Yes it is on him.
And no once again “he” is not “me”. I had been away at a conference for the past few days and did not want to log into my blog, which does not have a secure interface, over the public wireless at the hotel. Hence no posting.
[Any comment defamatory on this thread will be moderated. Do not want to get intro trouble with anyone.]
The Greatbong Blog & Podcast 
First !!
1st
Lalit is fake!
Good for you, nice site this.
Though, I must say, this whole fake-ipl-player thing is a novel concept, that blog, as it is, has no face value.
Congratulations on being on Cricbuzz.
Though as much as it seems to be detrimental to the teams, organizers and people concerned, I do have a lingering doubt that this could also be a publicity stunt.
With IPL 2 being shifted out of the country, just another way to get the internet savvy people to get hooked. What sells best, good performance or mediocre performance gaining extra effect of “look what he could do, even after what he had to endure mentally — as we read from this blog the other day” 🙂
Isn’t bad idea eh?
Wow…U really write well.. The comparison with Ramanaya was fascinating!!!
[edited]
No speculation please.
Never doubted that the fake IPL player was saying the truth when he called himself *fake*.
But what has amazed me is the number of people and news-sites who have written articles as if the guy is for real. Read some of the comments on his posts and the question “how Nigerian scan can work?” is answered instantaneously.
Yes, I meant scam. I am sure scan works in Nigeria as well.
A certain Kaan Molu who we were told was being eased out and told to improve on all aspects of his game is now back today. It could either mean that he has made all those improvements in 3 days or that the guy who gave us this news has no first-hand access.
But the question is not if he had first hand access or not. He definitely did not. The question is if Kaan is back in the side to prove FIP wrong. Now THAT will be real trouble for the business if they are forced to take decisions or giving any importance to his posts.
If they are not, good for them and then they and others should ignore it as a prank, tell the team that nobody is under suspicion and all they care about is winning. It will go away soon if everyone ignores it or just a bunch of “believers” following it.
Talking about it on team blog was a mistake and that gave the license to others to write about it. If anyone asked them directly they could have said that they are pros and not distracted by childish pranks.
well, he said he saw Mallya at the ground on the opening day. You don’t need any more proof that he is faking it.
As for your article, I think you are giving the Kolkata team too little credit by suggesting that this fake blogger can stir up discontent and mistrust in the franchise. I will be surprised if any player takes this seriously.
as for the most likely fit for the profile, my vote is for an ordinary fan with a good imagination and very good sense of humour who is just having a bit of fun. i.e. neither someone with axe to grind nor with any inside source or anything.
btw, there was a fake Lalit Modi blog during last year’s IPL where the blogger used to post as the IPL chairman bragging about how he is taking all these franchise owners for a ride, etc. My guess is, this must be the same guy.
But why they keep persisting with Agarkar is what I don’t understand,he gets clobbered in everrry match!!!
Maybe our (bengali for a dice) owner had indeed slept with “Kaan Moola“… Arnab_da, the cricbuzz pic is “jhakaas” !
Wow …Someone is looking so prim and proper and groomed (Arnab)
Arnab lost some weight.
Well I disagree with most of what you say… the blog is humorous and certainly novel and eminently readable… as a blogger yourself I would have felt that you would have admiration and/ or sympathy with the idea at least….
it may be defamatory (doubtful) and it may affect the team (but if they did things like sending Dada ahead of Hodge they would not have to be affected by bloggers) .. but all of these results is at best highly speculative…
for once i felt your writing was, unfortunately, too pro-establishment ….
@Rishi Khujur
Arnab wasn’t feeling well earlier. Maybe thats why… but he looks quite dapper !!!
As Kavita bhabhi might rue: “Its a pity Arnab is not single guy”. 😉
@Greatbong
“It could either mean that he has made all those improvements in 3 days or that the guy who gave us this news has no first-hand access.”
Or
KKR management desperately wanted to prove him wrong?
Abhinav,
Yes of course. Since the KKR has nothing better to do than to blow away their million dollar franchise just to prove a blogger wrong. Never ascribe to malice what one can ascribe to stupidity.
