As a quick disclaimer, I haven't really been watching a lot of the IPL on TV - mostly due to it showing at around the time when I have to dust myself off and start the Slow Long Walk to work. However, I've been following the matches when I can and watching as much as I can. Here are some random musings so far:
Wotstheirname v Wotstheirface: So really, how many of us can be true to our conscience and say that we know exactly who has been playing who and who features in that team? No really. One day, you see Robin Uthappa keeping wickets for Bangalore and the next day you see him in Pune. And if memory serves me right, he has also played for Mumbai Indians before eventually being traded to Bangalore in the first place. All this in the space of 4 seasons. I wouldn't blame the players for not knowing whether to give a fellow IPL-player an exaggerated high-five (there are rumors the players have High-Five Camps before the tournament starts because that's all they have time for) or whether to sledge him until he gets all red in the face. If quizzed about it, Dhoni will probably give you a "Well, of course, it's part of the modern day cricketer's life" straight-bat reply. The rigors they have to go through!
The Mumbai Indians mess: The Mumbai Indians seem to have it all - the richest man in India financing them, Indian cricket's poster boy playing for them and on paper, they may seem to have a team that should be a shoo-in for a playoff spot at the very least. However, they are a case study in mismanagement. In as good a player as Sachin Tendulkar may be, it's fair to say that where leadership skills are concerned, he really isn't in the Sun Tzu class. The first few seasons of the IPL were littered with such master-strokes as picking only 3 international players, persisting with R Sathish and playing him as a specialist fielder, and completely under-utilizing Dwayne Bravo's talent. However, they have one-upped themselves this year by picking a replacement captain who is even worse! The Sardar from Jalandar may be many things, but a captain and leader of men he certainly isn't and that explains MI's floundering captain despite their aforementioned strength on paper. On a side-note, a part of me wishes Sanath Jayasuriya was still around to open the batting with Sachin Tendulkar. That way, MI would've had 2 politicians opening the batting for them. How many cricket teams can boast of that?
A man called Sourav: You can't keep that man away from the spotlight. But this is the kind of spotlight you don't really want. Everyone has had that one moment of panic when you are up on stage for a school play or some such endeavor to have this sneaking suspicion that your pants have split right at the seam. I imagine that's the kind of feeling Ganguly goes through every time he goes out to bat these days. After his heroics in the game against Delhi where he got a couple of key wickets, including KP, and ran faster than he bowled, in celebration, he was brought down to earth in the game against MI where his team messed up a chase of 121, where he himself struggled to a 24 ball 16. But his Waterloo came against the Rajasthan Royals when facing up to Shaun Tait. It's like putting a fiesty, but old poodle in a cage match against a pitbull. There can only be one victor there. After struggling along and barely being able to put bat on ball for the first few overs, his misery finally ended off a lame pull shot that was gleefully accepted at square leg. Between that and the defeat at his old den at the Eden gardens, the clamor for him to be consigned to non-playing duties has grown louder. Luckily, a word exists for a role like that - it's called a coach. I can only hope someone tells Ganguly and unless he finally gets the message, the proud shirt-twirling-at-the-Lords-balcony memory of him might be replaced by a caricature of himself.
Rahul and I: Might be the name of Rahane's experience at the IPL 5. In between the swipes and slogs and cheerleaders' pelvic thrusts and the other ugliness you come to expect with the IPL, there is the pleasing sight of Dravid and Rahane opening the batting for the Royals. It may be the best thing to come out of this year's tournament. Rahane may not be able to hold on to the orange cap, but anyone with any feeling for the game must be happy to see him score some runs. With Dravid and Rahane batting and Morne Morkel bowling, you might be lulled for a second into believing that there is a Test match in progress, but then shortly afterwards the camera pans to someone in a garish uniform fielding while having a chat with the commentators and you realize this is the IPL, after all. But showing that T20 batting isn't just about ugly slogs is something those two have managed to do all season long. Their team may not have the big budget players to drag them all the way, but I find a part of me cheering for Rajasthan this season.
The Others: Meanwhile, Deccan Chargers have been strengthening their reputation as reliable losers. After a freak second season when they managed to surprise everyone, including themselves, by winning the whole thing, they are back to where they are the most comfortable - the bottom of the table. Despite several strategy and personnel changes, they have failed to realize that breeding an army of right-arm-medium trundlers will only get you so far even if you have a Dale Steyn in your squad. Especially if you drop 3 catches for every one you hold. Delhi are back to the top of the table despite being robbed by Bangalore of all of their best players. Bangalore (who should really be called the New Delhi) are riding atop Gayle's broad shoulders, much as they did for most of the previous campaign. Gambhir has been doing his best Dada impression to lead KKR to the top of the table, while Punjab have had a predictably underwhelming campaign since no one has done a Valthaty this year (including Valthaty himself). Which leaves us with ... CSK. The winners of last year's IPL have found life to be a bit tougher this time around without Hayden, Hussey or Raina blazing away at the top of the order as they are used to. They are managing one middling performance after another despite being the most stable team across the 5 tournaments in terms of their players as well as their yellower-than-yellow kits.
Despite it being shoved down our throats, despite the number of matches getting unbearably high, despite the viewership numbers and the quality of domestic Indian talent taking a dip, the one thing that's pretty clear is that it's hard to ignore the IPL much like it's hard to ignore someone screaming into your ear from 2 feet away. That's money talking (or screaming) for you.
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