IPL 2020: Will take some time for Dhoni to get back old touch, says Ganguly

 Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni's form in the ongoing Indian Premier League has seen critics pull him up. But former India skipper and current BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has backed Dhoni and said that it needs game time for even the best to return to form.

"In the current situation, it will take some time for him to get back to his old touch. He played a cricket match after about one year and six months. It's not easy however good you are. It will take some time," Ganguly said during a media interaction after being named brand ambassador of the Bengal Peerless group.

The BCCI President once again spoke of the need to have someone like Dhoni bat higher up in the order.

"When Dhoni was in prime form and was the captain, then I was in broadcast and had said that he should bat at number four," he said.

Dhoni himself has also pointed out how it is about warming up and getting into the groove after the coronavirus-induced break saw athletes spending close to six months indoors.

Speaking after the game against Rajasthan Royals, he said the 14-day quarantine in UAE also didn't help as there was less training time.

"I haven't batted for a long time. 14-day quarantine doesn't help," he said when asked why he batted lower down the order against RR.

CSK was the last team to begin training as the side finally returned to the field after completing their quarantine period as a couple of players and support staff members had tested positive for coronavirus after landing in Dubai.

There have also been suggestions that the England series will see the resumption of cricket in India and Ganguly also admitted that the idea is to move the action back to the country by ensuring that bio-bubbles are created to keep players safe and away from the coronavirus threat.

"We will try to make this happen on Indian grounds (series against England). The advantage in UAE is they have three stadiums (Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai). We also have the same facility in Mumbai -- CCI, Wankhede and DY Patil.

"We also have Eden Gardens. We have to create a bubble. We want to hold our cricket in India, that's where the game is, that's where the heart is. But we are monitoring the COVID situation," Ganguly said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Chennai police book Franklin Templeton, top executives for 'fraud'

 The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Chennai Police has registered a first information report (FIR) against the beleaguered Franklin Templeton Asset Management India (FTAMIL) and Franklin Templeton Trustee Services (FTTSPL) for an alleged criminal conspiracy to defraud 300,000 investors by causing wrongful loss to them and unlawful gain to themselves.

The FIR also named Santosh Das Kamath, MD and chief investment officer, FTAMIL, Sanjay V Sapre, whole time member, FTAMIL, and their directors Jayaram Subramaniam Iyer, Vivek Kudva, RV Subramaniam, and Pradip P Shah, among others.

While EOW officials were not available for comment, Manoj Sheth, president, Chennai Financial Markets & Accountability (CFMA) confirmed the development.

The EOW registered the FIR after investigating a complaint filed by CFMA, the investors' group, and a few others with EOW in Chennai in May this year in the interest of millions of aggrieved investors of Franklin Templeton.

Chennai out of IPL 2018: Vizag front-runner to host CSK's home matches

BCCI has short-listed four cities to host Chennai Super King's home matches after the IPL franchise was told to consider shifting base due to the Cauvery water dispute, which has created a volatile political situation in the state, CoA chief Vinod Rai said. According to IPL sources, Visakhapatnam is front-runner from among the four cities, the other three being Trivandrum, Pune and Rajkot. There were already calls by various groups not to host cricket matches in the city when the state was facing such a grave situation. Massive protests were witnessed yesterday ahead of the match between CSK and Kolkata Knight Riders and an identified protestor flung a shoe at CSK's Ravindra Jadeja during the match.
Committee of Administrator (CoA) Vinod Rai confirmed that the prevailing situation has forced them to explore options.
"We are thinking on the lines of shifting the IPL matches from Chennai. There are four alternative venues that BCCI has kept ready. They are Visakhapatnam, Trivandrum, Pune and Rajkot. CSK can play their matches at these venues," Rai told PTI.
"We have to keep in mind the prevailing political and security situation in the state. But we have told the CSK franchise to evaluate the current situation and take a final call in this regard. It will be CSK's decision," Rai, a former Comptroller and Auditor General, said.
IPL's most popular franchise CSK has made a comeback to the League after serving two-year suspension on charges of spot-fixing in 2013. IPL sources says Visakhapatnam is likely to be picked by the CSK management due to logistical reasons.
However, CSK are not playing a home match before April 20 and situation may get better before the clash against Rajasthan Royals. IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla had also spoken to the Union Home Secretary on Tuesday, seeking government intervention in smooth conduct of IPL matches in Chennai.
Top 10 developments on Tamil Nadu's Cauvery protests and IPL matches that were scheduled in Chennai:
1. All IPL matches moved out of Chennai: Citing BCCI sources, TV channels reported that since it is difficult for the police to handle situation, all IPL matches are to be moved out of Chennai.
ALSO READ: BCCI picks 4 stand-by cities for CSK's home matches due to Cauvery turmoil
2. No ticket sale for CSK, RR IPL 2018 match: Ticket sales for the match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals on 20.04.18 has been postponed. Further details will be intimated in due course: Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.
3. BCCI shortlists 4 cities to host Chennai Super King's home IPL matches: The IPL franchise was told to consider shifting base due to the Cauvery water dispute, which has created a volatile political situation in the state. According to IPL sources, Visakhapatnam is front-runner from among the four cities, the other three being Trivandrum, Pune and Rajkot.
4. Tamil outfit threatens to let loose snakes during IPL matches: IPL organises could find themselves on a slithery wicket with a Tamil outfit today threatening to let loose snakes into the Chepauk stadium here to protest over the Cauvery issue if another match of the cricket league is held at the venue.
The snakes will not be poisonous as the intention is not to harm anybody, but to only express angst over the delay in formation of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB), Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) chief T Velmurugan said.

