Winners take it all

Dhoni still Hero No.1

India ka hero No. 1.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni continued to hold the top spot in the rankings for ODI batsmen even as Gautam Gambhir gained one place to be at 16th spot in the list released by the ICC on Wednesday.
Yuvraj Singh (4), Virender Sehwag (7) and Sachin Tendulkar's (13) rankings remained unchanged.
With no one-day action since the one-day series against New Zealand in March, no Indian bowler made it to the top 10. Zaheer Khan remained the best Indian bowler at number 16.
Yuvraj also figures in the top-five all rounders' list, where he is placed at number three.
Meanwhile, Stuart Broad has become England's highest-ranked bowler after a successful series against the West Indies.
Broad, who finished as leading wickettaker in the series with six scalps, including 4-46 in the second ODI in Bristol, and has been rewarded with a jump of four places.
The 22-year-old fast bowler now sits alongside Pakistan's Shahid Afridi in a career-best ninth position, replacing Andrew Flintoff in the top-10.

Its all money honey for KKR

The losers have it all!!!!
Now that the IPL is over it's time to count the money. The IPL invested nearly $121 million in five weeks in South Africa but team owners have reason to cheer as teams seem to have made money in the second year of the tournament.It's the year of the Slumdog. After being written off last season, Deccan Chargers have emerged winners and its owner Deccan Chronicle has reason to smile.

Last year, Deccan appointed KPMG for a stake sale for a team that stood last in the league. Today, the tables have turned, Deccan Chronicle officials have told CNBC-TV18 that the team would make a profit of Rs 40-50 crore, including revenues from the Champions League T20 in October. Experts say that team profits for listed companies such as India Cements, Deccan Chronicle and United Spirits may contribute a 5-20 per cent to company's core profit after tax.

Delhi Daredevils, on the other hand, are expected to emerge as the most profitable team post the T20 championship. IndiaInfoline says all teams will break even this year. Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils will be among the most profitable teams post IPL-II.The broadcasting revenues will nearly double to Rs 67.5 crore for each team.

All teams will get 60 per cent of the central sponsorship fees, amounting to Rs nine crore per team. Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers will get significant team sponsorship fees.This year, teams are expected to get Rs 13 crore in in-stadia advertising and gate revenues.Also, the BCCI is expected to compensate team franchises for additional cost incurred due to shift of venue.

Brand experts say the valuations of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers will shoot up by at least 30-40 per cent.

Gambhir is climbing up the charts

Gautam Gambhir is ranked fourth while Harbhajan Singh is the top Indian bowler at sixth in the latest ICC Test Rankings.
India is third in the Test Championship table just two points behind South Africa.Sachin Tendulkar (14th), VVS Laxman (16th) and Virender Sehwag (20th) are the other Indian batsmen inside the top-20.Meanwhile, England, currently placed sixth on the table, will immediately move up one spot if it wins both the matches of its upcoming two-Test series against West Indies.Victories at Lord's and again at Durham would earn England three ratings points giving it a total of 101, a single point ahead of Pakistan. A 1-0 series win would leave it on 100 ratings point but behind Younus Khan's team by a fraction.However, a 2-0 win for the West Indies would leave just one ratings point separating the two with England dropping three points to 95 and the men from the Caribbean gaining five points to 94.

England's highest-ranked batsman is Kevin Pietersen in sixth position. The highest-ranked batsman from either side is Shivnarine Chanderpaul who occupies the top spot.The series starts May 6.