Napoelon would have been impressed. He's the man who said armies marched on their stomachs, but the Indian cricket team have managed to march (apologies for the martial metaphors) into the final of the world cup on empty tummies. Well almost. The Indians had gobbled down their first meal on the day of the semi-final only 15 minutes before the toss in Mohali.

In his last question at the media conference before the final, Dhoni was asked about the food scarcity encountered by the Indians on the morning of their most important match in the World Cup. Dhoni smiled ruefully, "That was one thing I didn't want to say," and then went on to explain what had happened. On the morning of the match, when the Indians went down for their usual 10am breakfast at their high-security Taj Hotel in Chandigarh, the team were told, Dhoni said by the hotel staff, "it would take more than an hour to serve your breakfast."

As the lone five-star deluxe hotel in Chandigarh, the Taj was packed to the gills on the day of the India v Pakistan semi-final with a high-security, high-priority guest list. It was the security protocol of the VIPs rather than their jumping the buffet queue that had led to this situation. The Indians then decided to travel to the ground to get what had fast become brunch, except when they turned up, the food in the dressing rom was not exactly they needed.

Dhoni said, before a packed room of astonished reporters, that the team had decided that they would have their first meal after the warm-ups. "These are the things which can distract you to some extent but what is important is what you can do about it... You may scream, you may shout but you won't get the food. So ... use the time in the best possible manner." The Indians warmed up, and ate their first meal before the toss and when Dhoni won it, the team were most grateful that most of them didn't have to run onto the field 45 minutes after eating.

The Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay, where the teams are now housed for the final, will be on high alert before the final - but it won't be about breakfast. "Unlike in Mohali, in Mumbai, there are quite a few big hotels and we have quite a few friends who will be ready to bring food in half an hour's time," Dhoni said.

There has been tremendous security build-up in Mohali ahead of the World Cup semi-final clash between India and Pakistan with the army, the National Security Guard (NSG) and the Special Protection Group (SPG) all out in full force. Most have got the bum jobs – standing in the heat, dealing with angry fans - but two of them have landed the jackpot, working as the official food tasters for the Indian and Pakistani cricketers. Assistant sub-inspector Rakesh Rasella and sub-inspector Ramphal have been eating three meals a day - featuring Schezwan, India and international cuisine - at the Taj hotel in Chandigarh, where the teams are staying, to check for poisoning or other hygiene problems. "I have tasted more than 18 different dishes before they were consumed by cricketers and I hadn't eaten many of them ever (before)," Rasella told the Times of India. Looks like it could be more than the cricketers and fans who leave Mohali sated.

As if England don’t have enough problems: injuries, squad disruptions, playing Sri Lanka in a knockout World Cup game in hot and humid Colombo. The night before their quarter-final, the team was kept up till late by a raucous party that began at a nearby nightclub and then moved into their hotel. The noise – presumably nothing compared to expected levels at the Premadasa on Saturday – prompted the Twitterati among the England camp to complain. “If you happen to be in the nightclub of our hotel, could you possibly pull the plug from the socket,” Graeme Swann tweeted. “Or pour vodka on the decks.”

That was at 11-30pm, when he should have been tucked in and dreaming of perfectly flighted offspin. Almost an hour later, his bowling team-mate James Anderson sounded more accommodating: “The rave across the street has finished and my windows have stopped shaking but it seems they have moved the party into our hotel! If it’s still going in a couple of hours I might stick a pair of jeans on and hit the dance floor."

England’s players and fans will be hoping that the late-night distraction – even if Anderson can keep away from his jeans – will not have the same effect as the early-morning fire drill at their Leeds hotel before the first day’s play in the 2009 Ashes Test at Headingley. That day too the news was broken by Swann; England were all out for 102 and lost the Test by an innings and 80 runs.

You’d wonder how the Sri Lankans could sleep through the noise. Perhaps they are used to it, but the answer anyway is less complicated – they are staying in a hotel up the road and away from the action.

Always wanted to own a star-studded cricket team, but never had the chance (or the money) to do so? Well, about 100-odd people in Dubai got an opportunity to bid for their dream World Cup 12-man squad ahead of the quarter-finals. According the National dozens of cricket crazy fans were given the chance – and a “purse” of $100 million - to bid for their dream team at a fantasy cricket auction series organised in Dubai. And they were fully prepared – armed with laptops, statistics, player details and of course their pretend money.

For most participants, it was a chance to live out a dream – sorry, fantasy. “I feel like I’m a Vijay Mallya or an Ambani when I’m spending US$100 million. I feel like I own the players and can call them up and say, ‘Hey, play better’”, Radha Javeri, a home-maker said. Unlike other fantasy games, this one doesn’t allow for team changes but that didn’t spoil the fun. “I’ve set my alarm for 2am, when I usually receive the points, and check it by 2.30am every day,” said Deep Javeri. “At 6am I meet my brother and we confirm that our team is still leading. This is as close as we can come to owning a team. That’s the fantasy.” And no prizes for guessing which player fetched the highest bid – Sachin Tendulkar, who went for a whopping $60 million. Move over IPL.