Watson, Warne Top MVP List, Marsh Best VFM

Adam Gilchrist has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time and M S Dhoni, who had forced his way into that elite list last week has also had to yield place. Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan are back, while Dwayne Bravo's match-winning act for Mumbai Indians put him also into the top bracket.

Shaun Marsh, meanwhile, has consolidated his lead at the top of the value-for-money index with Balaji far behind him at No 2, but well ahead of third placed team-mate Manpreet Gony. These calculations have been done taking into account performances in all matches up to Friday's victory of Mohali over Hyderabad.

There's been a considerable reshuffle at the top of the MVP list. Though Shane Watson stays at No.1, his captain Shane Warne has now moved up to the second spot. Interestingly, it is now Mumbai and not Jaipur that has three players in the top 10 - Sanath Jayasuriya in fourth place, Shaun Pollock in eighth and Bravo at the tail end. Delhi and Mohali have two each and Hyderabad a lone presence in Rohit Sharma at the top. The fact that Chennai has none - M S Dhoni is their highest ranked player at No. 12 and the only one in the top 20 - seems to suggest that the Super Kings have got to where they have through more of a team effort than others similarly placed in the league.

"Bangalore does not have even a single player in
the top 20 indicates that none of its players
has been able to perform consistently"

The fact that Bangalore does not have even a single player in the top 20 indicates that none of its players has been able to perform consistently. Captain Rahul Dravid has come closest to doing so and is ranked No. 11 among the batsmen, but the team's dismal performance means that he loses a lot of captaincy points.

As for the bowlers, despite having played only seven matches till Friday, Sohail Tanvir has moved to the top, ahead of Glenn McGrath, Irfan Pathan, S Sreesanth and Warne. Another man making waves in the bowling is Sri Lankan Farveez Maharoof who is at No. 10 and climbing, despite having played only 8 matches.

What does all of this imply? We have said it in the past, but it bears repetition. The inaugural IPL saw huge sums of money being splurged on a few stars and relatively small amounts (though still beyond anything anybody could have imagined pre-IPL) on buying up the lesser known workmen who would make up the team.

"If you are a betting man, don't bet on the same thing
happening next time"

If you are a betting man, don't bet on the same thing happening next time. Franchisees ought to have learnt that while established stars may more often than not perform better than up and coming youngsters, the gap between the two is nowhere near as huge as the differentials in the bids would suggest. Will that mean the stars get more conservative amounts when the chance to bid for them next comes up? Or will it mean that even journeymen can count on getting bigger bucks? Your guess is as good as ours.

Bollywood sentiments do not work for cricket

In the end the rains ensured that even the mathematical chance of making it to the semi-finals slipped away. Shah Rukh Khan will never know if his real-life chin-up sms would have had the same effect as the reel-life speech in ‘Chak De! India’. Kolkata Knight Riders are well and truly out of the IPL.

But blaming the rain would be erroneous. Captain Sourav Ganguly’s team played with plenty of heart, especially in front of their adrenalin-raising home crowd at Eden Gardens. But their think-tank, led by coach John Buchanan, showed little understanding of the strengths of its own team.

Undeniably, they have been bedeviled by bad luck at least on two counts. One, explosive West Indian hitter Chris Gayle being injured and unable to play even a single game. Two, losing the most proven Twenty20 specialist -Australia’s Brad Hodge - who was unexpectedly recalled for the Test side’s West Indies tour following vice-captain Michael Clarke’s family troubles.

"SRK will never know if his real-life sms
would have had the same effect as the
reel-life speech in ‘Chak De! India’ "

But that apart, many of Ganguly’s on-field troubles also have been self-inflicted, arising from non-percentage selections. The think-tank put its money on some rookies overlooking others with better credentials. Few teams have been as muddle-headed in selecting its playing XI as the Knight Riders, evident in the way they cluelessly tampered with the opening pair.

In their first 12 games, the Knights tried out seven opening combos; the Chopra-Hodge being the most baffling. Check out this with the numericals indicating the match number: McCullum-Ganguly: 1,3,4. McCullum-Saha: 2. Butt-Ganguly: 5. Hafeez-Ganguly: 6. Chopra-Hodge: 7. Butt-Chopra: 8, 9, 10. Butt-Hafeez: 11, 12. In all, they have only one 40-plus opening stand.

