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Shaun Pollock has always had an impish sense of humour, and it came to the fore at the media conference on the eve of their previous game against the Delhi Daredevils. The mood was obviously lighter with the Mumbai Indians having opened their account with a thumping win over the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Garden a couple of days earlier. So when Pollock was asked if Sachin Tendulkar was fit to play, he deadpanned with: "we are not changing a winning combination". The media loved it because in one humorous quip their question was answered. The Mumbai Indians went on to beat the Delhi Daredevils easily and have now moved up the ladder. They now meet the underrated, underestimated but immensely competitive Rajasthan Royals, in a game that will indicate if their progress is on or if they have hit a big stumbling block again - to stop the Daredevils who were on a roll. To stop the big hitters Sehwag, Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan was a tremendous achievement, especially when similar targets had been achieved by the Daredevils with ease.
The Rajasthan Royals along with the Kings XI Punjab are the hot teams at the moment. The manner in which the Royals are brushing aside the challenge of other teams is heartwarming, for this is a side sans superstars barring the notable exception of Shane Warne and they have shown how a great combination can work wonders. They have hardly broken into a sweat so far, and look almost certain to qualify for the semifinals. The Kings XI Punjab too have been in superb form, and this despite the skipper Yuvraj Singh not hitting the big ones, as he so spectacularly did in the ICC T20 World Cup. Sreesanth without having to resent to any gimmickry is bowling beautifully which undermines if ever there was need for it, that if one concentrates on one's strength then it is easy to be consistently successful. Zipping the lip has made his bowling sharper and better, and that lovely outswing is back in dangerous areas for the batsman again.
"He is a terrific cricketer and this experience
will no doubt teach him that the alphabet D
is added if not in control of ANGER"
The Royal Challengers have had a fluctuating few days with a heart-stopping win
over the Deccan Chargers, and then an easy loss to Kings XI Punjab; they will need a huge effort now to get to the last four. So also the Deccan Chargers, who simply have not looked geared for battle if Gilchrist does not score. The Kolkata Knight Riders too have stiffed with consecutive losses, but who knows with Shoaib Akhtar joining the team, their fortunes could turn too. The suspension of the ban for just one month to allow him to play in the IPL is interesting to put it mildly. So if the ban is upheld after one month it would be possible for Akhtar to play cricket, say in England, Australia, South Africa wherever, as long as he is not playing for Pakistan. Some ban that!
In the meanwhile, Harbhajan is hopefully not just cooling his heels but also his temper. He is a terrific cricketer and this experience will no doubt teach him that the alphabet D is added if not in control of ANGER.
