Iceman’s Realm

Cricket has always been unpredictable especially the shorter format of the game. Just when we thought that Kolkotta Knight Riders were a great side after showcasing clinical performances in the first two games, here they are languishing at the bottom of the points table with three defeats on the trot. Kings XI Punjab, on the other hand are completely looking out of sorts right from the start of the tournament. Apart from their thrilling win against Chennai Super Kings, there’s nothing much they have accomplished. Understandably, co-owner Preity Zinta is peeved about the dismal performance of her team and it’s quite unfortunate that despite having some flamboyant players in their side, her team is ending up on the losing side. Kumar Sangakkara as skipper is not doing wonders for team. However, with the inclusion of Australian players like Brett Lee and Shaun Marsh, it could be a complete team altogether.  Wonder what kept them away from playing in the last encounter against Rajasthan Royals. Well, this might be early days in the 3rd edition but if both these teams have any ideas of making it to the semifinals, they really need to get their acts together and perform. Kings XI or KKR, let’s wait and watch who will win this much awaited clash.

It was the 22nd match of the 3rd edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and it was special in one way because the encounter was between two teams that had lifted the IPL trophy earlier. Deccan Chargers (DC), the defending champions were up against the former defending champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) and a cracker of a contest was always on the cards. DC skipper Adam Gilchrist won the toss and without any hesitation elected to bat first. Shane Warne, on the other hand had little concerns losing the toss because he was quite certain that nothing much will change during the course of the game. Right from the word go, Gilchrist & Co. couldn’t go all guns blazing and instead of a run feast, they were seen struggling to keep the wickets intact. Gibbs and Symonds tried to up the ante but it was Rohit Sharma’s significant contribution that helped them even to post a decent total on the board. In the end, 148 was all DC could get. Yusuf Pathan fought for a lost cause during their opening match against Mumbai Indians but his hard hitting didn’t come in vain this time. Eventually, with 8 wickets in hand and more than 4 overs to spare, it was a comprehensive victory for the former champions. Both teams have played 5 matches against each other out of which 4 games  (including the one played yesterday) were won by RR. Will DC win the final game of this season and break the jinx? We’ll soon find out.

Firmly believing that they are not fortunate enough batting first and setting totals, Kings XI Punjab skipper Kumar Sangakkara go it wrong even after winning the toss and opting to field first. So what will be the strategies he’ll adopt in the next encounter? One can’t really say but gone are the days when it used to be one of the most ominous sides with the likes of Shaun Marsh, Luke Pomersbach, Brett Lee and several others. In yesterday’s game, Punjab bowlers did exceptionally well in restricting the defending champions to 170 - Gilchrist and Laxman gave the start the side wanted but eventually, they fell short of 15-20 runs. Punjab’s reply wasn’t that bad either but when Chaminda Vaas made early inroads, it wasn’t easy for the other batsmen to come out and play their shots. Sangakkara and Jayawardene are looking out of sorts and they proved just that in this game too. Juvraj Singh’s dismal performance with the bat continues and it’s Bopara who’s saving the grace every time. Interestingly, Irfan Pathan came up with quick half century and even threatened to take away the game singlehandedly from the champions but  when he too perished, it was the final nail on the coffin. Now with three defeats on the trot, things aren’t looking good for Kings XI Punjab. It’s high time they regrouped and worked out their strategies effectively so that they don’t end up being one of the beleaguered teams of the 3rd edition.

When Kolkotta Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Sourav Ganguly lost the toss and was asked to bat first, the disappointment of having lost a crucial toss was quite apparent on his face. Like Adam Gilchrist, even he’d have loved to field first but don’t know if that decision would have paid off well. Things went worse when a couple of wickets fell in quick succession and at half way stage, KKR were going at less than six per over. Angelo Mathews had just joined Owais Shah at the crease and they took their time to settle down. By knocking the ones and twos around and hitting the odd boundaries, the duo played sensible cricket, yet took calculated risks towards the end. Eventually, 161 was all they could put up on the scoreboard. Not intimidating all but sure it was competitive enough. Defending champions Deccan Chargers started their chase in superb fashion - Adam Gilchrist and VVS Laxman went all guns blazing right from the onset itself. They cruised to their first 50 in no time without even losing a wicket but trouble started when both the openers got out in quick succession. From there on, it wasn’t easy getting back on track and no player came to the rescue. A wining start is what they wanted and now that they’ve accomplished that with ease, it’ll be interesting to see how they carry it on from here. With this right combination, will Kolkotta Knight Riders make winning a habit? We’ll soon find out.