The team seemed to have little respect for the skills of Umar Gul. In the Twenty20 World Cup last year, the Pakistani paceman was the top wicket-taker, taking 13 wickets in seven games with a fantastic economy rate of 5.60. Yet, the moment Shoaib Akhtar came in, he was dumped.

Akhtar, in his inimitable style, won one game for the Knight Riders but broke down two games later. The KKR thinktank made Gul an either/or issue with Akhtar. The truth is that he is far more value both in money terms as well as in performance to both Akhtar and Ishant Sharma.

"They seemed to have little respect for the skills of Umar Gul.
In the Twenty20 World Cup, He was the top wicket-taker.
The KKR made Gul an either/or issue with Akhtar"

Gul could have easily been preferred for Hafeez, who looks incapable of learning from mistakes. Whenever Gul played, KKR looked a potent bowling unit. He also took care of bowling at the death. Gul first played in KKR’s match 5 against Team Jaipur and took three for 31, followed by two for 27 against Team Mohali.

He then returned with none for 30 in three overs against Bangalore Royal Challengers - the only game where he did not bowl well - and one for 43 against Deccan Chargers. He was dropped thereafter but came back to deliver a crucial two for 30 spell that ensured his team’s unlikely victory over Team Jaipur. But it proved too late. The underutilisation of Gul is a crucial factor in KKR’s misery.

That apart, sending back the hard-hitting Cheteshwar Pujara and a compact middle-order bat like Yashpal Singh without giving them a run when batting was the primary cause of the team’s worries. In fact, a shaky top order was KKR’s worst problem. And yet their last foreign signing is Ajantha Mendis, the talented spinner from Sri Lanka. Talk about mixed priorities.

Karthik keeps Delhi’s hopes alive

In a do-or-die encounter, chasing 176 to win and formidable top order already in the pavilion, Delhi Daredevils had a mountain to climb. Mumbai Indians were fancying themselves since the brittle middle-order of Daredevils had not really fired in the tournament. In comes Dinesh Karthik and with partnership with Manoj Tiwari and Mahroof seals the much needed victory for his team.

Earlier in the day Mumbai Indians after getting off to a blazing start by Jaysuriya lose their momentum in the middle overs, courtesy brilliant bowling by Yo Mahesh. The youngster totally took 4 wickets which included precious scalp of Sachin Tendulkar. However, Mumbai Indians managed to set a competitive total on account of brilliant batting by Robin Utthappa. In final overs, his cheeky shots took Glenn McGrath by surprise.

The victory keeps Delhi Daredevils in the contention for the semi-final. Now it’s all on the performance of Chennai and Mumbai. If these two team win their remaining matches, then the IPL league will be over for the Daredevils.

A suicidal stroke is sweeping the IPL

On a tense Friday night, Rohit Sharma did it and perished; a couple of days earlier, Suresh Raina did it too and paid a similar price. Robin Uthappa indulges in the same mischief regularly and still doesn't learn his lesson. Why, the other day, even Shaun Pollock opted for the same trick. There was only one difference though from this seasoned campaigner: he went for the other side but, not surprisingly, ended with the same fatal result.

Yes, a new virus is sweeping across the cricket firmament: you can call it the sweep, the scoop, the paddle or the mother of all gaffes: the reverse sweep but it is the latest scourge. Thanks to the IPL, batsmen are falling prey to it faster than a bunch of little, gullible boys.

Every big tournament, of course, throws up a new ball, a new shot or a new fielding technique. As the players made peace with the T-20 format, it was inevitable that some innovation would come along too.

Given the nature of this game, a destroy-or-destruct streak screaming from each gene, it is fitting that it had to be a suicidal stroke.

"Every big tournament, of course, throws up a new ball,
a new shot or a new fielding technique"

So why are batsmen, young and old, playing it so unabashedly? Why aren't they realizing that the plusses-minuses ratio is skewed substantially in favour of the latter? Or is there so much stress on boundary-balls that an element of desperation, even madness, has crept into their lexicon?

You can blame it on the format. In One-dayers, there is as much scope for horizontal strokes as there is for vertical, or indeed, front of the wicket shots. In fact, the glide to the third man (equally risky) was the byproduct of the 50-50 game.

Many perished trying it but they never gave it up. Surprisingly, the glide wasn't even a productive shot as the third man ensured it didn't fetch more than a single. The T-20's suicidal stroke is at least potentially more rewarding. The player looks macho and the shot exhilarating when it comes off; but when it doesn't he looks like a fool.

