IPL Diaries!!! – By Chetan Narula.

Half Time Report!!!

So, the first round of the Indian Premier League is done and dusted. Almost all teams have played their seven matches, out of a total of 14 each, and there have been some interesting results. But before one gets to that, we need to take a look at the standings of the teams and remind ourselves as to how it came to transpire, what has indeed transpired.

Teams	Played	Wins	Losses	N/R	Tied	Points	Net Run Rate
Kings XI Punjab	7	5	2	0	0	10	+0.442
Rajasthan Royals	7	5	2	0	0	10	+0.436
Delhi DareDevils	6	4	2	0	0	8	+0.761
Chennai SuperKings	7	4	3	0	0	8	-0.005
Mumbai Indians	7	3	4	0	0	6	-0.455
Kolkata KnightRiders	6	2	4	0	0	4	+0.482
Hyderabad Deccan Chargers	7	2	5	0	0	4	-0.011
Bangalore Royal Challengers	7	2	5	0	0	4	-1.426

In between some great dancing and singing performances, some pretty hot cheerleading (one is very sad that they have to wear body-hugging, full-length outfits in this hot weather, darn the moral police!) and some beating-up of cricketers (that was a brawl, not a slap, if anyone is interested!), the action has been pretty gripping. If one were to say that the IPL has lived upto its billing, then it would not be a lie. Innovative shots, some excellent bowling, shrewd captaincy and good fielding have upped the ante of cricket this summer. And inspite of the heat, no one is complaining.

Coming back to the point, where we see what we are here to see, let us take a look at how the teams have fared so far in the tournament, now that the first round of matches is complete. Only Delhi DareDevils and Kolkata KnightRiders are yet to face each other, but they have already given enough evidence of what they are capable of, in their previous six matches. Here we go:

Kings XI Punjab: Slow starters, they were thrashed by both Chennai and Rajasthan Royals in their first two matches, and were looking for some team bonding since then, but it happens when you have young-but-gifted players from different cultures. Tom Moody has been able to motivate them, but more than that, it was the fiery spell of Brett Lee against Mumbai Indians that truly lifted the teams’ spirit. Ever since then, they have been on a roll, winning five matches in a row, and Preity Zinta is now grinning more than ever.

What they have done right: They play within their limits, especially Irfan Pathan and surprisingly, Sreesanth (maybe it was the slap!). They know that with players missing, top teams will flounder sooner rather than later and thus, with some good performances, they can easily win a few key matches. They have built the momentum at the right time, and with aggressive and confident players in their mix, they are a force to be reckoned with.

What they have done wrong: Their batting is a bit of a worry. They rely heavily on Sangakkara to fire, especially since Yuvraj has been a bit pre-occupied with captaining the side. He, alongwith Jayawardene, needs to up their game a bit. Jayawardene, on his part, needs to help Yuvi with some captaincy tips, when pressure increases.

Rajasthan Royals: Horrible loss first-up, smacked by Delhi DareDevils by ten wickets, and nobody gave them a chance there-after, the Royals from Jaipur have given a fitting reply to all the doubting Thomases, and now look good to challenge the best of the teams. They haven’t lost any players to international commitments and thus, the team-spirit that they have got going can continue in real good ways. It seems that their billing as an under-dog even before the start of the tournament has only helped to fire them up. Watch out!

What they have done right: They made Shane Warne the coach and captain of the team. No one is more pumped up than him on a cricket field and it is no doubt, that he might have been the best Australian captain ever, had his sex-life not propped up at the wrong time. Also, they are not afraid of letting loose their young players, whose energy and talent is vital for winning in this format. Plus the international players they bought have all got hands-full of T20 experience. Did they even do anything wrong?

What they have done wrong: Yes, they did. Two games they batted badly and they lost. This shows that their main weakness is somewhere in batting. Tie them up at the top and they lose their way, trying to force the pace. Both Delhi and Mumbai were able to squeeze them for runs and won their matches. Need some solidity in the middle-order.

