At the Sawai Man Singh Stadium today when Rajasthan Royals take on Mumbai Indians in the first game of the Champion League T20 main draw, fans might get the last opportunity to see the two together in action on a cricket field, says a report in Pune Mirror, adding that here too the focus is on Tendulkar, the man who has said good-bye to the ODI format, retired from IPL, has said that this will be his last CLT20.
“And his fans as well as the cricket fraternity has been talking about his impending retirement from Tests for quite sometime now. So what does this game and the rest of the matches in the tournament mean for the two legends and the fans,” says the report.
“Let’s discuss the fan angle first. For them it’s about nostalgia and memories. After this tournament, Tendulkar’s straight drive and Dravid’s cover drive will find mention only in cricket literature. Tendulkar chasing the ball to the boundary and Dravid snapping a catch at slip will be stuff of nostalgia. We will still see that mischievous smile on Tendulkar’s face and sweat dripping from Dravid’s forehead but not with both of them wearing cricket jerseys together,” says the report, adding that unless destiny conspires and the two play a veteran’s match in the unforeseeable future, this is the last time we will be celebrating the greatness two in one game. “For Tendulkar, the tournament has the greatest significance. He hasn’t played any competitive cricket since the IPL in May.”
According to a report in The Times Of India, both Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians have a lot to play for when they face off in the Champions League Twenty20 opener on Saturday.
For one, this is the first big T20 tournament since the spot-fixing scandal blew the lid off the IPL's backroom shenanigans and left Indian cricket in turmoil. This tournament will no doubt be played out in the shadow of that still-ongoing saga as cricket returns to Jaipur, in many ways the centre of sordid happenings in IPL 6.
Then there's the enticing prospect of watching two big players — Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar — squaring off here on Saturday. Under the circumstances, their presence is reassuring.
For the Dravid-led Royals, it will be an opportunity to prove that at least on the field, they have not been affected by the spot-fixing scandal. The Royals' team spirit — so proudly proclaimed as the reason for their success — will be under scrutiny. With three players charged with spot-fixing and at least two admitting to being approached by bookies, there will always be fingers being pointed at the team. But then, time is a great healer and the few months that have passed by would have helped them regroup.
Meanwhile, according to a report in The Times Of India, it was a situation that could easily have gone out of hand. Dispute over payment betweenRajasthan police and Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) resulted in a situation whereMumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals were without security for the entire day on Friday. Both the teams had to travel from the team hotel to Sawai Mansingh Stadium without any police pilot car or policemen around.
"It was a strange situation," an RCA official told TOI. "It was like the players were travelling on a tourist bus. The bus had to stop at all junctions and when the fans saw the players, they just rushed to the bus, clicking pictures on their cellphones."
Apparently, the police have asked for something close to Rs 1 crore for providing security for the seven Champions League T20 matches to be held in Jaipur. The RCA had refused to pay. According to information with TOI, the matter was sorted out late on Friday night. "It has been sorted at the government level," a police official informed TOI. "We will provide security for the players tomorrow." Mumbai Indians take on Rajasthan Royals in the CLT20 opener on Saturday.