"So why are batsmen, young and old, playing it so unabashedly?
Why aren't they realizing that the plusses-minuses ratio
is skewed substantially in favour of the latter?"

In a way, you can call it evolution. The bowlers have understood that anything short, long or wide will be plundered over the rope; there is no scope for error here. So more and more are resorting to yorkers and slower but fuller deliveries. It is the only weapon left in their hands now. The idea, of course, is to avoid being deposited over long-on, long-off, mid-wicket or covers. The batsmen, in turn, have to improvise. As the ball becomes soft and energy drains from their shoulders, they have to once in a while play a less-physical shot which also yields the maximum. With fine-leg up, thanks to the need for men to patrol the boundary in front of the wicket, this is the only lucrative option.

It works when the ball is just short of fuller-length; it is even better if it is drifting down the leg side. Either way, miss it and you have either wasted a delivery or you are goner. Obviously, the stroke is laden with danger but since when has that stopped batsmen? Boys will be boys and will continue to do it. Until they find some other way of doing it.

IPL division II?

BCCI's secretary, Mr. Shah mentioned the possiblity of adding two more teams in the fourth year of the IPL but I am afraid all that'll do is lengthen the duration of the league. We all saw what happened to the last world cup which lasted for almost two months. I think 8 teams in a league is an ideal number. Moreoever, what BCCI could do is add a new "division" just like they have in Times shield or like in English Premier League. BCCI should rename the current IPL league to IPL Divison I (or some other cliché name) and add IPL Division II. The top 2 teams from division II will be promoted to the IPL Division I and the least performing team from division I would be relegated to IPL Division II.

This'll ensure that there is something to loose more than money if a team doesn't perform well. Another reason to include this is to sustain the TRPs of the teams at the bottom. Just like there is competition at the top of the heap to enter semi-finals, a format like this would ensure competition at the bottom of the pyramid to avoid relegation and hence keeping the teams on their toes all through out the tournament. Just think about the consequences if Bangalore Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers faced relegation! Right now, they are simply playing because they have to there is nothing to loose but if they were facing relegation then they would be fighting to move up even though they dont have any chances of making it to the semi-finals.

"The top 2 teams from division II will be promoted to the
IPL Division I and the least performing team from
division I would be relegated to IPL Division II"

Another thing that a format like this will ensure is that one won't have to be an Ambani to own a team in the IPL. You will still need considerable money for travel and other expenses but one could try and build a team with domestic players from all over the world which plays well together (example Rajasthan Royals). Such a team could start in division II and then move up to the main stage! We all know that on any given day, any team can win or loose in a Twenty20 match.

BCCI is set to make around $100mn a year with IPL and BCCI also expects the following for an IPL team to translate into people taking interest in other formats that their local team is invlovled in and hence BCCI secretary, Niranjan Shah, said that they are also expecting more viewership (and hence more money) for Ranji trophy matches as a result of IPL too. The IPL has also provided some breathing space to BCCI by reducing its financial dependence on international matches. Now that BCCI has IPL it could very easily reduce the hectic international schedule which will increase the sporting life of a player as well.

"Just like there is competition at the top of the heap to enter
semi-finals, a format like this would ensure competition
at the bottom of the pyramid to avoid relegation"

I am not sure if BCCI has any thoughts about a division II but if they dont, let me talk in their language. Division II may not get you $100 million but it could get you $10 millions? is that enough money?

The Haunting Rain

The best scene in the Delhi vs Kolkata match the other day was Saurav Ganguly looking towards the sky, seeing his hopes of getting into the semi-finals getting dashed. It was pretty tragic for the KnightRiders, whose larger-than-life captain and owner have dominated the IPL, to get washed away by the rain.

Cricket is not a game that can co-exist with any sort of rain. Rain not only washed out the games, but the infamous Duckworth-Lewis rule has come to bite several teams over its short history. I’ve tried several times to understand just how the hell that works, but the complexity of the thing is so baffling. It is an impenetrable formula, whose working I think no one understands, and for all you know, its outcome is determined by a monkey tossing a coin, because that’s what it seems like when matches are decided on the Duckworth-Lewis.

