Indian Premier League (IPL) is round the corner and cricket aficionados can’t wait to watch it. Come April 18 and the fiesta will commence again. Of course, it is exhilarating to note that what seemed impossible has been made possible but the fact that India won’t host the second edition because of the clash with the general elections ‘09 is a trifle unfortunate from an Indian perspective nevertheless people are happy that they can at least watch it live on the screen. However, this has left a bad image on the Indian government when it said that it can’t provide security for the players. Okay, if IPL is played outside India, should we rename it to something else then? Who cares, really? On a sad note, some Australian players have opted out of IPL citing hectic schedule but aren’t they aware of the fact that the franchises have spent millions of dollars on them? Very worrying indeed. Worries apart, the IPL is just less than a week away and we cricket lovers are eagerly waiting for the second season to kick off.
Coming to the IPL’s first edition, Shane Warne and his men took everyone by storm. Tagged as the underdogs before the tournament started, ultimately they emerged as the best team among the lot. With the likes of Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan, and a couple of other players, it is amply clear that they are the clear favorites again but considering the fact that Cricket is a funny and unpredictable game, which team emerges as the ultimate winner this time around is anybody’s guess! Oh and what about Sohail Tanvir the purple cap owner and the player who single-handedly won many matches for RR? It is indeed unfortunate to note that Pakistan players won’t be seen this time around - IPL in SA can give them some hope. Now veering to the teams which put up a dismal show, lot was expected from Royal Challengers (Bangalore) and Deccan Chargers (Hydrebad). True, they had the stalwarts but things didn’t click for them last time but with the inclusion of new players in this season, let us hope they can turn it around this time at least.
And last but not the least, let us also hope that the second season be a fantastic one in South Africa!
