All news about IPL

[Guest HariSampath]

BCCI granting this "iconic" status and minimum guaranteed amount to certain players is just a pathetic attempt by oldies desperately clutching to their past/lost glory. When BCCI thinks that Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman et al dont deserve a place in the national ODI team as well as the T20 team, why such a high price for them in the T20 format ? why shove them down the throats of the league sides ? If professional league is all about paying money for value delivered, how come Dravid is worth in the top bracket, when we all know he , ganguly Lazman suck in limited overs cricket/T20 cricket ? Wasnt it Dravid who first said as captain ( in Eng) that the big 3 didnt want to play the T20 as they feel its a youngsters game ? Now have these folks got younger suddenly, better at the game or as is more likely, is it the big bucks ? Why would anyone be forced to pay $ 400,000 for Dravid when they can get 2 youngsters far better in this game, and how is Ganguly and laxman worth more than , say Irfan , Ishant or gambhir ? If this is "professional" league, then its a joke !

[Rohan495]

theres this misconception that Laxman was a horrible ODI player. Opinion. An avg of 30 is bad in this decade, for someone who cant field nor bowl. dont forget that he had a severe knee injury that unsettled his career. Is there an handicap quota in the team? When Laxman was in form he scored big hundreds at brisk strike rates. 6 100's in 86 innings. 30 average 70 SR. Its crap for someone who plays within the top 4. dont forget what Mohammad Azharuddin said, he said that if that knee injury didnt occur he would be an ODI regular as well as one of the best fielders in the country. So fking wht? So get your facts straight before you make statements like that. I have the facts. Do you? Get it right next time.Dont spew nonsense without any backing. If it's your opinion, keep your mouth shut when others are talking facts . Just for comparison sake, Kaif, another cricketer who didn't deserve his long career Avg - 32, Sr -72 , 2 100's, 17 50's- Obviously 100's are lower cos he usually bats in # 5/6/7

First of all dont ever talk down to me. Second of all,if you want me throw in facts i will do so. I will murder you in any debate like piranhas eating a cat in a fish tank. VVS Laxmans ODI career: year 2004 : Matches played: 25 average: 41.85, 4 centuries year 2005: Matches Played: 2 End of argument. Why after having a spectucular run in 04, played only 2 matches in 05???? any reason to that. How can you call him a horrible ODI player When he played a matchwinning knock against Pakistan. and since then the selectors were finding ever reason to dump him. Mind you look at middle order batsmen from other countries Jayawardene, Younis Khan, Retired Fleming they all average 30-33 in odi cricket. Laxman was a solid number three batsmen and its sad he never played a world cup. Its rubbish that people call him a bad fielder and bad mover, he has the safest hands in the country.

[Zap_Brannigan]

You might wanna look into the 2nd half of 2004.....How many match winning knocks did he play against Pak? 1 or 2? Those 2004 stats consists of 2 good tour. Nothing more. It was against Aus in Aus and against Pak in Pak. You can't choose and select and make him play only against Aus. Why are you comparing Lax with other team players? Compare him with Indian players. Top 3, Sachin, Ganguly and dravid avg 40. Yuvi avg 35. In a batting heavy line up, we tend to have better batsmen than other teams. It was the same way that we would tolerate bowlers with high avg, cos they are the best of the worst. Not the batsmen. If a batsman is average, he just doesnt cut it for out team. Not so for pak or NZ.

[Rohan495]

You might wanna look into the 2nd half of 2004.....

Its the whole year that matters more man. I can pull up records for Sourav Dravid and Tendulkar and say "oh look their performance at the second half of the year"

[Zap_Brannigan]

Its the whole year that matters more man. I can pull up records for Sourav Dravid and Tendulkar and say "oh look their performance at the second half of the year"

Those 3 have proven countless times to deserve a little leeway. Laxman and Kaif never did. One or 2 good tours doesnt give you that. You need to be consistent against a lot of teams and for years. Yuvi, for all his batting talent, was on the fringes for 3 years. Again just for the record, when Dravid was dropped from ODI's in late 90's, he averaged in low 30's. He has been consistent ever since. He has been averaging over 35 for the last 9 years. He is still dropped.