"Its outcome is determined by a monkey tossing a coin,
because that’s what it seems like when matches
are decided on the Duckworth-Lewis"

And things are only going to start getting worse, as the monsoon season sets on in South India. Its going to be a horrible tragedy if any of Chennai’s matches get washed, and worse still if the rain arrives during the semi-finals or the finals. The Duckworth-Lewis rule doesn’t make any sense during ODIs, and applying it to 20 over games is just asking for disaster.

Don’t get me wrong, there is no acceptable solution for a rain-interrupted match. The solution, of course, is to not play during the rain. We’ve talked about it before, the IPL, which does not have any reserve days, should not be scheduled during May-June. Jan-Feb is the ideal time for cricket, and the BCCI should look at playing it during that season next year.

Why do the Marshs love India and a new leaf in Punjab

Shaun Marsh passed a very important personal or rather family landmark during his innings of 60 against the Deccan Chargers. It’s a little lateral but lateral is what you look for when Mohali plays Deccan – this was as inconsequential as it can get at this stage of the tournament.

Shaun’s dad Geoff Marsh scored 428 runs in the 1987 Cricket World Cup held in India and the son’s IPL haul crossed that number during last night’s game. Here’s how father and son stand as of today.

There are striking similarities in the efforts of the father-son duo. Like Shaun in the IPL, the senior Marsh also had a break-out effort in the Reliance World Cup, which like the IPL was held in India. An opener just like Shaun, Geoff Marsh was outstanding in the World Cup ending up as the third –highest scorer behind David Boon and Graham Gooch with 2 centuries and a number
of match-winning efforts. Shaun is second right now and should definitely end up in the top 3.

"Shaun’s dad Geoff Marsh scored 428 runs in the 1987
Cricket World Cup held in India and the son’s IPL
haul crossed that number during last night’s game"

And how did the tournament end for Geoff Marsh and his team? Underdogs to start and deserving champions at the end. Now that is a storyline Shaun and his team would love to match. Going by the team’s current form, an encore looks quite likely.

The Deccan Chargers have been batting quite well off late. They have scored 181/7, 182/9, 153/7 and 175/4 in their last 4 games. This game was inconsequential but they could really benefit from their good batting form in the coming games. The clash against RCB will decide the wooden-spooners of the IPL and DC have the chance to play party poopers against CSK on 27th May.

"DC have the chance to play party poopers against CSK on 27th May.
They have scored 181/7, 182/9, 153/7 and 175/4 in their last 4 games"

Why do Mohali play Tanmay Srivastava when they don’t have any confidence in the youngster’s ability? What is the message being sent out to this specialist batsman when bowling all-rounders like Chawla bat ahead of him? This guy is a big game performer – having scored a century in the Ranji Finals and top scored in the U-19 World Cup final; apart from being the top scorer in the tournament. Other U-19 internationals have performed decently in the IPL. Guys like him should be given a chance in the league stage (especially now that KXP is already in the semis) so that they are ready if called upon in the crucial knock-out games.

Evidence that Sreesanth is turning over a new leaf

His cool and calm reaction to Romesh Power’s almost comical attempt to mis-field, which resulted in a four. New age saying – Spare the Slap and spoil the cricketer

Dude of the Day – Kumara Sangakkara. Once the proud owner of the orange cap, his injury had pushed him far back in the run scorers list. But he showed great hunger and put the issue beyond doubt in the early overs.

Scary thought – Mohali had been winning all their games without this guy

Dud of the Day - RP Singh. He owns 4 of the top 40 worst bowling performances in the IPL (in terms of runs conceded) and nearly added a fifth. RP Singh has been a shadow of the bowler he was in the Twenty-20 World Cup.

Too many slips & silly points

IPL may not break many cricket records, but it sure is breaking all records when it comes to generating controversies. In fact, every single controversy off the pitch these days is as good as a masala potboiler. Here, DT gives you the best of the lot, with their own star rating and more. Really, who needs films when cricket has everything – action, sex, star power and comedy?

Given India's love for all things fair (skin tone not being impartial, silly), is it any surprise that we want only gori-chitti babes strutting their stuff as cheerleaders? But like all things that involve cheerleaders, this has attracted controversy. Apparently, two British girls are alleging that they were asked by the company that handles cheerleaders for Preity's team to return, for they had a darker skin tone. While the company says there was no such issue, the concept of cheerleaders is in the midst of a raging row again in India.

"Is it any surprise that we want only gori-chitti babes
strutting their stuff as cheerleaders?"

