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Lions roar on field - Rajesh Kamat Fielding coach Rajesh Kamat who has done an impressive job reckons that the Lions are the best in the business. "We were a leading fielding side in the first edition and are way ahead as far as fielding is concerned." Badshahs arrive and Inzy's young fan There was a certain buzz on Tuesday at the team hotel – the Taj Chandigarh. The chic lobby was filled with an air of excitement that was mixed with anticipation. The news had spread that the all-Pakistani outfit – the Lahore Badshahs – was to arrive. Electric atmosphere sparkles final festivities An enormously crammed heap of spectators gathered to watch the grand finale of the ICL Indian 20:20 Championship. There are people who have been enforced to stand and get pleasure from the proceedings since there are no seats left! I love making people smile: Whitney Cricket's funny man Mike Whitney loves coming to India and mingling with large crowds. He says his motive on this planet to make others laugh. The merchandise store in good stead When a whole new cricketing sorority comes alive, there is a need for the faultless branding, in order to provide familiarity to the fans about the teams and players. He's here to groove the fans, meet DJ Kiran He's the man who is getting the crowds to boogie and adding to the exhilaration of the cricket on the pitch here at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula, Chandigarh. Meet DJ Kiran, who hails from the city of Mumbai! No room for slip-ups and always on his toes His job is to ensure nobody enters the presentation vicinity, which is adjacent to the pavilion and under the media room. Fans discover their teams to prop up When the ICL Indian 20:20 Championship began, there were some questions arising like "Why should a particular fan support a team?" or "Wouldn’t everyone support the Lions since they represent Chandigarh?" Three days into the tournament and most of those questions seem to have been put to rest.

Dedicated cheerleaders gratify spectators

It’s a larger than life demonstration here at the Tau Lal Devi Stadium to witness two separate sets of cheerleaders dancing away to grandeur for the two relevant teams playing the matches. The Launch of the Jerseys The volatile all-rounder and hard hitting batsman from South Africa feels that the Kolkata Tigers will be a team hard to beat if they gel together as a cohesive unit. Mumbai Champs' Day Out Their team bus started on a promotional drive to roll out the bandwagon. One thing stood out. The slogan read: "ICL, the future of Indian cricket". The grand arrival of Brian Charles Lara The awe of anticipation was immaculate. Cameramen, journalists, children from the neighbourhood and even the ICL officials all wanted a piece of Brian Charles Lara! Shane Bond Kiwi Speedster Shane Bond talks about his team's brilliant performance against the Hyderabad Heroes. R Sathish Chennai Superstars' R Sathish believes that Inzy made a difference in the game.

Marvan Atapattu Giants' skipper Marvan Atapattu shares his views on his team's victory over the Mumbai Champs. Wavell Hinds The aggressive opening batsman from West Indies, Wavell Hinds, shares his thoughts on the game. Kiran Powar

Kiran Powar from the Mumbai Champs talks about the match in which his side lost to the Delhi Giants. Ambati Raydu The young Hyderabad Heroes batsman chats with us and shares his experience of playing in the inaugural season of ICL. Dean Jones A member of the ICL Executive Board and the face of the broadcast unit, Dean Jones talks about how the tournament has been a major hit and his joy over it's success. Ali Murtaza The young Delhi Jets spinner has emerged as the most economical bowler of the tournament. He chats with us on his experience of playing against players like Brian Lara and the secret behind his success. Moin Khan The coach of the Hyderabad Heroes talks about his team's victory over the Chennai Superstars after they suffered two consecutive losses in the tournament.

Madan Lal Coach of the victorius Delhi Jets talks about the game in which his team trounced the Mumbai Champs by 24 runs. Nantie Hayward "We have got a good side with good balance and that makes it easy for us" says Nantie Hayward from the Kolkata tigers. Reetinder Singh Sodhi Reetinder Sodhi says that there is so much to learn from the ‘legends of cricket’ who are a part of the ICL. Chris Cairns

Captain of the Chandigarh Lions Chris Cairns gives his first impressions of the ICL 20:20 Indian Championship at Panchkula and talks about his team's game against the Delhi Jets. Nicky Boje In a quick chat, Nicky Boje who represents the Hyderabad Heroes, tells us that his team is a good unit and will work on getting a win under their belt in this tournament. Paul Nixon English wicketkeeper-batsman Paul Nixon of the Delhi Jets is optimistic of his team's chances in the tournament inspite of losing the opening game against the Chandigarh Lions. Craig McMillan In an exclusive chat, the aggressive batsman discuses his early journey with the ICL and believes his side has a good mix of players. McMillan will captain the Kolkata Tigers.

