[PPS]

Cracker of a match scheduled tonight! CSK aren't really invincible, whether Tendulkar makes a comeback or not i don't think makes any difference to the team.

Guess the seat next to Sakshi Dhoni would be vacant today now that Vindoo Dara Singh is arrested!

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by Gansan

As a fervent lover of the traditional five-day test cricket, I would strongly advocate to the Union govt. the following steps immediately to save the game.

Hope you haven't forgotten what Government appointed men did with the Indian Olympic Association.

IMO the BCCI in it's current avtar is much better than the way it was functioning till a couple of decades back, when if you wan't to be a cricketer you had to be from an elite club in a major city or have the backing of a big shot. Today it's possible for people from rural and poor backgrounds to make it to the very top(ex: Dhoni, Jadeja, pathan, etc). That itself a great achievement/ service.

[srishiva]

Now CSK's CEO is under the microscope for being in constant touch with Vindoo Singh. The probe is ever expanding day by day.

[Hatari]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Posted by a friend of mine on FB:

"This is what I wrote 15 months back and this I wish to reiterate now again

As a fervent lover of the traditional five-day test cricket, I would strongly advocate to the Union govt. the following steps immediately to save the game.

1.Dismantle BCCI and all the governing bodies in the states.

2.Take over the entire assets of BCCI. Allocate 50% of the resources to other sports bodies which will happily run for the next 50 years with that money.

3.Form a new National Cricketing Body with members who are seriously interested in the promotion of cricket. Remember not to include any self-serving politicians and Corporate men.

4.Take resolve not to conduct any Test match for the next two years. These two years can be used to strengthen the domestic circuit and take out the cream of young cricket players. This would effectively nullify certain old order players who have served themselves and the power-that-be.

5.Put a complete ban on IPL It has just enriched the money-starved business houses during the lean business period and nothing else. IPL has become a craze now which is fully exploited by the corporate business houses. Players are just tools in their hands.

I don't think any other piece-meal solution would work."

Let me put it this way, if IPL should be banned then so should school exams.

[Manzone799]

The Yellow army marches on and on. Yes, CSK yesterday put up a scintillating show courtesy to some explosive batting from Hussey-Raina duo and some terrific bowling from Bravo and company. For a moment, i thought that Dwayne Smith would steal the show but once he fell after a blitzkrieg, it was all crumbling down. Another smooth and successful day at office for the captain cool, MSD. CSK reach their 4th finals in style and we might just see them running off with the trophy. Whistle podu !

[sukhoi30]

Originally Posted by mav2000

This is the main issue in our country today. We have these morals which are not even skin deep, but we continue to flaunt them saying that this is our culture. Prostitution and betting along with Alcohol in certain dry states are banned because we would love to hold our morals up high for the whole world to see. Behind the scenes, all three are used to make more money for the political class.

Legalise all three and put into place a proper body to monitor them and things will get a lot better.

People gamble. It happens across the globe and in India as well. Singapore woke up to it and aloowed casinos. They realised that even if banned it will continue or people will go to other countries close by to gamble. So why dont we just earn the revenue ourselves. In India, the government is so myopic that they allow a couple of guys to run gambling ships in the middle of a river....which is like 2 mins from the shore, which is so stupid, you may as well have them on land. Well Heeled Indians continue to go to SL, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia and Macau to gamble when they want to. So why not allow a couple of big casino operators to setup shop in India and tax them? We allow cigarettes, which is a known killer and tax the consumers heavily. The same can be the case with casinos.

Cricket betting is murky because betting is illegal. Guess who makes the money from this. Dawood and his croonies sure do, but our great politicians are hand in glove as well and they prefer it this way so they can continue to earn money. Make it legal and the lot of them will still earn money, but far less than they do now.

Yes, thats the way forward. Make these activities legal. Laws and rules should be in place and people flouting them should be penalised severely. Legalising these activities will only improve the economy and eradicate black money. Govt. can also earn a lot from taxes. BTW, did you know that the law against betting was framed by British in 1867 .. its called the Public Gambling Act. Ironically, sports betting and gambling is legal in Britain now.
It is time that India grew up and let its people grow up. All these moralistic points were planted by British in order for them to take control of Indian people's lives. The Govt should remove all the laws enacted by British and form forward looking ones ensuring that there is good amount of protection to all citizens.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by Manzone799

Another smooth and successful day at office for the captain cool, MSD. CSK reach their 4th finals in style and we might just see them running off with the trophy. Whistle podu !

As the joke on twitter goes:

#IPL: A tournament where 8 IPL teams compete with each other to meet CSK in the finals.

[Gansan]

IPL Cricket gets murkier and murkier. CSK team owner owns a multimillion dollar yacht! In which Dhoni and his wife took joy rides many times!

Today's papers quoted an arrested bookie as saying he had identified and "nurtured" talented players right from their under 14 days, to reap betting benefits when some of them actually started playing big time cricket! Now, that is a perfectly Mafiosi style operation for you!

Also that he paid out Rs 12 lacs received through "hawala" route, during an earlier season.

Most of the team ownerships are cloaked in secrecy.

I would not be surprised if it is found terror finances IPL; and IPL re-finances terror many times over.

The whole set-up stinks to high heaven.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Gansan

IPL Cricket gets murkier and murkier. CSK team owner owns a multimillion dollar yacht! In which Dhoni and his wife took joy rides many times!

The whole set-up stinks to high heaven.

CSK team owner comes from a rich family - AVM Chettiars. They were in Movies for a long time. His FIL owns cement factories. What is wrong in him owning a Yacht ?

As the captain of the CSK team, Dhoni and his wife may have been invited by their team owners to a party in the Yacht. Let us not jump to any conclusion based on sketchy media 'revelations'. I am one of the millions who love our Indian Captain Dhoni.

[Gansan]

^^Tell me something new! Do you think I don't know his pedigree!

His forebears certainly were rich, but surely not "Yacht owning" rich! I bet that came post IPL!

As for ICL......well, everyone knows about that!

BTW why is the CSK owner playing hide and seek with the Mumbai Police? Why not just face them, if there is no hanky-panky?

[anachronix]

I dont follow or watch cricket, but you are seriously underestimating the worth of Chettiar family and their likes. Find out the roots of the MAC Stadium and the MCC, you will know!

Originally Posted by Gansan

His forebears certainly were rich, but surely not "Yacht owning" rich! I bet that came post IPL!

[Latheesh]

Hope they arrest that idiot pretty soon

[Rameshdude]

Wouldn't it be great, if the people of India decide not to watch this IPL final.that would really hit the players,organisers and sponsors. I think someone should start a campaign . Let us just boycott this game.

[naveenroy]

But as with anything connected so highly up, this will all be swept under the carpet. All biggies will escape.

But Sreesanth is done.

[Gansan]

^^ Done and dusted, to be precise!

@anachronix

I happen to to work for the company whose founder chairman was our beloved (Late) Mr. M.A.Chidambaram! After whom the Chennai stadium is named! There was a time when half the TN Ranji team was in our office!

This is one chettiyar group. Another is the MAM Ramaswamy group of Chettinad Cements! Third one is the Murugappas of Ti cycles!

None of them own yachts, to my knowledge! Though they could, if they wanted to!

Compared to them the AVM group were small fry!

Don't get confused between chettiyars!