And the men, they are grumbling. First a few stuffy politicians forced the girls to cover up, then their dance moves came under the scanner, and now, even their skin tone has become an issue. And to think that cheerleaders are only supposed to add to the 'fun' quotient of IPL. Is it fair to us, is what they seem to be asking just now. The men would happily join in the chorus.

No Cricket & rainy Relief for Chennai

For once the folks in Chennai weren’t jealous of the rains in Delhi. Rather they were overjoyed. They have been lifted out of the grave they started digging for themselves in the game against Bangalore. We can no longer have a scenario where Delhi and Mumbai both have 16 points, making it necessary for Chennai to win both their remaining games. Chennai just have to win one game now and MS Dhoni and his boys will not have a sword hanging over their heads when they take on the Royals.

Mumbai’s Situation hasn’t changed though. Their run-rate is better than Delhi and they still need to either beat the Daredevils or win their other two games. And if it rains again in the DD-MI game, then Mumbai just need to win one of their two other games. The Indians are totally in control of their destiny.

The Rajasthan Royals are already through but their games against CSK, MI and KXP will determine the semi-final pairings. There will be no easy teams in the semis but Rajasthan know that Mumbai will have the added advantage of a raucous home crowd. It should be in their best interests to avoid them or eliminate them.

"Delhi must be gutted. And to make matters worse for them
the next game could be washed out as well. One point
helps no one. Couldn’t we just have a bowl-out?"

Delhi must be gutted. And to make matters worse for them the next game could be washed out as well. One point helps no one. Couldn’t we just have a bowl-out? Iam sure Dada and Viru would have preferred to take a chance and try and get 2 points rather than helplessly get knocked out of the IPL. Even a simple toss, with winner takes all would have been better. Can’t let the rain play such an important role. Surely some food for thought for Mr Lalit Modi.

Krishnamachari Srikanth was asked on Sun TV to unravel the mysteries of the Duckworth Lewis system for the benefit of the viewers

His reply – “I don’t think anyone understands the D/L system. It’s just understood by the computer which does the calculations. Even Messer’s Duckworth and Lewis who devised it don’t understand it.”

"There will be no easy teams in the semis but Rajasthan know that Mumbai
will have the added advantage of a raucous home crowd.
It should be in their best interests to avoid them or eliminate them"

I don’t know who will be most aggrieved by this answer. Duckworth and Lewis, or the University where they devised this system as a course project, their project guide or the Sun TV fans who have to bear Srikanth. Here’s an explanation of the D/L system for Srikanth and anyone else who wants to know. And if this is not enough, I will arrange for the statistical modelling paper also.

SRK’s emotional SMS to Knight Riders

An SMS from the SRK has been leaked to the media. It's an unusually long message revealing his anger, and exposing a very private side of the superstar. SKR appears clearly frustrated with the Kolkata team. The message was forwarded to The Telegraph newspaper by a member of the Knight Riders squad:

SRK's SMS

"Story time boys... I told you if you keep losing you have to bear with my long, boring msgs.... This is your punishment.... Many times I have made movies which don't do well.... When I'm doing them, of course, I don't know they won't do well.... The story is written by somebody else and I just do my bit as an actor. But I have a way of dealing with flop stories..., I try my best to keep my character in the film at a level that it makes a failed story also special for me....

"I enjoy the work.... I make jokes about the failure.... And, of course, feel awful about it too.... So, right now, all of us have become part of a failed script... A bad IPL script.... Let's try and keep our characters worthy of still looking back at this story and remembering it as a special story becos we all worked very hard at this....

"In films, we say u r only as good as yr last film....
So let's make the whole world know how good
we r in the last (maybe not) two games..."

"So, chin up and don't spoil yr character in the next two games.... Let's go out with a bang and not a whimper.... In films, we say u r only as good as yr last film.... So let's make the whole world know how good we r in the last (maybe not) two games...

"Also, do ignore all this bit about Dada, me and John having issues.... It's a normal thing in the world.... People like to hit you when u r down.... So, we will be hit.... No stress.... It will make us stronger.... The only way to avoid this is to win.... That's one of the reasons why everybody likes to be a winner....

"On the other hand, the beauty of failure is that it brings people together.... So, let's stick this out together.... You know me well enuff to know I am not the kind of owner who has issues with the team 'cos of losses... I am too much of a sport myself to get beaten by defeats.... Like you guys are.... Like Dada and John....