[fineleg]

Ponting wants IPL to be in the ICC Future Tours Program Ponting wants IPL to be in the ICC Future Tours Program Ricky Ponting is concerned lucrative offers from the Indian Premier League could encourage top international players to retire too early. He says the game's governing bodies should consider clearing a space on the hectic Test and ODI schedule to allow players to take part in the tournament without giving up their existing careers. "I think there are some dangers there to tell you the truth," Ponting told AAP. "If a guy is approaching the end of his international career anyway, and being able to play 44 days and stay in one form of the game I'm sure is very attractive. "Particularly if they have families and they are getting a bit sick and tired of the travel you do with international cricket, I am sure that is appealing to some. There are some programming issues the ICC and the boards are going to have to look at, maybe carving out a window each year where this tournament can sit in." Ponting and several of his Australian team-mates are keen to take up IPL deals provided the competition does not clash with their national duties, which this year include a possible tour of Pakistan when the tournament is on. Cricket Australia is working with the Indian board to determine whether its contract holders will be able to appear in the IPL, which starts in April and has its player auction on February 20. "We have always said we want to see IPL succeed, but on the basis that it does not compromise the Future Tours Programme or ICC Events cricket," James Sutherland, Cricket Australia's chief executive, said. "There is a lot of detail involved in aligning existing contractual obligations with those of this new Indian domestic competition." Sutherland hoped a resolution would allow Australia players to compete in the tournament "when available". He also wanted the Champions Twenty20 concept to be finalised. Ponting did not believe Australia players would quit specifically to join the IPL but he said other countries whose cricketers were not paid as well might lose men with plenty still to offer. "Unless some time is given up then we might start losing the 33-, 34-year-old players from international cricket," Ponting said. Adam Gilchrist disagrees and thinks players with a "genuine passion" would not cut short their careers for the sake of money. However, he does believe the IPL will make it easier for older men - he is 36 and will star in this year's edition - to step down from Tests and ODIs. "Since the real professional age kicked in, maybe there has been a bit of tendency for guys to hang on a little bit too long," Gilchrist told AFP. "We don't see younger guys getting chances like we used to. It might be an evening out process, as now there is something for the older guys to move into."

[Sachinism]

some good points from the baby

[Holysmoke]

should be fun to see laxman play T20 :D

[ludhianvi]

. I strongly believe Gilly quit because of IPL.

yes very true indeed IMO. Other players that have done the same: Stephen Fleming and whereas Shane Bond just signed up for ICL. I mean Bond was a premier test bowler and he quit just for money.

[Rohan495]

i think Laxman will do fine in the 20 20 format. He always likes to prove people wrong. He has the strokes and all he has to do is be more agressive and add more power to his game.

[Rohan495]

Those 3 have proven countless times to deserve a little leeway. Laxman and Kaif never did. One or 2 good tours doesnt give you that. You need to be consistent against a lot of teams and for years. Yuvi, for all his batting talent, was on the fringes for 3 years. Again just for the record, when Dravid was dropped from ODI's in late 90's, he averaged in low 30's. He has been consistent ever since. He has been averaging over 35 for the last 9 years. He is still dropped.

Laxman hasnt had much chances. 86 matches is nothing. Some young guys play that in a couple years time. Laxman has played for 10 years now and he hasnt won favor of the selectors because they seem to always have something against him. If Dravid got the second chance why not Laxman. Laxman has shown his matchwinning capabilities in even ODI's theres no doubt about that. Hes now 33 and he will proabably never stage a come back all he can hope for is score massive runs in test match cricket and raise his average to prolong his career. I hope he suceeds in IPL because it will shut a lot of people thats for sure.

