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.

Another feather to Tendulkar’s cap !!

India’s most celebrated cricketer once again occupies the centre stage, this time for a scintillating world record for being the first man in the ODI history to get a double hundred. Indeed I’m talking about the little master and India’s favorite boy wonder.. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Tendulkar achieved this rare feat in just 147 balls as he toyed with the South African bowlers with great finesse. Sachin now holds the record for the highest run getter in the 50 over format of the game. The Batting Wizard almost went on a rampaging attack after his 150, deciding where to hit the ball even before it was bowled. Tendulkar showed great temperament and brought on his experience staying there rock solid putting the ball away to the boundary with great ease and certainly every run was a master stroke. Now reeling back 22 years from now, Tendulkar was in Mumbai stitching a 400 run partnership with his best buddy Vinod Kambli in a local game in Mumbai. People close to Tendulkar did predict he will make it to the Indian team, but Sachin took it game by game performing every time he comes out to bat and unquestionably Tendulkar shot up to an iconic status in no time and in fact his is now a household name. But Tendulkar certainly deserves to be where he is today.. his hardwork and dedication to the game are absolutely phenomenal.

After so much hard played cricket, we still feel he has a lot of cricket left in him and his best is yet to come. He is probably the only cricketer whose arrival in the middle would put millions of lips into silent prayer. The fact which fascinates me is that, still at the age of 36, he runs like a leopard and he has the eye of a tiger and most importantly he still has the hungry to score tons and tons of runs. If at all Tendulkar feels its time to quit, I think the record books can close!! As hardcore Sachin Tendulkar fans, we would love to congratulate the god of cricket for the 200 run achievement and as a matter of fact, if at all there is one batting record Tendulkar dint go over, its Brian Lara’s 400 runs in an innings.. It isn’t far away, Lara beware!! In Toto, its tough being the man !

Disclaimer: Please do not try to imitate Tendulkar or try going behind his records, it may prove fatal!!

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Thrilling Win to Retain the NO.1 Slot !

There is a lot to take and cheer about if you are a hardcore Indian cricket fan as Team India claimed a thrilling win in the dying minutes of the second test to retain their top spot in the world test cricket ranking.

After the visitors almost managed prolonging the day avoiding a defeat under the lone battle waged by Hashim Amla, named man of the match and series, the Indians were not so quick to grab the final wickets which almost saw the end of the final session of the day. Amla however fought it out in the middle, despite the fact of losing able batsmen in the other end and tried hard to push his team towards a draw. Regular rains and bad climatic conditions came to the rescue of the South Africans, which made the match progress towards a draw, if not for the turbanator who claimed 5 wickets in the innings clinching a win for the men in blue.

The final overs from the Indian spinners, especially the offie who gave the much needed breakthrough and it wouldn’t have been possible without the high spirited bowling from the young Indian seamer, Ishanth Sharma who claimed two successive wickets pushing the South African tail on the back foot. Though Morkel hung on very patiently, he finally succumbed to a Harbhajan delivery that had a good bounce and which zipped through Morkel’s pads erupting the huge crowd at Eden Gardens into celebrations.

The Indian players embraced their fellow mates and showed great sportsmanship congratulating the man who stood batting throughout the day, the man in form for the South Africans who aggregated 490 runs from 3 innings, Hashim Amla.

Team India are still on a high and stay in an unassailable position after a victorious test match series against their South African counterparts and pushing the into the no.2 slot. As an Indian it feels great calling Team India, the World Champions in Test!!

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Team India Looking for Consistency !

The recently concluded Idea Cup has made Team India’s frontline bowlers accurate in pitching the balls on right areas and they seem to make the odd ball move away from the batsman, which speaks volumes about the attack. Zaheer Khan is without doubt making his presence felt as a senior bowler giving valuable inputs to the younger grade of internationally inexperienced bowlers while Ashish Nehra is trying to get the ball zip through the track. Ravindra Jadeja is proving to be a dependable option and Dhoni can always bank on Yuvraj Singh to get a crucial breakthrough. The turbanator has lived up to the expectations of the team doing quite a job.

The improvement in the fielding department is now beginning to show how much effort has gone into it and the quick reflexes in Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh has been an awesome sight to any Indian supporter.