Last year, when the Indian Premier League coincided with the multi-phase 2009 general elections, the Central Government of India couldn’t promise full security to the players. Believing that the forces would be stretched too thinly if they were to safeguard both IPL and elections, hosting Indian Premier League in India was out of the question. If that was one of the primary reasons why the second edition didn’t happen in India, here are some of the issues that are posing serious threats to the third edition of the event. First comes the recent bomb blast that wreaked havoc at the German Bakery in Pune. Though not many casualties were reported, blasts such as these can seriously deter the event from taking place. Then comes the Telangana issue. As people are still protesting, it’s quite evident that cricket can’t be played in any of the Hyderabad stadiums or in Andhra Pradesh for that matter. If these issues are indirectly threatening the event from happening, what about Shiv Sena’s threat that they would disrupt the schedules if Australian players partake in the IPL? Now with the IPL extravaganza less than a month away, Indian Mujaheddin the terror outfit responsible for the Pune bomb blast say their next target is Indore. If this is the case, be ready to shift the venue outside India this time around too. Lalit Modi, hope you’re listening!

Having asked to follow on by the South African skipper Graeme Smith, India after losing two quick wickets at the end of day three in their second innings are in a precarious position. India’s first innings with the bat wasn’t any good either. Their abysmal performance just goes to show how dismal they are without some of their key players. Apart from Virender Sehwag who notched up another quick fire century and Badrinath who scored a well made half century, no other batsmen contributed to the Indian total. This time with Sehwag and Gambir back in the pavilion without causing much damage, the onus is on the remaining batsmen. 2 days still remain and it’s highly unlikely that the inexperience of Murali Vijay, Badrinath and Saha will come to India’s rescue. Retaining the number one spot will be out of the question if this poor show continues. Sachin and Dhoni need to bat and they need to bat pretty well if they have any plans of drawing the test match.

The battle has begun. And it will be quite decisive because it will determine the number one side in Test Cricket. The home team are sitting pretty at the top of the test rankings with 124 points closely followed by the visiting side, the Proteas with 120 points. A couple of test matches will be played between these two teams and if the home team manages a draw from them, it’s more than enough to maintain the top spot. But if they lose, there could be a twist in the tale. Talking about the teams, South Africa with the likes of Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, and Dale Steyn to name a few, are relatively a much better side. Almost all their players are in fine nick and with batsmen friendly pitches like the one in Nagpur, the South African batsmen can make a mockery of the Indian bowling. India on the other hand are playing without Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and Yuvraj Singh. Their absence has created a void in the Indian middle order that’s hard to fill in. After a day and a half’s play, it looks like the pitch is a good one to bat on and the visitors have made good use of the batting conditions. The home team might have got the prized wicket of Kallis but Amla is still piling it on. With a couple of batsmen still to come, a mammoth total is definitely on the cards.

When retired New Zealand bowler Shane Bond was preferred over Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Misbah-ul-Haq and a couple of other Pakistan players in the recently held IPL auction, one wondered what went seriously wrong with the franchisees. A few of them even thought how these aforesaid flamboyant players were not competitive enough to feature in the 3rd edition of this extravaganza. True, the relationship between the neighboring countries is not  amicable, but is this the way to snub them? Cricket, they say, transcends borders but in this case, it’s rather disappointing from the franchisees’ end. If the Pakistan players were to be disregarded in such a way, why were they even considered in the first place?

When all rounder Keiron Pollard went all guns blazing during the Twenty20 Champions league, it was quite evident that he would be the most sought after player in the Indian Premier League auction.  It comes as no surprise that he was one of the most expensive players this time around. Though pace bowlers were the flavor of this season, Shane Bond’s inclusion comes as quite an astonishment for many. On a sad note, the Pakistan players have been shunned and it looks like they won’t feature in this season either. Ace cricketer Shahid Afridi complained that he was unhappy with the attitude of the franchises. Afridi dude, let’s make it crystal clear that the exclusion of Pakistan players has nothing to do with the attitude or the political pressure from the government, it’s all about the availability of the players. However, visa problems have also been cited as the main deterrent and like the last time, not even one Pakistan cricketer would partake in the 3rd edition of the cricket extravaganza.

On a pitch that was conducive to batting and bowling conditions, posting a total of 279 runs was always a challenging and competitive score. Setting 280 as the target, little did the Men in Blue know that an inexperienced Sri Lankan line up would successfully chase down the total. Sri Lankans were relatively an inexperienced side without the likes of Jayasuriya, Dilshan, Jayawardene, Muralitharan, Malinga, Mendis, and a couple of their front line pace bowlers. Now if this naive side can register a comprehensive victory against a complete Indian side, what could have been the case when all their key players were there? Team India can give a lame excuse saying the dew factor was one of the reasons for their defeat but Sri Lanka who are high on confidence after winning two games on trot are clearly the favorites.