Salutes to the Wall

It's been quite a while since I last blogged and here I am blogging again and as a coincidence it's after a Dravid retirement announcement. Nothing else to say - Salute to you RD - you were one of the reasons I used to watch test matches that India played. The future will only hear about you and your laurels. But I will boast of having watched you play day in and day out. Kudos!!

Dravid's debut

As India slid to yet another England tour defeat, there was one bright spot that satisfied me - The Wall's debut. For all that he has done to Indian cricket, he deserved to play at least on T20 game for India. He did make it memorable though - 3 sixes. India my have lost but this one did not hurt - all because of those 3 sixes!!

Not yet recovered

I had almost decided to watch the DC v DD match at Hyderabad at the stadium. But decided against mostly because of laziness. But when I watched the first half of the match on TV I almost regretted not going. After all (I was thinking so) DC were going to win with DD struggling 6 overs into the chase. But what happened after that left me speechless. I was so dumbstruck, it felt almost like an attack of paralysis. That day I stopped watching the IPL and haven't recovered yet. Luckily work took me to Singapore and I need not watch the IPL anymore. Anyway keeping my DC inclined heart apart I must acknowledge that it was special from Veeru. But I am just wondering why he didn't opt for surgery a bit earlier.
As for my passion for DC, with DC destined to finish last, my shoulders have already dropped.

Witnessing a walloping

I was at the RG Stadium in Hyderabad to witness the methodical walloping that DC received at the hands of KKR. But all of the blame should boil down to the simple catch put down by Mishra when Pathan was on 3!! Like how Steve Waugh supposedly said to Gibbs, Pathan would tell Mishra, "You just dropped the IPL". Not that I was expecting DC to win the IPL - just bringing the analogy.
Staying cool in chaos only comes to MSD. Not to DC. With about 100 needed off the last 10 overs, I was expecting some panic hitting. But all DC achieved was a painstaking 50 for Shikar Dawan - pathetic. Hope they come good against DD tomorrow. They should actually given DD's form. But then with DC nothing comes in a straight line, does it?

Rank up the rivalry please!!

4 weeks ago the whole of India felt so happy that SRT had finally won a world cup. But things have changed now. After seeing his team score a partly 94 in 20 overs at Jaipur last week SRT blamed the pitch. The whole of Rajasthan (ok I am exaggerating) has now reacted against SRT's statement. The gist of the comments seem to suggest with sarcasm that pitches where SRT makes good runs are good pitches while those where he gets out cheaply are not good pitches.
Alright, now we are talking. May be the banter should continue. Only then will we be able to achieve the city vs city rivalry that is required for the IPL to go to the next level.
For example, there are 4 teams from the south - as a DC fan, my prime opponent must be CSK and to an extent RCB and KTK. MI and PWI must be fierce derby rivals. MI and RR must now become rivals because of the banter. DD, KKR and MI must be fierce rivals as well given the cities they represent. CSK and KTK must be south coast rivals. KXIP and DD must contest the northern derby. RR and KXIP must contest the second northern derby. Somebody please help me kick it up!!

On a plane with DC

I traveled with DC today on the way back to Hyderabad from my hometown. DC were on the way to Hyderabad for back-to-back home matches. The mood was a bit gloomy. Beating CSK in Chennai is not such an easy task anyway. But when I saw the report that Sunny Sohal had taken DC to 75/0 in 7 overs and then DC gave up I was irked. Come on guys! Wished I could shout at them right there in the airport. But as I sat the airport and watched each player I thought I should blog what I saw. Here is what I saw (to bring a twist I will do it the fake ipl player way).
All players were sombre reflecting the gloom. Sloha, Panch Pataaka, Green meat, miser Magician and most of the Indians just ambled around. Rakkaransag sat among his team mates and stayed aloof! But Speaker was seen coochie-cooching with one of the cheer leaders. Given that it did not embarrass the other players I thought this coochie-coochie has been going around for quite some time. Diamond merchants were subdued. Jumping jacks all had iPhones and were busy with them. There were a couple of non-macho security guards who were shoo-shooing away the photo clickers and signature seekers to no avail. Gaffer and assistant seemed to be discussing things non-cricket.
The flight was sombre as well with most of them deciding to listen to music. But what was interesting was that every player was wearing sunglasses. Well.. I found it amusing.
But looking at the way the team seemed sombre, I only hoped that the defeat was hurting all of them after the high of the Kochi fireworks. Hope they come back strongly and manage to win back-to-back matches for the first time this season. Come on Sanga! Only you can do it!!
I also imagined a day in the future when the flight would be full with fans shouting and singing the DC fan chant - only then the IPL could be termed a success. 