Lance Klusener The volatile all-rounder and hard hitting batsman from South Africa feels that the Kolkata Tigers will be a team hard to beat if they gel together as a cohesive unit. Nathan Astle Nathan Astle feels that the ICL is a great platform for the young Indian players who will gain a lot of experience by playing alongside him and other global stars. Subhojit Paul Mumbai Champs' wicket-keeper batsman Subhojit Paul says playing with legends in the same team is a dream come true and is going to help his cricketing career. Russel Arnold Superstars' batsman Russel Arnold shares his delight after a match-winning 69 against the Rockets. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala "I am on top of the world!" says Abhishek Jhunjhunwala after he scored a half century against the Chandigarh Lions. Avinash Yadav Mumbai Champs' spinner Avinash Yadav talks about his splendid bowling performance of 4 for 14. Imran Farhat Opening batsman of the Lahore Badshahs, Imran Farhat, talks about his prolific knock of 94 runs off 54 balls. Daryll Cullinan Daryll Cullinan shars his experience so far of coaching the Kolkata Tigers.

Nicky Boje The South African spinner talks about the importance of spinners in twenty20 cricket

R Satish R Satish talks about Michael Bevan's brilliant knock and his team's loss to the Lahore Badshahs. Nantie Hayward Nantie Hayward says it is nice to be back and that he is happy to play with the Kolkata Tigers. Wavell Hinds Man of the Match Wavell Hinds says he is happy to be back in India playing cricket. Dinesh Mongia Dinesh Mongia talks about what went wrong in the 50 over match against the Mumbai Champs Tony Greig "The philosophy of the ICL is to try to give a few extra Indians a chance" says Executive Board member Tony Grieg. Ian Harvey The Man of the Tournament shares his winning moment after his team were crowned champions of the ICL Indian 20:20 championship Ambati Raydu Hyderabad Heroes' Ambati Raydu believes the ICL has given him a great opportunity to come here and perform with the international players. Hemang Badani Chennai Superstars’ batsman Hemang Badani shares his thoughts on his team’s journey into the final Abhishek Jhunjhunwala “I’ve enjoyed every single minute with the ICL. It has been an absolute pleasure” says Jhunjhunwala of the Kolkata Tigers

Thiru Kumaran Chennai Superstars’ bowling sensation Thiru Kumaran looks back on what has been a fabulous ICL journey so far. Balwinder Singh Sandhu Coach Balwinder Singh Sandhu reveals the magic mantra of the Chandigarh Lions. Boyd Rankin The Irish batsman says that the key to success in the 20:20 format is to make fewer mistakes and to keep the momentum going at all times. Daryll Cullinan

Kolkata Tigers coach Daryll Cullinan talks about his team after they beat the Delhi Jets. Shishir Hattangadi Tournament DIrector Shishir Hattangadi shares his experience organising the inaugural ICL Indian 20:20 Championship. Madan Lal Coach of the victorius Delhi Jets talks about the game in which his team trounced the Mumbai Champs by 24 runs. Kapil Dev Kapil Dev compares the success of the inaugural ICL tournament to the 1983 World Cup victory. Imran Farhat Imran Farhat talks to us after an explosive 74-run knock which helped the Chandigarh Lions to beat the Hyderabad Heroes by 6 wickets

Hamish Marshall New Zealand batsman Hamish Marshall says that the Chandigarh Lions are a good bunch and a great set of cricketers.

Imran Farhat Imran Farhat shares his thoughts on his ICL journey and the importance of international players in the league.

Ian Harvey Ian Harvey talks about the game against the Champs after making the highest individual score of the tournament so far.

Nicky Boje Hyderabad Heroes' Nicky Boje expresses his disappointment after losing to the Delhi Jets.