Batting have always remained Team India’s good strength with Gautham Gambhir ,Virender Sehwag and now even with Kohli and Raina chipping with valuable contributions to amass a huge total on board. Dhoni has been very flexible in the batting order, getting a wonderful act together and certainly making a mark as a successful skipper after Sourav Ganguly.

Now consistency is the word, they will have to look for, which always gives a miss to Dhoni and his men. However the men in blue have made a phenomenal progress in the recent past, they are working hard on their technique and its pretty evident. Youngsters like Kohli and Jadeja are doing their bit and have shown that they can deal pressure situations with ease. With a few good knocks from Gambhir and Virender Sehwag carrying his present form forward into the next series, one can expect a fiery start from the openers and look to carry it forward with Kohli, Yuvraj or Raina. When hard work is married to consistency, the world champions in tests will certainly be eyeing for the top spot in the one-days too!!

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Team India Walking on Air

Team India are now proving their mettle as a top class team. The cup is now full and Dhoni is capably leading his team upfront. His responsible innings and the way he prepares himself as a floater in the batting order shows the flexibility in the batting. The batsmen are doing their job quite well on the top shifting gears to post a huge total on the board every game and either of Gambhir, Sehwag, Tendulkar striking it really hard and with Raina, Yuvraj and Dhoni setting up a good strength to the middle order.

Fielding is still a department to watch out for and even with the fielding coach in place, the sloppy fielding continues - maybe Michael Young still needs to spend more time with the players but dropping straight catches mean, giveaway of a game. Its quite evident that the gentleman's game is turning to be a team game. The players are now getting into a game as a team sharing ideas and it feels great to see them in their comfort zones. Its team effort all the way and at its best, i would say.

The Bowling department so far has been absolutely brilliant. Dhoni is managing a good show juggling his bowlers and mixing it up so well. Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh have brought in their vast experience and bowling at death overs has been top class. Ashish Nehra now joining the party makes the block still stronger. Newcomers, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja and Murali Vijay have contributed in good proportions and it will be prodigious to see their fortitude shining in the cricketing arena winning more games for Team India.

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Team India crowned No.1 in Tests !

Team India became the number one test team on sunday after defeating SriLanka comprehensively by an innings and 24 runs in the third and final cricket test in mumbai to clinch the series 2-0. The SriLankans were completely bowled over and looked very weak in a bad shape after a big loss.

The itch for the top spot has been in the rounds for quite a time and finally the coveted top spot has come India's way for the first time in the history of the game. This is actually the official announcement of domination upon all the teams who hold a test status, I would say. It all speaks great volumes of the effort that has gone into getting all the players together rubbing shoulders and the support staff along with the selection committee has been instrumental.

Dhoni now becomes the second captain in the 132 year old history of test cricket not to have lost a test match in his first ten games. Dhoni now holds 7 on 10 under his belt. How is that for a record ? Dhoni has been clearly pussyfooted in leading the Team India getting all the expertise possible from the senior players and support staff and even in choosing his bowlers for the game along with the field they ask for. And it has completely paid off to a big measure fetching a top rank for the Indian Team in Tests.

Two innings defeat in a row against the SriLankans showcase the strength of the Indian Team with all the players coming in and playing their parts to near perfection. The batting department was exceptional and the bowlers upped the tempo pressurizing the Lankans every time they came to bat. Sehwag amassed a total of 491 runs in the series fetching a record for India against SriLanka in a Test rubber. And Dhoni stepped up for a brilliant ton even when he was playing alongside tail-enders to the likes of Ojha and Sreesanth. And the bowlers were too good scalping the Lankan batsmen on the odd foot pressing them hard under and Zaheer, Harbhajan were the pick of the Indian bowlers and the comeback Kerala fast bowler Sreesanth proved to be in a fine nick grabbing a 5 for in the first test in Ahmadabad. Its certainly team work at its best for Team India !!

Team India have unquestionably proved to be a powerhouse and they have established their place in the top and Dhoni's men now are marching towards an unassailable and they deserve to be there where they are !! .. Many congratulations to Team India and the management for fetching the rare feat !!

