Ganguly scotches retirement reports

Sourav Ganguly today scotched reports that he has decided to retire from all forms ofcompetitive cricket in the aftermath of IPL franchises shunning him for the fourth edition of the Twenty20 event.

I have already retired from international cricket in2008. If I don''t get to play IPL I will not be participating in any forms of domestic cricket. But if I do get an opportunity to play IPL I will play domestic cricket to stay fit," Ganguly said in a statement, seeking to put an end to the controversy.

He had also clarified his position as soon as he landed at the Kolkata airport.

"From where are you getting this conclusion. You should see the full interview," an irritated Ganguly told reporters.

"It''s only if I don''t get the opportunity to play in IPL.

If I play IPL, I will play other form of cricket," Ganguly explained.

Earlier, Ganguly''s interview to a television channel triggered speculation that the former India captain has retired from all forms of the game.

Asked specifically if he was retiring from all forms of cricket after being ignored by IPL teams, Ganguly said that he had retired from international cricket and there is no possibility of him playing in the IPL this season.

But his remarks were immediately interpreted as retirement from all forms of the game and television channels also got reactions from former cricketers on the development.

Asked specifically by the interviewer whether he has now retired from all forms of cricket, Ganguly said, "No, I don''t think so."

"I have retired as an international professional player two years ago. That part is done. IPL is a hugeplatform. As far as that is concerned I don''t think there is any possibility to play in IPL," he said.

Ganguly, who had retired from international cricket in2008, was not bought by the 10 IPL franchises in the January8-9 IPL auction and the Governing Council later shot down Kochi team''s desire to take him after other franchises objected to it.

Asked if he is not going to play in the Ranji Trophy infuture, he said, "I have not decided as yet."

The last Ranji Trophy match he played for Bengal was against Railways here in December last.

Ganguly said he was surprised at not finding a place in10 IPL teams in which 70 Indians were selected as he was scoring runs in the Twenty20 tournament.

"I had the runs. I scored more than 500 runs last year.

Players of my age such as Adam Gilchrist, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are still actively involved. Honestly, I don''t know why I was not picked.

"I haven''t been able to put the finger in the button why I was left out. Cricketing logic and past form suggests Ishould have been picked," he said.

We would like to win the World Cup for Sachin: Gambhir

India opener Gautam Gambhir today exuded confidence that the national team would do all it takes to win the upcoming World Cup for a certain Sachin Tendulkar, who will be making his sixth appearance in the quadrennial extravaganza. "I sincerely wish that this would not be Sachin's last World Cup and he would play one more. All members of the Indian side would like to win it for him," Gambhir said.

In pic: Gautam Gambhir

The dashing southpaw also felt that Yuvraj Singh's form would be crucial to India's fortunes in the tournament, scheduled to held in the sub-continent from February 19 to April 2. "Yuvi can bat and bowl very nicely. He is a very passionate player," Gambhir said. Contrary to the common perception that he is a 'party animal', Gambhir said that Yuvraj is a hard worker. "The fact is that he devotes a lot of his time on cricket. He is a very focused and passionate player," Gambhir told News 24 channel.

Fitness has been a cause for concern in recent times, with quite a dew including himself, carrying injuries, but Gambhir hoped things would be alright before the World Cup. "They would be fully fit before the start of World Cup," he said. Gambhir, who returned to India just before the start of the five-match one-day series against South Africa after hurting his left knuckles, assured that he would attain peak fitness before the mega event. "I suffered an injury during the South African tour, but I will be fully fit before the World Cup," he said.

Asked if he would like to see Sourav Ganguly as mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Gambhir said, "Of course I would be happy to see him as mentor of KKR. It goes without saying that KKR is his team and I am sure that he would be happy to see us winning the IPL. Honestly, Sourav is an integral part of KKR." "He was and is a legend. There is no question about that. This is also true that you have to retire one day. You can not play for forever," he said.

Gambhir confessed that he was not expecting to be bought at an astronomical sum of 11.6 crore in the IPl auction. "I never expected that IPL franchise would take so much interest in me. I will give my hundred per cent to KKR and play with total passion," he said, adding that he will soon meet the KKR support staff.

Gambhir was modest when pointed out that he had left behind both Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the auction. "You cannot compare Sachin and Dhoni with anybody. I am sure that they would be happy to hear that I got such a sum. Apart from the fact that both are very fine players,they very nice human beings," Gambhir said.

Gambhir led India to a 5-0 sweep of New Zealand in a one-day series last December, and asked if he would like to lead the side in future, he said, "This is the wish of every player to lead India. I would also like to lead India. But, Dhoni is currently doing a great job." "I would expect 100 per cent from my players."

PTI AH Asked to chose between Tests and ODIs, Gambhir had no hesitation in opting the former. "I love Test cricket more than any other format of the game. You can become great through Test match only," he said. –PTI Courtesy- News24

KKR cricketing brains behind Ganguly ouster: Shah Rukh

Kolkata Knight Riders' co-owner Shah Rukh Khan today said leaving out former India captain Sourav Ganguly from the team was a decision taken by the "cricketing brains" of the franchise and not by him. Ganguly, who captained KKR in the inaugural and 2009 season, was completely ignored in two rounds of players' auction for the fourth edition starting April 8.