Chris Cairns

Chandigarh Lions captain Chris Cairns talks about an exhilarating inaugural match at the ICL Indian 20:20 Championship.

Subhojit Paul Mumbai Champs' wicket-keeper Subhojit Paul says playing with legends in the same team is like a dream come true.

Nathan Astle Mumbai Champs' Nathan Astle shares his views on playing alongside Brian Lara and against other international players.

Johan van der Wath "Cricket is a global game, everyone wants to play, so everyone gels quite easily" says Johan van der Wath of the Mumbai Champs.

Nathan Astle Mumbai Champs' skipper Nathan Astle believes his team batted well and says he is happy with the team's performance.

Shane Bond

Kiwi Speedster Shane Bond talks about his team's brilliant performance against the Hyderabad Heroes.

Rajesh Chauhan Assistant coach of the Mumbai Champs, Rajesh Chauhan shares his thoughts on his team's important victory over the Ahmedabad Rockets.

Rajesh Kamat The fielding coach of the Chandigarh Lions talks about the high standard of fielding set by his team.

Azhar Mahmood Man of the Match Azhar Mahmood of the Lahore Badshahs talks about his brilliant performance against the Hyderabad Heroes.

Andre Adams and Nantie Hayward

The two stars of the Kolkota Tigers speak about their victory over the Mumbai Champs

Marvan Atapattu Giants' skipper Atapattu is wary of complacency after the win over the Mumbai Champs.

Kiran Powar "The batsmen need to pull up their socks," says Kiran Powar of the Mumbai Champs.

Abhinav Bali The Delhi all-rounder talks about his match-winning performance against the Chandigarh Lions.

Kiran Powar Kiran Powar talks about his team being on the right track after they won against the Chandigarh Lions

Robin Morris Mumbai Champs' Robin Morris talks about his journey with cricket.

Rohan Gavaskar Gavaskar junior talks about the game against the Mumbai Champs which his team lost by 7 runs.

Abdul Razzaq “We were pleased to win this game as we needed it badly”, says Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq after the game against the Chennai Superstars

Moin Khan The Hyderabad Heroes' coach shares a few trade secrets after his team became the first side to beat the Chennai Superstars in this tournament

Nantie Hayward "We have got a good side with good balance and that makes it easy for us" says Nantie Hayward from the Kolkata tigers.

Chris Read Chennai Superstars' wicket-keeper Chris Read holds that the game against Chandigarh Lions was the hardest game.

Dale Benkenstein The veteran South African batsman shares his thoughts on a breathtaking 38-run knock of just 25 deliveries against the Mumbai Champs.

Taufiq Umar Pakistani batsman Taufiq Umar says that he feels at home playing with the Delhi Jets.

Reetinder Sodhi Reetinder Sodhi says that there is so much to learn from the ‘legends of cricket' who are a part of the ICL.

Dinesh Mongia Dinesh Mongia shares his thoughts on the Chandigarh Lions and his little baby daughter.

Chris Cairns Chandigarh Lions captain, Chris Cairns talks about his squad and about what he does when he isn't playing cricket

Andrew Hall Andrew Hall chats about the game against the Kolkata Tigers and about his future.

Darell Tuffey Darell Tuffey talks about the performance of the Chandigarh Lions in the ICL 20:20 championship.

Paul Nixon Paul Nixon of the Delhi Jets believes his team had a good win because of the brilliant team performance.

Tony Greig Executive Board member of the Indian Cricket League Tony Greig explains the object of the ICL exercise and the strenght of ICL.

Lance Klusener Kolkata Tigers' Lance Klusener says it's nice to play with players that you have played against.

Mervyn Dillon Mervyn Dillon expresses his excitement to be part of the Mumbai Champs and says "Mumbai, bole toh number 1"

Emma Massage therapist of the Mumbai Champs, Emma talks us through what exactly is the job of a massage therapist in a cricket team.

Sandeep Patil Coach of the Mumbai Champs, Sandeep Patil talks about his role as coach and the challenges ahead of him in the tournament.

Craig McMillan Craig McMillan speaks about his experiences so far with the Kolkata Tigers in the Indian Cricket League.

Paul Watson Physical trainer Paul Watson talks about the technicalities of training and the importance of fitness in cricket.