"We have nothing to lose now, except our character....
Let's not lose that...."

"I am still trying to understand the code of conduct expected of me at the matches of the IPL.... ICC... Etc.... After I understand it, I will decide whether to accept it or not.... Till such time, I will be with you guys at the hotel... in the meetings etc., but won't come for the matches.... So, please don't ever feel it is anything to do with us as a team....

"I am as dedicated to my Knights as I am to my kids.... Only, I won't be coming to the class room till the headmaster's rules are understood by me.... I am a bit anti-Establishment kind of a guy, so I apologise for this quirk to u all.... So, head's up.... Have a good match and let's make 200 runs tomorrow.... This 150 seems to not work any more....

"We have nothing to lose now, except our character.... Let's not lose that.... Lov... SRK."

Goodbye Knight Riders, you were high on IPL drama but low on substance

Franchise owner Shah Rukh Khan brought together the cream of world cricket to take the IPL by storm. But it all turned sour as controversy off the pitch, and a lack of teamwork on it, sent the Bollywood star's boys tumbling out of the tournament. He couldn't have performed the script better himself.

Yusuf Pathan of the Rajasthan Royals sent the ball flying into the stands and it was all over for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

With the six-wicket defeat, their hopes of a semi-final berth have been shattered. But the fans of this team need not be too downhearted. They have two more matches to go and after that nobody will see the men in black. The team which was high on glamour right from the beginning, went out on a low.

So what went wrong? The answer has already been revealed by the shrewd Indian media and also the controversy created by the team itself. Out of the 12 matches played, the Knight Riders won five through Brendon McCullum’s whirlwind innings, Murali Kartik's spin, Sourav Ganguly’s all-round heroics and Shoaib Akhtar’s comeback. So four out of the five wins came in the form of one-man-shows. But even in the shortest format of the game, cricket is a team affair. individual brilliance can earn the team rewards once in a while, but not always.

"Four out of the five wins for KKR
came in the form of one-man shows"

The Knight Riders were never able to come together as a team. Interestingly one of the ads of the team featuring owner Shah Rukh Khan, captain Ganguly and some of the team members shows them fighting each other. In the end Ganguly holds two of his team-mates and says thus: “I hate these guys. But I hate to lose even more." Interesting.

There are times when truth is stranger than fiction. Controversy followed the team and on several occasions the content of the ad was actually happening.

The first controversy started when the captain of Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, accused Ganguly of not playing the game in the right spirit. Ganguly responded, pointing out that Warne was no saint. The very same day after that incident team-mate Umar Gul came out into the open expressing disappointment over Ganguly’s decisions and that he needed to learn how to lead a side in the Twenty20 format. Then came the outburst of Salman Butt wanting to know why he was being sidelined.

"There are times when truth is stranger than fiction.
The content of the ad ‘I hate these guys.
But I hate to lose even more’ was actually happening"

With players under the microscope, how could the team's owner, Badhshah of Bollywood, remain silent? Khan also expressed dissatisfaction over Ganguly’s captaincy and strategy. After the loss to Chennai. King Khan said he had wanted his team to field first after winning toss. But Sourav elected to bat and after losing the match Khan was reported to have kicked some chairs in the dressing room

The Knight Riders were never able to work together as a team, each player appeared to be in it for themsleves. The inspirational team anthem, its publicity machine and the support of an exceptional franchisee couldn’t do much for them.

Glamour and controversy became the team's staple diet, not unlike Khan's movie Om Shanthi Om - high on drama and low on substance.

An Eventful day & an out-of-fashion hairstyle

21st May 2008 will probably go down as the most eventful day in this edition of the IPL

First Mumbai lost a humdinger to Mohali by 1 run. They were coasting with 34 needed off 24 with seven wickets in hand and Sachin at the wicket to guide them home. They just had a bout of complete madness. The 2 points dropped here could be the difference between a semi final spot and an early exit in the IPL for the Mumbai side.

Then there was Mohali captain Yuvraj Singh shooting himself in the foot. His side had just won a great game and he had played a key role in it. But rather than celebrate his teams brilliant performance, he chose to berate the Mumbai crowd for being too one-sided and not showing respect for the ‘Indian players’ in the Mohali side. Grow up Yuvraj. This is exactly what home support is meant to be. If you want to be cheered for whenever you play in India, please stay away from the IPL or any other league.