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Melody King - Unnikrishnan

Singing takes a preference over the gentleman's game to this man from Kerala. Reaching great heights in classical music as well as film singing speaks great volumes of his colossal singing. Indeed Iam talking about the national award singer Unnikrishnan. Playing cricket and singing is a kind of a tough balancing act. And i should say he did quite a job when he opted to go with singing. Still when you talk about cricket to him, he relishes the exciting moments in a cricketting arena.

He is one of the finest singers we have seen who is doing rounds in the industry. The feel with which he delivers the song is out of the world. His first rendition in film singing kick-started with the romantic melody "ennavale" from the film Kaadalan. The film demanded the voice and A.R.Rahman from nowhere casted a magic spell and ofcourse who would forget the honey soaked singing of Unni, One of the best ways to give a launchpad to a singer from a classical music background. The transformation from classical singing to film music was awe-inspiring and Rahman guided Unni so well making him very comfortable managing a good show definitely.

Unnikrishnan's successive songs fetched him a dream run in film singing with the latest one being a melody "vaarayo vaarayo" from the film Aadhavan. He flattered us all with his blockbuster hits with his smooth and sweet rendition. It truly swept us all, off our feet !!

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Modern day legend

ACHIEVEMENT Even after 20 years of power play, Sachin is a force to reckon with. Aint He ???

A.R.Rahman for Music, Michael Jackson for Dance, Amitabh Bachchan for acting , and when it comes to Cricket you have to give it to Sachin Tendulkar. The cricketing genius surpasses every other cricketer, even Bradman and Lara stand only next to Tendulkar.

Twenty years of International cricket,436 One Day Internationals, 159 tests, his tally stands a whopping 87 hundreds and the longevity of the batting legend continues to amaze the cricketing world.His dedication and passion for the game,his honesty and humbleness make you admire him.This soft-spoken cricketer can go behind any bowler whacking, be it warne-murali or Akram-Mcgrath. When Sachin is on song - he stands there rock-solid and slays the bowlers. You can never ever set a good field to a thinking batsman of his stature and commitment.You'll look haunted with his presence in the middle, thats for sure - I have seen it in Akram to Waugh and Sangakkara to Ponting.

He is called The Batting genius,A Legend ,Little Master ,Boy Wonder ,perfectionalist, and what not... I call him the Craftsman of Cricket !! .. aint he ?? .. He is the reason for what Cricket is proud of itself. He is truly a once-in-a-century player. I still remember the crowd waiting on the edge of their seats to applaud Tendulkar when he was one short of 17000 runs, when his signature leg glance fetched him the rare feat of being the highest run getter in International Cricket with 17,178 runs. I was waiting to see him react to such a record with tears in my eyes, and as always he remained calm and cool headed. It was such an exciting and emotional moment for all of us, who wait to see Sachin bang every bowler. And man .. he delivers the goods every time he comes out to bat and continues to acknowledge this cricket mad nation. This Nation is proud to have him here who is such a stalwart of the game and a great human being by heart. !!

The Art Of Public Speaking !!

The topic in bold letters may seem to be so dumb to many people and as you read this I could see a not very broad smile creasing the corners of your mouth.But it is one of the powerful arts that can take you places that too its very demanding in a recession-hit situation like this,where expressing yourself in a crowd may fetch you a million-dollar deal.Who knows ??

A public speaker requires to address the group in a crisp and informative way adding his dose of humour to spice up his speech.Good speakers generally appear super confident on-stage knowing what he should speak and what the audience would expect from him.A good accent,strong command over the language,neat choice of words and a strong voice like that of Mr.Barack Obama that could fill the room ,which will establish a good rapport with the crowd.

Fear or nervousness in such a situatio ,may come your way trying to grip you as your only enemy to tap you off-guard.Dont stand up there like a stick,clenching the podium at both sides.Be natural and move around while you try to express a valid point but dont roll back and forth- that conveys nervousness.And dont ever mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech,you may be calling the audiences' attention to something they hadn't noticed.

My professor once asked me not to pack in lots of facts and information,which leads to a very booring session.Also he would ask us to avoid repetition because it easily stands out in a short speech and it indeed is very tiresome for the listeners.Connect to the audience with occasional eye contacts and a gentle smile will fit the bill and try to be conversational in your approach rather than reading it from the paper word-by-word.