Not for us yet!

When they (whoever it was) came up with the concept of IPL wherein they made city based teams they must have thought that the city based fan base would make the IPL interesting. But unfortunately, after 4 seasons the idea still seems far from reality!!
Take for example the DD v MI match the other day. Despite being played on a weekday the stadium was almost full. But alas! The crowd had come to watch Sachin Tendulkar!!! And they rejoiced when he dismissed Veeru (remember Delhi!! he is the captain of the "Home" team). And even so when Sachin scored the winning runs for MI. So much for city based franchises!! We are not ready for this yet.
I was there at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium when history was made!! Finally, after 5 years, a home team won there - yes DC opened their IPL 4 account by thrashing RCB. It was an exciting experience. If you want to go, pick tickets for the Western Pavilion terrace or the Eastern Pavilion terrace. The view is exemplary! But beware - you may have to park your cars a mile away and walk coz the cops wont let you into the parking which was not occupied at all!
But then, 2 days later DC were back to old ways - losing heavily to KXIP. Hope they turn it around in Delhi today!
The HD mania is here. After the CWC 2011, IPL 4 is available on HD in SET. Doesn't get any better. Or so I thought. But IPL4 HD is nothing compared to CWC2011 HD. Miles to go before HD becomes good in India.
And finally, a few tit bits.
Lasith Malinga had just picked his 5-fer against DD and was asked to lead the MI team out of the field when suddenly to the dismay of his team mates he was whisked away by someone from the TV crew - Harsha Bhogle. Of all people, did not expect Harsha to be the black sheep.
Amit Mishra ji! You may be a Charger now. But you were disrespectful to Gilly the other day. We don't like DC to lose but Gilly is above that. So watch it next time before you rub against formers Chargers.
It was funny watching Sachin play a couple of the helicopters against KTK. Unfortunately, the "curse of the Sachin century" hit IPL as well that day!! Poor Sachin. What else does he need to do?
CSK are beatable after all. All they need is just a small rattle!! KXIP and KTK just showed how that can be done.
Finally DC and RCB look set for a repeat of IPL 1 - get into the fight for the wooden spoon. Hope that doesn't happen for DC again!!

Not so exciting

Season 4 has kicked off. But somehow the excitement factor seems to have lessened. May be it is the momentum of the World Cup victory that is riding over the IPL. But somehow I did not desperately want CSK to lose (they are arch rivals to DC in my eyes). I did feel for KKR and SRK. Whatever they do, the luck factor still deserts them. The 2 KKR heavyweights whose combined value outweighs the rest of the team flopped heavily and that showed up!
As for DC v RR - the trump card Ojha proved to be the deciding factor. I am just hoping it is a one-off. I have got tickets for the DC v RCB match on April 14. Hope the curse of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is banished on that day!

And the scapegoat is.. err skipper is

IPL teams have started announcing who will lead them at IPL 4. Here is the list
CSK - Dhoni (must be for life)
KXIP - Gilly (rumored)
SPW - Yuvi (1 year may be?)
KOCHI - Mahela (Sree beware)
MI - Sachin (another lifetime award)
DC - nobody
KKR - Gauti (too costly now too snorty?)
RCB - The Baron himself? (ha ha ha)
DD - Veeru (unless he has other ideas)
RR - Warne (what? last I heard even Australia were looking for him)

The tamasha unfolded and how...

"I will sell Gautam Gambhir to the Knight Riders for two point four million dollars"
It was only the first player going on auction and $2.5 millions out of $75 million that was available to all the franchises was gone! Hardly had that sunk in when Yusuf Pathan went for $2.1m to KKR. The tamasha had unfolded in exciting fashion.
Over the next 14 hours the action in the bidding room was more like the 3rd test between India and SA that concluded last week. One the first day of the auction, after promising a lot at the beginning, the session lived up to expectations. The only blip of the whole day was Dada flopping. That sent flutters all over Kolkata. I could even see some fans coming to tears. But more was to follow. Uthappa(SPW) went for over $2m. Rohit(MI) went for $2m. Yuvi(SPW), Zak(RCB) and Pathan Jr(DD) went close to the two million mark. But surprisingly the high profile foreign purchases never happened. KP(DC) went for 1/3rd of his fee from the previous auction. Dilshan(RCB) went for the same amount. Saurab Tiwary(RCB) raked in the moolah at $1.6m. And things became clear. Gauti was now going to be the richest IPL player for the next 3 years.
Of the foreign crop only Mahela(KB), Steyn(DC), White(DC), Ross Taylor(KXIP) and Hussey Jr(KXIP) crossed the million mark. Favorites of earlier seasons like Gilly(KXIP), Symmo(MI) and Mccullum(KB) went for nominal values while the Indian veterans Dravid(RR) and Laxman(KB) may have just sneaked in on the basis of sympathy votes. English players missed out heavily because of ECB's high handedness and to an extent their ego as well(Dr Mallya did not mince words when he said the English players were overprioed).
Joining Dada on the "no show" list were players like Gayle, Lara, Boucher and a host of English, Sri Lankan and West Indies players. Going into the second day of the auction most teams had almost emptied their purses. But there were a few surprises as well. Teams with Aussie coaches egged their teams to go for promising talent from the Aussie domestic circuit. But the rest of the day was more a circus. Most of the teams just sat through the auction giggling and wincing in their seats as players came and went without being sold.
And just like the anti climax of the 3rd test came the last session that was reserved for re-auction of those who went unsold. As the world waited for Dada's name to pop up the re-auction list surprised everyone. Dada was out of the IPL. SRK's effigy was immediately burnt. Dada himself rejected an offer to be on the technical team of KKR. News channels made a series of jokes on Dada. But that last session showed how the franchises valued cricket players - as commodities. Something that belittles the effort the players put on the field. Kaif's re-re-auction was a farce. I really felt for cricket players after seeing that last session.
How the teams fared
CSK - Having retained 4, CSK was on a mission. They wanted to get back everyone who played for them before. They lost Balaji and Murali but got the rest. Verdit - Hit.
RCB - Dr Mallya said after the auction they opted for youth. But alas, Zak, Vettori, Nannes, Langeveldt, Dilshan, Kaif - youth?? Good they held on to Kohli. Verdict - Semi hit.
DC - Back in 2008 they picked the best team on paper and flopped. They did not have the fiery bowlers. This time they have stacked up that column with Ishant, Pragyan and Steyn. But where are the batsmen? KP and White may not even be available for some parts! But they spent less and have a lot left to invest on "uncapped" talent. Verdict - Average.
KKR - Complete overhaul and the will to go for a target. Hope they fare well this time. Balanced team on paper. Verdict: - Super hit.
KXIP - Aimless bidding resulting in an iffy bunch of players that might fire on a few days but consistency would lack. Verdict - Average.
DD - Yet another case of aimless bidding. Only the playing on the field will let us know if they were right. Verdict - Average.
RR - Handicapped by the penalty they had to pay from their bidding pocket and the $1.8m they did not have coz they retained Warne (!!!!!) they could not go for anyone.. Verdict - Poor. But they are known to thrive on unpredictability.
MI - When you have the Ambani lady (whose knowledge about cricket players is restricted to Harbhajan and Tendulkar) trying to buy players one must have known that this was going to be tough. But Symmo and Rohit along with the retained 4 lend some solidity. But they looked childish when they rejoiced at buying peanuts towards the end of the auction. Verdict - Hit only because of the retained 4.
KB - Kochi Bruisers the new comers took everyone that came in the way at reasonable height. At one time they were looking for a 3rd wicket keeper and that showed their lack of direction. But still with Mahela, Mcullum, Sreesanth and RP they have assembled a capable unit. Probably, the only team after the auction that can parade their final 15 for a game. Verdict - Hit.
SPW - Sahara Pune Warriors looked like they had Yuvi in mind. The rest of the players were bought only because their bids were the best. None of the others seemed like targets to them although they tried briefly to wrest Parthiv Patel(!!!!). Verdict - Average.

Bevan in, Kumble out

The build up to IPL4 is gaining momentum. With BCCI deciding not to challenge KXIP and RR's reinsertion into IPL4 and with Kochi staying on, doesn't all the drama look stage managed? - just like a WWE show. So there will be 10 teams and 74 matches. Hooo!
KXIP have roped in Michael Bevan as coach. Let us hope he turns around their luck. But I think Bevan could wait. It is possible that after the Aussie "Ashes" are scattered all over the Pacific, the selectors could recall Bevan along with Warne, Waugh, Boon,Marsh, Gilchrist, Mcgrath, Benaud and others. I can imagine Clarke, Mitch and Ricky sitting in their homes and thinking, "Why the hell did I say no?"
BTW let us also hope that KXIP do not get entangled with "prince-i" once again!
Anil bhai has opted out of IPL4 citing business reasons. If he makes a decision it must be the right one. Best wishes with your business Anil bhai. But we will miss your 4 overs.
And last but not the least, I found this interesting. Read on!
The auction is just round the corner. The fun is about to begin.

World Cup 2011 : in images :-)

Out and in - Season 4 is here

After a topsy turvy journey IPL 4 is almost ready to roll with all 10 teams. That sounds fair than having only 8 - I would love to see Shilpa and Preity going at it again. But the crap on the faces of the BCCI stooges delights me even more.
Also the queer 74 game format seems set for a longer duration with the confirmation that the next 3 seasons will have the same format.
Here is what it says

League phase
Every team will play the same number of league games (14, seven home and seven away) as in previous seasons with the following break-up: each team will play the other four in its group both home and away (eight matches), four of the teams in the other group once (four matches, either home or away) and the remaining team in the other group twice, both home and away. A random draw will decide the composition of the groups as well as who plays whom across the groups once and twice.
Playoffs
The teams that finish first and second in the league table will contest the first playoff, which is effectively a semi-final (Game A). The teams that finish third and fourth will play each other in a knockout that is effectively a quarter-final (Game B). The loser of Game A will play the winner of Game B in a match (Game C) that will decide the second finalist that will play the winner of Game A in the grand final.

The player retention has also thrown in a few surprises
While 3 teams (incuding DC) have decided to release everyone, MI have ensured that they might field the same team as in the previous seasons by retaining Sachin, Bhajji, Malinga and Pollard! CSK also seem to follow suit by retaining MSD, Raina, Morkel and Vijay. Surprisingly RCB have retained Kohli! RR have retained Warne and Watson while Delhi have stuck to Beeru. Personally, I was surprised to know DC let Gilly go. Hope he comes back to DC.
This time around we won't be seeing Ponting, Clarke, Hayden, Freddy, Johnson and of course the poor Pakistanis. I wish the angry PCB decides to start the Pakistani Premier League soon.

Awaiting Jan 8 and 9 - to witness yet another auction tamasha!

In the right direction?

The BCCI has made some sweeping changes in the IPL. Not only has L Mod been ejected. But a host of his stooges too have been shown the door. The most bizarre move by the BCCI has been the move to get closer to Jaggu bhai once again! Hope this doesn't backfire once again!! Also of notice is the fact that the Kochi IPL team might find itself sitting out of IPL 4. The BCCI seems set to stamp its authority on the IPL. Let us hope this is a move in the right direction...

Do we still continue to watch cricket?

First it was 3. Now there is a new list of 29. Should we still continue to see cricket? Well, I forgot everything when I sat down and saw the tense ending to the England-Pakistan match yesterday. But still there was a lingering thought in my mind. Was every ball being bowled already scripted? Was it because of Strauss that England won or was the victory decided over 150 million pounds and a cup of tea?
The ACL doesn't seem to evoke as much interest as the IPL. Easy ones for CSK and RCB. But MI slipped when it mattered. I think the Redbacks would be the team to watch this time around. By the way, who won it last time? NSW?

Smog clearing

Alright. The BCCI has finally had its way. They wanted to get L Mod out of the picture and it is now done. Forget the allegations and investigations against him. I can assure you in the next five hundred years, nothing will be proved. But L Mod will never be a part of the IPL any more. So from being ruled by a megalomaniac, the IPL will now shift hands to be ruled by stooges. Hope Sunny and Tiger can help in sustaining the IPL's purpose from a cricketing angle. Having said that, the blurred picture that we got of the IPL is slowly clearing. The seeds for season 4 have been sown and let us hope that from now on it gets interesting (even though anything that is controlled by the BCCI would certainly form a boring pattern). They just announced the format for the new season and we also know that the Pune team will be called Pune Warriors. Kochi is still Team Kochi. More important from a fans perspective is that fact that the existing 8 teams could retain 4 Indian and 1 foreign players (remember all players are out of contract with their IPL teams this September).
I would love to see DC retain Gilly. I am not particular about retaining any of the Indians - none of them gave anything significant in the 3 seasons they were on. But then, I would also love to see the whole team being retained.
CSK would want to retain Captain Marvel. But he might just be thinking otherwise - may be sambar and idly are not on his preferred buffet. The story goes on. Let us see how it wraps when the auctions begin later this month.
But before all that, there is this small matter of the Champions League in South Africa. The ESPN-Star group is trying its best to promote the event. But there seems to be very less excitement about the event. Pathetic. Because the cricketing limelight is now on a bunch of greedy crooks who play for Pakistan!!!

Despicable Pakistan

Duh.. Pakistan are at in again! After the ball biting finish to the Australia series comes the no-ball bidding. And ridiculous to the fore is their attempt at putting a brave face!! They need to realize that there is sh1t all over their face already. You must have seen the Paki players coming out of the team hotel to board the team bus after the NOTW sting. There is a scene in the movie "Godzilla". Nick Totapolous and the camera crew along with the French scientist sneak in to Madison square to check out on the creature. The French scientist hands each of them a bubble gum and asks them to chew it so they can pretend like American soldiers. They group make a hash of chewing gum but still pass through check points. The scene of the Pakistan players boarding the bus was reminiscent of the same scene - especially the look on Mohammad Asif's face. Even as he chewed gum, he overacted in his bid to show the world that he was still cool.
Asif bhai - you already stepped on sh1t. It is time you wash your shoes. No point in pulling your pants over your shoes!
The ICC, it seems, is set to investigate 82 matches played by Pakistan. I propose that they investigate every match played by Pakistan in international cricket. And until such time that the investigation goes on ban the team from playing international cricket!!

Dump the racist please

The arrogant Aussie sob John Howard (how racist is that??) seems destined to be shown the exit door on his ICC VP ambitions. Going by reports, six of ten boards including the Indian board have rejected his nomination. I hope this turns out true and the racist gets the boot. Please dump the racist. We have had enough racists already in the ICC.
Elsewhere, amidst the blaring of the vuvuzelas, the cricket world whispered the format of the 2nd T20 Champions League to be held in S Africa later this year. CSK have avoided both MI and RCB and it could be refreshing for them. But they do have Victoria and Wayamba to contend. MI and RCB certainly have the tough ones.

Ego at the nation's cost

Here is proof to indicate how the nation's pride hangs around the rotund bellies of egomaniacs that rule Indian sports. When the Asian Olympic Association decided to have T20 cricket at this year's Asian Games I was licking my lips at the prospect of seeing India win another gold at Asian games. But the decision not to send the team to China by the group of fat men who constitute the BCCI baffles me extremely! All this because the BCCI and the Indian Olympic Association have egomaniacs ruling them and do not want to be on the same page. It is a pity that a billion Indians can be taken for a ride by a few men who know nothing about sports and the spirit of sports! But then what is the point in making noise through this blog? If anything, the only responses I can expect to this blog are defamation notices from the egomaniacs!

Racist racist racist

The other day I was at a bookstore and watched someone buying a copy of the book "The Gamechangers" written by the man who calls himself "Fake IPL Player" - such a coward. Anyway, his cowardice is a completely different topic to speak about. But I have a question for people who endorse him by buying his book. The fake names he christened for those involved in the IPL were funny. Everyone enjoyed it. But consider the names again. Were they really enjoyable? Did you really enjoy making fun of cricket players using those names? Take for example the name Appam Chuttiya. Appam is a popular dish in Kerala. By naming Sreesanth as Appam Chuttiya the coward has made fun of not just Sree but the whole of Kerala! But then we only see the joke and not the intention of the perpetrators. To put it straight, every fake name he conjured up was the result of a mind bent on racism. And here we are endorsing him by buying his book and making him even more famous! God help us all.
Speaking of racism, it is good to see some cricket boards objecting to the appointment of racist Howard as the ICC VP. The man is from a country that is known for racism and has himself been racist enough to call Murali a "chucker". What else would one need to banish him from cricket? I think the Asian nations in the ICC must reject him outright!