Date:22/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/22/stories/2008022257940200.htm

Andhra Pradesh

IPL fever catches on

So Hyderabad too has become the proud owner of its own cricket team with ‘who is who’ of players from the best of cricket playing nations.

Apart from the mind blowing sums that the players commanded, the IPL, it appears, is set to change the people’s perception of the game.

For instance, the whole nation rallied behind Harbhajan Singh over the ‘spat’ between him and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds. The same Symonds has now been lapped up for Rs.5.5 crore for the Hyderabad team!

Now this part of the nation will be rooting for him, Adam Gilchrist from Australia, Shahid Afridi from Pakistan, and Herschelle Gibbs from South Africa, along with R.P. Singh, Rohit Sharma and V.V.S. Laxman leading the team.

Sure, as in politics, there can be no permanent friends or foes in IPL, the highly commercialised version of instant cricket!

M.L. MELLY MAITREYI