Try and control your nerves, be prepared and make sure that whatever jokes and examples you have are relevant to the topic, that way you will have the audience waiting to hear more of you and yu'll be called a gifted speaker !!

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The Indian team for the Triseries ...An Analysis...

As the SriLanka-India-NewZealand triangular series springs up on the charts,I just brainworked a small analysis on the Indian squad.

The Indian batting line-up is one of the strongest in the international circuit.Their opening batsmen have so far proved to be admirable.As specialist openers,Sachin and Gambhir have to deliver the goods upfront.However its a big setback for the Indian team to missout on Sehwag,Gambhir should fill the void.Tendulkar on the other hand knows how to make both ends meet and the hard fact that a fiery start is eagerly expected from the duo. Yuvi and Raina will be our vital wickets as they could swing back any game in quick succession.Big hitters and thinking batsmen they have been so far and both of them have been outstanding in the fielding department.Coming down the order,Yusuf and Dhoni are admittedly capable of playing a match-winning innings.They are strong batsmen who look for the big ones in the end overs or look for a patnership in case of a top order batting collapse.I really admire these men for their adaptability under any role,any position and any pressure situation.

Next comes in the man who sparkled in the IPL for the Royal Challengers had proved his point and many people wrong including the Owner Mallya. Its so good to see him coming back into the side but it will be more interesting to see where he fits himself amidst the formidable batting line-up.Dinesh Kaarthik and Abhishek Nayar are useful batsmen who can keep the scoreboard ticking.Both of them excelled in the shortest version of the game for their respective teams in the grand IPL.But again 'adaptibility' to different forms of the game remains the decider.

The bowling department goes with Ishant and RP singh leading the pace attack with Praveen Kumar chipping in as a first change bowlwer.And this time I feel there would be a lot to depend on the two lone spinners Mishra and the experienced offie Harbhajan.Still the selection of Aashish Nehra remains a mystery to solve.But where on Earth is the lanky paceman L.Balaji ?? Is he still injured ??

There were certainly many questions to impose on the selection committee which crept inside my mind when I went through the team.I fail to understand why Praveen Kumar was selected ahead of Irfan Pathan.I dont think performance is the reason and Ifran would clearly outperform Praveen Kumar in all aspects of the game,Iam sure.Again selection of Nayar to Tamilnadu Captain,Badrinath.The board has certainly been harsh on him despite his good performances in the domestic circuit. Anyways,the Indian team now should be a happy lot with the return of experienced players to the likes of Tendulkar and Dravid whose inputs will galvanize the younger bunch.Hoping to see the men in blue at action soon with great vigour and poise.

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"Friendship" says it all ..!!!

"True happiness consists not in the multitude of friends,but in their worth and choice" said Samuel Johnston.Indeed friendship is not about the thousand friends you have,its about the 4 or 5 of them who stay with you what may come,who lend their hand at the hour of need,who support you at your time of crisis,console you when you are down...and the list goes on.

It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, a hour to like someone, and a day to fall in love with someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone who has spent millions of days with you sharing his secrets,his sorrows and joyous moments.Its really tough to find such a person who will care for you and who will be ready to help you unless you show them that you always care for him.

In this twenty years,I've met millions of people and I can say I have succeeded in befriending many of them.But its still tough to beat the guy whom i met in my second grade,Stephen. He's been with me for almost 18 years and we've shared glorious moments together being inseperable. The essence and depth of friendship stays in the way you understand and respect each other. It was the complex game of chess which brought us together.Love for Cricket,passion for cartoons,similar hobbies, bloomed our friendship. We never know in which way you earn a friend.They are like a deck of cards, they come in kings and queens, red and black, six and seven, but if one of them is giving a miss, the deck won't work.Its not about grouping those cards into a red or black,its about choosing the right card from a deck.You pick the right card,its tough to beat that bonding which is carved and sculptured with lots of love and care.

Im glad to have made both the extreme decisions.My right decisions have fetched me trusted peers and my wrong decisions have taught me a lesson.The hardest feeling comes in when you are bein cheated and ditched.When you are being cheated in the name of friendship it feels like yo've been stabbed,one of the worst feelings which always creeps in an unexpected situation.It is one of these reasons why many people fail to enlarge or magnify their friends.They infact try to form their own small group of trusted friends.And people who have failed to extend hands after a disasterous dump,go into isolation.