Delhi DareDevils: If one is to be believed, then this is the team to beat this summer. No, not because the author is himself from Delhi, (he’s cheering for Kolkata (SRK), if you must know, and a bit for Mumbai, umm, Sachin!), it is simply because in this chitty-chitty bang-bang form of cricket, the Delhi bowlers have stood the tallest. Glenn Mcgrath, Mohammed Asif and Farvez Maharoof have done the unthinkable many times already, restricting batting line-ups and presenting their batsmen with nothing challengeable at all. Backed up by some good fielding and back-up bowlers, they already look the part of semi-finalists, that too comfortably.

What they have done right: They got their auction bids right. Landing up some good bowlers who also think, has served them well. Plus neither of them will be leaving mid-tournament, except Vettori, who is already gone, but that doesn’t seem to be much of a loss. And having Sehwag & Gambhir in the team has only helped, notching up some good run-rates with their help.

What they have done wrong: Sehwag, Gambhir and the lesser-known Shikhar Dhawan have just batted and batted. Guys give some one else a chance. For it is common belief that the Delhi batting in the middle and lower order leaves much to be desired. So if you are the captain against Delhi, bowl first, get the top three out and you will win the match. Ask Mohali and Mumbai, if you don’t believe it.

Chennai Superkings: This is another sad story of players leaving and the team’s one leg being chopped off. Hayden, Oram and Michael Hussey were the pillars of the team, and ever since their departure, Dhoni’s team is free-falling. Pretty much everything they have done has backfired in the last three matches, after actually winning four matches on the trot. Time to think harder, Yum Yus Dhoni.

What they have done right: Nothing, ever since their foreign players left. The ones left behind don’t seem to be that effective. Batting seems to be pretty ordinary, as it has lost much teeth at the top. Bowlers not getting decent totals to defend.

What they have done wrong: See above.

Mumbai Indians: Lost four in a row, then won three consecutively. They are the anti-Chennai team of the IPL. Cricket is as much a game requiring hard work as much it requires luck. And obviously some money is needed too. Now they have been doing the hard work, but hardly have got any luck. Sachin has already missed the first part of the tournament and his return will only boost the players, if nothing else will. They lost some tight matches early on, but seems like they have gotten their grip back.

What they have done right: They actually didn’t do it themselves, Harbhajan did. He slapped (the author still maintains it was a brawl!) Sreesanth and got chucked out of the tournament. That was the moment that lifted this team.

What they have done wrong: Money, they have got aplenty, look at Mukesh Ambani. Seems like he carries a crore as pocket change where ever he goes. But they still didn’t buy the best players available. Why?

Second, naming their team ‘Indians’. Why would Jayasuriya, Pollock and Luke Ronchi be fired up to give their best for a team they will certainly not identify with? That they are still giving their best is down to Ambani’s deep pockets.

Kolkata KnightRiders: It’s all downhill for SRK’s team at the moment. Having won their first two matches, they have now lost four on the trot and unless they are able to stem the rot, the self proclaimed favourites of the tournament won’t be able to make it to the semi-finals. They too have been hit hard with Mcullum and Ponting leaving, while Chris Gayle is lost to injury. Shoaib Akhtar has now joined them, after his ban was lifted, but bowling isn’t exactly the problem. Buck up, Dada!

What they have done right: They got off to a whirl-wind start and thanks to that match their run-rate is quite high. Some more of the same stuff is needed.

What they have done wrong: When the author spoke to their coach, John Buchanan, last Saturday, he said that they weren’t very worried and wouldn’t be looking to change their batting order, unless it was a calamity. That same evening they lost to Kings XI Punjab, their fourth consecutive loss. It’s a calamity now John and Sourav should come down the order.

