had ambled across. The scorer initially said run out, but replays later proved that it was a clean catch.

Anything you can do: Cameron White had come up with a stunning direct hit on the dive to dismiss Ganguly, but then had to watch his thunder stolen by a compatriot. When J Arunkumar cut one hard to point, Hodge flung himself to the left to gather the ball in. In almost the same movement, he switched the ball to the right hand and produced a throw that took out the only stump he could see. Arunkumar departed in a state of shock, and you could scarcely blame him.

O Captain, My Captain: With Rahul Dravid struggling to get the ball away, Ganguly brought himself on to bowl to the man who replaced him as India's captain. Dravid decided to go for the paddle-sweep off the first ball, but the result was anything but pretty. The exposed leg stump was uprooted and Ganguly ran off towards point in celebration, leaving Bangalore supporters to reflect on the first line of Walt Whitman's famous poem about Abraham Lincoln. O Captain my Captain! Our fearful trip is done.

© Cricinfo


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Erstellt am 09.05.2008 - 15:37

SRK’s tribute to Tagore Sahaab- Homage before match

A STAFF REPORTER

Shah Rukh Khan waves to fans as actress Indrani Haldar puts a garland around Rabindranath Tagore’s portrait at Eden Gardens on Thursday. Picture by Pabitra Das
Two short of the 150th anniversary of his birth, Rabindranath Tagore got a new name — Tagore Sahaab.

“It’s a big day and we have to give shraddhanjali to Tagore Sahaab... (who is important) not only for Calcutta but for the whole of this country and the world,” Shah Rukh Khan said on Thursday after landing in town.

On a day a T20 match at the Eden and Panchishe Baisakh coincided, Shah Rukh created history twice over. Never before had Rabindrasangeet been sung live before the start of a cricket game and never before had the poet been called Tagore Sahaab.

SRK obviously liked the epithet since he carried it over from the brief interaction with the media at the airport where he said it twice to the ground.

“It’s a great, great honour to pay our respects to Tagore Sahaab,” he announced at the Eden where he had organised a short tribute. And, contrary to earlier signals, he did perform.

“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth.”

Bollywood’s superstar read in a quiet voice Tagore’s lines from Gitanjali. Every time he mentioned the name, he said Tagore Sahaab. The big electronic scoreboard at the Eden stuck to the conventional “Kabiguru”.

SRK garlanded a portrait of the poet placed on a makeshift stage put up inside the fence in front of Block J. “I understand the kind of rationalism plus scientific and emotional approach in his writing...,” he added during the short celebration of Tagore’s 148th birth anniversary.

Shah Rukh took the stage with the Tollywood brigade of Jisshu Sengupta, Jeet, Indrani Halder and Koel Mullik. Moments earlier Indrani Sen had sung a bilingual (Bengali and Hindi) version of Boro asha kore eshechhi go and Mamata Shankar and her troupe staged two dances set to a medley of Tagore songs, including Poush toder daak diyechhe.

It wasn’t exactly the winter weather of “Poush” on offer, though, as a Kalbaishakhi, or Nor’wester, raged, throwing T20’s Tagore tribute into turmoil.

The storm and the fact that the show was planned over one hour before the scheduled start of the match meant that there weren’t many around to watch it.

Shah Rukh, however, was all grace as he praised Calcuttans for filling up the Eden for the third match in a row.


“I am thankful to the people for their love. I want to thank them because the stadium is still full,” said King Khan.

He said that despite being the boss of the Calcutta team for some time now, the only Bengali words he has been able to master are Korbo lorbo jeetbo. That’s why he selected the English lines from Gitanjali which best described the spirit of his team: Where the mind is without fear…

It wasn’t long after the Rabindra Jayanti that the speakers across the Eden started thumping again with the beats of Deewangi deewangi and Beedi jalai le but by then Shah Rukh had strengthened his Bengal connection.

At the airport, it was pointed out: Devdas, the Knight Riders, Tagore — you are getting more and more close to Bengal.

The epitome of social correctness, Shah Rukh replied: “We are all Indians... I am from Delhi, work in Mumbai, spent childhood in Bangalore and I work now in Kolkata... with a lot of literary and cultural parts to it. The passion is very important.”

For those waiting with anxious expectation of an SRK performance of a nature different from reading from Gitanjali, he held out hope.

“I don’t think there’s any place for performance at a cricket match...not in the 10-minute break...but we will get some other people to perform if they wish to on days when we can have that.

“I have spoken to Rani and Kareena and all.… If they wish to, we will make something special.”