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CA drops IPL sponsor concerns CRICKET Australia has bowed to Indian Premier League demands to drop concerns over global sponsorship arrangements before resolving its player contract dispute. More... By Richard Earle February 18, 2008 CRICKET Australia has bowed to Indian Premier League demands to drop concerns over global sponsorship arrangements before resolving its player contract dispute. IPL chairman Lalit Modi dismissed speculation CA had agreed to release players to the league provided it would be compensated for players promoting rival products to CA sponsors. Modi said Australia's commitment was unconditional when asked about the sponsorship situation. "No. We have made it clear," he said. Modi's comments were surprising given CA and IPL officials spent last week negotiating a contractual agreement, with the sponsorship a key sticking point. And mystery surrounds the final composition and player eligibility for Wednesday's IPL player auction. It is understood Indian legends such as Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly won't be part of the bidding, having already been identified as "icon players" for hometown IPL teams from Mumbai and Bangalore. But the 89-player auction will feature a marquee-player category filled by premier stars such as Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist. Each of the eight franchises can pay a maximum $5.5 million for its roster from the icon, marquee to regular bowler, batsman and wicketkeeper categories. Sixteen Australians have registered for the auction. It is not clear if this figure included retired superstars Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, which could mean three "Australian" players would be in one side. Warne is employed by CA as a spin-bowling consultant and is an official IPL ambassador. McGrath has been working for NSW cricket. It is unclear how strict CA will be in enforcing its wish that players would have to wait at least two years after retirement before playing in the IPL. Gilchrist is yet to learn if he can play in the inaugural IPL tournament from April 18. The ICC chief executives meet in Kuala Lumpur this week to discuss the IPL.

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Australia players get IPL deadline extension Five unnamed Australian cricketers did not meet the original Sunday deadline to register for the Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction, however they were given a one-day extension as they sought clarification on contract details. More... All expected to sign by Monday Australia players get IPL deadline extension Cricinfo staff February 18, 2008 Australia's players celebrated an ODI win over India on Sunday, which was also the original deadline for them to join the Indian Premier League © Getty Images Five unnamed Australian cricketers did not meet the original Sunday deadline to register for the Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction, however they were given a one-day extension as they sought clarification on contract details. The Sydney Morning Herald reported the players were all likely to register after receiving approval from Cricket Australia. Neil Maxwell, the agent who has been liaising between the IPL and Australia's players, said there was no reason to expect any surprise absences at Wednesday's bidding war. "There is always a chance [of a player not signing] but at this point we have alleviated any issues they have had," Maxwell told the paper. The Australians only received a revised version of the IPL's long-form contract on Thursday, which Maxwell conceded gave them little time to digest the details. But apart from the five expected to register on Monday, the remaining players returned their signed contracts by the Sunday deadline. The agreements came after Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, said the issues regarding Cricket Australia's sponsorship concerns had been resolved. Cricket Australia had been intent on receiving global protection for its major supporters - it did not want to risk its players promoting rival companies - but Modi said the Australian board had acquiesced. The rush of Australian signatures coincided with reports that another former Test player, Michael Kasprowicz, was poised to join the Indian Cricket League (ICL). The Courier-Mail said the newly-retired Kasprowicz, who played his last game for Queensland on Saturday, was ready to agree to a three-year ICL deal.

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More Aussie cricketers head for India At least five Australian cricket players are waiting until the last minute to sign up for the Indian Premier League. More... February 18 2008 at 10:44AM At least five Australian cricket players are waiting until the last minute to sign up for the Indian Premier League, with 15 mentioned by local media as likely starters in the lucrative Twenty20 competition. The Indian league's Australian agent Neil Maxwell said on Monday that five players who had been granted an extension to the deadline to sign contracts were spending the day going through last-minute details before committing to the competition. "I need to present the final signatures to India overnight," Maxwell said. "With all that's going on the players haven't had a lot of time to take it all in. They've been playing matches, so they need time to digest some of the information."

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Dhoni, Gilchrist top IPL wish-lists Adam Gilchrist and Mahendra Singh Dhoni top the wish-lists for the eight franchises participating in the IPL 'auction'. More... February 18, 2008 17:20 IST Adam Gilchrist [images] and Mahendra Singh Dhoni [images] are at the top of the wish-lists for the eight franchises participating in the high-profile Indian Premier League 'auction' in Mumbai on Wednesday. The explosive wicketkeeper-batsmen are regarded as the prime selections for any one of the teams in the Twenty20 tournament, with each side's spending capped at $5 million for a maximum of eight contracted players each. "After them, a few drawers are empty. Nobody else will fetch that kind of a price," T.A. Sekhar, sports administration vice president of infrastructure company GMR Holdings, the owner of the Delhi franchise, told Reuters on Monday. Dhoni's base price in the open bid is reportedly set at $400,000, (205,000 pounds) which places India's one-day and Twenty20 captain in the highest bracket and on a par with home stars Sachin Tendulkar [images], Saurav Ganguly [images], Rahul Dravid [images] and Yuvraj Singh [images], who will not go under the hammer. League rules state they will represent their city-based franchises -- Tendulkar for the Mumbai team, Ganguly for Kolkata, Yuvraj for Chandigarh and Dravid for Bangalore -- and will get 15 percent over the highest paid player in their side. Australian Gilchrist, who is retiring from international cricket next month, reportedly starts at $275,000, lower than team mate Ricky Ponting [images] ($350,000) but his devastating batting ability and charismatic personality make him hot property. "Every team will go for the big players. They are the crowd-pullers. These are players on everyone's list," said Sekhar, a former India fast bowler. DYNAMIC AUCTION More than 80 international cricketers are expected to feature in the auction of the officially sanctioned multi-million dollar IPL, which gets underway on April 18. "It (auction) will be dynamic and change according to other players (franchises)," P.K. Iyer, managing director of media group Deccan Chronicle, which owns Hyderabad, told Reuters. "All the franchises will have balanced teams," he added. "There are eight teams with a combined budget of $40 million. You have a few players who can go for three times the price of others but if a team goes for two such big buys, then it has exhausted its revenue completely." The Australian players are the most in demand, but the franchises are keeping their availability factor in mind. The duration of the contract is three years. Australia's trip to Pakistan in March and April clashes with the inaugural IPL although the tour looks increasingly unlikely to go ahead because of the security situation in Pakistan. "Nobody will pay high for a player if he is available for only 20 percent of the tournament," Sekhar said. "We'll need them for at least 80 percent of the duration to build a team," added Sekhar, whose franchise is on the verge of appointing Victoria's Greg Shipperd as coach. Cricket Australia restrictions that prevent more than two Australians appearing in the same overseas team had come as a boon, Sekhar added. "It's good for us or else one team might have gone after three of four," he added. South African and Sri Lankan players were also in demand as they were the top fielding sides in international cricket along with Australia, Sekhar said.

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Team not distracted by IPL auction: Pathan Irfan Pathan denied the team was distracted by the imminent bidding for the Indian Premier League. More... February 18, 2008 19:07 IST Left-arm paceman Irfan Pathan [images] on Monday denied the team was distracted by the imminent bidding for the Indian Premier League and promised that it would come out firing in the crucial tri-series encounter against Sri Lanka [images]. As players have been in dialogue with two members of the IPL governing body in Australia -- Sunil Gavaskar [images] and Ravi Shastri -- it was deemed to have had an effect on their focus in Sunday's game. Pathan said the team discussed the areas which required improvement after their 50-run defeat against Australia. "It was a useful meeting, in the sense everyone discussed the areas where the team needed to improve. It was useful and I'm sure the positives from it would be seen on the field tomorrow," Pathan told reporters. Indians badly bungled in chasing a modest target of 204 against Australia, a defeat that has put in balance their chances of qualifying for the finals. The Baroda bowler, who returned figures of 4-41, hoped the ordinary show by the batsmen would not be repeated. "In a way it is good. The team is young and the boys are going to learn from it. It's not that you immediately are going to find your feet in international cricket. It's going to take some time," he said. But Pathan did not agree that the poor performance was the result of any let up in their commitment. "When you write you don't think about your family and friends. Similarly when we play cricket, we only play cricket," Pathan said. Pathan did not mind his place in the batting order being shuffled with. "Obviously, I knew that I would be batting at number three (yesterday). The team management had told me in advance. "At number three, in case we are chasing a big total, I have to play my shots. In case the target is not big, I have to play normally like a batsman." Pathan parried a question on the fitness of Virender Sehwag [images], who was kept out of the playing XI against Australia but is likely to return for Tuesday's match against Sri Lanka. "I spoke to him yesterday and he was alright but I'm in no position to comment. Physio and team management would have a better idea on it." Pathan did not believe that the pressure was entirely on India. He felt Sri Lanka would also be facing the heat and could not be taken lightly. "The pressure will not only be on us. Sri Lanka would also be feeling the pressure. They have a game more than us but we have more points than them. "They were the World Cup finalists only last year. They are a very good side and can't be taken lightly." Pathan was happy to see bowlers ruling the roost in the series so far. But he felt the batsmen of the three teams were due for big scores. "As a bowler, I feel happy to see them do so well in the series so far. It shows the quality of bowling in all the three teams. But I feel the batsmen would soon be among runs."

