Hello and welcome to my first blog. I have always believed that
the more you know about something, the easier it is for you to talk/write about
it. Therefore, Ive decided to post blogs on one thing I know the best about-
Cricket!
As the sixth edition of the IPL gets ready to unfold in the
backyard of the defending champions, controversies have already started to
dominate Cricket, as is generally the case with the Multi-Million dollar league.
Much has already been spoken and written about the Sri-Lankan issue and the
consequent ban of Sri-Lankan players from playing in Chennai. Despite being a
CSK fan myself, and despite knowing that this lands CSK in a huge advantageous
position, Im not exactly in support of the decision.
There are 2 points I like to put forward in this regard. The
primary one being that, as a cricket fan, much of the interest in the matches
would vapourise if Sri Lankan players are taken out of the equation. Needless to
say, Mumbai without Malinga, Delhi without Jayawardane, Hyderabad without
Sangakkara and Pune without Angelo just doesnt seem fair to the teams.
Secondly, I dont like the way terms are being dictated here just because of the
officials at the top being from the concerned region. It, in many ways, reminds
me of BCCI's dominance in ICC at the global scale (sans DRS, albeit I do
believe it needs some tweak), except only that the dominance there is largely
to do with the monetary power of the BCCI.
Coming back to cricket, there is much to look forward to in this
edition. IPL has become analogous to the large buffet dinners in big Indian
festivals, where you are excited when you are about to have it, it enthrals
you, but at one point, you feel like youve had enough and you never want to
have one again, and surprisingly, when you go for another buffet sometime later,
the excitement returns. IPL, even for the most die-hard fan, gets boring at
some stage, mainly because of the mammoth number of matches and involvement of
so many number of teams. On the flip side, you get some nail-biters every now
and then, even if the ratio is quite less.
Last year’s BBL from Down Under gave us plenty of new faces, and
undoubtedly, the IPL owners were watching as well. That means more Australian
faces than ever in this year’s IPL, including some really unknown quantities
even at the Australian domestic level, such as Kane Richardson. What was
surprising to me at this year’s auction was that so many teams were willing to
spend so much on buying new players, even with the cleansweep reshuffle coming
next year. Whilst this might go to show how serious teams are about winning
this edition of the IPL, it does leave a few eyebrows raised.
The major contenders for this year’s title for me would be DD,
CSK, KKR and RCB, as has been the case for most of the other editions. DD has
always been a team of heavyweights. Spin has been their Achilles heel, and
theyd more than welcome Johan Botha, who adds plenty to the batting with his
cheeky strokes as well. CSK, as always, looks a strong core. Theyve bolstered
their pace bowling department by including Dirk Nannes, but their treasury of
foreign allrounders will mean that they
can play only either of Hilfenhaus or Nannes, leaving the team to familiarly
depend on spin again. KKR rose to prominence last year, Narine being the
wreck-in-chief. Now that people have started to get used to him, things might
be a little different. Pattinson and Lee will be a fiery combination, though
that will leave 2 slots filled. Bisla, as he showed against CSK in the finals
last year, and Kallis, returning from injury, will be the key prospects. RCB
has always been the powerhouse of IPL, in the sense that there are so many
powerhitters out there. An out-of-form Gayle will be looking to re-establish
his authority in the place where he made it. AB De Villiers not only has
eye-catching strokes, but also can be the destroyer of the world’s best attacks
(The extra-cover six off Steyn still stands out). Kohli is much more mature
than he was last year after having gone through some mediocre times. RCB has
always faltered in bowling, and theyll be looking to overcome that this year,
especially with a-point-to-prove Zaheer Khan and injury return Ravi Rampaul
bolstering their pace attack.
Other teams are not far behind either. Pune Warriors really look
like the underdogs who are not to be underestimated, with the likes of Yuvraj,
Steven Smith, Mathews in their order. Kings XI will be looking to make
immediate impact, welcoming back Gilly and Marsh, who has rejuvenated his
injury-prone career. Rajasthan are full of quality and with Rahane, Watson and
the new kid Kaushal Perera, they should not be overlooked in any case. Sunrisers
might look a weak team on paper, but in Dhawan, Patel, Ankit and Ishant, they
have pretty decent local talent, and White, Sangakkara, Steyn and Sammy will
further look to up the ante in their departments. Mumbai Indians, as always,
have a handful to pick from, but the problem doesn’t seem to be in the
resources, it seems to be in utilisation of the resources. It is clear Sachin
and new skipper Ricky will look to hold one end while the others smash around.
The problem is that most of their players, Rohit Sharma, Rayudu etc. need some
time in before they start swinging their bats, and MI just cant afford to let
both the ends being held up. Pollard should bat much higher than he generally
does, atleast to maximise their chances. Otherwise, for MI, winning IPL will
always be MI (Mission Impossible)
As we come to the end of this post, I hope u guys enjoyed it....
And let me have some feedback.. Next post next week.........!
