IPL - fairy tale ending

              Though some T20 games have fairy tale ending, it seems predictable in T20 competitions that most of the times it is the underdogs who are emerging as the winner at the end of the tournament. This is true with respect to the Indian team winning the first T20 world cup followed up with Pakistan. The same fairy tales are happening with IPL as well. The first IPL won by RR where no one gave them a chance even to reach the final four, the second edition goes to DC and the third goes to Chennai Super Kings. Not that Chennai has a bad team, but the kind of up’s and down’s that this team has gone through, very few would have bet their money on them winning the cup in the middle stage of the tournament when they seem like down and out.

The turn around for Chennai came with them winning the last league match against Punjab in Dharmasala. It seems like much difficult for them to chase down 190+ score to win a match and reach semi final. The difficulty seems impossible at one stage though Dhoni is batting at one end they need to score almost 15 runs per over. But, seems like Dhoni has some other ideas and just started hitting all the bowlers out of the ground. The result is in their favor and they are ecstatic to reach top four and went on to win the tournament.

Catches win matches they say and if you don’t grab the opportunities not once but twice at the crucial time then that’s for sure means that some one need to compensate that with special batting performance. None happened for Mumbai. Though Pollard seems like achieving at the end what seems like inevitable, but then it’s become too tough for him as well. Many times in a pressure final like this, often the team who handles pressure well will go and cross the final hurdle. Chennai did that extremely well and grabbed all the opportunities that Mumbai gave them with both hands. All Chennai did in this final was cashing on the oppostion’s mistakes and they did it extremely well. Hindsight, it is Mumbai who flunked at the crucial time and lost cup themselves rather than Chennai winning it. Nevertheless, CONGRATS CHENNAI.

IPL (cont..)

      If there is one team that deserves to win IPL 2010, it is MI without any doubt. Though, it is disappointing to see RCB losing like the way they are in the semi final, one must confess they were simply outclassed by MI's and Pollard. At the end of the semi final, if one looks at the points table and the team that RCB has, you will say that they should have reached semifinal very easily rather than depending on the net run rate. Further introspection into RCB's performance this year, they just didn't played well as a team some times and lost the key moments in some matches. Example, the DC match in Nagpur which they should have won quite comfortably; made a mess of it and lost it with a lot of difficulty. If they come together and play well as a unit at least against DC in the play off, I see no reason why they can't win the match and go to champions league.

Now that we know the finalists, it's time to gear up for the big sunday to see the spectacle. While the little master is not sure to play the final, it will be privilege to see him play and drive his team to lift the trophy. Being realistic, it might be asking to much of him to play after he himself confessed that he's got eight stitches to his hand. Having said that, I may not be surprised to see him in the toss on Sunday. I am gearing up to cheer MI to win the IPL and I am sure whole Chennai must be saying whistle podu...

Though the IPL final is supposed to be held on Sunday, the big final however seems to be on 26th April for Lalit Modi. His audacious approach made IPL a global sporting event and a profit making organization that one could only dream three years ago. Whether he will continue as IPL chairman or thrown out, or whosoever takes his place, no one can take away the credit from him what he had done and the success of first three year IPL should go to him. It doesn't matter who stays and who don't, what is important is that IPL to exist in India and most importantly the game nedds to be credible. For that to happen, IPL and BCCI should clean all the shit and allegations that has been made and to come out clean and transparent. Only then, IPL as a brand will stay with cricket lovers for a long time. (to be continued..)

IPL

Nothing in India generates as much interest and curiosity as these two things does. One is Films and the other is no doubt Cricket AND the third angle to it is Controversy. Controversies are there everywhere and with so much of money running on in IPL and movie starts and politicians being linked to it, all three will go hand in hand for sure, whether agree or disagree and the proof of it is the recent Kochi franchise controversy.


Keeping all the controversies and gossips aside, IPL is definitely is one of the biggest entertainment of the hot summer over the last two years and is going to much bigger in the coming years. The revenue that it is generating is a clear indication of the success it is achieved. IPL brand value in 2010 is expected to be more than $4 billion and is expected to grow at a rate of 100% every year. India being a cricket crazy nation must have helped to achieve this number. No doubt that IPL as a business is a revolution and considering that it is started only 2 years back, this is a achievement on its own kind.


Business aside, the biggest good that IPL is doing is for all the cricketers who never dreamt playing for India or at least to play in the big stage has a platform now to showcase their talent and of course benefiting monitorily from it will do a lot of good for their lives, their confidence and ultimately it is good for Indian cricket. When IPL started on 2008, no one would have given Rajasthan Royals a glimmer of chance to win the tournament that year, but that is what is happened at the end of the league. RR emerged as a surprise winner for 2008 and considering them being the least priced franchise and banking on a lot of unknown fringe Indian players, no one would have given a chance to win the tournament with that team and Shane Warne proved every one wrong with his unconventional leadership skills. Everyone in the world cricket knows that Warne has a great leadership skills, though he is never given chance to prove his mettle with Australian team, IPL has given him a chance and he grabbed it with both hands. It helped Ravindra Jadeja to get in to the national side and who can forget the contribution of ShaneWatson for the team which helped him to grab a place in Australian side and everyone knows how is performing and cemented his place. Same goes to the second year edition in South Africa where DC and RCB (who stood and 7th and 8th in first edition) played the final in J'berg and DC emerging as a winner is a worth to remember for years to come. Adam Gilchrist this time turned the magic around for DC's unimaginable roller coaster ride and they continued this year as well to reach semi finals winning last five games in a row to reach the stage. It is only possible with IPL that the unfancied players like Harmeet Singh, Kamran khan, Trivedi, Rayudu, Suman etc., will get noticed and get to play alongside greats like Gillchrist, Sachin, Warne etc., AND almost forgotten players like Robin Uthappa keep reminding you (the selectors) that how big mistake it is not selecting him WC T20. FANTASTIC is the word that comes to my mind when I see these many players/teams of different kinds coming out of no where, the making the unexpected happens.


It is quite evident that in the two editions of the IPL, the teams who has done well till now has a team of domestic players performing well for their teams at the right time. The resurgent MI is an example for this and the players like Tiwary, Rayudu doing well did a lot of good for their team and who can forget the contribution from the legend himself who is the owner of the orange cap now. He needs no introduction. Being RCB fan, I would love to see RCB winning this time, but their last game against MI has put a lot of doubts in my mind plus they will be playing MI in semifinal in Mumbai. That's quite lot of odds isnt't it? Let's see what happens, honestly I don't mind MI winning as well because of Sachin. Fingers crossed !!!! (to be continued...)