A sigh of relief - Lance Klusener The comprehensive win over Chandigarh Lions in our last match has given us a lot of breathing space in our quest for the semifinal spot. It was a must win tie for us given that six teams were in the running for the four berths.

Not just Slam-Bam - Abhishek Jhunjhunwala Everybody talks of Twenty20 as slam bam cricket where the only purpose is to whack the ball as hard as possible. But let me tell you, that's not the truth.

Almost there - Hasan Raza It's not often that a batsman, especially someone batting in the middle order, gets a chance to score a century in a Twenty20 game. But then I almost grabbed the opportunity before falling short against Mumbai Champs.

Speedy Recovery - Michael Bevan We have recovered brilliantly from a disastrous start that saw us lose our first two games. I was always confident about the quality of the squad but things were going wrong at crucial stages of the game and that was affecting the end result.

Down memory lane - Shabbir Ahmed Talk of crunch matches and I still remember the final of the last edition of the Indian Cricket League. We won the match and the crown and I also managed to take a hat trick that was separated by 9 overs in between.

Here to make an impression - Heath Streak It's very disappointing to be out of contention from a tournament with two league games still to go. We came into the ICL as newcomers in this 2nd edition and the way we outplayed last edition runners up Chandigarh Lions in the opening match of the T20 championship everyone was confident of making an impression.

Looking ahead at two big games - Lou Vincent We have two big games back to back at the Gurgaon ground and the results of the games would go a long way in determining how our campaign in the second edition of the Indian Cricket League progresses.

Finishing well is important - Deep Dasgupta In a game of cricket, it's the end result that matters and things have not gone our way in two of the four games we have played so far. In fact, in both the games which we lost, the last five overs proved to be the turning point.

A disappointing start - Upul Chandana We have had an indifferent start to our campaign in the second edition of the Indian Cricket League and two close loses against Chennai Superstars and Hyderabad Heroes are still hurting

Disastrous campaign for the Mumbai Champs - Kiran Pawar It's been a disastrous campaign for the Mumbai Champs for the second time in a row. In the first edition of the Indian Cricket League we finished at the bottom and were determined to make amends this time.

"Making the most out of an opportunity" says Tino Best Playing in the Indian Cricket League was an opportunity I was never going to miss. I played in the Standford League backhome for Barbados but the intensity and the fan following here cannot be compared.

"We haven't played anywhere near our best so far" says Mathew Elliot Our campaign in the second edition of the Indian Cricket League has been a mix of hits and misses. The team has been playing well in patches but the difference between promising teams and champions is of consistency and overall effort.

Heath Streak express his delight at bowling with Jason Gillespie When I joined the Indian Cricket League, all I was looking forward to was to play some top quality cricket. And it's turned out be an enjoyable ride till now. The Ahmedabad Rockets, our team, is a good mix of youth and experience.

Nathan Astle expresses his concern over the first victory in the championship

Though we lost our first two games, I wouldn't say that we took a long time to get our act together. I think we should have beaten Kolkata as well in a match that went down to the wires. So one can't really say that we are a team that's way below the other teams when it comes to quality of play.

Farhat believes that his team have a very good chance of winning. Most of us have played together in provincial teams and even the Pakistan national squad and in form of cricket familiarity with the strengths and weaknesses of your team members can go a long way in deciding the fate of your campaign.

"The momentum is with us," says Steve Rixon. The Hyderabad Heroes have had a tumultuous ride in the two matches that we have played so far. While we started on a disappointing note, comprehensively beaten by the Lahore Badshahs, it was very god to see the boys getting their act together pulling off a win against defending champions Chennai Superstars.

Nicky Boje urges his team to get down to basics. The second edition of the Indian Cricket League has been far better from the first. More than the number of teams, the quality of cricket has improved immensely. You can see all the teams have got a better understanding of how to play the Twenty20 cricket and with so many quality internationals coming on board.

Ambati Rayudu believes that things have started to fall in place for his team. We had a disastrous start to our campaign being completely outplayed by the Lahore Badshahs in our opening encounter in Panchkula. Nothing went right for us on that day but things have started to fall in place now.

