IPL Semi Final Roads

IPL Semi Final Roads

Most of the cricketing experts of the country and even the common cricket follower citizens were considering and rating Jaipur’s Rajasthan Royals [JRR] as one of the weakest team of the IPL at the start of the tournament, surely they will say this is the glorious uncertainty of the game that this Halla Bol squad become the first team to qualify for the semis.

There was nothing wrong with consideration as none of the blasting names like Sachin, sourav, shewag, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Sanath, Symonds, Eshant Sharma, Shoaib Akhtar, Bret Lee and so on was associated with JRR, In fact this is the only team which was unable to find a suitable Indian player from the selective chunk to lead the team and was depending on retired Shane Warne for the purpose.

Besides this our Indian attitude of looking at things and happening with specific economic vision was also responsible for this view towards the JRR by the critics and masses. We Indians have a tendency of establishing a relationship between price and quality, more we pay more we become assured of quality and surely the JRR is the team of players with lower remuneration.

I recall early days or rather the days before the actual start of the tournament, when all the eight teams have finalized their player, my son was discussing about the winner of the tournament. He was not just surprised but eventually was shocked to hear name of JRR from me. As like the most of Indians, three best teams for him were the Kolkatta Knight Riders, Delhi Dare Devils and Mumbai Indians. I was supporting the JRR from the day one just because to me T-20 is the place of exhibiting all round skills and Halla bol squad is composed from many players having this ability. Most of the players included in JRR’s Halla Bol squad have to prove worth of their playing skills from this or that point of view and this attitude was going to make them the most competitive and dangerous team of the tournament.

Individual efforts are the key to team success but surely the clubbed one and not the isolated. Look at the highest run scorer of the tournament, Gautam Gambhir, baring the last match, middle order of Delhi team failed on whatever chances they got and as the result Delhi team is left with option of praying God for the semifinal birth. At the time of writing of this, JRR and Kings XI have qualified and three other teams
Delhi with 15 points from all 14 matches
Chennai 14 points from 13 matches and
Mumbai 12 points from the 12 matches are beetling out for the remaining two semis slots. Eventually Delhi team is on the mercy of performance of rest of two teams. Chennai will go under the “Do or Die” status when tomorrow they will took ground against Hyderabad but before they need to keep a hawk-eye on the match of Mumbai with JRR as defeat in that match for Mumbai will not only almost block the entrance of Mumbai in last four but also bring a respire of relief for the Chennai as their win tomorrow will change the point table to
Chennai 16 points from 14 matches
Delhi 15 points from 14 matches
Mumbai 12 points from 14 matches
If the Chennai and Mumbai both loose their, these matches Delhi will qualify as the third semifinalist and forth one will be decided only after the match of Mumbai and Bangalore. Here Mumbai will under tremendous pressure as they will have to play not just for a win but also need to take care of over all run rates.

All these if’s and but’s will be going to get answer in next 72 odd hours but one thing is sure, last league match of the tournament between Kings XI and JRR, is going to prove the real thriller as both the team are already qualified so they will battled out just for the pride. Once again the Kings will be forced to face the music of Halla Bol.

IPL Broken Images of Cricket

IPL Broken Images of Cricket

The much talked, most awaited and creating records of beyond imagination payments for the cricketers, T-20 championship organized by BCCI, Indian Premier League is reaching to point of completing inaugural session with tremendous media responses.

IPL is unique in many ways this was not only the tournament in which sponsored paid in Lakhs of rupees for every run scored or every ball bowled by the star cricketers. This tournament also provided space for the breaking some of established norms and images of the game and players on and off the field. This was of thought of centuries that cricket is the game of gentleman but can we say the same after the opening biding of cricketers resembling with the slave market of old days?

Cricketing skills were the matter which was meaning most for the game but IPL has changed the vision, now in the cricket it is money that matters most. Look at some of Australian players, for whom India was the country with most discomforts and Indian players were not having value higher than the forest grass, all of them are not only staying for almost two months on this land of most discomforts but also playing in IPL under the leadership of Indian players, who were never looked by them even as human beings, surely the only reason is the monetary benefits. This is the financial influence of IPL which forced PCB to suspend the ban of Rawalpindi express Shoaib Akhtar.

IPL also broke the image of several established cricketing names, Look at the performance of Ricky Pointing, Shahid Afridi, V V S Laxman, Anil Kumbale and even Rahul Dravid.

