IPL4: Matthew Hayden in talks with CSK for bench role
Chennai: Former Australian opener and Chennai Super Kings batsman Matthew Hayden has not ruled out the possibility of being involved with the IPL outfit this season ahead of the upcoming IPL 4 in April this year.
In an interview with sify.com, the cricketer said that he is currently in talks with the CSK management, "discussing the possibility" of being "involved" with the team, possibly taking up a managerial (bench) role.
"I love being involved with CSK and I am going to miss being part of the team (this season)," he added.
The cricketer who recently retired from all forms of international cricket spoke fondly of his stint with the Chennai team. The left-hander credited the cricketing "infrastructure and network" in the city, management and team in helping him "feel the same way" as he did playing for Australia.
The player who was here in the city to launch his book, Standing My Ground, holds CSK and Indian captain MS Dhoni in high regard.
"He (Dhoni) is a special cricketer. Plays with little fuss and has a lot of patience," he said.
When asked who he thinks are this year's favourites for the World Cup, the cricketer said that there is not one, but three favourites --- India, Sri Lanka and Australia --- for the coveted Trophy.
"I love India, but I naturally want Australia to win (the World Cup). I don't want to go to war with 25 million people," he quipped, referring to his nation's population.
The player, who describes India as "the melting pot of different cultures", credited the IPL and his CSK teammates for helping him understand "the complicated and beautiful" India better.
"The IPL brought many nationalities, cultures together. It broadened my understanding of the country and the kind of cultural differences that exist in it," he added.
The Australian also said that the future of Indian cricket is safe in the hands of upcoming youngsters.
"The likes of Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli are hungry cricketers, hungry to succeed and play well for India," he said.
When asked about his decision to play with the Mongoose bat during last season's IPL, the cricketer said he always favoured such new innovations to the game and quipped about being told by captain Dhoni then to not use it.
"He (Dhoni) told me, 'You can have any bat in my kitbag, and he has like 20 of them, if you don't use that (the Mongoose)'," he quipped.
Asked if paceman Dale Steyn scared him into retirement during his last Australia-South Africa series, the cricketer jested, "all bowlers scare me a little, but I retired in my heart well before that series".
http://www.sify.com/sports/ipl4-matt...dlvjjaade.html
Comics time for Dhoni and his mates!
Chennai: Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be figuring in a fresh initiative along with his IPL team, the Chennai Super Kings in a comic book series specifically targeting the team’s young fans.
Also featuring in the comics series are Dhoni’s Super Kings team-mates Suresh Raina and Michael Hussey, according to Rakesh Singh, the head of Marketing of the Chennai outfit.
The book will contain 40 pages and is priced at Rs 40 each with an initial print run of 40,000 copies. The book will hit the stands coinciding with the start of the Indian Premier League-4 season in April this year.
“The idea is to catch them young. This is targeted at children below 10 years as our popularity in that segment is very high. These comics will touch them more than anything else,” said Rakesh Singh.
Following their consistent performances through the three seasons of IPL apart from achieving a rare “double” of winning both the IPL and the Champions League last year, the Super Kings are attempting to leverage the growing fan base.
To this end, the Super Kings offer some 20 merchandise items like key chains, caps, T-shirts and mugs through their website and retail outlets.
Mumbai-based advertising company Cartwheel Creative Consultancy Pvt. Ltd is writing the script and producing the series. It has tied up with India Book House for nationwide distribution of the comics.
The inaugural edition of the comic series is called Lion of Chepauk in which Dhoni rescues a street puppy that goes on to become the team’s lucky mascot.
It is likely that eventually, the comics series will be published in Hindi, Tamil and other regional languages depending on the popularity of the English version, said Ramki D Ramakrishna, founder of Cartwheel Creative.
http://www.chennaisuperkings.com/new...d3d73ab62b.jpg
Chennai just can’t wait for the action to start
The street running down the eastern side of the MA Chidambaram Stadium is called Bells Road. A number of gates leading into the stadium are situated on that stretch. The area was abuzz from the morning with fans gathering and the cops were pressed into service earlier than expected.
Diehard fans in India blues, vendors with the Tricolour, faces painted in saffron and green - all signs that mark a match featuring India were visible and traffic was thrown out of control. This was well before 11 am, while the gates were supposed to open only at noon.
Sudheesh is a college goer. He was there in the crowd and didn't have a ticket. “Looking for one,” he said. But how would he get one, given that all were sold out? He had reason to be hopeful.
There was another boy of around the same age who too had come without a ticket. He got a R 100 ticket for R 500 thanks to the thriving black market business near the Chepauk railway station.
The Wallajah Road approaches the stadium from the southern side. It’s dotted with sports goods stores, which were doing good business too. Bats or balls were not in demand, but India jerseys were. Priced at R 200 each, they were going out steadily, said a person managing a shop called Sachin Sports Goods.
The store that usually sells more Chennai Super Kings yellows than India blues has seen a rise in demand for the latter in the last few days. “Lately, it's been from 10 to 20 everyday,” said the shopkeeper.
There was frenzied interest from the morning and by 1 pm, chaos had descended. Fans of all shapes and sizes made a beeline to the gates, some chanting 'India' and many others 'Dhoni'. The India skipper is a home boy after all, thanks to his Chennai Super Kings link.