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080509/j … 246335.jsp

Erstellt am 10.05.2008 - 01:19

Shah Rukh Khan: Be a Knight



Reebok India, the leading sports brand today made history of sorts by creating a moment that brought sports and stardom together. The official merchandise partner for Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL team owned by Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan, Reebok struck a chord with all enthusiastic cricket fans, as it invited Shahrukh to open its first Knight Riders store on Sarat Bose Road in Kolkata. Knight Rider's fanatics were bowled over at this unexpected treat. Up for grabs at the store is the specially designed Knight Riders footwear and apparel fan gear. The line is complete with accessories like caps, head bands, wristbands, bag packs etc.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Subhinder Singh, Managing Director, Reebok India Company said: "It's pure passion and zeal which drives Reebok as a brand and we see a parallel in Shahrukh's Knight Riders with their courage, captivating spirit and endearing attitude coming in to play. As a sports brand we believe in fulfilling potential and we strive hard to provide the best to our athletes and our consumers. With this store which embodies the spirit of Knight Riders we invite everyone to be a part of this astonishing fervour and be the 12th man."

Shahrukh Khan's message to his fans was clear "Be a Knight with Reebok." At the store opening Shahrukh said, "In Reebok I see a perfect fit. They embody the spirit of fulfilling potential; they have the passion to nurture talent and the aggression to take sports to the next level. I am excited that Reebok has created a benchmark by opening an exclusive Reebok Kolkata Knight Riders store for the fans. Launching a Knight Riders special fan gear is an initiative to inspire the fans to wear their emotions on their sleeves thereby taking the "Real Knight" into their homes."

Quelle: glamsham.com

Erstellt am 10.05.2008 - 14:03

Didi strikes, Dada smiles

- Typhoon Mamata lays road ambush
OUR BUREAU

Shah Rukh’s car (white Mercedes-Benz) is stuck on the Park Circus connector because of the blockade. Picture by Aranya Sen
Calcutta, May 8: Blackout then, blockade now.

Shah Rukh Khan is getting a crash course in Calcutta, this time Mamata Banerjee taking over from the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government and playing the dutiful teacher.

Mamata today sprang a lightning road blockade on Calcutta, holding up many headed to the Eden, including Shah Rukh Khan, before rain delayed the match. The one-hour blockade from 6pm to 7pm was to protest the CPM-led attacks in Nandigram.

Although Nandigram has been on the boil for over a week now, the Trinamul Congress chose to announce the blockade only around noon — the short notice ensuring that maximum inconvenience was caused during the evening peak hour.

Shah Rukh’s convoy stopped thrice on the Park Circus connector soon after 6.40pm. He was accompanied by Knight Riders’ co-owners Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta and guests.

“It was not just Shah Rukh Khan, many others got stuck,” said Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti, the city police commissioner. “At every point, our officers intervened and ensured that his (Shah Rukh’s) convoy was not stuck for long.”

Shah Rukh reached the Eden Clubhouse gates around 7.10pm, 15 minutes after the cultural programme to pay tribute to Rabindranath Tagore had started.

According to police, as soon as the convoy crossed Science City, it started slowing down. Near the Mirania Boating Complex on the Park Circus connector, it ground to a halt. Later, a few yards ahead, it was stuck again.

As the cars approached the Topsia crossing, the police tried to divert the convoy through the parallel lane meant for oncoming traffic. “No sooner had his car picked up speed than it ran into a group of Trinamul Congress workers who were disrupting traffic,” said a police officer.

Trinamul MLA Javed Ahmed Khan, leading the demonstration, claimed he told Shah Rukh that “we were protesting against the CPM’s atrocities in Nandigram”.

Although officers accompanying the convoy said Shah Rukh had rolled down the windowpane, no one could confirm whether the protesters got a chance to speak to him. “It took us just a few minutes to disperse the protesters and his convoy rolled on,” said a traffic sergeant.

The blockade left a large number of Knight Riders’ fans stranded, too. “Our taxi got stranded near the Hazra crossing. After waiting for 15 to 20 minutes, we took the Metro,” said Anshuman Banerjee, a college student.

“Thankfully, they didn’t block the Esplanade intersection or we would have returned home instead of heading to Eden Gardens,” said Rajat Subhro Majumder of CIT Road.

The blockade has come just when the dust was beginning to settle on the floodlight fiasco during the Knight Riders’ debut match at the Eden.

This is not the first time the Trinamul Congress has displayed poor timing that invariably erodes the sympathy issues like Nandigram generate among the people.

