Mired in controversy, litigations and investigations since the end of season three, the Indian Premier League (IPL) returns to the screens today to test the endurance of cricketers and the indulgence of their fans.
MS Dhoni will lead out Chennai Super Kings, the defending champions, today against Kolkata Knight Riders to launch the fourth season of the Twenty20 tournament, less than a week after ending India's 28-year wait for a second World Cup title.
Some fear that the IPL could be coming a bit too soon after the 49-match World Cup, but Adam Gilchrist, who will be leading Kings XI Punjab this year after spending the last three seasons at the helm of Deccan Chargers, is confident the entertainment quotient of the IPL will keep cricket fatigue at bay.
"Nothing changes," said the Australia wicketkeeper batsman. "It's a busy cricketing calendar. It's difficult for the administrators to schedule it in any different manner.
"Every country wants their home series and every country has an iconic series that they want to make sure happens, like the Ashes. Everyone wants to play India. Obviously there is no hiding from the commercial side of it and India is the driving force in world cricket in that regard, as well as being one of the top teams in all forms of the game.
"It's a hectic schedule and everyone is aware of that. I guess the players, if they want a break, they have got the option to pull out of the IPL. There is no one telling them they have to play, but most are choosing to. Obviously there is the financial benefit, and also it is a wonderful tournament to be a part of. It's a great challenge."
The busy calendar, however, seems to be telling on the IPL. Gilchrist has already lost two teammates - Stuart Broad and Dimitri Mascarenhas - to injuries. Their England counterpart, Paul Collingwood, of Rajasthan Royals, has also been ruled out.
Angelo Mathews (Pune Warriors), Clint McKay (Mumbai Indians), Kevin Pietersen (Deccan Chargers) and Moises Henriques (Mumbai Indians) are the other prominent injury-caused casualties.
"Well, every team after the World Cup will take stock and see what the injury list is like after such a long campaign," Gilchrist said.
Shaun Marsh, his Kings XI teammate and fellow Australian, agreed and said: "It's going to be tough for the players who have pretty much played the whole World Cup and get straight into the IPL.
"But at the end of the day, we are all professional cricketers and if you don't want to play in the IPL, you don't have to. You knew what was going to happen and you just have got to deal with it. I am sure everyone is looking forward to it.
"It's a fantastic competition and for me personally, it's a privilege and honour to be a part of it again."
There have been plenty of changes in the IPL since the third season, notably the addition of two new franchisees, Kochi and Pune. The additions have led to the disbanding of the earlier eight teams and a fresh auction for players, and a new format. "The fact that it has gone to 10 teams shows you how strong IPL has become; it's gone from strength to strength," said Dinesh Karthik, who will be playing alongside Gilchrist and Marsh at Kings XI this season.
"From a player's perspective, it's getting even more interesting because you are going to play two other teams, more matches. So it's going to be very, very exciting."
There have been changes on the administrative side of the IPL as well, with Lalit Modi, the face of the competition, being ousted following allegations of financial irregularities. These allegations have sullied the image of the IPL and Gilchrist hopes the new administration will set the house in order.
"I still don't know what the final accusations were and the final outcome was," he said. "It's a terrific tournament, it's an exciting tournament that has captured the cricketing world's imagination.
"If there have been any irregularities, hopefully the focus from last year will see it being tightened up and run in a professional manner. Because you are getting the world's best professionals turning up and being exactly that - being professional about it. It's not just a money-grab exercise, but everyone gets there and wants to win it.
"So, the players are treating it with the utmost respect. Hopefully, the administrators are doing that. I am not accusing them of not, but let's hope that everyone's on the same page."
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
No_One Ever Really Dies
N*E*R*D
(I Am Other/Columbia)
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Ireland (15-1):
Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour
Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 5
Keita 1', Mane 23', 66', Salah 45' 1, 83'
Huddersfield 0
