Jubilant Mumbai Indians upset Delhi Daredevils

The Mumbai Indians finally did it on Sunday evening and achieved their second win of the DLF Indian Premier League as they thrashed the Delhi Daredevils by 29 runs at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. So far, this is the biggest upset of the tournament. The lowest placed team in the IPL table dethroned the Daredevils from the top spot.

Defending a total of 162 runs on a flat wicket of DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai Indians knew they had to come off good with the ball and their bowlers did not disappoint them. Delhi Daredevils, for the first time in the tournament, were all out while chasing.

Stand-in captain Shaun Pollock led from the front and lived up to his reputation of a terrific all-rounder. His captaincy deserves special accolades too, as he put in all his international experience to the hilt and shepherded his side to win. He, undoubtedly, was the Man of the Match.

NDTV 24x7 brought this news to me. It is an excellent news channel for NRIs. This channel is available in the US through DirecTV.

Super Kings aim to shine sans Aussies

I saw the IPL coverage on NDTV 24x7. The channel is a boon for Indians living in the US. Unbeaten so far, the Chennai Super Kings -- sans Australian stars Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey -- will face their toughest test yet when they take on Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League at the M A Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.

Former New Zealand Captain Stephen Fleming is all set to replace Hayden in the opening slot and maintained that although the Aussie stars would be missed, the team had the strength to compensate for their absence.

"Makhaya brings in a lot of experience and will of course open with the new ball. Albie is fine all-rounder and then we have Stephen Fleming batting at the top of the order. So, I feel that our team has the kind of balance that it did not have in the previous four games"

All the Australians participating in the league have left for a training camp that will be followed by a tour of West Indies.

The incisive news channel is available in the US though DirecTV. The channel is a must for Indians living in the US who want to stay abreast of latest happenings in India. A very good picture and sound quality is an added advantage.

Salaries to rise by 14 per cent in 2008: Report

NDTV Reports: The explosive rate of growth in India has created a phenomenal demand for talent so much that wages are forecast to rise by 14.4 per cent during the year 2008, says a latest report.

''Wages are forecast to rise by 14.4 per cent during 2008, the fifth successive year of double-digit growth. This far outstrips wage inflation in China (8.6 per cent in 2007) and is second only to Sri Lanka, where wage growth has been driven by high inflation,'' global management consultancy firm HayGroup said.

The high level of demand for experienced employees is driving wage inflation and creating a culture of job-hopping.

Staff turnover of 20 per cent or more is not unusual in high-demand sectors such as the service industry, as talented workers jump from employer to employer, following the promise of even higher wages.

''Reward programs of companies are in crisis as wage inflation is witnessing an upward spiraling and staff turnover rates hit new highs,'' the HR consultancy firm said.

''In an environment where employees can achieve a pay rise of between 40 per cent and 50 per cent by moving to a competitor, they are unlikely to stay put,'' HayGroup added.

India, our home country is growing at a scorching pace leaving all others behind. If you're not in touch with the latest in India, you are bound to miss out on so many opportunities. One of the ways i keep in touch with the latest in India is through my favorite TV news channel NDTV 24x7. It is available here in the US on DirecTV's satellite TV service.

England to launch IPL rival in 2010

I am tracking the current IPL tournament on NDTV 24x7. It's practically impossible for me to watch a match everyday so the news channel is my best resort.

NDTV 24x7 came up with an interesting story on England's version of the IPL.
England is to launch a tournament to rival the Indian Premier League (IPL) jointly with an American billionaire who said Twenty20 cricket could replace football as the world's top sport, it was announced on Friday.

David Collier, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), said the tournament, to be bankrolled by Antigua-based Texan billionaire Allen Stanford, will kick off in 2010 because of commitments in 2009.

"We've had some very positive and constructive discussions with Sir Allen during the last week. I think Sir Allen has certainly mentioned 2010 and I think that's the more likely (date)," Collier said on Friday.

However, the representative for England's cricketers - shut out of the IPL by their bosses - warned that an English Premier League would need the agreement of India, "because that is where the money is".

Collier said discussions with Stanford, who runs a Twenty20 championship in the Caribbean, were "well advanced" and also included plans for a one-off 10 million pound winner-take-all tournament between England and the West Indies.

"Twenty20 has the potential to be the most popular team sport in the world in maybe less than 10 years. But it's going to take a highly organized efficient management team to run it," he said.

Its a good thing these Cricket boards are catching on to the T-20 bandwagon. I wish the ECB all the best. Maybe a match between the teams of both the boards can be arranged in the future.

The news channel is available in the US only through DirecTV.

Dhoni eyes win against Mumbai Indians

NDTV Reports: Hyped as one of the favourites to clinch the title, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings will be aiming for their second successive win when they take on Mumbai Indians, once again sans Sachin Tendulkar, in the Indian Premier League match on Wednesday.

Both teams have international stars capable of winning a match one their own but Dhoni was confident about keeping their slate clean.

With some solid batting, the Chennai team had posted a 12-run an over average in their first match against Kings XI Punjab on Saturday, which they won by 33 runs.

But their not so effective bowling in the absence of new ball specialists Makhaya Ntini and Albie Morkel, who are yet to join the team, makes them a tad vulnerable.

The Mumbai team, on the other hand, would be gunning for their first win in the tournament after losing to Rahul Dravid-led Bangalore Royal Challengers on Sunday. The team will once again be without Tendulkar, who is recovering from a groin injury and would be led by Harbhajan Singh.

It will be interesting to see Harbhajan and Matthew Hayden facing each other after their acrimonious face-off during India's tour of Australia earlier this year. IPL is turning out to be much more exciting as previously thought... I'm sure it will go a long way to make the game more popular not just in India but also around the world!

Knight Riders tame Deccan Chargers

Kolkata Knight Riders carried their winning momentum from Bangalore to their home ground as they beat Deccan Chargers by 5 wickets to record their second win of the Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Deccan Chargers, defending a total of 110, started off well with the ball as they had Knight Riders 21/3 at one stage. But David Hussey (38) had other plans as he played anchor's knock and guided his team to victory. He understood the nature of the pitch well and didn't let his aggressive instinct take charge. However, he did hit three long sixes in the death overs to take his team closer to the target.

I catch up on news related to India only on NDTV 24x7 since it is the only channel that provides comprehensive and accurate news. People in the US can access this channel only through DirecTV.

Bangalore awaits the clash of 'kings'

NDTV Reports:

Cheerleaders from the US, Hindi and Kannada film stars, foot-tapping music and a laser show will herald cricket's richest event, the Indian Premier League, with Bangalore Royal Challengers taking on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Friday.

With two 'Kings' - the king of good times Vijay Mallya and the king of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan - owning the Challengers and Riders respectively, nearly an hour of glitz and glamour show will precede some serious Twenty20 cricket between the teams led by two former India captains, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.

The stadium surroundings bear the unmistakable stamp of flamboyant Mallya with gates named after liquor brands of his United Breweries group and colourful posters and banners showcasing the entertainment and excitement in store for over four hours Friday night.

Mallya has roped in DNA Networks, a Bangalore-based event management company that has brought several leading rock bands and pop singers and groups to the city, to organise the entertainment part.

A group of 12 Washington Redskins cheerleaders will be the showpiece of entertainment. The group has been in Bangalore for over four days practising steps to Hindi film tunes. The group has also been training some Indian girls to join them in the show, and plans to leave behind a fully trained Indian cheerleaders group.

Oh boy.... its difficult to contain the excitement. But guys don't miss out all the post match analysis on NDTV 24x7...only on DirecTV....