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All Indian players sign up for IPL Setting aside any perceived reservations, all the Indian cricketers who are contracted to the Cricket Board have signed up for the BCCI-promoted multi-million dollar Indian Premier League (IPL) set to commence on April 18 at Bangalore. More... February 18, 2008 20:18 IST Setting aside any perceived reservations, all the Indian cricketers who are contracted to the Cricket Board have signed up for the BCCI-promoted multi-million dollar Indian Premier League (IPL) set to commence on April 18 at Bangalore. "All the 33 Indian cricketers have signed up. From the list of names of cricketers from all countries released so far only a handful, less than ten, are yet to sign on the dotted line, and even they are expected to do so before the deadline," IPL sources said on Monday. "Barring a few Australians, all have signed up and the list of names includes captain Ricky Ponting [images], wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist [images] and all-rounder Andrew Symonds [images]," they added. Most of those international cricketers who have been shortlisted by the Lalit Modi-headed IPL Governing Council have signed up with less than 48 hours to go before the players' auction, to be held in Mumbai on Wednesday. Each team should have a minimum of 16 players out of which four should be local players, including an iconic cricketer, and four below the age of 22. Only four out of any number of overseas signtories can be in a playing eleven. The Twenty20 tournament featuring eight city-based franchises, who have shelled out more than $ 723 million to buy the teams from the BCCI, will see 44 days of action, on mid-week and on week-ends, in eight cities with the teams playing each other on home-and-away basis. The 59-match event, including two semi-finals and a grand final here, is set to conclude on June 1.

[Chandan]

Hectic activity ahead of Wednesday's IPL auction Franchises try team-building of a different kind Ajay S Shankar February 18, 2008 Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath will be pursued by franchises not just for their cricketing skills, but also for their attraction as potential brand ambassadors © Getty Images Over a crackling long-distance phone line, late Sunday night, the representative of a franchise in Indian Premier League made this confession: "There are still so many permutations and combinations to work out. Frankly, I am confused." A couple of days before Wednesday morning's auction in Mumbai for some of the biggest names in world cricket, the IPL's eight franchises are working feverishly, round-the-clock. Tentative team lists are being prepared, strategy meetings are being scheduled at odd hours, 'sources' in rival camps are being tapped, former cricketers are being roped in to help the men in suits who own the eight franchises, even the four "icon" players are working the lines to get their favourites on board. Some of this is because this is completely uncharted territory; some of it is due to the high stakes, and millions of dollars, involved. And some of it is down to the complex rules governing the auction and the signing of players. The rules of team composition, in brief: there are four designated 'icons' who can only play for their home team [and who each will earn 15% more than the next-best paid player]; each franchise can have eight overseas players from the IPL pool of 85, four players from the local catchment area [specified for each franchise], four Under-22 players, and of course, the big-name Indian players in the pool. Then there's a new twist: the Cricket Australia stipulation that each franchise can have no more than two Australians. Even so, there is scope for flexibility, as one franchise representative explained: "You can play a maximum of four overseas players in the XI, and you can work around the other two categories by having four under-22 players from the catchment areas. Remember, the icon player can serve as a catchment area player, too." Within this framework, auction blueprints that are slowly taking shape in corporate boardrooms across India. "Four things are clear," one representative, who will be bidding at the auction, said. "Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh are not up for sale because they are the designated icons for their cities. The rules say that you have to spend a minimum of US$3.3 million at the auction but can't go above US$5 million. You can't take more than two current Australian players per team. And everybody wants Adam Gilchrist or Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "The rest is up in the air," he said. Not exactly - strategies are being firmed up, and in a way they reveal the different aims of the franchises. One team is planning to build a team of around 20 bottom-up - get the four best India Under-22 players to fill that mandatory quota, get the four best international players at the auction and fill in the middle from the remaining budget on Wednesday or look outside the IPL pool of 85 players, if necessary. Another team, which does not have an icon player, will go for a couple of big names at the auction "just to bring in the crowd" and then focus on multi-skilled cricketers to get them through the tournament. Then there's one that will not go for big names at all if "the bids shoot up" and concentrate instead on winning the tournament by picking potential match-winners. One franchise has already finalised its wishlist XI. "Ideally, my XI will have six multi-dimensional players, one wicketkeeper/batsman and four bowlers," the team representative said. "All of them, or at least nine or ten of them, would be top-notch fielders and quick runners between wickets. That's what I am looking for." All of them want all the stars from their own area, at any cost: Bangalore wants Anil Kumble and Robin Uthappa, Mumbai Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar, Delhi Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, Hyderabad VVS Laxman, Chennai Dinesh Karthik The biggest buzz though is about big names - the superstars who could be worth, as one representative said, anywhere from $600,000- 800,000. Gilchrist rates high because he is a wicketkeeper-batsman with class and style - and because he is, effectively, a free agent following his retirement from cricket next month. Others of his ilk - Kumar Sangakkara, Mark Boucher and Brendon McCullum - also rate highly. The most-wanted batsmen include three current Australian players - Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds - and Sanath Jayasuriya. The bowlers include Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Mohammed Asif, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Pollock. Among the Indian players, the list starts with Dhoni. "Oh, a lot of people will be gunning for Dhoni," a franchise representative said. "Apart from being a good keeper, he is an explosive match-winning option. Maybe Irfan Pathan, for his dual ability. Others include Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa. And as for the other youngsters, Rohit Sharma might be a big thing, too." The number of big names signed by a franchise may also be a pointer to its business plans. You may find them doing more work for their teams off the field, in ad campaigns. "That's why most teams are looking at four to five names with star value. There's more to this than just cricket," a senior official of the Indian board said. "You may see more of these big names in teams backed by the bigger corporate houses like Reliance [Mumbai] or United Spirits [bangalore]. For them, big names like [shane] Warne or [Glenn] McGrath would be more useful on the brand-building front. You can have them promote your brands, hold coaching clinics under your name, appear on ads, whatever," he said. A representative from the Bangalore franchise concurred. "I think four or five expensive players are needed for various reasons," he said. "For their abilities, for sure. The marquee name, for sure - you've got to fill seats in the stadium ... a lot of the spending will have to be understood as a very high-profile brand promotion for the company, gains that you can't really put your finger on in terms of money." So there you have it. Big names or match-winners? Specialists or allrounders? Veterans with dodgy knees or youngsters with attitude? Finally, business or cricket? As the IPL takes its first big step, all these questions distil into one wish, voiced by one franchise representative. "We just hope there's no confusion at the auction."

