Troubled Sreesanth take post-IPL break in New York

It has been a tough Indian Premier League for S Sreesanth so far. His team, Kings XI Punjab is languishing at the bottom of the league table and he is struggling to find a regular place in the team due to a series of expensive bowling spells. To top it all, he was fined 20 per cent of his match fee for showing dissent towards the umpire when he was no-balled during the nine-wicket defeat to Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Wednesday.

Asked about his post IPL plans, Sreesanth told MiD DAY: "I will be taking a 12-day holiday. I am going to New York and will start training as soon as I return." It would surely be a much-needed break for the Kerala pacer.

Cheerleaders protected
MOHALI is a tough place for cheerleaders during the Indian Premier League matches. Unlike open stages at other centres, here the stage for the dancing girls is covered with a net and plastic sheets.

"It's to protect the cheerleaders from the unruly spectators, who hurl soft drink bottles, food packets at the girls.

"First, we covered the stage with nets, but the miscreants then started throwing small coins at them.
"To tide over this problem, we had to have plastic sheets to protect the nets," informed a local official.
Most centres in India have high iron fences separating the ground and the stands, but Mohali has a mote running around the ground. It keeps the unruly fans at bay, but there is no protection againstu00a0 objects being thrown.

Jonty's fielding class
Local bowlers who attended Mumbai Indians' practice session on the eve of the IPL game went back richer for the experience. Making their day was Mumbai's fielding coach Jonty Rhodes, who decided to hold an impromptu fielding coaching session as a reward for the boys who helped his team out.

The group of local bowlers listened in rapt attention as Rhodes, arguably the world's best fielder, spoke on the finer points of catching, throwing and fielding.

"It was very beneficial. We were taught to focus on the arm and shoulder. Jonty also told us that feet positions are very important while catching or throwing," said Punjab's left-arm spinner Varun Khanna, who was part of the fielding group.