"What Yuvi forgot while criticizing the Mumbai crowd
was the fact that the semis and the final of the IPL
will be played in front of the same crowd"

What Yuvi also forgot was the fact that the semis and the final of the IPL will be played in front of the same crowd. By riling the boisterous Mumbai crowd, he has ensured his side has little support when they come back to Mumbai to play the knock-out rounds. Yuvraj needs to either learn to talk sensibly or talk like Mohd Azharuddin – so that no one can understand him.

And then to round the day off, Chennai lost a game which looked so winnable at 80 odd for 3 in 13 over that I left the stadium early to avoid the monotony of Chennai going through the motions of winning the game (and the post match traffic).

"Now CSK needs to win both remaining games,
including a difficult one against RR,
to be absolutely certain of a semi –final berth"

Chennai’s defeat has given new hope to both Mumbai and Delhi – two teams whose net run rate is far superior to that of the Super Kings. What that means is that Chennai must have at least one more win than each of those two sides to make the semis. It is no longer assured of a semi-final spot with 8 wins. Delhi and Mumbai could easily end up with 8 wins each; ensuring that they edge CSK for a semi-final spot.

Therefore, CSK needs to win both remaining games including a difficult one against RR to be absolutely certain of a semi –final berth. Finishing the job today would have saved all the uncertainty that surrounds the Super Kings now.

SRK's stunts not enough for Riders

AHEAD OF their must-win game against the Rajasthan Royals, in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on May 20, Shahrukh Khan owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had been trying to persuade the New Zealand cricket board to make Brendan McCullum available for the semi-finals. They were willing to pay them USD one million for this special arrangement.

I don’t know how it fits in the cap structure but this was surely a way of showing to the world that they were quite confident of making it to the semis. A very typical SRK stunt. It should have been quite a boost for the side ahead of the game.

King Khan’s absence from such a big game, however, showed that this show of confidence was merely a filmy stunt. He had either already written off his team’s chances or had more pressing matters to attend (like blogging against Aamir Khan).

Wonder why all the fuss about getting an all access pass when he wasn’t going to use it? He has to have it just because Preity Zinta and Vijay Mallya have it. I would love to hear from SRK, once KKR is finally knocked out of the tournament. Arun ‘Aryabhatta’ Lal thinks that the Riders still have a mathematical chance of making it to the semis.

"King Khan’s absence from such a big game
against RR showed that this show
of confidence was merely a filmy stunt "

The Bengalis had been highly aggrieved at the booing Sourav Ganguly received in Jaipur. It was a good chance to give chief culprit - Shane Warne - some real stick. I was expecting a jam-packed Eden Gardens. Instead, I saw a stadium, which had enough empty spaces to seat the entire film community of Mumbai and not just the ones who turned up to support SRK in Mumbai.

The Knight Riders still have a long way to go before they can garner the kind of support the likes of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal enjoy.

"The Knight Riders still have a long way to go before
they can garner the kind of support the likes of
Mohun Bagan and East Bengal enjoy"

Now here’s a new theory, which I have.

The Royals come from Rajasthan, home of the Marwari community. This business community has a fair presence in all the major cities of the country. Wouldn’t this ensure that the Rajasthan side will always have a decent number of supporters wherever they play? It’s similar to Indians being found all over the world, thereby ensuring that the Indian cricket team is never short of support at any venue in the world.

The Race to the Semis

The third quarter of the DLF IPL has almost ended, yet there is little clarity over who will make it to semi’s (save for of course The Rajasthan Royals, who with Saturday’s win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore have absolutely made it certain that they will make it). This shows us how keenly contested this tournament truly has been. Except for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers, the rest of the teams are still in the hunt for one of the three remaining semi-final slots. If things shape up the way I see, here’s who I think should go to the semis

1)

The Kings XI Punjab: For a team that started it’s campaign with back to back losses, this team has put up one impressive performance after the other. Miss Zinta’s jadoo ki jhappis certainly seem to have done the trick as the King’s did not lose their winning momentum even after the exit of key players like Brett Lee and Simon Katich. The Mohali men found a new hero in young Shaun Marsh (legendary Aussie stumper Geoff Marsh’s son).