Everybody in our lifetime would have faced a situation wherein your best friend,be it a guy/girl walk out on us. It is certainly a hard hit on the head as friendship takes one notch over trust that someone will not harm them .We really shouldn't worry and take this to our head as we have been sincere in our friendship with them, and its they who withdrew. They will realize their mistake at some point of time in their life and will come back to us showing all their teeth shamelessly.

I thank all my best buddies for coming into my life and making it impressive and exalted with their enthralling presence.Let us exculpate ourselves acknowledging our old friends and extending our hands establishing contacts with new ones celebrating friendship with a lot of vigour and joy.

My Cup Of Life !!

I've just stepped into my pre-final year and it has been a relaxing schedule so far..Watching TV whenever I want,play cricket and badminton until I get tired of it,flip through a Filmfare magazine or a Sheldon novel anytime,Browse through the numerous social networking websites like Orkut or the Facebook.It has been a long time since, I have been without a tasking work or facing a nerve-cracking math problem.College Life now is full of fun,frolic and joy being surrounded by a swarm of friends,messaging in quick succession between class hours or between classes sometimes,mass bunks,escaping from the security men without an ID card or for an illegal dress code and not to forget the "Senior" tag which I almost have, Unless we face an uninvited guest coming on us every 3 months or atleast every 5 months,the so called semister exams.This exam time stays with us only for a short time but it can threaten your lives.Reading for 6 hours a day,lots of doubts,clarifications,confusing examples, unsolved problems, printing mistakes,local authors,foreign authors, long derivations, logical equations.. Hmmmm... Its a taxing work indeed to grapple with all of them in a day's time, that too the day before exams,still the cup is sweet !!

But ..reeling some 4 years back in my life..It was one of the toughest phase ..I was no more than a tenth grade school kid carrying a tupperware lunch-box along with a red bulky school bag to school.Homeworks in almost all the subjects and tuition classes sealed the day.Studying for my weekly and monthly tests, I restricted and I almost lost a good measure of my TV and play time.Pressures from lab records and assignments made me a night owl.My negative affinity towards my second language(Hindi) worsened the situation.And one of the hard feelings that is experienced by almost all the high school students is isolation.You are isolated as you are always expected to be a bookworm locked in a room.

After all the hassle-tussle brawls,im now in a breathe easy state of mind.The present Situations and environments are completely distinctive from my high school ones.But man,you always have to reconstruct and shape up at the right time, else you will be hurt and discarded. In this Game of Life, You get a chance to play Only Once. So its high time , You get your dreams done,ambitions clinched,and desires fulfilled !! You give a miss - -Someone's partying tonite !!.....

As i say this,its now almost time,that I leave for my bus stop.Mommy get my ID card...!!!

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Semifinal Chances In IPL 2- An Analysis..

           

The IPL2 is blazing hot and making waves in South Africa.The pressure is on and full marks to entertainment.Unlike the first edition of IPL,we now aren't witnessing the single side games.Its getting very competitive and the Net Run-rate is already into play.Now with the exception of Kolkata Knight Riders,the other teams are giving their best shot and desperate to enter into the semis,clearly showing us,the heat is On.

Now my pick as semifinalists(as a prediction)goes with Chennai,Delhi,Rajasthan Royals and the 4th spot stays a half chance between Deccan Chargers and Punjab Kings.

The hot favourites,Chennai Super Kings are proving their mettle so well after the initial setbacks in the tournament.And now with 5 back-to-back wins and luck always swaying their way,the Super Kings are posing a tough threat to the other teams as strong contenders to grab the gold n diamond lady.Their top 4 batsmen,especially Hayden and Raina have been instrumental in their success.Bowling too has been on par and they have done a fair job in defending their scores,although over-shadowed by their batting skills.The team now concentrating on their major concern and area of improvement,fielding.So Dhoni's men clearly marching towards the semifinals. 

