IPL: INDIANS YET TO STRIKE IT RICH

Hardly a week old and already the IPL has acquired a huge fan following worldwide. The extravaganza has drawn fans galore; be it the cricket crazy Indians or foreigners, be it male or female, young or the old. The IPL has definitely succeeded in bringing audience in masses to the stadiums. Families who have been thronging the malls and multiplexes have been attracted towards the stadiums. The IPL games are perceived as family outings. The Indian board has definitely struck bulls eye and has turned the attention of the world towards cricket.

But it is not all roses for the fans. What is a bit distressing is that the Indian players are yet to come to the party. There have been no stellar performances from the Indians so far. It has been the OZs who have been hogging the lime light in the IPL’s inaugural week. Be it the consistent McGrath, or the mesmerizing Warne, the effervescent Hussey, or the emerging Hopes, it has been the OZs who have saved the day for their respective teams. More distressing is the fact that, all the team captains are yet to live up to their names. The likes of Dhoni, Sourav, Sehwag, Laxman, Rahul are yet to impress. Yuvi managed a decent outing against the Royals. It is expected that these prolific players will come to the party soon otherwise the IPL might lose its place in the fan’s heart.

IPL : A CRITICS VIEW POINT

It has been a week of frenzy, excitement, hype and every other sophisticated word that is synonymous with exciting. The IPL definitely has gone a long way in changing the face of the game. But is it a change for the better? - A question that definitely needs to be pondered before adding laurel after laurel to the BCCI.

There is always the omnipresent puzzle about whether T20 is good for the interests of the game. At a stage where organizers worldwide have been trying to extend the time that the game is on air on TV, the game of Cricket has been looking to shorten itself. Its all for the betterment of the game say many. But the purists are of a different opinion, of course.

Moreover the IPL has added value to entertainment features other than the game itself. Cricket has definitely taken a back seat. Dare Devil stunts, concerts, celebrities, ads galore- all this provides a false impression as if they are efforts to keep up a dying game. But that is not the state is it? Cricket is definitely live and kicking. One doesn’t need to look beyond the series down under.

Has cricket become so uninteresting that we require half clad girls dancing around for foot tapping tunes? More than that is this good for the culture of the nation? India has never experienced this before. Is this the right development? Do we need such incursions of foreign traditions?

It seems as though the organizers are desperate to bring crowds to the stadium. But that has definitely never been a problem for India. Over here Cricket is religion and fans throng the grounds wherever their favorite stars are. But Celebrities have lapped it up like never before. Cricket is at the cross roads and the path that we choose will make a lasting impact on the life of the game.

IPL: McCULLUM’S CARNAGE IN THE IPL CARNIVAL

This is it. The gala has begun. On Friday, the 18th of April 08, history was in the making, as the doors of the Chinnaswamy stadium opened to greet the Cricketing world’s youngest child, the IPL. The world came to a grinding halt and a packed stadium and television viewers worldwide were given a visual treat. The inaugural of the IPL was a sight for sore eyes. Dancing girls, musicians, acrobatics and what not. The IPL had a historic opening and one does feel jealous about the Bangaloreans who were able to watch it in close quarters.




Well such an opening definitely raised expectations and the King Khan’s Knight Riders were up to it. A barrage of 6s and 4s followed a s they raked up 222. Mccullum was the Knight in Shinig Armour for the KKR. Seldom has such explosive batting been on display. If someone had doubted about the quality of his bat, they culd be forgiven for it was such an awesome display. The Royal Challengers never challenged Mccullum. The absence of Chris Gayle was not felt which is saying something.

One has to feel for the Royal Challengers as they sorely missed the experience of Kumble and the pace of Steyn. But honestly, Could they have made a difference when McCullum was playing the ‘God’? the King of Good Times would never have dreamt about such a thrashing. If it was McCullum to begin with, it was Ishant and Dinda later in the night, troubling the so called ‘Performers’ with their consistent line and length. The RC were only able to reach half of what McCullum scored.

Even the Gods would not have predicted such a start for the IPL. God save the bowlers as more Blitzkreig is to follow and we are yet to see the likes of Symonds, Sachin, Jayasuriya and Hayden. The organizers could lose too many balls in this tournament.