Before the IPL the whole world was sounding with the voices of favoring younger generation for this shorter version of the game. Experience and cricketing skills started to be being under shadowed by the physical fitness; surely IPL has succeeded in broking this age myth. Look the best performers of tournament, majority of them are over thirty, till date highest wicket taker Shane Warne is no more representing his country, second fastest century scorer Santh Jayasuriya is of 39 years of age even the fastest century is scored by recently retired Adam Gilchrist. Though Delhi boys are calling “Uncle” to speedster Glem Mac Grath but surely the players who faced him in IPL have a kind of fear in their mind along with respect for this ace bowler. Diving catches of Sourav Ganguli, running back catches by Romesh Pawar and even the reflex ion return catch taken by Shane Warne surely are the practical lessons for youngsters about the fielding excellence.

IPL has also broken the myth of cricketing stars, over the years the game was revolving around the star performers. It was even beyond imagination the current status of Decan Recharges and Rajasthan Royals. At the start of tournament Hyderabad was among the favorites of winners of the tournament and Jaipur was among the weakest teams of tournament. Surely the presence of not so many star cricketers was the reason for considering Jaipur for this status. This surely the planned game of Halla Bol squad which proved once again that cricket is a team game and mutual efforts are more valuable than the star performers. Frankly speaking I am not discarding the star performers, they have their own values, they can win some matches for the team but for a constant good performance by the team they have to perform in tandem. Performance of Knight Riders is lowered after the home return of Maculum but even after the successive failure of middle order Delhi is performing satisfactory with support of their star materials Gautam Gambhir, Shewag and Shikhar Dhawan.

When the concept of T-20 was introduced it was thought that this format of game will prove helpful for increasing the dominance of batsmen and bowlers will be at the suffering end. IPL also proved this though a myth with the performance of Sohail Tanvir, Laxmipati Balaji, Amit Mishra and even the old wine Shane Warne. Till date most of teams have played 9 – 10 matches out of maximum 14 league matches and highest aggregated individual runs scored are just over 300 runs which mean just over 30 runs per match, where as the highest wicket tally is 14 which means 1.4 wickets per match. Here we have to keep this in mind that in every match batsman have chance to bat for all the twenty overs but bowler is restricted to bowl just four overs in a match.

I am concluding this in a very pleasant mood as my favorite IPL team Rajasthan Royals yesterday made almost certain a semi final birth for them by forcing Royal Challengers to bow down before the Hall Bol attitude. Team of the famous wall never looked in position of sustaining or overcoming the Hall Bol cricket played by this desert cricket team leading the point table. I feel sorry for the Delhi team as rain has taken a certain looking win from their hands with yet another defeat at the hands Kings XI.

Killer Last Over

Killer Last Over

This title “Killer Last Over” strikes my mind while watching the IPL match between Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings. This was an important game for both the teams as both have lost their last match, In fact Super Kings were the suffering end in their last two encounters. Neither of them was in mood and in situation to face yet another defeat and looked much desperate to record a win. Especially for Dhoni’s super Kings this was a do or dies game after two successive and humiliating defeats at hands of Rajasthan Royals and Decan recharges.

As usual coin favored lucky fellow Dhoni and he invited home team to exhibit their batting skills, might the last two batting collapse of the team forced Dhoni for this decision otherwise this is almost a set trend of Dhoni to bat first after winning the toss. Delhi openers Shewag and Gambhir were in mood of giving yet another demonstration for their firing start and Delhi went on to score 46 runs with both the openers at the central 22 yards long strip, but before the Dhoni feel guilty of committing a mistake, stamps at the batting crease uprooted twice for the home team.

Fielding side was assuming a relief breeze after these two dismissals but Gambhir and Dhawan made sure non existence of it, as this pair went on to register the highest partnership of the tournament. Delhi went on to finish the allotted 20 overs with formidable total of 187 runs.

Till the end of 19th over of batting of Super King all was demonstrating daring and devilish powers of Delhi as the opponent need to score 15 runs from the last 6 ball of their inning. M.S. Goni went on to stroke the first ball of the over for the maximum and this over proved the Killer one for the Devils as with the last ball Kings made sure the killing of the devils. This was not the first instance as previously one such over, when Rajasthan Royals utilized last six balls to score the required 19 runs for victory and discharge the powers of one of the stronger contestant team of the title. While writing this match of Kolkatta Knight Riders and Royal Challengers went under the same phase of Killer over as Royals challenger were need of scoring 19 runs from last over for a victory. Mark Butcher started the over with hitting Sharma’s first ball across the boundary on ground levels, but this time Eshant was with very rigid frame of mind not to follow Australian Symonds at least for this and made sure a 5 run victory for the Riders.

