Liza Malik, best known for proposing to a cricketer on a reality show, has been offered Rs 50 lakh to arrange for cricketers to talk to an international bookmaker.

Item girl Liza Malik, best known for her proposal to a cricket player on the reality show Dancing Queen, has found herself figuring on the radar of international bookmakers. A UK-based bookie, who calls himself Razaaq aka Razz, has been calling Malik asking her to use her alleged familiarity with Indian cricketers to help him fix matches in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). She has been offered Rs 50 lakh for the job.
Liza, who is also a stage performer, has done several shows that were attended by cricketers playing in the IPL and for Team India. She was also a regular at the IPL post-match parties last year.
I was in Thailand last week when the calls started pouring in from unknown international numbers. The caller said he knew that I was close to couple of cricketers and asked me to arrange for him to speak to them,” said Malik. “He offered me Rs 50 lakh if I could get the cricketers to play as per his ‘equations’. I told him that I am a mere performer and am not acquainted with cricketers, but he kept emphasising on the Bhajji controversy. After I got a little rude with the man, he threatened me with dire consequences if I did not do his bidding. It seems he has been tracking me. He knew where I lived, knew about my family and even knew that I was in Thailand then,” she added.

Petrified, Liza approached the Oshiwara police station on returning to the city yesterday and registered a complaint against the caller. “A non-cognisable complaint has been registered against an unknown person under Section 307 (issuing threats through phone calls) of the IPC. We have asked her to approach us if she gets a call from the person again and we will register an FIR then,” said a senior official of the Oshiwara police.

The ongoing season of the IPL will be Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne’s last one as a player. He will most likely continue to be associated with Rajasthan as a coach or advisor in the future.

“Yes this is my last year playing IPL – please come down and support RR last 2 home games v Chennai & Bangalore ! We need your help !!!!”, Warne wrote on Twitter. He confirmed that this meant he would not play any more professional cricket matches after this IPL. “A big thank you to everyone that has helped me – supported me through all the ups and downs – hope you have enjoyed watching me play,” he added.

Warne captained Rajasthan to victory in the inaugural season of the IPL but the franchise’s fortunes slumped in the next two seasons. He has played 52 games for Rajasthan so far picking up 56 wickets at an average of 24.66. Rajasthan are currently fourth in the points table in this edition and Warne called on Rajasthan’s fans to support them in their last two home games.

“We have a spirit in the squad similar to IPL 1 – it would be great to leave on a high – I’m proud of the way we have developed young players,” Warne wrote.

Australia allrounder Shane Watson, who plays under Warne in the IPL, told ESPNcricinfo in an interview that Warne was keen to leave the game on a winning note, whenever that happened. “I think he’s very motivated,” Watson said. “After last year the way things panned out for Rajasthan, I think he’s very motivated to make sure that whenever he leaves the game he leaves in a really good place. Warney’s bowling unbelievably well and has been since the start of the tournament. There’s only really one person who’s ever been consistently able to do it as a legspinner and he’s bowling absolutely beautifully.”

The team released a statement praising Warne for his contribution while making clear his retirement as a player was not the end of his association with the franchise. “Shane Warne has been an integral part of Rajasthan Royals for the last four years,” Raghu Iyer, the chief marketing officer, said. “He has been instrumental in nurturing young talent in the team and making Rajasthan Royals a formidable force in IPL. He will continue his association with the Royals in coming years and will offer his invaluable guidance to young players.

“We are looking forward to him assuming a larger role in the team and continuing adding value to the team’s success.”

Newly appointed Sri Lankan skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan is reportedly considering leaving the Indian Premier League on May 10 to join the England-bound national team.

An official from Royal Challengers Bangalore, Dilshan’s IPL franchise, informed that the matter is being sorted between the cricket boards of India and Sri Lanka.

“Dilshan is keen to travel with the team, to try and create a bond as some of the senior players will be joining the squad a bit late,” Roshan Abeysinghe, Dilshan’s manager, was quoted as saying in the media.

Sri Lanka Cricket last week allowed seven players from the 16-member squad to arrive in England before May 19, the day their second warm-up game, against England Lions, starts.

The board had earlier asked the players to return on May 5 in order to prepare for the England tour.

The popularity of cricket in India is wooing global hospitality firms like Starwood and Marriott to jump on the IPL bandwagon to sponsor teams in the ongoing fourth season of the T20 tournament.

While Marriott India Hotels Resorts has entered into a sponsorship agreement with the inaugural season winner Rajasthan Royals, Starwood Hotel & Resorts has chosen Virender Sehwag-led team Delhi Daredevils.