     The Delhi Daredevils too going strong,looks in great form to fight for the title.Their batting line-up has been the best so far with Viru and Gauti getting good starts and AB,Dilshan,Kaarthik contributing consistently and now with even Warner in the sidelines,Iam really interested to see who drops out and how the batting order changes in their semifinals.Their bowling attack has been pretty good so far with Nannes and Mishra shaping well.So Daredevils up for their challenges in the semifinals.

   Rajasthan Royals come next with a good chance for the semifinals as their next match opponents would be Kolkata Knight Riders. The young man Ravindra Jadeja is stepping up to play the pivotal role to get his team a good total.Their batting have helped them so far to win matches.So will the big fish,Yusuf find his touch back to guide his team into the semis ? Anyways with Botha now coming into the side and with Smith-Ojha getting some runs ,they are confident of making it to the semifinals.And with their good batting line up to put on a good score on the board,the bowling department is now shifting gears to bowl their heart out and give in their best.Also with the great experience of leggie Warne,they are trying to keep their semifinal hopes alive.

  The Deccan Chargers are also making their best efforts to place themselves within the top 4 spots in the points table.The Chargers are now falling short of expectations after it started off so well in the initial stages of the tournament.The team is looking at its prolific batsmen Gilchrist and Gibbs to deliver their goods up front.Also Rohit,now turning to be a magician for them is getting the required runs in very quick succession. Their bowling have so far been good with RP and Ojha getting them the crucial breakthroughs.And Rohit chipping in as a part-time bowler comes as a surprise package.With their next match against the Royal Chellengers,Deccan's chances of entering the semis are bright.

The Punjab Kings have been equally good with Yuvi,Sanga and Katich in good form.But they are now struggling to give the firepower in the powerplay overs,which is very important to put on a good score.With their next encounter against the in-form Chennai SuperKings ,I think the Punjab Kings are caught on their odd foot.Who Knows,Yuvraj's innings may win them a semifinal chance.

So the Deccan's chances of taking a stroll over the Punjab Kings are pretty good when you see their opponents.

The Royal Chellengers seem to be on the back foot needing a win each against the Deccan Chargers and the powerful Delhi Daredevils.Even if they  manage a win against both the teams,they have a poor net run-rate which will slide them down.So tough time for the Royal Challengers,Bangalore entering the semifinals.

The other team Mumbai has lost their winning touch with that loss against the SuperKings and Kolkata Knight Riders have always been an exception and they are in their own world of racism and other controversies.So,I predict Chennai,Delhi,Rajasthan Royals and Deccan Chargers as the semifinalists in the ingoing IPL2.

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My Heart Stays With SuperKings !!

Chennai SuperKings as well as the Rajasthan Royals have made it to the top just after Delhi,after an initial setback in the tournament.They have come back strongly into the games so far.Though both the teams have 11 points each,Chennai manages to just nudge out Royals with a net Run-rate as good as +1.281.Both these teams have used their powerplays so well to get into a good position from the start. 

 The Chennai SuperKings have one of the impressive batting line ups.Also the Royals have good batsmen who can take away the match at any point of the game.So batting proves to be their strengths.So today's game will be very important for both the teams.So its almost like Yusuf Vs Hayden and Smith Vs Raina.

 

 The Chennai SuperKings have a prolific batsman in Hayden,who can just get over and dominate any bowler in any wicket.Raina and Dhoni too come to our rescue to put a good total on the board.Also the lower order trio of  Morkel,Badri,and Bailey may be a concern for the Royals.As the bowling department is concerned, Morkel, Tyagi, Balaji, Jakati,Murali and also with Raina chipping into that list,Dhoni has a variety of options to switch over. 

 On the other hand,Royals's opening batsmen Ojha and Smith are getting tough to handle.Also they will be looking forward to those big ones from Yusuf and Quiney.SupeKings really have a job here in getting rid of the dangerous Yusuf.And the last recognizable batsmen Jadeja and Mascarenhas have been giving good inputs to the team.Royals's bowling will start with Amit.And nobody is able to take Kamran's place,it shows void.Warne will have to bring Yusuf and him early into the attack.

So the game is evenly poised.Still,my heart desires for Chennai.My best wishes to SuperKings. 

Chennai Marching Towards Their 5th Win In A Row ..??