Young Marsh, with his consistent batting has certainly put his hand up for selection into the Aussie side in the near future. I hope Miss Zinta has contracted him for 3 years because his contract value is sure to go through the roof for the next season. Another surprise has been yet another hard-hitting left hander, Luke Pomersbach. His knock under pressure against the Delhi Daredevils has shown glimpses of the devastation this man can cause on his day. Add Yuvraj Singh’s clean hitting and Mahela Jayawardane’s conventional yet effective cricket to that and you have one hell of a batting line up.

"Miss Zinta’s Jadoo Ki Jhappis certainly seem to have done
the trick as the King’s did not lose their winning
momentum even after the exit of Lee and Katich"

The bowling department seems to be in good touch as well. Irfan Pathan who was until recently the leading wicket taker of the tournament, seems to have regained his swing. His partner , the mercurial S Sreesanth too is coming good more often than not. With a good balance and 14 points to their name,the Kings XI Punjab are silencing critics with every passing performance. Their semi-final ticket looks just about confirmed.

2)

The Chennai SuperKings: You just can’t write of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team off in a T20 tournament. The SuperKings who had a dream start to the IPL lost their way in the middle with 3 successive losses, but they soon picked up the slack and got back to winning ways. Sunday’s crucial win over the Kolkata KnightRiders means that it would be very hard for the SuperKings to not qualify for the semi finals.

What has been impressive is that after the exit of the Aussie stars Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey, Indian players have stepped up to the plate and delivered. Suresh Raina and S Badrinath have surely given the Indian selectors something to think about with their impressive showing with the bat. MS Dhoni’s captaincy continues to impress time and again which only proves that the Indian side is in safe hands.

"MS Dhoni’s captaincy continues to impress
time and again which only proves
that the Indian side is in safe hands"

Dhoni has been more or less in extracting the desired perfomances from his men. He definitely deserves applause for they way he has shown faith in rank newcomers like Palani Amarnath and Manpreet Goni, who in turn have met their captain’s expectations. Though the net run rate might be a cause of concern for the SuperKings, they should make it to the semis without much worry.

3)

The Mumbai Indians: The only thing that can be said about this team is ‘What a turn-around!’ The Mumbai Indians were subjected to ridicule even before the tournament thanks to their unusual name. The four consecutive losses at the start of the tournament and the shameful Harbhajan - Sreesanth incident only increased their woes. But one victory changed everything for this team. Despite Tendulkar’s absence in the first seven matches and Sanath Jayasuriya’s poor showing in the initial stages of the tournament, the Mumbai Indians managed to string three wins together thanks to brilliant performances by their youngsters.

"It is rumored that Bravo was brought for a
throw-away price by Mukesh Ambani"

Be it Yogesh Takawale’s clean work behind the stumps or Dhawal Kulkarni’s ability to pick up wickets at important situations to Rohan Raje’s emergence as a bankable option, youth power is undoubtedly a strong reason for the success of the Mumbai Indians. Robin Uthappa at number three hasn’t been shabby at all with the bat or in the field. And what can one say about Dwayne Bravo! The man was brought in at one of the toughest times and how well he’s delivered. It is rumored that he was brought for a throw-away price by Mukesh Ambani, but as he departs for the home series against the Australian’s , there is no doubt that the Mumbai Indians will sorely miss his presence.

"With just 2 more wins needed to secure a semis berth,
Mumbai looks poised to script one of the finest
comeback stories in cricketing history"

Last but definitely not the least, one has to acknowledge the importance of experience. Players like Shaun Pollock and Sanath Jayasuriya have shown the world that a world class player is a world class player in any format. As Sachin Tendulkar put, ‘It not about age, it’s about confidence.’ The Mumbai Indians with Sunday’s win over the Deccan Chargers have now won no less than six times in a row! The momentum is definitely with the Indians and with just two more wins needed to secure a semi final berth, the Mumbai Indians look poised to script one of the finest comeback stories in cricketing history.

Highest - Runs, Sixes, Wickets

Sixes

Name	Team	Total
Jayasuriya	Mumbai Indians	22
Sehwag	Delhi Daredevils	20
David Hussey	Kolkata Knight Riders	17

Wickets

Name	Team	Total
Sreesanth	Kings XI Punjab	15
Irfan Pathan	Kings XI Punjab	15
RP Singh	Deccan Chargers	15

Most Runs

Name	Team	Total
Gautam Gambhir	Delhi Daredevils	504
Virender Sehwag	Delhi Daredevils	385
Shaun Marsh	Kings XI Punjab	378
Sanath Jayasuriya	Mumbai Indians	357