Tendulkar doubtful for Champions League T20

Chennai, Sep 17: Sachin Tendulkar's participation in the forthcoming Champions League T20 tournament is still in doubt as his Mumbai Indians team coach Robin Singh declined to comment on the availability of the master batsman who is recovering from a toe injury.

The coach confirmed the availability of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who, like Tendulkar, had pulled out of the just-concluded tour of England owing to injury.

"Harbhajan is definitely available. If Sachin is not available, it will not affect the team greatly and it will be an opportunity for others to prove their mettle," said Robin Singh at a media conference here Saturday.

The Mumbai Indians, who open their Group A campaign with a game against defending champions the Chennai Super Kings here Sep 24, arrived here after a training camp in Bangalore.

"The same set of qualities that we displayed during our earlier matches in the IPL will only count. We are fairly well prepared. We had a camp in Bangalore before reaching here. Bangalore camp was very beneficial and players were able to gel together," he added.

Dhoni blames injuries for nightmarish English summer

Cardiff, Sep 17: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that injuries to key players was the main reason behind his team's disastrous performance during the winless English summer.

Dhoni said he has never seen so many injuries taking place in a series in the last five years.

"To see 9-11 players get injured in one series has been shocking. In the ODI series we also did not have luck. If you look at the first two Tests, we were left with three bowlers. If your bowling starts looking weak, the pressure piles up on batsmen. You cannot carry a team consistently on just one department," said Dhoni after India lost the fifth and final ODI by six wickets.

"If Zaheer was there in the first Test, we could have pressed advantage in the second innings instead of relying on part-timers. It could have looked different. But it's important what we did. There is no point in sulking," Dhoni said.

Having suffered losses in both the Tests and the ODIs, Dhoni said his side won't be looking for revenge when England tour India next month for a five-match series.

"You should not have such a feeling. If you have revenge in your mind, you become desperate and start putting pressure on the whole side. It's better to stick to basics. We also would have to see how many of the 9-11 players who are injured are now fit and have played some matches. We have to see who all are available for selection," he said.

Asked if it was right to have allowed injured players selected in the side straightaway, Dhoni said: "It's tough. We have to exactly see what kind of injury it is. It is good if someone has some matches under his belt. But it's difficult because you need experience in a line-up. You try to balance it. You don't want your bowling department to look completely fresh."

On the loss in the final match, Dhoni blamed the conditions and injury to Munaf Patel.

"To have Munaf injured after four overs, broke the rhythm of our bowling. The ball was also getting very wet. This was the fifth time we lost the toss and it became very difficult for spinners," he reasoned.

Dhoni said England are a good side but not one of the best in the world.

"England are a very good side, irrespective of the format they are playing. As they play more and more cricket, they would get only better. But it's difficult to say if they are the best side. The top 3-4 sides are all good. They are among the best sides."

"In sub-continent, it might be different but they can still get the reverse swing to control the batsmen. England's batting line-up also looks settled. Broad and Bresnan can not only bowl fast and quick but they can also bat, which means England bats very deep," he said.

Shukla tipped to replace Amin as IPL chairman

Chirayu Amin, the current IPL chairman, is likely to step down from the position at the BCCI's Annual General Meeting that will be held on September 19 and 20 in Mumbai, ESPNcricinfo has learned. Amin has reportedly told the BCCI he does not have the time to devote to the job and Rajiv Shukla, the current board vice-president from the Central Zone, is the person tipped to take over from him.

Shukla is a union minister in the Indian government and it is believed he could help smooth communication between the BCCI and the government in light of the controversies surrounding the IPL.

Amin may not withdraw into the background, however, and could be interested in the post of treasurer of the BCCI, sources said. To this point, the position had appeared to be a contest between current West Zone vice-president Niranjan Shah and the president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association, Ajay Shirke, who is on the IPL governing council, with Shah thought to have the inside track.

The other positions up for grabs at the AGM are those of the honorary secretary, the honorary joint-secretary, and the five zonal vice-presidents. The post of secretary will be vacated by N Srinivasan, who will take over as president from Shashank Manohar. The current frontrunner to replace Srinivasan is Ranjib Biswal, the Orissa Cricket Association president. Biswal was on the 2010-11 IPL governing committee and has served as East Zone's representative on the selection committee in the past. But he does not appear to have the support of the Cricket Association of Bengal and that might affect his chances. The current joint-secretary, Sanjay Jagdale, is also thought to be in the fray, as well as Shivlal Yadav, the vice-president from the South Zone and a former India spinner.

Meanwhile Anurag Thakur, the president of the Madhya Pradesh Association, is thought to be the sole candidate to replace Jagdale as joint-secretary. Thakur was largely responsible for building the cricket stadium at Dharamsala and was on the BCCI's finance committee this past year.

If Shukla does become the head of the IPL, that would open the door for Jyotiraditya Scindia, son of the late Madhavrao Scindia, a former Union minster and BCCI president, to be elected the vice-president from the Central Zone. Jyotiraditya has now attended two AGMs, the minimum required for those wishing to be elected to an official position.

There has also been talk of Sundar Raman, the IPL chief executive, being given an official position on the board. Raman was the BCCI's representative at the ICC Chief Executive's Committee meeting on September 12.

The nominations have to be filed between 10am and 3pm on Sunday, September 18. They will then be scrutinised with candidates able to withdraw until 6pm. The final list will be published at 7pm and voting will take place during the AGM the next day. However, one board official suggested to ESPNcricinfo that there might not be a need for an election as "the president will decide everything".