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BCCI pads up, may block Shah Rukh Khan ban

May 19, 2012

srk33

Mumbai, May 19: The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) might have gone through with a ban on Shah Rukh Khan from Wankhede but the viability of the embargo is questionable, particularly given the Bollywood superstar's long-standing ties with the sport's national governing body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Some even predicted, in fact, that the ban could have political and commercial repercussions for MCA.

As a business partner, Khan's contribution to BCCI and IPL has been singular. He came onboard the idea of starting a Twenty20 league when few people shared the enthusiasm. In 2008, he bought Team Kolkata along with entrepreneur Jay Mehta for a whopping Rs 300 crore, giving the league a boost with his riches and celebrity. He also helped BCCI do the number-crunching required to ensure that IPL makes a splash in the market.

He has since then assisted the BCCI on a number of occasions - for instance, on issues like increasing the number of IPL teams from eight to 10 and determining how an increase in the number of matches would affect the TRPs. He has partnered on events like the billion-dollar Champions League to perk up its saleability and attended workshops in and outside India regularly to find ways to better IPL.

Recently, he played a vital role in helping BCCI negotiate with Sahara India Parivar when the latter threatened to pull out as Team India's sponsor and as owners of IPL's Team Pune. Khan's involvement in settling the dispute amicably was acknowledged by both the BCCI and Sahara owner Subrata Roy.

In such a scenario, it is unclear if the MCA's decision to ban Khan from Wankhede despite BCCI's apparent discomfort is practicable. The BCCI's discomfort was clear on Friday when its vice-president Rajeev Shukla, who is also the IPL governing council chairman and a friend of Khan, said: "The MCA is well within its rights to ban Shah Rukh, but BCCI will take the final decision on the matter."

A senior BCCI official who is bound to play a role when BCCI takes a final call on the MCA ban said that Khan's role in IPL has to be "considered when a decision like that is taken. If he has committed a mistake in abusing individuals, he may be ready to sit across the table and sort things out. But you can't just ban him because he came to the stadium in an inebriated state."

Then, there is also the matter of the commercial impact. If the conflict grows further, Khan's personal sponsors may threaten to pull out of IPL. Also, importantly, the 300-odd seats in Wankhede that are allotted to the visiting team during every match may remain empty every time Kolkata tours Mumbai.

The political ramifications of the ban are also significant. The West Bengal government, which has spoken in the actor's support after the Wednesday night fracas, may further throw its weight behind the state's brand ambassador and make the Wankhede ban a political whirlpool.

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Agencies
June 6,2020

Malappuram, Jun 6: One more COVID-19 death was reported in Kerala on Saturday taking the toll in the State to 15.

The 61-year-old deceased, Hamsa Koya, a former footballer who represented Maharashtra in Santosh Trophy, had returned from Mumbai with his family on May 21.

Koya was undergoing treatment at Manjeri Medical College in Malappuram. The medical bulletin issued said that he was suffering from pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

On June 5, as his health deteriorated, he was administered plasma therapy on the advice of the state medical board. However, he did not respond to medicines and breathed his last at 6:30 am on Saturday.

The medical bulletin said that his family members including his wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren of 3 years and a 3 month-old child also had tested COVID-19 positive and were earlier shifted to hospital for treatment.

With this, the total death toll in Kerala has reached 15. 

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News Network
June 10,2020

Kingston, Jun 10: "Enough is enough", said West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as he opened up on the raging issue of racism and called for "respect and equality" for black people, who have faced discrimination for years.

Bravo joined the likes of his former captain Darren Sammy and Chris Gayle in denouncing racism in the wake of African-American George Floyd's killing at the hands of a white police officer in the USA.

"It's sad to see what's going on around the world. As a black man, we know the history of what black people have been through. We never ask for revenge, we ask for equality and respect. That's it," Bravo told former Zimbabwe cricketer Pommie Mbangwa in an Instagram live chat on Tuesday.

"We give respect to others. Why is it that we are facing this over and over? Now enough is enough. We just want equality. We don't want revenge, war.

"We just want respect. We share love and appreciate people for who they are. That's what is most important."

The 36-year-old, who has played 40 Tests, 164 ODIs and 71 T20Is for West Indies, said he wants the world to know that they are powerful and beautiful people and gave the example of greats such as Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan.

"I just want our brothers and sisters to know that we are powerful and beautiful. And at the end of the day, you look at some of the greats of the world, whether it is Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan we have had leaders who paved the way for us," he said.

Two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain Sammy had earlier alleged that a racist nickname was used to address him during his IPL stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad and demanded an apology.

Sammy said he was called 'Kalu' while he was in India. 'Kalu' is a derogatory word to describe black people.

Gayle, who too plays in the IPL, took to Twitter to back Sammy, saying that racism does exist in cricket.

"It's never too late to fight for the right cause or what you've experienced over the years! So much more to your story, @darensammy88. Like I said, it's in the game!!," Gayle tweeted.

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Agencies
August 1,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 1: Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are aiming to set up their preparatory camp for the 13th edition of the tournament from early August.

This year's IPL was slated to commence from March 29 but the tournament was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Recently, the IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel had confirmed that the 13th edition of the mega event will commence on September 19 in the UAE.

As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, CSK players have been asked to report to Chennai first, following which they will leave for Dubai via a charter flight only after approval from the Indian government.

The IPL Governing Council will meet on August 2 to finalise the schedule and other key arrangements for the tournament. Also, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) around securing eight teams for 51 days across three venues will be formally established in that meeting.

CSK, who has the oldest squad in the IPL, are looking for a month's preparation before ahead of the tournament.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the side was the first team to start their training camp in March. Senior players like Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu had begun training their training in December 2019.

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