In pic: KKR former captain Sourav Ganguly

The snub to the flamboyant batsman triggered angry protests in Kolkata. Khan pleaded with the fans to understand the compulsions behind the decision. "It's with very heavy heart that such decisions are taken. I don't do cricketing decisions anymore because in the first year when I did it, I have not done very well," Khan said. "I feel very sad for my team, for the city that my team represents. I feel very sad for the state. I feel very bad for my children. So all the decisions are now taken by the cricketing brains. The main aim is to perform well since in the last three years we have performed badly and I am sure that Dada also wishes that we do well," he added.

Khan said the team, which has bought Gautam Gambhir for mind boggling Rs 11 crore, cannot be about one individual. "Dada is like my younger brother. The team does not consist of one or two people. It is a team of 20. We used to feel very bad about our loss. We have even cried when we didn't win in India as well as in South Africa. "We only want to win the championship for Kolkata. We all want to do that including Dada. We have to put sadness, issues and thoughts behind sometimes to achieve a goal. We all have to make some sacrifices we understand that," he told 'Times Now'.

Khan said the controversies should now end and KKR should be allowed to function smoothly. "In season one, we had a lot of controversies and in the third IPL season, we had so many problems so my message to everyone is to give me a chance to run KKR without controversies. Let me play the game with the spirit of the game," he said. -PTI, Courtesy - TIMES NOW

'Black Sunday' marks the end of Ganguly's IPL innings

In pic: Saurav Ganguly

KOLKATA: If it was darkness at noon for Sourav Ganguly and his fans on Saturday, it turned out to be a 'Black Sunday' for them as they waited endlessly, hoping against hope that one of the 10 franchises would pick up the former India captain on the rebound at the IPL auction in Bangalore.

It was not to be. And as the two-day jamboree ended at 6pm sharp, the writing on the wall was clear: Sourav would not be playing in IPL. There was complete disbelief when his name was announced by the auctioneer on Saturday and there was no response from the franchise owners.

On Sunday, disbelief gave way to indignation as none of the franchises pencilled him out to be re-auctioned even though 28 players from the unsold list were given a second chance.

UP captain Mohammad , one of Sourav's proteges, in fact, was given a third chance and finally found a buyer in Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Sourav's teammate in Kolkata Knight Riders, Murali Kartik, who too had gone unsold the first time around, hit pay dirt when he was re-presented at the auction with Pune Warriors buying him for $400,000 — exactly double his base price.

It was almost as if the 10 franchises had come to the auction with a mindset that the likes of Sourav, Chris Gayle, Mark Boucher and Brian Lara were not to be touched.

The franchises' reluctance to buy West Indies and English players was understandable because of the uncertainty over their availability for the entire duration of IPL-4, that starts on April 8 and concludes on May 20.

However, it was baffling why teams like Pune, Kochi and Deccan Chargers — who had plenty of money in their kitty — refused to go for Sourav even though they didn't have enough Indian batsmen on their rosters.

It was a humiliation of sorts for a man who the BCCI had anointed as an icon player when the IPL was conceived. For the record, of the 48 capped Indian players who went on auction, only three, including Sourav, remained unsold.

The other two — Wasim Jaffer and VRV Singh — could not find a buyer even though, unlike Sourav, they were put up for re-auction.

The KKR management, having splurged on the opening day of the auction, operated on a low key on Sunday. They spent half-a-million dollars on Laxmipathy Balaji and a quarter-a-million on Jaydev Unadkat to bolster their pace attack even as Bengal boy Ashok Dinda was snatched away by Delhi Daredevils.

KKR also made a couple of low-key purchases in Dutch all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate and under-20 Australian fast bowler James Pattinson, but still failed to address the balance of the side. Having bought seven foreign players and only five Indians, they now have no option but to recruit heavily from CAB first division club Kalighat, which has served as a supply chain for them over the past three IPL seasons.

There is talk of Sourav taking up a mentoring role with one of the IPL sides, but the man himself remained tight-lipped about his future plans. -TOI

Ganguly wants to play for Mumbai Indians

Sources close to former India captain Sourav Ganguly have revealed that the stylish left-hander has expressed the desire to play for Mumbai Indians in the coming Indian Premier League season.

Ganguly is hoping MI buy him during the auction to be held over the weekend in Bangalore. "Sourav is very disappointed that KKR decided not to retain him. He had never thought that they would let him go. Now, he wants to play in his close friend, Sachin Tendulkar's team.

"Also, he wants to play this IPL with an absolutely free mind, without any responsibilities of captaincy," sources close to Ganguly told MiD DAY.

Meanwhile, KKR's take on Ganguly is not very clear. But it seems highly unlikely that they will make a bid for their former captain, especially after he increased his base price for the auction, moving into the top bracket of players. On the other hand, our sources revealed that, KKR is positive about capturing Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan. They will also push hard for Gautam Gambhir.

Will Ganguly re-unite with former India teammate Tendulkar? Will MI make Dada's wish come true? Over to the auction now. -MiD DAY