Interestingly, these global companies are loosening their purse strings to sponsor teams on a bigger scale, rather than merely becoming a hospitality partner by having barter deals.

For instance, Rajasthan Royals has found a new sponsor in Marriott India Hotels Resorts with which the team franchise has inked a deal. Under the agreement, 80 per cent would be paid in cash and the rest by providing food and dining services.

“There will be lots of joint initiatives going ahead. The partnership is long-term,” the Rajasthan Royals Chief Marketing Officer, Mr Raghu Iyer, told PTI.

With fan interest in India on cricket at its highest after the World Cup win, the hospitality chains feel IPL is just the right opportunity to build their brands.

“IPL provides an exciting platform for a company like ours to build consumer connect and spread awareness of our hotel brands,” the Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels and Resorts Director-Sales and Marketing, South Asia, Mr Rajan Bahadur, said.

Thus, Starwood chose to sponsor Delhi Daredevils primarily in a cash deal, though it did not provide financial details.

“The agreement with Delhi Daredevils has been signed for the ongoing season but we intend to have a long-term relationship,” Mr Bahadur added.

The hospitality brands’ are also ensured of visibility with their logos being carried on team jerseys.

The GMR Sports CEO, Mr Amrit Mathur, said the partners are helping each other in brand-building.

“Even Starwood is helping in spreading awareness and building the team brand through promotional events,” Mr Mathur said.

There seems a lot of discomfort within the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Board in the wake of allegations about missing millions paid to the cricket authority by the Indian Premier League and the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI), according to the sources.

And this appears to have been confirmed in a fuzzy statement released by CSA about the spending of the funds which said that “the majority of CSA Board members concur with these findings.”

Despite a statement by CSA that “the IPL accounts have been audited by DeLoitte and Touche”, not all Board members appear to have agreed with it.

The allegations surfaced when CSA President Mtutuzeli Nyoka was ousted in absentia in February when he questioned the payments of millions in bonuses to CSA chief executive Gerald Majola and other staff by the IPL, which Nyoka claimed Majola had not informed him about.

Nyoka last week won a case in the high court which called on CSA to reinstate him and also make available full details of finances related to the IPL which was played in South Africa in 2009 due to security concerns in India.

CSA said it “refuted as totally unfounded and devoid of truth” claims made by Nyoka in court papers that an amount of R68-million relate to CSA’s hosting of IPL on behalf of the BCCI ( Board of Control for Cricket in India )) had gone missing from CSA bank accounts.

“BCCI remitted cash to CSA to fund all other event related costs which included stadium bumper costs, advertising and marketing etc.,” the CSA statement said.

“All cash relating to these costs were not included in the income statement of CSA as they were not part of CSA activities and that CSA merely acted as a conduit for BCCI.”

As the saga surrounding the Sri Lankan players’ early return to serve national duties refuses to end, the BCCI is reportedly gearing up for stern action against their Sri Lankan counterparts. After BCCI’s request to let the players stay for an additional 10 days was rejected, it is almost certain that the players would abide by the May 5 deadline set by the Lankan authorities.

Reports suggest that if the Lankan players do leave the IPL on May 5, earlier than the May 22nd understanding, the BCCI may retaliate by asking franchises to block the players’ salaries and also refuse to pay the Sri Lankan board its share of 10% of the players’ earnings.

Sri Lanka will play their first Test in England from June 26 and neither board has commented on the standoff, but in all probability, the Sri Lankan cricketers might have to return as per their government’s orders.

Sri Lanka’s newly appointed captain Tillakaratne Dilshan has said he doesn’t mind leaving the IPL early in order to prepare for the upcoming tour of England. Dilshan is among the 11 Sri Lankan players who have been asked by Sri Lanka Cricket to return by May 5, in order to attend a training camp before leaving for England on May 11.

“Personally, I am not unhappy to return early,” said Dilshan, who is on a brief visit to Colombo amid his IPL commitments with Royal Challengers Bangalore. “Playing for my country is more important than playing the IPL. I think everybody selected for the England tour will be happy to come early. We have a new interim coach [Stuart Law] and a new batting coach [Marvan Atapattu]. I am also new as captain. We need to prepare together to build up for the big England tour.”

Apart from reaffirming his commitment to the national side, Dilshan has also toned down the flashier aspects of his image as he gets ready for captaincy. “Times have changed. I pierced my ear when my daughter cried when her ears were being pierced,” he said. “Now I don’t see a need to wear the earring. It’s the same with my hair. [Streaking it] was fashionable then for me, it is not so now.”