[talksport]

Great Photo there

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IPL okays 'icon' status for Sehwag and Laxman The Indian Premier League's governing council has accepted the request from the Delhi and Hyderabad franchises to name Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman as icon players. More... Indian Premier League 2007-08 IPL okays 'icon' status for Sehwag and Laxman Ajay S Shankar February 18, 2008 Indian Icon: VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag may join Rahul Dravid in the list of icon players in the Indian Premier League, if all the franchises agree © AFP The Indian Premier League's governing council have accepted the request from the Delhi and Hyderabad franchises to name Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman as icon players, which means the two will only turn out for their respective home cities in the BCCI-backed tournament. However, there is a stumbling block to the move. The decision taken by the IPL governing council needs to be approved by all eight franchises ahead of the players' auction on Wednesday. The IPL's original tender only had the names of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh in the 'icon players' category, and thus a move to add any more players to the list needs to be ratified by all the franchise owners. "All the franchises will have to approve this decision as the original IPL tender had only four icon players," Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI's chief administrative officer, told Cricinfo. "The IPL [governing council] will meet all the franchises just before the auction on Wednesday for a final decision." At an earlier meeting, the owners of the Delhi (GMR) and Hyderabad (Deccan Chronicle) franchises had made the request for naming Sehwag and Laxman as icon players. If all the franchises agree, then Sehwag and Laxman will not be among the pool of players to be auctioned on Wednesday. As icon players, they stand to earn 15% more than the next-best paid player in their team. The Mohali franchise had already named Yuvraj - a icon player - as their team's captain with Australian Tom Moody as coach. Meanwhile, India Cements Limited, the owners of the Chennai franchise, announced that their team will be known as the "Chennai Super Kings" and unveiled their team logo as well. Kris Srikkanth, former India captain, was named the brand ambassador of the team while former Indian batsman VB Chandrasekhar, who used to be a part of the selection committee of the Indian team, will be responsible for picking the players. "Chandrasekar, having been an India player and also a national selector, has the requisite credentials to head our operations in so far as selecting the players for Chennai Super Kings is concerned," N Srinivasan, vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements, said. "We plan to have 23 players in Super Kings."