Bandhs have been called earlier during the middle of the Christmas week and the wedding season, only to be truncated with Mamata waking up late to the public mood.

Trinamul leader Partha Chatterjee said the party did not intend to block Shah Rukh Khan’s way but couldn’t stop protesting against the “CPM’s terror’’. “It’s not a question of cricket or football. Look at the people of Nandigram and then talk about a game of entertainment,” he said.


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080509/j … 247234.jsp

Erstellt am 10.05.2008 - 14:08

SRK wields bat, steals hearts, fires fancy
- Shaaaaaaaaaaaa... Ruuuuuuuuuuuu...kh

A STAFF REPORTER

A schoolgirl runs after Shah Rukh Khan’s car hoping to get an autograph of the star; (below) the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders at the inauguration of a Sarat Bose Road store. Pictures by Pabitra Das

Yuvraj Singh’s record of hitting the maximum sixes in an over was equalled on Friday, and it wasn’t even a cricketer who did it. It was Shah Rukh Khan who was wielding the bat, proving he can do much more than cheer his team.

Inaugurating “the first Reebok Knight Riders store” in the city, the Bollywood Badshah turned into big-hitting brand ambassador, smashing more than six (tennis) balls up, up and away from the black and gold stage outside the Sarat Bose Road outlet.

One of those balls was caught — though on the wrong side of the virtual boundary — by Sampa Guha, wearing whites. She wasn’t on her way to a Test match: the detective was in her Calcutta Police uniform.

“I am happy about what Shah Rukh Khan is doing for sports,” gushed the gold medallist weightlifter, who has represented India in the Asian and Commonwealth games.

Appearing for a 10-minute cameo with son Aryan in tow, Shah Rukh broke into a jig to the tune of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ theme song.

The crowd could have put an 80,000-strong Eden to shame for sheer volume. “Shah Rukh… Shah Rukh… korbo, lorbo, jeetbo re…” they chanted, perched atop every conceivable vantage point — from neighbouring terraces and balconies — and crowding the road.

“Namaskar, salaam wallequm,” he began. “The idea of buying a cricket team in Calcutta was one of the nicest decisions. Many thought that the idea of a film star doing a cricket team won’t work… but the kind of support that we have got… I don’t know how you say it in Bengali, but in Delhi and Mumbai, we say jai Calcutta,” said Shah Rukh, his dimpled smile bringing on more wild cheers.

And Sampa would be happy with his promise to “extend” his “mind and heart to other sports as well”, before he signed off, thanking “all the dadas”.

Fans had assembled, some as early as 1pm, waiting in the sun for nearly three hours for the star to arrive.

“I came running from school to meet Shah Rukh Khan. None of my friends believed me when I said I am going to meet Shah Rukh. Now, I am going to take an autograph and show it to them,” said 14-year-old Kiran Punjabi of Loreto Day School.

The girl in our picture chasing SRK’s car, crying out his name, may not have got the autograph she was seeking, but few others in the frenzied crowd were disappointed.

The buzz in the air was that it was Shah Rukh — not Sourav, Shoaib or Sharma — who would get KKR to the IPL semi-finals


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080510/j … 249759.jsp

Erstellt am 11.05.2008 - 13:35

King Khan's Knights storm Kolkata

Biswajit Das/Rica Roy

Saturday, May 10, 2008: (Kolkata):



The concept of being the 12th man was started by King Khan and now it has taken Kolkata by storm.

In order to tap the growing fan base of the Kolkata Knight Riders team, Shah Rukh Khan has come out with another concept.

Though his team's latest fans can't tell the difference between a yorker and a bouncer but SRK is making sure he's got his next generation of Kolkata Knight Rider cheerleaders right here.

As a further incentive, King Khan came out and performed for a crowd of about 6,000 people. It was a massive number for the launch of a new store for a sports apparel company.

"The idea of starting a team in Kolkata is the nicest decision that we at knight Riders have made. That is because of the support we are getting here. I do not know what you would say in Kolkata but Mumbaikars would say. Jai Kolkata," said SRK.

Fans of Kolkata's Knights now have another means of professing their love for their team.

"We will make sure that we sit down with your designers, try some new stuff, make sports exciting. Cricket and soccer already are. We shall extend our hands and minds to other sports as well," said SRK.

Already that hard work seems to be paying off with the merchandise being sold only on advance orders and its obviously team work all the way with the Knight Riders and the apparel company both sharing the profits.

"He has looked at every detail of the merchandise, checked the fabric, given ideas got own messages. It has been a great partnership between Reebok and Shah Rukh," said Subhinder Singh Prem, Managing Director, Reebok India Company.