Its all exciting and fun as the De Beers Diamond Oval host this match ,Chennai SuperKings going over The Rajasthan Royals.The 2 big teams have had an outstanding comeback to place themselves in the top 4 spots.So a tough fight coming its way.

Chennai's Key Players for today :: 

                          Hayden,Raina,Dhoni,Balaji,Jakati.

Rajasthan's Key Players for today :: 

                            Yusuf,Smith,Ojha,Jadeja and Warne.

Hayden and Raina have to score at the top for the SuperKings.With Dhoni giving those fireworks in the middle,and Morkel-Bailey contributing their part,Chennai should get a good target on the board.With Morkel or Tyagi getting those early wickets, it should't be tough for murali,Jakati and Balaji to get the match in our favour claiming the tail's wickets.

Smith and Ojha will plan to play a pivotal role for the Royals leaving behind Yusuf for the bigger hits.So Smith's wicket is crucial for the CSK.Quiney may come into the side to provide that firepower in the middle along with the young chap Jadeja.Mascarenhas is the man to look out for in the bowling department.Warne and Yusuf will come into the attack early,no doubt.

Both the sides look good and I am looking forward for their key players to play a huge role and win the game game for their team.Looks like a high-scoring game as the wicket is good for batting.

So is Chennai marching towards its 5th win in a row..??  looking for a stroll over the Royals ?? Lets wait and Watch.. 

Raina,the Super Hero ..

The Chennai SuperKings are on a winning spree.Winning 4 matches in a row with a net run-rate as good as +1.281,Chennai is definitely posing a threat to the other teams.

Now lets take some of the positives from the game :::

** Hayden is standing tall upfront,whatever be the match situation.This is indeed fetching us the run-rate as well as a big start. 

** Raina is proving himself as a dependable batsman and also he has that ability to score some quick runs.Looking forward  for a great knock from him.

** Dhoni is in great form,scoring his second unbeaten half century.He gives us that firepower in the middle overs.

** Balaji has been an outstanding bowler so far for us.He is one man whom you can trust at the death overs.

** Again Raina with that spell yesterday was brilliant enough to stop Yuvi's kill.Its great seeing him turn an all-rounder(may be) slowly.He has been very good with the ball in the previous matches as well.

Some of the negatives that deny us a small edge :::

** So far Chennai has been poor in its Catching department.We are not asking for blinders.Atleast we have to take those sitters,to deny a chance for the opponents to get into the game again.

** Jakati has been splendid so far.But he still should try to control the ball in a wicket which has nothing for the spinners.

** Also some of the fielders are finding it difficult to throw the ball effectively from the boundary line especially Tyagi.I think ,He should get his core exercises done to strengthen his throw.  

** Manpreet Gony is on a low at the moment, we are waiting for him to come out of the shackles.

So if the SuperKings turn these negatives to positive aspects.I see the SuperKings as a strong contender for the gold n diamond lady.

My best Wishes To Them !! 

-

Pup

Nail-biting Finish In Favour Of SuperKings !!

What a great finish we have had at the Supersport,Centurion...Full marks for entertainment and pressure.The Punjab Kings really played their heart out to reach somewhere near the SuperKings's total with a run-rate as high as 11.

                At one stage it was all Punjab.They were nearly there.But they lost their way,lost their momentum in the last 2 overs of the game,giving an opportunity for the SuperKings to bounce back and grab a 12 run win over the Punjab Kings.

The Turn-around ::

                    2-0-8-0 ... The young man with those bowling figures,Suresh Raina was the super hero Yesterday night.The part-timer kept his line simple and hit the right areas, has won it for the SuperKings.He conceded just 8 runs of his 2 overs when all the bowlers were going for atleast 10 runs in an over,is the turning point of the game.

An Intellectual Dhoni ::

                         Dhoni has always been a thinking captain on the field.When Murali and Jakati went for more runs,he was too quick to understand the wicket had nothing for the spinners.And he was brave enough to try Raina(a part-timer) leaving back Jakati(a specialist spinner).I would say this is one of the finest moves,which fetched SuperKings their Victory.

Anyways.. the SuperKings are going Great Guns...and no stopping them.

4th win in a row clinched !! Great Job boys !! 

-

Pup 

My Instincts Favour Super Kings !!