Hyderabad Deccan Chargers: Umm, what does one say about a team whose captain himself isn’t qualified enough to play in the tournament. There is an argument doing the rounds that he has been playing well, holding one end up, while the likes of Adam Gilchrist and Shahid Afridi go berserk. Well, we don’t need some one holding an end here, and even if we do, a sixth standard student has a better strike rate than Laxman. Plus his captaincy has been thoughtless. He has absolutely no clue as to what is happening around him. They lost after setting a target of more than 200, taking nothing away from Rajasthan Royals, and before that failed to defend 110 on a square turner. Both punishable offences under any cricketing law.

What they have done right: Nothing so far, given that they are the strongest team on paper.

What they have done wrong: Deccan Chronicle made VVS Laxman the captain. He needs to drop himself from the team, yes you read it right!

Bangalore Royal Challengers: The official test team of the IPL. They have not been able to recover from the spanking they received on the opening day. It was such a brutal assault that it might have scarred this team forever. So, it happens in sport. Teams do recover but sometimes a lot of time is needed, however.

Vijay Mallya may have a lot of money, but he has no time. Because men in his position cannot afford to be made to look stupid. And the way, Dravid has gone about assembling his team and then, leading the team, Mallya would be feeling nothing else. Their season is almost over and they need some serious rebuilding to stand a chance next year. All those test players need to go and they have a long list to replace.

What they have done right: Not Applicable

What they have done wrong: Their team sheet reads as such; Dravid, Jaffer, Kallis, Anil Kumble, Sunil Joshi. Does one need say more?

IPL Diaries!!! – By Chetan Narula.

A Road Less Traveled.

This is one of the few articles that I have written in first person. Ever since gaining experience in my magazine Cricket Today, I have moved away from giving first person accounts, but 3^rd May 2008 was such a day in my life that needs this description.

Almost five years ago, in October 2003, the New Zealand cricket team was in India for a two Test match series, followed by a tri-series also involving Australia. The second test match was played at Mohali from 16^th to 20^th October. I was in my second year in college. By the way, I was doing my Mechanical engineering.

Coming back, it was probably the only weekend that I stayed in hostel during my college days, given that my college was just 200 kms away from Delhi, and not counting any exam days. But even on this weekend, it seemed as though time had stopped in the hostel. Not a soul stirred and it was too damn difficult to even see Saturday go by. And then, like a bolt from the blue, I realized that since I couldn’t go home now, I could still travel 200 kms in the opposite direction and see a cricket match in a stadium for the first time in my life. The decision had been made.

And so, I got up at 5 am the next morning. Put on the India t-shirt I had bought for the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, and suddenly it hit me that this is what I had actually bought the tri-coloured piece of cloth for, especially since I had watched the world championship from the confines of my drawing room. With my ‘roomie’ in tow, we traveled by bullock-cart, tractor, truck and bus to reach Chandigarh by 9 in the morning. This was the easy part, for we didn’t have tickets.

Now cricket is a religion in this country, and wherever the Indian team (the demi-gods) is playing, it is but obvious that the crowds will be in a huge number. And so they were. Getting to the ticket window would have lost us about five hours and seeing the rush, it was obvious that it would have proved futile in the end. Not to mention the Punjab Police were getting ready to lathi-charge the maddening crowd. So we tried a more ‘Indian’ way to get in. Bought two tickets, in black, for two hundred bucks. Now, they were five day tickets, which are available for 50 bucks apiece. But even at that price it seemed a bargain.

So far luck had been with us. We got there in time, got the tickets early and at a reasonable price. And we went in, reaching our seats in another half an hour. New Zealand were batting, trying for a healthy lead against the homeside. I saw my hero, Sachin Tendulkar, fielding near the boundary. But unlike others, instead of calling out to him and trying to get him to wave back at us, I simply stood there watching intently, taking this moment in, realizing this was a mere mortal, and not a ‘God’ as we make him out to be.

It was that moment in time that I wondered aloud, as to how will I be able to bridge this gap between a commoner (me) and this God, yet ‘Mortal Genius’. I had already decided that after my engineering, I was going to pursue mass communications and be a news broadcaster/anchor. But somehow it dawned on me that this wasn’t going to be enough, or what I actually wanted to end up doing.