IPL images & reflections

IPL images & reflections

Cricketing world is under the phase of being redefined under the influence of IPL a T20 cricket tournament, a BCCI organized sponsored competition. Primary image of Indian Premier League [IPL] is a tournament organized to face the challenges created by Indian Cricket League [ICL] organized by a private body of former cricket players lead by Great Kapil Dev Nikhaj, ever first genuine all rounder and most inspiring captain of India and sponsored by Essel group. IPL is also looked as the efforts of BCCI for keeping the undisputed and undivided rights of conducting the game of cricket on Indian land.

Look at the dominance and inflow of money with the IPL. Sponsored have paid approx. Rs. 43 Lakhs for the solitary run scored by star Indian wicket Keeper Mahindera Singh Dhoni in the match against the Rajasthan Royals. Delhi’s speedster Eshant Sharma, playing for Kolkata Knight Riders, is bowling in the tournament at the unbelievable rate of over Rs. 1.3 lakhs per ball. A few Australian players, like Bret Lee, Pointing, Symonds etc. who played in 3-4 matches of IPL and returned back to join their National team for touring to West Indies, have landed on the kangaroo land with money purses heavier even then that of an Australian player might have only after playing for two years for the national team.

Dominance of IPL, which in fun often called as Indian Paisa [Money] League on Indian land, is very much clear from the Shoaib Akhtar episode. This speedster from Pakistan was banned for five years by PCB for misbehavior on and off the field. This fast bowler was supposed neither to represent country nor to play any kind of cricket in the Pakistan, however PCB has allowed him to play cricket in other parts of the globe without representing Pakistan. IPL rules are very clear about the playing of banned players so even being very much eager Kolkatta Knight Riders have denied the participation of this speedster. This is the true reflection for the influence IPL have on the world cricket that PCB has forced to adjourn the ban till 3rd June 2008 so Shoaib can play in IPL. [Earnings of shoaib from IPL is much higher than what many players might earn by playing five years for the national team of Pakistan]. Just consider on one side PCB chief initiating a judicial suit against this fast bowler and on the other side same PCB is making sure for a crystal clear way of participation in IPL by this star speedster.

Another reflective image of IPL lies with creation of new line of difference among the players [though this was in existence with English County Cricket but was not so deeper]. Prior to IPL, players were getting unanimous remuneration for their participation in same tournament representing same team. These unanimous and equal rates of payments are now deposited with history. Look at earning of some of young star performers of IPL like, Virat Kohali, Yusuf Pathan, Sohil Tanvir etc. they are going to earn for playing in whole tournament much lesser than what some of their other team mates might be earning for playing in single match of same tournament and representing same team. Surely this earning difference is working with the psychic of players, deeper this valley of difference of remuneration, more the ups and down in the performance of the team.

Look at team performance of Rajasthan Royals, at the start of tournament team was with the lowest ranking for winning the tournament and today when we are at almost halfway of tournament, this, Halla Bol squad of Rajasthan Royals are leading the point table, just because with this team the money difference valley is narrowest in comparison on other teams.

Last but not the least image of IPL, this tournament has not left anything unturned for making this gentleman game, a racecourse. Starting from the franchise of team to picking the players for the team, nothing was hidden, each and every thing was available for biding and all this was giving the look of crucial olden days of Slave market.

Positive and shining reflection of IPL lies with the performance by the Indian players which is on the way of proving that this is the tournament of dominance by Indians in the cricketing world. Highest Individual inning record is not with an Indian but a musical chair race is on between Rohit sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Shewag for being the highest run scorer of the tournament at present the “Orange cap” is changing hands in succession with them.

Pakitani speedster Sohil Tanvir exposed the magical rabbit under hat by taking record 6 wickets for just 14 runs while playing against the Super Kings but still Indian Irfan Pathan playing for Kings Eleven is the highest wicket taker of the tournament till date. All rounder Yusuf Pathan is miles and miles ahead of well known names from other countries and playing in IPL.

Coming to captaincy, the only foreign captain Shane Warne playing for Rajasthan Royals is on success run and creating new definitions for leading a cricket team but still with the daring decisions MS Dhoni and innovating inspiring game plans Shewag and Yuvraj are the front runners. It will be a genuine treat for cricket lovers from all part of world to be witness for the captaincy tactics, after a long time, of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar as and when he comes out from injury and start leading Mumbai Indians.