SRK has written 41 more messages like this and they will be prominently displayed on the fan gears.

Perhaps another way for King Khan to connect with the Knight Rider fans who have been with the team through thick and thin.


http://www.ndtvmovies.com/newstory.asp? … 0080049417

Erstellt am 11.05.2008 - 13:37

I’ve chewed off all my nails: Arjun


On being the lucky mascot for the Kolkata Knight Riders...
(Laughs) No, no, it’s just that Shah Rukh’s a very close friend and both Mehr and I wanted to be there to cheer ‘our’ team.

The mood at the stands when the match was in progress...
This was a crucial match for all of us. The nail-biting finish almost left me without any nails. I’ve chewed off all my nails. But we are a bunch of positive people and we never lost hope at any point. Once Sourav Ganguly bowled those magnificient three overs, we knew we had done it.

Favourite player in the KKR...
David Hussey has been performing consistently.

Shoaib’s inclusion in the KKR...
Shoaib will definitely be an advantage for the team once he starts playing. This was the first time I met him personally.

Victory lap with SRK at the Eden Gardens after Thursday’s match...
The victory lap was just a gesture to thank the Kolkata crowd, who had stayed through the rain to support the team. I really like coming to Kolkata. I’ll try my best to make it for the match on the 13th.

Party scene after the match...
I couldn’t party till late as I had to catch a flight at 6 am. I had a short chat with the guys over dinner.

Mehr and cricket...
These days, Mehr too, is getting interested in cricket. Earlier, she used to constantly complain everytime I watched a match on television. T20 has got everyone glued to their TV sets.

Ganguly’s captaincy...
Sourav Ganguly is one of the most successful captains of Indian cricket and I have tremendous admiration and respect for him. He has a lot of experience behind him and on Thursday, he truly led from the front. He’s doing a great job.

Cheerleaders controversy — much ado about nothing?
It is ridiculous that a few politicians have a problem with this. If our audience doesn’t mind it, then why should they interfere? It’s a cheap publicity stunt used by a few politicians. When we go abroad, or for that matter, even on the Indian beaches, we see scantily-clad women all over. How come we never think of them as being vulgar? If you have a corrupt mind, then you are bound to see only the negative things in life.
One-tight slap...Bhajji-Sreesanth slapping episode
It’s extremely unfortunate that our cricketers are behaving in this manner. I totally disagree with the manner in which Harbhajan has behaved and I hope the BCCI takes
suitable action against him.

Being typecast as a villain...
I’m happy that my work’s being appreciated but I do not believe in being typecast. I see myself as a successful actor in the future. I work with intelligent people, who do not believe in typecasting actors.

Forthcoming projects...
I am doing Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear, EMI with Sanjay Dutt and Rock On with Farhan Akhtar.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indi … 025624.cms

Erstellt am 13.05.2008 - 13:42

5 Kolkata Night Riders told to leave hotel


Kolkata: In an apparent bid to cut costs, the Kolkata Knight Riders team management today "politely" asked five of its players, who are yet to feature in the side's 14-member squad in any match, to leave the team hotel.

The players are Ranadeb Bose, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sourasish Lahiri, Yashpal Singh and Hokkaido. One of the players said they were "politely given the option of either staying at the team hotel or going home."

"It was clear what the team management wants. Apparently coach John Buchannon feels that he has found his right combination and had no need for fringe players," one of the players said.



http://sports.in.msn.com/cricket/storie … id=1394474

Erstellt am 13.05.2008 - 13:43

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE FOLLOWING IN MOHALI’S FOOTSTEPS

Five Knights shown the door

Ranadeb Says One-Month Stint In The Indian Premier League Was A Complete Waste

Kushan Sarkar | TNN



Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday released five of their reserve players from their roster for the remaining matches of the Indian Premier League. The five are Ranadeb Bose, Sourashis Lahiri, Rohan Banerjee, Yashpal Singh and Cheteswar Pujara.

Coach John Buchanan on Tuesday afternoon conveyed to the five players about the team management’s decision. Knight Riders are the second franchisee after Team Mohali to cut their bench strength. Mohali had released nine of their players last week.

The team management felt that these five would not fit into their squad in the remainder of the tournament. They were asked to go because these players were also not getting sufficient practice in the nets. For some of them, it’s been a sheer waste of time.

Team sources insisted that none of them would be deprived of their signing amount, but as they are not entitled to the full amount, they will get only part payment.

