Twenty20 Cricket

Twenty20 cricket was introduced by the United Kingdom in 2003. Since each team bats for a maximum of 20 overs, the game is called Twenty20. The match is completed in about three hours, each team playing for about 75 minutes. Each bowler may bowl a maximum of 4 overs per innings. This form of cricket was invented for the professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The ECB did not want to replace any other form of cricket with Twenty20. The short duration of the game has made it possible for children and their families to watch the sport in person or on television, without any major time commitment.

The first Twenty20 match was played on July 15, 2004 between Middlesex and Surrey at Lord’s and attracted a crowd of more than 26,000 people. Australia played it’s first Twenty20 on January 12, 2005 at WACA. The match was played between Western Warriors and the Victorian Bushrangers.

The Twenty20 International was first played between Australia and New Zealand on February 17, 2005 at Eden Park, Auckland. Australia beat New Zealand quite decisively but the  match  was played in a light-hearted spirit. The first Twenty20 international in England was played between Australia and England on June 13, 2005 at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire. England defeated Australia by 100 runs.

Indian Premier League

Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket competition created and promoted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and backed by International Cricket Council (ICC). IPL is the brainchild of Lalit Kumar Modi, who is also the chairman and commissioner of the league. Indian Premier League is modeled along the lines of club football in Europe, specially the English Premier League. Lalit Modi has claimed that the idea to monetise Indian Cricket was in his mind since the mid 1990s, but before he could actually implement his plans, Subhash Chandra of Zee Television started an unofficial version called Indian Cricket League (ICL).

‘Kings XI Punjab’, Cricket Team Mohali, Punjab

Preity Zinta, co-owner, ‘Kings XI Punjab’, officially launched the Team Mohali on March 31, 2008 at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali, Punjab. ‘Kings XI Punjab’ is the youngest cricket team of the Indian Premier League, tournament. The team is led by Yuvraj Singh and coached by Tom Moody, the former Australian all-rounder. ‘Kings XI Punjab’ is part of the eight competing teams promoted by the Indian Premier League.

The owners of the franchise are Preity Zinta (Bollywood actress), Ness Wadia (Bombay Dyeing), Karan Paul (Apeejay Surendera Group) and Mohit Burman (Dabur). The owners believe in nurturing talent at the grassroots level and are committed to developing the game of cricket especially in the Punjab region.

Neil Maxwell, an Australian all-rounder from New South Wales and Victoria, has been named the Chief Executive Officer of the ‘Team Mohali’. Neil is 40 and also represent, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Michael Hussey. Team Mohali has been named ‘Kings XI Punjab’ and has signed-up with leading national and international cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, S Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla, VRV Singh, Romesh Powar, Brett Lee, James Hopes, Luke Pomersvach, Kyle Mills, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardane and many more up-coming local cricketers.

Preity Zinta, co-owner, Kings XI Punjab, IPL Twenty20

Preity Zinta, a Bollywood star since 1998, acquired ownership rights of the Mohali-based Twenty20 cricket team of the Indian Premier League for $76 million. She acquired the franchise with Ness Wadia of Bombay Dyeing, Mohit Burman of Dabur and Karan Paul of Apeejay Surendera Group.

Preity is a Rajput from Himachal Pradesh. She was born on January 31, 1975 in Rohru in Shimla District. Her father was an army officer who died in a car accident. Preity Zinta was only 13 years old then. She is a graduate of Bede’s College, Shimla in English Language and masters in criminal psychology.

Preity Zinta made her debut in films with Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se opposite Shahrukh Khan in 1998. Since then she has given us Soldier in 1998, Sangharsh in 1991, Kya Kehna in 2000, Mission Kashmir in 2000, Dil Chahta Hai in 2001, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke in 2001, Dil Hai Tumhaara in 2002, The Hero in 2003, Koi…Mil Gaya in 2003, Kal Ho Naa Ho in 2003, Armaan in 2003, Lakshya in 2004, Veer Zaara in 2004, Khullam Khulla Pyaar Karen in 2005, Salaam Namaste in 2005, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna in 2006, Jaan-E-Mann in 2006, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom in 2007 and The Last Lear, again in 2007. Her forthcoming films in 2008 are Har Pall, Heaven on Earth and Heroes. She received her first Filmfare award in 2003 for Kal Ho Naa Ho.

Indo-US civilian nuclear deal

The much touted Indo-US civilian nuclear deal has been in limbo for the longest time. The main reason for the divided support in the Indian Parliament is due to the secrecy surrounding the Hyde-Act. People like us who saw the proceedings of this agreement debated in the US congress were not impressed at all. The US lawmakers make this agreement sound like a great favor done to the Indian people. The fact of the matter is the US gains a lot more than India through this deal. The US congress has no idea as to how they are perceived by the rest of the world, specially their performance on C-Span.

The left parties have opposed the deal precisely for the same reason. I personally do not agree with the Communists on anything but on this issue they are probably right. India must think twice before trusting the American government. After the British they probably have the worst record of living up to their commitments. I have lived in the United States for more than 20 years and I love and admire this country for many things. But the US government is something else.