The Ahmedabad Rockets' ride in the ICL so far has been a sort of a mixed bag. The Ahmedabad Rockets' ride in the Indian Cricket League so far has been a sort of a mixed bag. On our debut, which was also incidentally the tournament opener, we beat the Chandigarh Lions, who are a formidable side.

Damien Martyn and his team are all geared up to face the Mumbai Champs The Ahmedabad Rockets' launch in the Indian Cricket League has been action-packed. We have experienced all the emotions that a cricketer can feel on a cricket field in our two games so far.

Sandeep Patil expresses his concern over his teams batting Two matches, two losses. The second edition of the Indian Cricket League hasn't been any different from the first for Mumbai Champs. And the only reason for that is that we haven't scored enough runs.

It's a must win situation for us: Russel Arnold We came into the tournament as one of the favourites since we had won both the Twenty20 and ICL 50's event. Even our domestic players were in good form and we were confident of continuing the good work.

Nantie Hayward is happy with his all-round performance in his first match The addition of two new teams for the second edition of the Indian Cricket League means that all teams will have to win at least four or five games to make sure that they qualify for the semifinals.

Consistency is something I am still working on: Thiru Kumaran Two great players — Inzamam-ul-Haq and Justin Kemp — played two great innings and we are on the mat. We played good cricket against Lahore Badshahs and Hyderabad Heroes and had a good chance to win both the games till the two individuals took the match away from us.

Saqlain Mushtaq loves the electrifying atmosphere and the zing of the ICL I am making my first appearance in the Indian Cricket League and the atmosphere at the Tau Devi Lal stadium where we played our first match of the tournament on Tuesday was electrifying.

Coach Moin Khan is impressed with the performance of his team, the Lahore Badshahs Soon after we registered a fighting win against Chennai Superstars on Tuesday, I received a number of calls from

back home congratulating us.

Chris Harris previews his team's fortunes against the Badshahs It showed that the Badshahs are a force to reckon with, but more importantly it underlined that both the debutants – Ahmedabad Rockets and Badshahs – are as good as any other team in the tournament.

Nathan Astle takes stock of his team's bad start and looks ahead A winning start to a campaign can go a long way in giving the team a much-needed momentum in a tournament like this. But that was not to be. We got off to a worst possible start and it's not just the loss I am talking about.

Craig McMillan is happy with his team's progress so far The inaugural edition of the Indian Cricket League was a fantastic experience. All the players had come together for the first time and were not really sure how things will pan out. However, the team played very well to top the league stage.

Champs need to apply themselves in the middle, says coach Sandeep Patil Our bad batting form in the warm up games has accompanied us in the main tournament as well. None of our batsmen were able to apply themselves in the middle against Delhi Giants in our opening match on Monday and that cost us dearly.

We can live up the 'defending champions' tag: Bevan We go into the tournament as the defending champions and I am sure we can live up to the tag. The team played some great cricket in the first edition of the Indian Cricket League and there is no doubt in my mind that we can repeat the same performance this time around.

"It is important to win the first game," says Shabbir Ahmed Some would think that our opening match of the Indian Cricket League's second edition is going to be the most important match for me since we, the Chennai Superstars, are taking on the Lahore Badshahs Thiru Kumaran is enjoying every bit of the ICL experience The launch of the Indian Cricket League three months ago was very special for all of us. One, it was the beginning of a cricket phenomenon. And two, since I was a member of the Chennai Superstars who went on to claim the title, it turned out to like an icing on the cake. We have improved a lot as a team: Dheeraj Jadav For the Mumbai Champs, the first tournament of the ICL was disappointing to say the least. We certainly played much better than to have finished at the bottom of the table. If you look at the scoreboards closely, most of the matches that we lost were very closely fought. "Great to be back in India" says Michael Kasprowicz It feels so great to be back in India. It's one country where I have always enjoyed every moment whenever I toured as a part of the Australian team. So when the Indian Cricket League offer came along it did not take me long to say yes for it gave me an opportunity to visit and play in India. Shane Bond is excited about the "Big Day" The Indian Cricket League (ICL) has provided a unique platform for upcoming cricketers to showcase their skills and make a mark for themselves. Unfortunately the ICC and the BCCI have termed it as a rebel league and have banned the players from playing for their respective countries. Damien Martyn is rearing to go for the Rockets. The Indian Cricket League is a half-year-old now but I am new to it. Right from the time I heard of the concept, it sounded very interesting to me. Unfortunately, I couldn't be there for the first ICL tournament.