India batted soon enough and Sehwag lit up the day with an awesome hundred, two towering sixes amongst the 130 runs. But the highlight of the day for me was Rahul Dravid’s defensive play. Daryl Tuffey was charging in at full steam and bowled a good length ball. The response was rock solid, the ball hit his bat and like it had literally hit a wall, it just fell to the ground at the batsman’s toes. A truly wonderful moment.

I, however, returned with a heavy heart as Sachin didn’t get a chance to play. Plus the ever poking question as to what to do about the thoughts I had earlier. On the way back, my room-mate stayed back and I took the journey alone, which gave me a lot of time to think. Some facts dawned on me, that I had been watching sports intently now for the last few years. Sacrificing studies, bunking college, returning home mid-week to catch the world cup, incurring the wrath of my parents, still watching cricket everyday, football & David Beckham every weekend, and F1 & Ferrari every alternate weekend. I was eating, drinking and breathing sports action on television, literally living sports. It was then that I decided to make sports my livelihood.

As I mentioned 3^rd May 2008 was a memorable day for me. This was the day that I covered my first match as a sports journalist, and that too at the same ground where I had made this decision, watching Kings XI Punjab taken on Kolkata Knight Riders. The same road was traveled as it was five years ago.

Just that the entry to the stadium, and for that matter, the entire experience was different. The Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali has forever, etched a place in my heart.

It felt as if I had finally reached somewhere in my quest, during which I have been lost many a times, not knowing what to do. Sitting in the press box, I saw that there is a new dawn on the horizon but as I look onwards, I do realize one thing. I have miles to go yet before I finally get to sleep.

Note: For the record, we re-sold the two tickets for 100 bucks that day in 2003, to two guys who wanted to see the last day action. I still wonder how many times those two tickets changed hands during those five days.

OOPS!!!


Hey guys i am really sorry for not updating this blog for the past 10 days. Actually have been very busy with my book release and then its post production work, and now with the May issue of my magazine.

However, now I am free and will be leaving for Mohali today to cover tomorrow's match. So expect an exclusive from there on Sunday.

Apologies again,

Cheers

IPL Diaries – By Chetan Narula

The Big Bang!!!

One has so often wondered what a spectacle the beginning of the universe might have been. Matter in the form of a point exploding into millions of stars, planets and inter-planetary stuff flying away from each other at a head spinning speed. And sample this in a picturesque setting of the Big Bang. If only we had a picture of it to save as a wallpaper on our desktops.

18^th april 2008 provided us, mere mortals, a chance to witness the Big Bang as it might have happened. The curtains went up on one of the most highly anticipated events in cricket history, nay sports history. For the IPL curtain raiser was anything else but a disappointment. Against a perfect backdrop, the showcase event in Indian cricket was declared open.

That the IPL will be a hit with the fans was somewhat in doubt, say two days ago. But the full house at the Chinnaswamy stadium proved otherwise. Cricket in India is a sacred religion and at one of its biggest carnivals, how could the fans, rather devotees, not pay their homage? That it was going to be a spectacle was always a certainty, given that IPL and entertainment are best buddies already. The Vijay Mallya factor, however, surpassed anything & everything that one could have fathomed, and it will be interesting to see how opening ceremonies will now compare in the near future. He isn’t called the ‘King of Good Times’ for nothing, now is he?

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy provided a spectacular start to the proceedings with some of their hit numbers. Sixteen stilt walkers, eight acrobats who performed gravity-defying stunts on ropes of silk, eight rapellers dressed in the colours of the eight teams skimmed down from the stadium roofs on super-thin wires, and eight bubble dancers spinning & dancing in giant transparent bubbles left spectators in a total trance. But the special cheers were reserved for the Washington Redskin cheerleaders, for obvious reasons, and watching them left one wishing, if only they could be present in all the matches.