“Yes, we have been told that our services won’t be required for the rest of the IPL. It would have been great had we got our share of chances.

“These things happen in a professional cricketer’s life. Nobody feels happy to be dropped but we have to accept the decision,” Bengal off-spinner Sourashis Lahiri told TOI.

“I hope that I will perform well for Bengal next season and this same team would require my services. People might think that money is be all and end all for us, but trust me no cricketer likes to be out of action,” stated Sourashis who has a threeyear contract with the Knight Riders.

Were there any ‘positives’ from their month-long stint with some of the top players in the game? “I can’t speak for others, but I haven’t gained anything from this experience. To learn something, you need to play.

“When you don’t play, you don’t learn anything, so the question of taking positives doesn’t arise,” Ranadeb shot back.

Wasn’t training under Buchanan useful? “Not really, He was always busy with the main squad, rightly so. He, therefore, didn’t have much interaction with the reserves. I was a part of the Indian team last year that toured Ireland and England.

“During that tour I had a few fantastic sessions with Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. I have learnt a lot from them,” Ranadeb said, adding that he will, however, be motivated to win back his place in the side next season.

“I did absolutely nothing all these days and I was losing the hunger. It’s now back again. After a few days of rest, I will again resume full training. If I am good enough, I will keep performing in whatever format I play.”

Rohan Banerjee and Cheteswar Pujara’s exclusion was understandable but Yashpal Singh’s ouster raised a few eyebrows.

“How can they leave someone like Yashpal who is known for his bighitting? He is a far better player in this format than someone like Aakash Chopra,” a former Bengal captain who has played against Yashpal at the domestic level expressed surprise.

Quelle: source: TOI

Erstellt am 14.05.2008 - 17:57

Eden Gardens proves costly for Shah Rukh


Pradipta Mukherjee / Kolkata May 14, 2008, 5:09 IST


Although Red Chillies Entertainment, owners of Kolkata Knight Riders team, has already earned Rs 12 crore from ticket sales of its home matches at Eden Gardens so far, its expenses have shot up drastically due to the new tax structures and security fee it has to shell out.
First, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has demanded Rs 25 lakh from Red Chillies Entertainment as amusement tax for holding IPL matches at Eden Gardens.

According to sources, Red Chillies Entertainment has so far paid Rs 10 lakh and has assured KMC it will pay the rest Rs 15 lakh soon.

Second, to settle the dispute between Kolkata Police and DLF Indian Premier League over cost of security arrangements at Eden Gardens, Red Chillies Entertainment has agreed to pay Rs 75 lakh as security fees.

Eden Gardens will host seven matches of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), owned by Shah Rukh Khan.

About 5,500 uniformed personnel and about 1,500 sleuths would be deployed to secure the stadium and its surrounding areas since many celebrities are expected to witness the IPL matches at Eden Gardens.

The stand-off between Kolkata Police and DLF Indian Premier League was over security fees, where the former had quoted Rs 2 crore as security fees while the organisers had offered Rs 50 lakh.

Following intervention by the government of West Bengal, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), and senior police officers, Red Chillies will now shell out Rs 75 lakh as security expenses for nearly one and half months of policing of Eden Gardens.

Earlier, Red Chillies had to pay Rs 90 lakh per match and its take in it was suppose to be Rs 3 crore if all stadium tickets were sold.

Red Chillies had to pay Rs 20 lakh to the police, and municipality tax of Rs 5 lakh.

So its expenses per match would had been Rs 1.70 crore, but this figure had now trebled.

Shah Rukh Khan bought Knight Riders for Rs 300 crore and will have to pay Rs 30 crore per year for the next 10 years.

The total cost per year for the team will be about Rs 75 crore.

In another significant turn of events, Red Chillies has decided to allot tickets for Eden Garden's 'president's box' to its sponsors and other contacts, which earlier used to be reserved for the officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the CAB, leading to some discomfort among the 31,000 members of CAB.

According to sources, Red Chillies Entertainment, which controls ticket distribution and sales at Eden Gardens for the IPL matches, has priced each ticket for the president's box at Rs 2,18,000 per match.

President's boxes at Eden Gardens are the 12 airconditioned boxes, each with 16 seats. Each one of these boses is provided with a television, a refrigerator, a telephone and an assortment of snacks and beverages to choose from. However, according to sources in Red Chillies Entertainment, these seats are being allotted to the sponsors of Kolkata Knight Riders, that include HDIL, Reebok, Nokia, The Telegraph, Belmonte and Tag Heuer.



http://www.business-standard.com/common … 2896&tab=r