New teams add to the excitement: Kiran More The moment the Indian Cricket League was launched, the promoters and the executive board had announced their plans to expand the ICL beyond the six teams that were originally formed. And the formation of two new teams – the Lahore Badshahs and the Ahmedabad Rockets. Dinesh Mongia says that it is important to be mentally and physically fit. After the fun and frolic we had in Panchkula three months ago, we are back at the Tau Devi Lal stadium, where we play the tournament opener against the Ahmedabad Rockets, in anticipation of another cracker of a tournament. "We are one of the favourites," says Chris Cairns. It's nice to be back for the second edition of the Indian Cricket League. I believe that the League has firmly shaped up and is going to immensely help the cricketers, especially younger Indians, in the future. "The competition will be tougher," says Hemang Badani The Indian Cricket League phenomenon has started to spread its wings. The increase in number of teams and number of tournaments is surely going to do a world of good for the game, and more importantly, the young talent in India The challenge for domestic players at the Edelweiss 20s Challenge - Kiran More I firmly believe that to have a successful cricket tournament, the most important aspect is the quality of cricket on display. The better the quality, the more successful will the tournament be. And I am sure it reflected in the first edition of the Indian Cricket League. Galaxy of bowling stars on display at Edelweiss 20s Challenge - Madan Lal The grand championship of the Indian Cricket League begins in less than a week and I am sure the wickets will be better than what we had in the inaugural edition. Does that mean that the batsmen will make merry, as is expected in any limited overs match, especially Twenty20 cricket?

Arrival of the Lahore Badshahs on the ICL platform - Moin Khan The Indian Cricket League is back. And as they say, the bigger the better. We have two more teams in the tourney now in the form of Ahmedabad Rockets and Lahore Badshah's. Top batsmen to watch out for at the Edelweiss 20s Challenge - Dean Jones After a thrilling contest Down Under, the focus shifts to India for what would certainly be one of the best cricketing extravaganzas ever – the grand championship of the Indian Cricket League. Preview of the Edelweiss 20s Challenge - Kapil Dev The second edition of the Indian Cricket League is set to kick off in a big way. We have some new players and two new teams. Which means greater competition and exciting matches for the cricket lovers. Preparation of Mumbai champs for the Edelweiss 20s Challenge - Sandeep Patil Finishing at the bottom of the table in the inaugural edition of the Indian Cricket League and then a second from bottom finish in the ICL 50's was certainly not the ideal launch pad that our team, Mumbai Champs, had expected. Benefits of International Stars at the ICL - Ajit Wadekar The ICL is a platform for all youngsters to keep improving their performance to catch the selectors' eye. Plus, they are being taken care of financially as well. And when a youngster is striving to improve his skills, he cannot ask for more than the presence of international stars around him. Preparation of the Delhi Giants for Edelweiss 20s Challenge - Marvan Atapattu Everyone aspires to keep on improving with every step forward. And I am proud to say that the Delhi Giants have done it perfectly. After finishing third in the first edition of the Indian Cricket League, they went a step further in finishing second in the ICL 50's last month.

Balwinder Singh Sandhu writes: After analysing the performance of each player figured in two matches Chandigarh Lions have played so far in the ongoing ICL Twenty20 Championship, the management is taking corrective measures. I cannot disclose the strategy and planning, which remain secret of a coach. Dean Jones Article It has been an idea brewing for more than 6 months and how quickly it has arrived. There has been a lot of work put into this by everyone. We are ready to go. Players from all around the world have signed up to compete and play with so many young and inspiring Indian players who dream of playing for India one day. I am so delighted - Kapil Dev I am so delighted; I am delighted to be back in Chandigarh, and back with some cricket to offer. Honestly, I never thought I would some day organize a cricket event of this magnitude in my city. Now that I am here, I want to share the best of my cricket with my people. Richer with the learning - Sandeep Patil My metamorphosis from being a player to a coach has been a great learning experience and with every passing day as coach of the Mumbai Champs I continue to learn. The international players have been accommodative and rich in their inputs to make the camaraderie stronger.