Entertainment was the name of the game, so much so, that even with the home team reeling, the local crowd was enjoying the music being played in the stadium. If for once you thought that there would be grim faces, think again, and maybe this is where the IPL will still be found wanting, come the end. For building fan loyalties will need more than such elaborate fanfare, although it remains to be seen what the other home teams can come up with.

Coming to the cricket, yes there was some, mainly from one man alone. Brendon McCullum batted as if he was picking the bat up for the last time in his life. His innings was so belligerent that it is the most terrific hitting the author has ever seen. Not to mention, that one feels that his ferocious attack on the hapless bowlers is yet to sink in. 13 sixes and 10 fours! If it were test cricket or even ODIs, then one can fathom the possibility of some one hitting out in this fashion, fed up with the drab proceedings. But this is T20 for crying out loud, where the ball is supposed to travel in all directions. But to travel like this? It was just simply staggering to watch. One can never claim that 159 will not be overcome as the highest score, but it will take some doing, and our only hope should be that we watch that match as well.

Now that we are talking cricket, away from all the hype and hoopla, it was good to see the spirit in the Kolkata KnightRiders. Ponting was seen hugging Ishant like a brother after he bowled Dravid and this only means that the bitterness of the test series in January will soon be a thing of the past. The Royal Challengers, however, looked forlorn. But if you have just been ravaged the way they were, you too will be wishing you weren’t there.

Of course, Mallya made sure he wasn’t there, atleast not on the television, as King Khan got one across him. The former won’t be too happy about it, especially in wake of the pre-match comments he made. But one can’t see the Royal Challengers do anything of note, if Wasim Jaffer continues to think he is playing test cricket. A strike rate of 40 in T20, when an hour ago, we saw something resembling lightning? Surely one can be forgiven if there is an urge to shoot Jaffer at sight. Kolkata, and for that matter, SRK will be flying high. One can’t begin to imagine the reception that awaits them when they play their next game at Eden Gardens. Shahrukh admitted that he would lose out a lot, if his gamble doesn’t pay off and will have to return to making movies. On the contrary, it seems likely that he will be quitting films soon.

In the previous article, it was stated that the first match will go a long way in predicting which way this tournament is headed. IPL would be a huge hit, this was never under doubt, but now it seems, the tournament will be a bigger hit than humanly thought possible. Welcome to the new age!

IPL Diaries – By Chetan Narula

A Curtain Raiser

Lights, Camera, Action! On 18^th April 2008, at 7 pm IST, the world will sit witness to a new page being written in the annals of cricket history, when the first season of the Indian Premier League gets underway at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The first match will be played between Royal Challengers and Kolkatta KnightRiders, and it promises to be a mouth watering spectacle, and not just because it pitches the best in business against the best in films.

Yes, it is more than just Vijay Mallya and Shah Rukh Khan pitting their teams against each other, to see whose cricket, and business acumen comes out on top. Let us for a while leave that to the honchos in the European football leagues. Because a sterner test lies ahead for not only the two Fanchise owners, but also, the BCCI and in particular, Lalit Modi, the father of the IPL. For the first match will go a long way in deciding the fate of the multi-million dollar baby.

What one is trying to imply is, that in a jiffy, the IPL won’t become near and dear to the cricket crazy millions of this country. Like any other sane object of entertainment or leisure, this too will only grow from strength to strength, however it needs a major shot in the arm if it needs to do so. Why this so, one is is tempted to ask? Well, to start with, there is no culture of following sports in this country. What sets us apart from the football or cricket traditions followed in other countries, say England, is the simple fact that almost every night after returning from home, these people do not lumber up in bed, or waste their time watching dim-witted family sagas on the television. They actually shell out their hard earned cash to watch their football, cricket or rugby heroes play their rival teams and along with it, guzzle a beer or two.

