The Indian Premier League chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi has reported "phenomenal" levels of interest in the League's two expansion franchises amid reports linking a leading UK football club with a bid.
Modi hinted earlier in a media report that a famous Premier League side, perhaps "among the top three", has evinced interest. He ruled out Chelsea though while a official of club Manchester United and Manchester City denied any involvement.
Arsenal and Liverpool's financial health would not encourage the prospects of them buying into a franchise in an auction where the base price itself would be very high.
The IPL in December confirmed the addition of two new franchises for the 2011 edition of the world's biggest Twenty20 cricket competition, bringing the League up to 10 teams.
The two new franchises for 2011 onwards will be sold at auction before the third IPL season begins on March 12.
A price of US$225 million per franchise has been set as the minimum base bid price for the new teams, more than double that paid for the most expensive team in the initial auction in January 2008. The manufacturing giant Reliance Industries had secured the most expensive franchise as the Mumbai Indians went for $111.9 million.
Yet Modi justified the price by saying: "To be frank the response to acquire the two new franchises has been quite phenomenal.
"We have had over 30 people evince interest within the first few weeks of announcing the sale of the two teams. For now I can tell you that inquiries are pouring in from film stars, industrialists, NRI's (non-resident Indians) and also a substantial number of foreign organisations.
"Thus, as you can see the Indian Premier League is only set to grow from strength to strength and evolve further as one of the best modern day innovations in global sport."
The IPL announced a hugely significant deal with YouTube last month furthering its global reach, and reports now suggest that figures of up to $600 million may be commanded for the League's ninth and 10th teams. There is believed to be a strong interest from America-based parties as well.
Modi added: "The response only reiterates the fact the Indian Premier League's expansion will benefit our goal to popularise the sport and increase the fan base for cricket in India and the world."
Lalit Modi has also denied reports that Deccan Chargers may refuse to defend the title because they are unhappy over a switch of venues for their home matches for security reasons.
Several Indian newspapers have said that a law firm acting for the team had issued a legal notice stating that Modi's decision to switch its matches from Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam to other cities violated its franchise agreement.
Hyderabad is in the middle of a raging crisis over the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh state and which has seen many suicidal deaths in protests.
But Modi said on his Twitter page: "Reports that DC will not play or xyz may not - please ignore such news. All IPL teams will participate. You have my assurance on that."
* with staff and agencies
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
The biog
Name: Gul Raziq
From: Charsadda, Pakistan
Family: Wife and six children
Favourite holes at Al Ghazal: 15 and 8
Golf Handicap: 6
Childhood sport: cricket
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube