Indian Premier League '10 - An Overview !

The Third Edition of the Indian Premier League has certainly lived up to its hype and expectations. Some of the additions to the second edition were the initiation of the two and half minute strategic timeouts for the teams, which had a very good effect in the game and also with the live broadcast of all the games on the popular video sharing website You Tube, the Indian Premier League enjoys a privilege of being the first sporting event to do so. From the start of this season, all teams scurried to collect valuable points. However, the teams which qualified for the semifinals were Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The Sachin Tendulkar led Mumbai Indians had a very strong start winning their first two games against Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils. After losing a game against Royal Challengers, Tendulkar played a blazing knock of 71, getting the Mumbai Indians back to winning ways. They were truly unstoppable from there and went on again to extend their winning streak getting 5 victories in a row to finish with 20 points at the end of the league stage and they became the first side to book a semifinal berth. Excellent batting efforts from Tendulkar, Tiwary and occasional lusty blows from Pollard and Rayudu saw their team build a good total on the board while Malinga and Zaheer were the pick of the bowlers.

The Champions of the 2009 season of the Indian Premier League, Deccan Chargers led by Adam Gilchrist started off with a loss against Kolkata Knight Riders. However they were quick enough to bounce back with 3 wins against Chennai, Punjab and Delhi. But, they lost their momentum losing 2 games to Rajasthan and again to Mumbai and Kolkata.

When nobody thought that Deccan would make it, we saw some stunning consistent performances from Suman, Symonds and Rohit Sharma in spite of a let down by their out-of-form skipper upfront. Winning 5 games in a row and making 16 points at the end of the league stage, Deccan Chargers made its way into the semifinals. Outstanding bowling efforts from Harris and Vaas, while the player who surprised everybody was Harmeet, who did a wonderful job varying the pace every time he came to bowl, leaving us confused of what his real pace is (!!).

The consistent team in any edition of the IPL so far, has been the men in yellow, the Chennai Super Kings. The Super Kings led by Captain Courageous Dhoni were on and off in the league stages. The loss against Punjab XI in the super over hurt them hard, especially after scores were level, they couldn’t take it, their fans felt it hard to digest. It was then a big leap by the Chennai Super Kings where the local players, Badrinath and Vijay have won crucial games for their side almost single handedly. And it was then their Champion player Suresh Raina, who took over and amassed runs on the board in no time. He has had an outstanding IPL this season and he has regained his form perfectly at the right time ahead of the T20 World Cup. In the bowling department, Albie and Bollinger’s ability to hit the deck hard and also swing the ball away from the batsman has been outstanding. The find of the season, Ashwin has clearly delivered his goods upfront for the Super Kings. His bowling in the initial overs is very crucial and he is getting the wickets too. Full marks to Dhoni for his excellent captaincy and his valuable knock against Kings XI Punjab in a do or die game, which fetched them a berth in the semifinals. Chennai with that emotional win booked a semifinal berth with 14 points.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru led by the old fox Anil Kumble was very impressive in the initial stages of the tournament getting 4 wins in a row. And then as the season progressed, they began to face the bitter part of cricket losing some games in the middle. But, Kallis slowly began to unfold scoring runs at a brisk rate. Robbie has displayed some outstanding firecracker in the due course in the tournament and it definitely needed a special mention. And the win against Rajasthan Royals, where Pietersen quick-fired 62 of just 29 balls gave them a much needed victory and put them into the semifinals. While skipper Kumble and Vinay Kumar swung it for them in the bowling department very consistently. So, with wins here and there they managed to sneak into the top 4 .But with the start they made, they should have certainly landed just after Mumbai and they certainly are a well deserved lot. So, Kumble’s men take spot 4 in the points table with 14 points.

The semifinal 1 saw the clash of Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The Mumbai Indians initially rode on the good knocks of Tiwary and Rayudu. Tiwary was certainly at his best and played his shots to near perfection and Rayudu showed us glimpses of some hard hitting. Later, Pollard came down firing on all cylinders scoring 33 of just 13 balls. The Royal Challengers after an initial setback saw a good partnership between Uthappa and Ross Taylor, however Pollard came back scalping 3 wickets while Harbhajan and Malinga grabbed 2 wickets each to give Mumbai a win over Royal Challengers by 35 odd runs. The semifinal 2 at the low bounce wicket in D Y Patil stadium between Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers was however a low scoring game. The Super Kings batting first scored 142 in their 20 overs which saw a patient innings from Badrinath and Dhoni. While a good effort by Aniruddha in the end did give the Super Kings some runs on the board for them to defend. The Deccan Chargers batting second lost wickets at regular intervals while only Symonds managed to get some runs, the other players disappointed. Doughy Bollinger was the man who made all the damage getting 4 wickets giving away just 13 runs from his 4 overs. This saw a win by the Super Kings by 38 runs.

The Closing Ceremony kick started with an awesome performance from the Oscar man A R Rahman while dance performances by Bipasha Basu and Shahid Kapur did add some glitz and glamour to the ceremony ahead of the final.

The finals of the third edition of the Indian Premier League between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings witnessed an outstanding game and saw both the teams putting up a tough fight for the trophy. Super Kings winning the toss, started off slowly but steadily, getting some runs from Vijay and Raina on the other end provided with the much needed fire works scoring runs at a rapid pace. Dhoni too chipped in with a timely knock and the Super Kings finished with 168 in their 20 overs. The Mumbai Indians too started slowly with Tendulkar playing an anchor innings and Dhoni rotated his spinners too well, which saw the dismissals of the Mumbai Indians batsman notwithstanding pressure. At one stage, it looked as though Pollard will take them home, but again Dhoni’s non-theoretic field placements did the trick. The Mumbai Indians finally fell short of 22 runs for a win.

The Chennai Super Kings have been very consistent with their performance in the first and second editions of the Indian Premier League but missed the title going very close. But this time, they have done it beating the Mumbai Indians in the finals of the 3^rd edition by 22 runs lifting the trophy for the first time. After the big win by the home team, the Chennai Super Kings, its all party time here in Chennai, and we are very much waiting for the trophy to come home!!! In the local language and to all the Chennaites out there” Namba Chennai Super Kings ku PeriyaWhistla Podu”..!!

The Third Edition of the Indian Premier League has been a huge success and with the advent of 2 other teams in the IPL 4, we are looking forward for a bigger event next year. As Lalit Modi said, there have been some off field mishaps- but the respect for the game and the excitement never fades out. It would have been better without them, but the intensity and entertainment never went down !!

Chennai Super Kings crowned Champions of IPL 3

The 25^th of April may have belonged to the people taking a dig at the IPL’s Chief and issues pertaining to the IPL.. But it certainly belonged to the men in yellow, The Chennai Super Kings, who have been jubilant and clear winners of the third edition of the Indian Premier League. The Chennai Super Kings have been very consistent with their performance in the first and second editions of the Indian Premier League as well but missed the title after going into the semifinals both the times. But this time, they have done it beating the Mumbai Indians in the finals of the 3^rd edition by 22 runs lifting the trophy for the first time. They have, for sure done their hard-work to stay where they are today. The team effort and outstanding spirit of the players have always been on a high. Full marks to Dhoni for his excellent captaincy and his valuable knock against Kings XI Punjab in a do or die game, which fetched them a berth in the semifinals.

We however shouldn’t forget the timely innings from Subramaniam Badrinath and Murali Vijay. The local players have won games for the Chennai Super Kings almost single handedly in the crucial games against Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals respectively. In the semifinal game against Deccan, Badrinath adapted so well and quick to the low bounce and slower wicket after having played a lot of games in the Chennai wicket, which has a good bounce. He played a waiting innings, which was much needed and expected. Vijay has particularly been spectacular, be his batting or fielding. His quick-fire hundred against Rajasthan Royals was a treat to watch and that showed his ability as a T20 batsman keeping low his test-batsman image.

The Champion player for the Chennai Super Kings was indeed Suresh Raina. He has been exceptional getting all the runs on the board to put his team in a comfortable position. Though there had been some ups and lows in his career, he is back and with a bang. His consistent list of scores game by game showcases his never say die spirit and professionalism. And what a fielder he has been, completely top class. He now is also chipping in as a spinner which gives Dhoni an option to rotate his bowlers. To sum it up, Suresh Raina has had an outstanding IPL this season and he has regained his form perfectly at the right time ahead of the T20 World Cup.

The find of the season, Ashwin has clearly delivered his goods upfront for the Super Kings. His bowling in the initial overs is very crucial and he is getting the wickets too. He is a good thinker of the game and he gets the ball in the right areas, giving the much needed breakthroughs. Dhoni completely trusted Ashwin, making him bowl the crucial overs and Ashwin proved every time. So, one more Chennai boy ready to wear the Indian jersey?

The Aussies, Matthew Hayden and Dough Bollinger have played their part well. Bollinger, though joined the team halfway down the tournament, now is a sensation back here in Chennai. His ability to hit the deck hard and also swing the ball away from the batsman has been outstanding. Who can forget Doughy’s catch in the boundary line to get rid of Yusuf Pathan… an absolute blinder and it shows his exceptional presence of mind. Haydos’s form was however on and off. But it isn’t fair saying he dint score throughout the tournament and labeling him as a failure. He has been a psychological advantage for the Super Kings and every game we expect to see an attacking Hayden. Tough Luck Haydos. Looking forward seeing you go over the bowling attack in the next edition of the IPL.

Albie Morkel has been a thorough professional throughout this season’s IPL. He clearly knows what is expected of him and he delivers them. He has been a very successful T20 bowler of the tournament and he is also one of the finest all-rounders I have ever seen. Not to forget Albie’s contribution with the bat. He gives you that big blow or an odd boundary to ease the pressure and in fact he is used to playing in a pressure situation many a times and he had swung the game our way too!!

One of our prime spinners of the ball, Muralidharan has had a good time with the ball. His quota of 4 overs has been very important to the Super Kings. Sometimes he goes for runs and there are games where he has been top class as well. The best part about Murali is that, he uses his weapons, be it the dhoosra or a top spin or the normal off-break very wisely and carefully well directed against the batsman. Whatever it is Murali- You are indeed a top class rare breed spinner!!

Being in Chennai, Cheering them up when they play a game at any part of India with tons and tons of friends, brothers and sisters over the last 5 weeks has been an excellent experience and feeling. Be it a win or a lose – we look at the way Cricket is played, the entertainment relished and the support this big League has achieved in such a short span of time. As Lalit Modi said, there have been some off field mishaps- but the respect for the game and the excitement never fades out. It would have been better without them, but the intensity and entertainment never went down.. believe me. After the big win by the home team, the Chennai Super Kings, its all party time here in Chennai, and we are very much waiting for the trophy to come home!!! In the local language and to all the Chennaites out there” Namba Chennai Super Kings ku PeriyaWhistla Podu”..!!

Bravo Job By .. Dhhhooonnnniiii !! Csk In .. Punjab Out !

There was for sure a tense moment at the Daramshala Cricket Stadium which witnessed one cliffhanger of a match between the Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab. When a game goes as close as this, where the Chennai Super Kings required 14 runs of the final over and they were in a pity state where it’s a must win game for them to keep their semi-final chances alive and kicking, you can always expect the match to go in anybody’s way. After Captain Courageous, Mahendra Singh Dhoni Sky-rocketed an Irfan Pathan delivery out of the park, there was a good sense of relief both in the player’s dug-out and with the millions of fans supporting their home team, back in Chennai. And when he followed it up with another humungous one, which almost went over the mountains, it was all outbursts of emotions and pressure in the stadium, especially Dhoni who found it hard to hide his grit and sense of satisfaction. The players were seen in a pool of emotions and embraced each other with great excitement. As Badrinath said, it’s a team effort to the helm, right from Sudeep Tyagi’s outstanding catch to dismiss Mahela Jayawardena to the bamboozled innings from Suresh Raina and anchor innings from both Badrinath and Dhoni.

When a finisher to the likes of Dhoni, who has an outstanding temperament, stays there till the end playing a responsible innings, one can expect a complete reversal of the game. Though, his progress of scoring starts slowly, he manages to convert the singles into two’s and get the asking rate down. And once he starts to get the ball in the middle of his thick wood willow, he goes blazing guns and I should mention his flick shot which he plays with ease, where he picks the ball from outside off stump to quick-fire it over the mid-wicket boundary, with an amazing bat speed. The Super Kings especially after the dismissal of the man-in-form Raina were in a pressure situation and were forced to press the panic button. Dhoni, their savior, along with Badri displayed some outstanding batting skills with magnificent perfection and professionalism to get a win and to sail into the semifinals with 14 points. In any case, one shouldn’t forget the quick runs by southpaw Raina, who showcased class and an excellent batting effort. Though Badrinath’s scores in the previous games doesn’t look great, he played a match-winning innings alongside skipper Dhoni, which was a much needed knock and it came in the right time too.

The Chennai Super Kings have evolved well and are jelling as a team quite well. Ashwin has been absolutely phenomenal with his spin bowling up front supporting his lefty fast bowler Bollinger, who can hit the deck really hard. Morkel has been reasonably good and he should try more of bowling into the batsman rather than bowling away from him. Also useful contributions from Raina and Jakati in the middle overs are proving effective. Though we seem to have a good combination, we still have a great scope to hone some swinging action and we really have to restrict the opponents to a mere 120-140 odd total. However, with the depth we have in our batting, we really can chase down any total and we shouldn’t forget that our batting have helped us over the games so far. So, with some effort from our bowlers, we can get the act together and make it simple rather than making it a daunting task. Chennai Super Kings now march into the semi-finals with their Skipper leading his team from the front. Beware people; the lion’s den is getting really hot and spicy. So will the Chennai Super Kings go from strength to strength gaining momentum from this fantastic victory?? Anyways… to all you people out in Chennai, lets wear the yellow jerseys and support Dhoni’s Army and Come On People .. ”Idu Namma Chennai Chennai Super Kings !! “

Let’s celebrate cricket!

