Apart from being a runaway hit, the Indian Premier League could have been a 'hip-roaring' success too. But then, the spoilsports joined the party and tried to stop all those beautiful girls from swinging and swaying to each wicket and each four or six.The IPL story, so far, has been like that: loads of exciting games, full of drama and a fair share of controversies. Nothing comes close to the slap-stick comedy (tragedy if you like), though, enacted by Harbhajan and Sree Santh.
It has already gone down as the most expensive slap in the history of any sport, costing the feisty off-spinner a cool Rs 3 crore; it has also ensured that the sissy lurking in the aggressive pretender called Sree Santh got exposed.
Kolkata came up with a perfect pitch... for a kabaddi game; it also watched helplessly as Eden was plunged into darkness in the middle of a very important match, and that too at a very crucial time. Then, Delhi got cut off from the world for a little while as the television link snapped.
Frankly, everything that could have gone wrong has already followed Murphy's Law. Clearly, big money and bigger stars (in the stands or on the ground) are not enough to wish away the infrastructural inadequacies that are part and parcel of modern India.
The good news is that the crowds are enjoying the cricket; they may not yet have become die-hard fans of the Knight Riders or the Royal Challengers, but they are getting there. Beyond that, what trends have marked the IPL? What conclusions can we draw from the action so far?
Clearly, the world's top players have dominated the tournament so far, with the Aussies shining for virtually every team. Whether it is Michael Hussey or an Adam Gilchrist or the two Shanes in the Jaipur team, they have outperformed everybody else.
Interestingly, the so-called older players, including McGrath and Warne, have adapted to T-20 with great felicity. It is only the Indian oldies who have struggled to make an impact.
Funnily enough, almost everybody who has done well for India in the T-20 World Cup is still making a handsome contribution. Rohit Sharma, Dhoni, Joginder, Pathan, Yuvraj have been chipping away manfully. The U-19 champions, sadly, haven't got enough opportunities to prove their 30,000-dollar worth.
The highest total has been racked up by Chennai (240 for five) while the lowest by Bangalore (82); it can't be a coincidence that they are at the two corners of the points table. Overall, the intensity has been quite high too. If only the hips had not been allowed to lie idle.