@dealer: I agree. The blog is very humourous and extremely readable. As for defamatory, I don’t know. Making innuendos about SRK’s sexual orientation by suggesting that he picked his players based on their names (“Gay”le, Butt, etc.) could also be considered defamatory.
@Mohan: Actually no. Read the blog and see that a player is called a paedophile. And the accusation is being made in all seriousness. And anonymously. Mohan try to understand the difference between humor (which is very clear through its context that it is not a serious accusation) and defamation. Honestly.
Kavita is trying to be fake Savita!!!
BTW amazing innings by dada yesterday….first time warne looked unsettled while bowling
Yes Savita Bhabhi it was. I was very emotional when the match ended not so much more SRK’s team which can go to hell for all I care but for the sheer spirit of Dada, made to bat after players like Hodge and playing with that amount of passion.
@gb: The entire blog is written in a humourous vein. He has titled it “Fake IPL Player blog” – you can’t get any less serious than that. It is not his problem that people believe him to be real despite that. So, I don’t think the charge that he is making the accusation in all seriousness stands. Sure, it could still be considered defamatory even if it is done for humour, but that is a separate matter. But that could apply to the SRK innuendos on this blog too.
Mohan, I applaud your attempt to defend the indefensible. Calling someone a paedophile directly is not humor. Maybe you find it funny I do not. I have never called anyone gay or a philanderer straight off like fake player has (as in ABC sleeps with other women and I saw him. XYZ is gay and I have proof. Full Stop.) Incidentally being gay actually isnt a criminal offense in civilized society (and spare us the IPC here) Though paedophilia is. In other words, I never claim something is truth based on a direct observation of mine. Which is what this guy does.
Actually no since you like to refer to the law, spoof is a defense against defamation if it is clear that it is spoof. It is very definite that that blog is not spoof (despite the disclaimer). [Spoof and fiction are different things but then I dont want to spend too much time trying to convince you] Of course some wise people may see it otherwise but present company is excluded from that.
Arnab, I think the blogger may have gotten carried away there with the p word but when I read it first, because of the tone of the blog, I took it as a statement on the age of the player and the age difference. It is obvious that even it it was a real bar, no one other than adults are allowed there. I really believe that he got carried away there and no one with half a brain can think of the real player in such a light. Where he erred was when he used that word multiple times. It was a bad joke, but not something that deserves a court case IMO.
.
And when I talked about “sending Agarkar to prove the blogger wrong” it was in a lighter vein about our dear Agarkar’s 17 and 14 run overs. But I do think that KKR gave it more attention than it deserved.
Nikhil, Do go and read that post again. It is not what you thought it is.
I read it again. Some people do not understand the gravity of some words. I have seen grown-ups, 25 professionals, use the “r” word to describe attacking batting when we played cricket in spite of the fact that there were girls around. Reason: habit. Immature behavior that was never corrected. This guy may be using such words in his friend circle without knowing the seriousness and without knowing what happens when the world hears you saying that. I will not touch the sensitive topic of such habits being very prevalent back home and not in people who have stayed out for a long time.
.
Anyway, his case is something like Aamir Khan in DilChahtaHain. Mazak Mazak mein bol to diya par I guess now thappad bhi khana padega.
@gb: But he has not named the player in question directly either. So, you named the actor (SRK) and implied the action (being gay). Fake blogger specified the action (pedophilia) and implied the actor.
It is interesting that you want us to ignore the IPC, even though as far as I know Shah Rukh Khan lives in India, but that aside, what has it being criminal got anything to do with defamation. Two consulting adults having sex is not criminal. Does that mean I can accuse (implicitly or otherwise) a woman of having sex with a man without any basis and get away with it by saying I didn’t suggest any criminal action on her part?
That blog is being written as fiction. It is a fictional account of an imaginary player who is part of one of the IPL teams and how he sees action around him. The blogger could very well say, I made my character give those nicknames, because that’s how I believe cricketers think of one another. Whereas your blog is written as opinion piece, so it was your opinion (albeit in humour) that SRK chose his team based on those off-the-field considerations.
and I agree with Nikhil. The pedophile word there is used to emphasise that the said player was hitting on some women much younger than him at the party. Why would any kids be there at the party?
