Newspaper round-up –March 25

“My job is to support the captain and to give the bowlers advice. I wish to convert the negativity that’s been surrounding my team for the past two years into positivity,” said Wasim Akram, Kolkata Knight Riders bowling consultant, while talking to Bombay Times. He added, “IPL is to India what soccer is to Brazil. By now, every viewer has come to support one team. And it’s not place-specific.”

“Dean Jones believes the Indian Premier League (IPL) will become the biggest Asian event of all time,” the Gulf News reported. "In two year's time it may become the biggest Asian event of all time. I understand that there are plans to introduce 3D television from the quarter-finals [onwards] and with the new technology the impact will be massive. The success of [the] IPL is reaching different demographics of people. This is a shot in the arm that the game needed,” it quoted Jones as saying.

Any side boasting of players like Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan ought to be a formidable opponent. I have been pretty impressed with the way Saurabh Tiwary has come along in this tournament,” wrote Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahindra Singh Dhoni in The Times of India. “Our batting is one area of concern. We seem to rely too much on Hayden. We need to lift our game if we are to get the better of Mumbai Indians,” he added.

“One aspect about this year’s IPL which has pleased me so far is the manner in which the spinners have performed. When the T20 format was introduced, the general feeling was that it will curtail spinners’ roles. But practitioners of this art have not only accepted the challenge, but have also made their mark,” wrote Harbhajan Singh in The Times of India.

“This devoted follower of Sachin Tendulkar.... is easy to spot as well for he paints his body in India colours and sports the No.10 on his back (just like Tendulkar). He’s the same fellow who roots for Tendulkar whenever the master plays. In the IPL though, this fan carries the Indian tri-colour and on Wednesday he spent all of four hours waving the flag non-stop and all alone. When called for he refused saying, I won’t move unless the Mumbai Indians training is over. You are sure to find him in the stands tonight as well,” published The Times of India.

“Robin is a brilliant player and the way he played that day changed the game. Maybe, when he comes to Mohali, I will give him a tough time,” said S Sreesanth to the Hindustan Times on his friend and India teammate Robin Uthappa.

“Delhi have a quality batting line-up. And then, our philosophy is simple - every game is a must-win. If we want to win the IPL, there's no question of sitting on mini-laurels. Having said that, I still think that those responsible for the victories at each step of our IPL journey should be recognised, like the two youngsters in the last game - Robin Uthappa and Vinay Kumar,” wrote Royal Challengers Bangalore’s captain Anil Kumble in the Hindustan Times on the eve of their match against the Delhi Daredevils.