The Super Kings are threatening their opponents with their roaring Success in South Africa.It was very evident after the CSK thrashed the Deccan Chargers in East London.

          

           So now the Super Kings is all set to face the Punjab Kings for the first time in IPL 2009.The Punjab Kings face the Super Kings after their big defeat against the Rajasthan Royals.So they will be trying hard to grab a win against the CSK.

Punjab Key Players ::

                     Yuvi,Sangakkara,Mahela,Abdullah and maybe even Katich.

Chennai Super Kings Key Players ::

                           Hayden,Raina,Dhoni,Morkel,Murali,Jakati,Balaji,.... I think i will have to write the entire playing eleven here..Who has not performed..?..Every match someone swings it for the SuperKings.

  The Punjab's bowlers have to really bowl a tight line else you can't blame Hayden or Raina for hitting the ball hard to some 120 mts away.They are really capable of that.So Punjab will be looking to dismiss Hayden and Raina for some cheap runs.Now also with Dhoni chipping into the party and Morkel,Oram to support,I don't expect a batting collapse in the SuperKings line-up.

  The SuerKings will again look up to their fast bowlers,Morkel and Tyagi to get those early breakthroughs.So the wickets of Yuvi,Sanga,Mahela are vital for the CSK to claim.Dhoni will also try to bring in Murali and Jakati into the attack very early,to deny them some quick runs.

Is Chennai goin on for another win in a row...?? Its for us to wait and watch.. 

May Super Kings be in the best of their Lucks!!.. Jai Ho Super Kings..      

Pup  

Super Kings In Roaring Form !

SuperKings are now becomming too hot to handle by any team.They are now slowly turning things their way, half-way down the tournament,which is a very good news to its fan base.

 

 Now to their next encounter against the Kings XI Punjab.

      

  I would not say Punjab has created a fear in their opponents,but they have been reasonably good so far by winning 4 games and losing the same number of games.

 

   Punjab's top order batsmen haven't fired really well.So if this time if Sangakkara or Yuvi fire,they have a chance to win here !! 

But with SuperKings's fast bowlers in tremendous form, i don't think it will all happen that easily.Also the man with that magical touch,Jakati is always there to control the game in CSK's favour.

The punjab Kings have good bowlers in Chawla,Abdullah and Irfan. But again they haven't posed a threat to the batsmen either.

The Punjab's bowlers are yet again going to face a nightmare in the form of Hayden. So it will be interesting to watch how they deal with Hayden. Dhoni too is back in form with that unbeaten half century last match after he promoted himself top the order. So the SuperKings are all ready to welcome the Punjab Kings into their den.

Punjab Beware !! Idu Chennai Chennai Super Kings !! 

Pup 

Way To Deal With Deccan Chargers !!

The Chennai Super Kings are really coming back into the tournament strongly with those wins against Delhi and Rajasthan Royals.  With 2 back-to-back wins, the team's morale and confidence is high and this gives a psychological edge over the Deccan Chargers.

        Today Gilchrist and Gibbs will try to fire right from the start.So if we get these 2 men early,

we almost have the match in our hands.

BOWLING STRATEGY:

                        According to me, Balaji will bowl the first over and Ntini will bowl the second. 

Balaji will come back for his second over.Murali and Jakati will bowl the 4th and 5th overs respectively. This will really surprise the Deccan batsmen as they will be aspiring to score as much runs possible within the powerplay overs.The change in pace really affects the Deccan batsmen for sure.So we may have a couple of wickets within the first 6 overs.

BATTING STRATEGY: 

                      The Deccan's will be trying hard to get Hayden in the initial overs.The way Hayden goes right from the start,firing on all cylinders is a treat to watch.If Hayden scores today resisting his wicket,half the job is complete.  Also we have Raina and Badri to provide us the fireworks in the middle overs.And i hope this time Dhoni will stay in the middle until the end overs. So if this strategy works, we go ahead of Deccan Chargers in the points table with 9 points.

         And I feel Ntini should be given a chance today ahead of Oram.Since he hails from East London, it will be great seeing him deliver the goods in front of his home crowd.We still loose an all-rounder here,but i think it will work out without Oram today.

My best Wishes For the Super Kings in today's Encounter against the Deccan Chargers.Cheers !! 

Pup