Dilshan, however, said he was not planning to tone down his attacking brand of cricket. “I have come this far today because of the way I play my cricket. I don’t see any reason why I should change it. I am an aggressive player and I may apply that aggression to my captaincy as well, depending on the circumstances.

“Captaincy is a challenging role for me. It’s a dream come true. I never expected it. I want to give it my best shot. I have played for nearly 12 years. It’s been a very long journey to the top.”

Dilshan said he was “lucky” to have two past captains – Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene – in the side and was looking forward to playing “good cricket” on the England tour. “We know they [England] are a strong side in their own conditions but we are capable of giving them a good run.

“We have an experienced batting line up and the first thing we need to do is to get used to the conditions there. We need to get acclimatised as quick as possible if we are to put up a good contest against England,” he said.

The England tour will be Sri Lanka’s first full series after the retirement of offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan, but Dilshan was confident his spinners – Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath and Suraj Randiv – would deliver. “We have to look forward to the new bowlers like Suraj Randiv,” he said. “We are giving the opportunity to Suraj to do the job for us.”

In the absence of Lasith Malinga, Sri Lanka’s pace attack will be led by Dilhara Fernando, who has played 35 Tests. Chanaka Welegedara and Suranga Lakmal have played eight Tests between them, while fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep and bowling allrounder Thisara Perera are yet to make their Test debuts.

“I have the fullest confidence in my fast bowlers. Nuwan Pradeep is playing with me in the same team for Royal Challengers in the IPL and he is the best bowler in the squad.” Dilshan said. “We want to give young fast bowlers a chance if we don’t they’ll never get the experience. We have given the opportunity to the young fast bowlers and I hope they will make use of it.”

SLC had initially signed a No Objection Certificate (NOC) with its players allowing them to participate in the IPL until May 20. The tournament carries on until May 28, while the England tour kicks off with a warm-up game on May 14. The BCCI has been in talks with SLC, to convince them to allow their players to extend their IPL participation, but Sri Lanka is unlikely to relent.

“The BCCI has asked us to reconsider our decision, but we have not changed our stand,” SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said. “We did sign a no-objection agreement with the players to play in the IPL. But there was no date to return. I am sure the BCCI will understand country must come first before IPL.”

Even as the Deccan Chargers locked horns with Kings XI Punjab at the Uppal Stadium on Saturday night, team owners and rival supporters relaxed at the Deccan Lounge.

While diehard fans cheered enthusiastically, the ‘Loungers’ strolled the stands and visited the swanky bar.

DC caught up with Mohit Burman, co-owner of Kings XI Punjab. Burman laughed away questions about rivalry off the field and outside the IPL boardrooms. “True, it’s rivalry out there,” he said with a smile, “but it’s a game after all. We have been together right from the beginning and know each other well by now. We clap for our teams and have a bit of a laugh at the end of the day.”

KXIP, like the Deccan Chargers, has had some big changes in team composition. “All teams have had changes and we have had a few more than most. Unfortunately, we had a lawsuit whose verdict was out only on the last day of the auction hence we couldn’t retain some of the players we wanted to retain.
In fact, our ex-captain is with Deccan Chargers and vice versa,” he laughed.

While KXIP no longer have Yuvraj who is back in form, they do have all-rounder Paul Valthaty who’s going great guns this IPL season. Has Paul fittingly filled the void in Yuvraj’s absence? Mohit feels otherwise. “You cannot say Paul is filling anyone’s shoes. His performance has taken all of us by surprise. He deserves all the accolades because he’s proven that he is not a one-game wonder and I hope his performance will be spectacular in the rest of the games.”

IPL 4 Points Table – Indian Preamier League 2011 Season 4 Time Table. IPL 4 Points Table. Find IPL 2011 Season 4 Team Standings, IPL 4 Teams Points, Won Matches List, Lost Matches List, Tied & No Result Matches & Net Run Rate.

IPL 4 Points Table: IPL 2011 Team Standings

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, who went unsold in this year’s IPL, is set to make a comeback in the fourth season of the T20 extravaganza with Kochi Tuskers Kerala, according to media reports which emerged on Friday.

Reports suggested that the former Kolkata Knight Riders’ skipper could come in as a replacement for the injured Steve Smith in the Kochi side, who lost both their matches in this edition.

Meanwhile, in contrast to the earlier report, the owners of the Kochi franchise have denied making any offer to the Kolkata icon, thus ruling out a possible comeback for Saurav Ganguly.

If included in the squad, the Kolkata fans will see their favourite son making a debut in Kochi colours against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Eden Gardens on April 20.

Ganguly was among the three Indian players who remained unsold in the IPL-IV auction that took place in January.