Unrelated point: Could see that Dada was devastated after he was out. Good innings. He and Rahul Dravid are proving the actions of their owners wrong…
In the cricbuzz photo, you seem to have lost weight.. thats better than the one on this site 🙂
@Vinayak
If Dravid and SCG play like this in IPL 2009, then they would prove the actions of their owners right, not wrong :).
I think accusations of defamation are defensible on the following grounds:
(i) disclaimer… which I believe he was advised to put… and which is always going to hold him in good stead…
(ii) obvious inaccuracies… blogging from Coach’s laptop, manhunt for the blogger including Sourav Ganguly being accused … these are so obviously fictional that they cannot be taken as true… this colours the entire narrative and makes
In any event, what was said about Barkha Dutt was also defamatory according to the law…
What I want to say is that since he is inevitably funny…and i for one would enjoy the humour and worry about niceties later…
on a less serious note… has anyone noticed that FakeIPL has stopped blogging the moment GB came back on air? 🙂
sorry GB you must be getting really irritated …. but couldnt help that
Any Publicity is good publicity! Congrats!
That this bloke is no Real IPL Player is quite clear by now. At least the pen name he is using (Fake IPL Player) is quite apt.
He has good writing skills, nice sense of humour (a bit repetitive at times though) and a somewhat sharp mind.
As GB has rightly pointed out, one doesn’t need to be an Einstein to figure out the current state of affairs in the KKR camp. Out of 100 guesses at least 30-40 are boud to be true.
The fact that he hasn’t posted anything for the last couple of days may only be another way of creating suspense among the followers of his blog – ‘is he caught or is he not’?
Frankly speaking, I don’t want this guy to be exposed. He should probably continue to be the mysterious blogger that he is and provide us with some more entertainment. However, instead posting 5 times a day, he should probably concentrate on the quality of his posts.
As far as use of the word ‘paedophile’ is concerned, for once, GB, I don’t agree with you on this. We can’t call any of his statements defamatory or derogatory, simply because he has not named a single personin his blog. We figured out who he might be refering to as Appam Chu**ya, Kishen Kanhaiyaa, Lordy, Vinnie Di*do, Kaan Moolo etc etc but never ever has he taken the name of any team or any individual in any of his blogs.
———————–
By the way, dada played superbly yesterday – like the dada of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. I only wish he hadn’t slashed blindly at that delivery after such a classy innings. Failure of all other batters and Yashpal Singh’s irresponsible stroke probably frustrated dada. Boka-non messed things further up by sending Mendis to bowl the super-over when it was quite clear that Warnie will send Yousuf Pathan to take strike and he just loves to play spinners.
———————–
As far as I am concerned, if dada keeps playing well and still KKR loses all the matches because of tactical goof-ups and failure of other players (like yesterday) – I would be very happy. Really really happy.
For now, I’m rooting for Mumbai Indians. 🙂
agree with you on the defamation point. The writing is really humourous at times esp. when he talks about the Coach’s obsession with the Laptop. However when he gets into sexual territory (P—- Priest, Vinnie D—-, that entire crappy Bunty aur Babli post) he sort of crosses the line.
Nice article, better photograph.
P.S.: I was heartbroken looking at Ganguly’s dejected face after the Super Over. Giving the ball to a spinner for the over – another of Buchanan’s Laptop induced mindf— ideas?
Arnab, don’t know if you caught the news.
Check http://epaper.expressbuzz.com/NE/NE/2009/04/24/index.shtml
Go to the Edit page, and see the bottom anchor piece by Gulu Ezekiel.
I think he is pointing to (Ranadev) Bose for the blog posts. Accusations on Saurav for the inside info of the team is clear.
A very disturbing trend I noticed from yesterday – people, mostly us Bengalees, including the author here, commenters, even my own roommates who were watching the match with me – all rooting for Dada to score well (a 50) and yet KKR to lose. Why be so mean? I think we guys are doing injustice to Dada and these give ample ammo to Dada’s detractors to think that Dada is selfish and always plays for himself. I seriously think this image of Dada has been created by his own selfish fans. When can we take everything in the spirit of the game?
@bsin :
“When can we take everything in the spirit of the game?”
Only when the game is played in the true spirit of the game.
