Men in blue back to field

After a long rest for the Indian Cricket team, the enthusiasm India Coach Gary Kirsten carried summed up the mood in the national camp and the South African was only too forthcoming as he disclosed the secret behind the smile. It has been a long gap for the men in blue so it will take time for them to get back into their field. The relatively long break the Men in Blue enjoyed over the past six weeks has left the coach a satisfied man, more so against the backdrop of a creditable show by his wards in the last few months, except, of course, in the T20 World Cup. The joie de vivre was palpable as the Indian cricketers began their preparations for a long season at the National Cricket Academy here on Thursday, sweating it out in the gymnasium and undergoing fitness tests in the afternoon. Captain MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh and RP Singh even had a brief session of badminton at the courts in the M Chinnaswamy Stadium premises.

Salman Khan may star in IPL 2011

Now the popular Bollywood star Salman khan was on a business mission. The actor is interested in buying a team in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Salman met IPL chairman Lalit Modi to discuss about owing an IPL team in 2011.The IPL will be expanded to a 10-team league in 2011. Already there are three bollywood stars own their IPL teams and now Salman will join with them. It may not, however, be easy for Salman to join the elite club. A franchise in 2011 will come with a heavy price tag, much higher than what the IPL owners shelled out in 2008. Initial estimates by the IPL governing council peg the base money at $250 million, over Rs1, 000 crore. That is more than double the price paid for the costliest franchise in the current IPL set-up -- Mumbai Indians was bought by Mukesh Ambani for $111 million. Shah Rukh is paying a mere $76 million over 10 years for the Kolkata franchise.