With a lot of expectations, the third edition of the Indian Premier League is all set to take centre stage. The arrangements for the inaugural ceremony are in full swing and with the event taking place in India; IPL fans can afford a wide smile. The main news is that four new venues — Nagpur, Vishakapatnam, Ahmedabad, and Dharmasala - have been added apart from the eight home venues. Now let’s take a peek into the teams and its champion players.

The Mumbai Indians

Led by the great man Sachin Tendulkar, are expected to bounce back this time after two successive tough editions. The Caribbean flavours of Pollard and Bravo add spice to the side. They are two good players who can prove their mettle in the shortest version of the game. Abhishek Nayar should show some temperament this time and the surprise entry Shikar Dhawan is expected to be handy with the bat. All eyes will be on the man in form, Sachin Tendulkar and he will have the Sri Lankan Jayasuriya to help him open Mumbai’s account.

The Delhi Daredevils

The squad looks pretty impressive with an explosive line-up of the likes of Sehwag, De Villiers, Dilshan, Warner … the list just goes on. It’s a comeback tournament for their new skipper Gautam Gambhir and he will certainly be trying to prove a point. Expect useful contributions from Karthik and Henriques while Maharoof can get that odd boundary to ease the pressure. Nannes, Nehra and Sangwan will be the bowlers to watch and Mishra can mix it up well in the death overs. So Delhi looks a strong side with a lot of big hitters waiting to provide you the entertainment.

Chennai Super Kings

The team has a good blend of raw talents and experienced players. Everything is falling in place for this strong side, with the latest being the availability of Matt Hayden. Australia’s batting tour de force Hayden along with skipper Dhoni will be looking to strike gold. Experienced players like Hussy, Raina and Badri support them in the middle overs and crackers are always expected from South African Albie Morkel and Gony. The fast bowling department is led by Balaji and Gony while much will be expected from wily spin wizard Muralidharan and his lefty partner Jakati, who worked wonders in IPL2.

Royal Challengers

The finalists of IPL2, Royal Challengers from Bengaluru showed team spirit and outstanding talent. Dravid’s dream run fetched them a second spot last time. With Kallis and the long-time-no-see Ross Taylor to bank upon, the Royal Challengers will fight it out in the middle. Youngsters like Uthappa and Manish Pandey can use this opportunity to get into the already strong International side. New man Peter Siddle will hopefully have a look in. And with old fox Kumble’s valuable experience, they will try to land in a good spot.

Kolkata Knight Riders

With the multiple-captain approach drawing flak , the Knight Riders now come under the prince of Kolkata, Sourav Ganguly. Jamaican southpaw, Chris Gayle is expected to fire on all cylinders, with his explosive and disdainful batting style. Agarkar and Ishant Sharma look dangerous in their initial spells and Ganguly will double up as a part-time bowler to get a crucial breakthrough. However, KKR fans will be watching Shane Bond wearing the black jersey. Harpreet Singh. Shukla can chip in with some useful contributions with the bat while the hard hitting Mccullum will certainly go for the swing. The KKR will look for some good luck charm this time!

Kings XI Punjab

Preity Zinta’s Kings XI Punjab will look to make its presence felt this time. They have new skipper Sangakkara to lead, while the flamboyant Yuvraj plays as a batsman. Hopes and the ever-patient Jayawardene can anchor their middle order. Irfan’s fans get to see the handsome man back in action, but Brett Lee and Abdullah will be the men to watch in the bowling department. The young Chawla will be a useful option.

Deccan Chargers

The champions of IPL2, Deccan Chargers used failure as their stepping stone to success. The Chargers scripted an incredible turnaround in the last season clinching the trophy. All credit to its wicketkeeper-skipper Adam Gilchrist. His Australian teammate Symonds will have to deliver the goods this time and the expectations from left arm spinner Ojha will be high. Dwayne Smith has been a success with both bat and the ball last season and is expected to strike again and lefty seamer RP Singh is expected to be one of the lead runners for the purple cap.

Rajasthan Royals

Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals is a young side with fresh talents making up the 30-player squad. Big names include Graeme Smith, Mascarenhas and our own Yusuf Pathan, who can dominate a good bowling attack. Goa player Asnodkar still occupies the opening slot, Naman Ojha can prove a good competitor. The bowling looks bright with the raw pace of Shaun Tait and Munaf. Warne’s initial spells will be crucial while Yusuf can chip in as well. The young Royals side will look up to their spin legend skipper to deliver the goods.

Tune your channels to the biggest cricketing event from March 12 as Deccan Chargers take on Mumbai Indians in Mumbai at 8.pm.