"If the IPL match is held on April 20 in Chennai as per schedule, I will hold the snake protest. I will let snakes into the stadium. There is no change in it," he said.
ALSO READ: CSK vs KKR: 4,000 cops on IPL duty as Cauvery protests escalate in Chennai
5. Shoes hurled at CSK's Jadeja, Faf inside Chennai cricket ground: A couple of miscreants were on Tuesday detained by the police for hurling a shoe at Ravindra Jadeja during an IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.
The incident happened in the eighth over of the KKR innings. The unidentified protestors hurled shoes at Jadeja, who was stationed at long-on. The footwear missed the player fell near the boundary rope as Du Plessis and Lungi Ngidi were taking a stroll. The match was preceded by massive protests from various groups and activists due to Cauvery water dispute prompting IPL governing council chairman Rajeev Shukla to seek government intervention.
The two persons detained by the police for their involvement are allegedly a part of actor-director Seeman's Naam pro-Tamil outfit Tamizhar.
6. 21 NTK party workers arrested over anti-IPL protest:Twenty-one Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) party workers were arrested on Wednesday and sent to Puzhal Central Prison, a day after they held protests over Cauvery issue outside Chennai's Chepauk Stadium, in a bid to stop an IPL match set to be held there. The arrested party workers were charged for beating up policemen on duty who were deployed to curb the protest and ensure the match to be held between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders was played without trouble. Cases were also registered against lyricist Vairamuthu Ramasamy, director P Bharathiraja, MLA Karunas and 500 other protesters at Trilplicane police station.
7. 4,000 cops on IPL duty in Chennai: Hours before the CSK-KKR tie, some pro-Tamil activists tried to stage a demonstration outside the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai against holding of the IPL fixtures in Tamil Nadu amid the raging Cauvery protests. The activists of T Velumurugan-led Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) tried to picket the stadium but were immediately removed by the police. The slogan-shouting activists demanded that IPL matches be not held here. The Chidambaram stadium has turned into a virtual fortress with 4,000 policemen including commandos and members of the Rapid Action Force deployed for security ahead of today's IPL tie involving Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
ALSO READ: IPL 2018: To wear or not to wear black bands? Cauvery shadow over CSK match
8. Hoist black flags during PM's visit: DMK to TN people: DMK working president M K Stalin on Wednesday appealed to the people to hoist black flags atop their houses on April 12 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Tamil Nadu. Stalin made this appeal while addressing a meet on the Cauvery issue at Kottur, about 35 km from here.
He asked how could Modi visit Tamil Nadu after "betraying the State on the Cauvery issue." Modi is scheduled to formally inaugurate the Defence Expo 2018 at Thiruvidanthai, about 40 km from Chennai, on that day. The DMK leader said the day of Modi's visit is a day of 'grief' (dukkha naal) for the State in view of the Centre's 'betrayal.'
CSK Tamil outfit members staged a protest at out side of Chepauk stadium, against the Centre’s failure to constitute a Cauvery management board, they were demanding cancel an IPL cricket match which played between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai (Photo: PTI)9. Supreme Court asks govt to file Cauvery management scheme by May 3: The Supreme Court on Monday frowned upon the Centre for not complying with its order on Cauvery water and asked it to formulate a draft scheme on sharing water between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. The draft shall be submitted to the court by May 3 for its approval. The court will decide the next step after receiving the draft scheme from the central government.
10. Tamil Nadu satisfied over SC order on Cauvery: Tamil Nadu Law Minister CV Shanmugham on Monday expressed satisfaction over the Supreme Court order in the Cauvery Water sharing dispute and said "good" will arise out of it.
"We believe good will arise out of today's order," he told reporters after the apex court ordered the Centre to file by May 3 a scheme to be formulated under Section 6A of the Inter State Water Disputes Act in the wake of its February 16 ruling.
Supreme Court ruling on Cauvery water dispute: The apex court had on February 16 raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu’s share while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the issue of drinking water has to be placed on a “higher pedestal”. It also directed the Centre to formulate a scheme to ensure compliance of its 465-page judgement on water dispute. It further modified the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award of 2007 and made it clear that it will not be extending time for this on any ground.
History of the Cauvery water dispute: Owing the geographic peculiarities of the State, Tamil Nadu has been dependent on water from the rivers in Karnataka and Kerala for a long time now. The dispute between Tamil Nadu and these two states also has a long history.
Differences between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on sharing of water in the Cauvery river, which is one of the main sources of water for irrigation in the agricultural lands of the Cauvery delta, have been in existence from the time of two agreements signed during the period of British government ruling the country.
Two agreements were signed between the then Madras Presidency and the State of Mysore, in 1892 and 1924. Karnataka claimed that the water allocated to it from the river was inadequate and that the agreements favoured the Madras Presidency. Tamil Nadu has time and again claimed that the irrigated land in the State has increased over a period of time and the entire region is dependent on the water from the river for agriculture and survival.
Why did the Centre not address the demand for setting up of the Cauvery Management Board? Citing the Assembly elections in Karnataka and describing the Cauvery as a “very emotive issue” in that State, the Centre told the Supreme Court, the notification of a scheme at this juncture “would lead to massive public outrage, vitiate the election process and cause serious law and order problems.” Seeking three more months, it wanted to know whether an implementation mechanism could be a “mixture of administrative and technical body,” and could have functions, different from what had been recommended by the Tribunal in the February 2007 order.