When dirty politics enters the game and victimizes only one individual again and again, this is how his supporters react. There is nothing unnatural in this reaction.
We want Dada to play well, play entertaining cricket, not slow selfish cricket. At the same time we don’t give a damn whether Knight Riders win or lose because the SRK-Buchanon combo needs to be taught a lesson.
SRK should regret his decision throughout his life. Buchanan should never get another coaching job (not that he needs any….as he has already made SRK shell out a chunk of his money for him and his family). Dada has nothing to prove to anyone….a few good knocks and a few wickets here and there…and he can sign off with his head held high.
@Debolin
I know how passionate people are about Dada, especially his fans. But you got to understand cricket is a team game. Taking the game out of the team’s perspective to that of an individual players’ is not done. As a fan of Dada, we should take pride in how Dada’s effort make his team win, not any other way.
And one thing. Dada is a professional player playing for a professional franchise. His team has taken decisions in the favour of the team (they may be crappy, but that’s a different issue). The issue is Dada supports that decision and still wants to be part of that team and do good for himself as well as his team. If Dada really had issues with that, he would have been the first to raise voice against/withdraw from IPL 2.0/go to another franchise. He is still “doing it, fighting it and trying to win it” for KKR 🙂 So why take him out of KKR?
face it GB, ur just jealous that someone’s blog’s grabbing so much headlines…maybe fakeiplplayer deserves to win indiblog this year..suck on this!!!
Good article Arnab da,
Initial posts of the blogger was funny albeit as you pointed out in the ‘reality tv’ manner. However after sometime they became cheap and quite obscene. I don’t think this is some player’s work. This guy is just another blogger who got too much hits and publicity.
I am sure he would stop soon, if he has not already.
I watched the match from 2 a.m. our time here. It was so nice to see Dada playing with passion but alas he could not make the team win.
@Bsin: I am curious as to how you jumped to the conclusion that I was ” rooting for Dada to score well (a 50) and yet KKR to lose.” Is that not a bit presumptuous of you? All I said was that I do not care if KKR wins or loses (SRK’s team can go to hell “for all I care”. If KKR’s owners don’t care whether it is going to hell which it is then why should I?). If I had said oh I sooo much care if KKR wins, somebody would be here with “Oh parochial these Bengalis are they cannot seen beyond Kolkata”.
great writeup dada, way to go, loved it…:)
bsin: “all rooting for Dada to score well (a 50) and yet KKR to lose.”
Actually, that makes cricketing sense, lots of it. 🙂 Donno about you, I don’t want to see Harbhajan or Praveen Kumar hammered by Akash Chopra or Bangroo.. or Gautam Gambhir fending helplessly at a vicious Moses-can’t bat-can’t bowl bouncer, few deliveries after just about managing to keep an Agarkapoor yorker out of the timber.
@bsin: The reason people switch channels from yet another reality show to watch a KKR match is because of this person… (Can’t say the same about the girls, though) That’s the reason why he is an icon player. Nobody gives a monkey’s for the team ( Andrew Symonds is not a monkey as GB himself had clarified in one of his earlier posts. ) because doing otherwise would be so blatantly unjust! As far as the owner goes, we can get to see many more like him flocking towards the cars clapping all the way near the Koramangala Sony World signal everyday.
GB, what do you think about SRK’s blog on KKR website. At least, he is owning up the fact that these changes may go horribly wrong.
I think he is smart enough to understand the repercussions of his acts and the immediate reactions to it. Still he went ahead and did it, may be he visualizes something that is not apparently obvious right now. Whether it works out or not, is a separate story. Just playing devil’s advocate here.
The fake IPL player is [ GB adds: no conjectures please]
[edited]
@Thalassa…dude, when yourfan says something, u better believe it. one day he announced, I wear undergarments made of plastic bags…i refused to believe…bt as i checked thm out, they were indeed made of plastic bags….
Read your article… Me thinks you are pretty disturbed about the spotlight shifting to me… 🙂
Hoped you would at least enjoy the humour. But sad that your article was sooooo for the establishment type. You act mortified by the things I say when you are continuously saying these….
Two different sets of rules to analyse, it seems…
btw are you more blogger than others ??