No, one is not making a case of higher alcohol consumption here, instead what is being highlighted is the way that these long standing football cultures have been built. Teams like Manchester United and Arsenal were formed hundreds of years ago and they have since developed into multi-million dollar clubs, who now own academies as well as some of the world’s best footballers. While they didn’t grow over one season alone, the international competition was born out of the rivalries of the clubs. And, then of course, there came the money. The IPL, instead, is a case of the process being reversed. Take international rivalries and put them in the not so enthralling scenario of domestic cricket, to make it more appealing to the average Indian fan. And all this made possible, only by pumping in humongous wads of currency notes.

Here, one is trying to bring out the biggest headache that the IPL, or the franchises rather, will face, to the fore. And that is to pull away the couch potatoes from, well, their couches. To ask the middle class man to spend upto 250 bucks on a match ticket for seven matches over a period of forty odd days, is something they don’t normally do, not even on four consecutive weekends of a month, irrespective of the ever increasing GDP. And this brings us to the cards played by the BCCI, in order to lure the common man out of his home to the stadium nearest to him.

Go international, whenever in doubt in cricket, just go international. And that is precisely what the board did, and before them, Zee Group’s ICL. Getting foreign players to play in these twenty20 leagues is a well judged move. After all, these players starve for the kind of money there is in Indian cricket, especially New Zealand cricket, who are so cash strapped that as many as 15 players, current and retired are playing in the two leagues combined.

So much so, that some players have taken an early retirement from their budding international careers to play T20 in the dust of India. Shaun Pollock, Adam Gilchrist, Stephen Fleming are just a few of the prominent names. Maybe at their age, international cricket was actually getting too much for them. But what about some one like Justin Kemp or Lou Vincent, who are not even 30, and by virtue of playing in ICL cant play international cricket now. The latter, at one time, even complaining of depression, did the whiff of money make it all go away?

International players, after all, may not be the answer to the dilemma faced by the organizers. Consider this, in a match between Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians, you will be expected to cheer for Mohd. Asif against Sachin Tendulkar, or, Sanath Jayasuriya against Sehwag. Is that really possible? Will a Delhi fan ever do that, or for that matter, a Mumbaikar? Cricketers in India are demi-gods, the game is a religion and taking it to the masses, while there are no international rivalries involved, is something the masses will be apprehensive of. It has been tried before, the Premier Hockey League being a prime example, but then that is hockey and it doesn’t exactly set the fans’ imagination on fire.

All this is going to test the patience of the men (and one woman) who have bought the franchises. For these are the platforms on which the revenue generation models will be developed. For the IPL is nothing but a business opportunity for these spendthrifts, and considering a very old saying, they will want to reap more than they have sown. Ticket prices will need to be at a premium; for only then the common man will make the effort to watch the matches live. Only then will the huge stadiums be full to capacity and only then, will the whole venture be successful. Another option is to market the merchandise but given that it takes years to build fan followings, one wonders how much will they sell. One other option is to follow the Kolkatta Franchise model and put everything in the Eden Gardens, up for sale.

Talking about SRK, the talk shifts to the first match and there are many expectations. There are going to be eight international players, eight young stars ready to make a mark and not to forget stalwarts like Ganguly and Dravid, who will be the first ones to experience this new chapter in cricket history. The biggest point, however, is the way the match is expected to be played out. If it is a close one, or a high scoring one, and maybe someone is kind enough to hit four-five consecutive sixes, then we have a tournament on our hands.

Even then, there will be dark clouds hanging over the fate of the tournament. Events like these take a long time to settle in. Fan following is not created overnight inspite of the huge amount of money. Nor are the heroes jeered against so easily. But such is the beauty of sport that such incidences have occurred. In the last football world cup in 2006, Cristiano Ronaldo got Wayne Rooney sent off, Portugal beat England, and yet, today the former’s popularity charts in England are tearing up the roof. Similarly, there will be millions who will be tuning in to watch and you never know what to expect from the unpredictable game of cricket.

Lights, Camera, Action! Let the drama begin!