IPL: FASTEN SEAT BELTS

If you have any appointments for the next forty days, you better cancel it, because one of the greatest cricketing events ever, is about to kick off. The Indian Premier League is all set for a tremendous mind boggling take off, later this week.

Just picture this. McGrath vs Sachin, Warne vs Dravid, Ishant sharma vs Gilchrist, dhoni vs Yuvi, Ponting under Ganguly and much more hot battles on the pitch. Mouth watering right! That's exactly what the IPL features. And if that isn't entertainment then what is?

But all is not roses for the management. The greatest problem for the IPL would be the loyalty of fans as this is not a combat between nations. This is a combat between regions in a cricket crazy nation. Will the fans' loyalty be with the regions or the players? Will a Sachin fan in Kolkatta want him to score big or will his loyalty remain with the Knight Riders? These questions will plague the organiser's minds. It might take some time before the fans adjust to this extravaganza.

Anyway fasten seat belts! Its going to be a rocking month ahead and if you are not excited about the forthcoming matches, then you better meet a psychiatrist.

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ICL: A DREAM FINAL

The best advertisement for any sport is the sport itself. In that way, the Indian Cricket League (ICL), received its best advertisement on Sunday. The second final between the Hyderabad Heroes and Lahore Badshahs, turned out to be a cracker of a contest. The ICL seems to have reserved it’s best for the end. A bowl out finish is a dream end (a nightmare for the losers though) to any match and when it comes to the finals, it is even more so. In that way one must admit, the Hyderabadis were lucky to view that game in close quarters, at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium on sunday.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, the Lahore Badshahs were onto a decent start with the score board reading 63 for one in 9 overs. If any of their fans had felt that half the game was won by then, then they were in for a huge surprise. The Lahore Badshahs lost 5 quick wickets for just 35 runs and were staring down the barrel. Finally they fell for a meager 130 – not what they would have wanted in the finals.

Well 130 should have been a cake walk for the Heroes. But that was not to be. The Heroes made mountains out of the mole hill. The opposition bowlers deserve credit. Naved Ul Hasan spearheaded the come back with a 5 wicket haul. AT Rayudu’s effort helped the Heroes scratch their way to a draw. A thrilling end was on the cards. The fates of the teams were now on the bowl out.

What followed was a repeat of the T20 World Cup finals bowl out where the Pakistanis never managed to strike the stumps. Here again Lahore couldn’t get a single strike, while the Heroes managed three to win the finals 3-0. The purpose of the match was served. It was not a win for the Heroes alone. But it was a great victory for the ICL as well. It got the spot light that it deserved. Is ICL going the Kerry Packer way? Time alone will tell.

CRICKET: SPARE A THOUGHT

The Indian Debacle at Motera, left a lot to be desired. The way the famed Indian batting line up collapsed, made one to turn away in disgust. Is this the famous middle order that accumulated records galore? Is it the end of an era of the seniors? Is it time for the seniors to walk away? Has Indian cricket reached back to square one? Will the Indians ever learn the art of consistency? These questions seem to plague every fan’s mind. But it is time that we looked at the bigger picture.

The Indians have been playing intense Cricket continuously for a long period now, since the World cup debacle. From the tour to Ireland, followed by England, South Africa, the T20 extravaganza, the tour to Australia and many more, the Indians have been constantly on the field. Add to that the IPL frenzy. The period that they have been away from Home and family, would have definitely had its effect. Who says that (with due respect) IT professionals are over worked? Spare a thought for our poor heroes.

The problems in Australia, only added to the humungous pain in the neck. They did show great resolve and determination when they were in Australia. Then, they were the toast of the nation. But two matches hence, they are considered a poor team. Is that right on our part? The Indian fans must restrain themselves. Failures are bound to happen.

Yes the debacle in Motera was more than a minor failure. But what do we earn by jumping on the gun? Mindless axing and chopping would only make the situation adverse. Here is a proven bunch of performers; a bunch of batsmen, who haunt bowlers worldwide; a bunch of bowlers who gave the mighty Aussies, nightmares; a bunch that even Ponting and Clarke couldn’t help but praise. India as a nation should be proud of such prolific talent in the team. We are privileged to see these great players on the field. No other team can praise of a Sachin, a Sourav, a wall, a VVS, a Kumble and many more.

The records that have tumbled, the emotions that have flowed, the number of matches that have been played, the adulation and hostility of fans, burn outs and ageing; all affect a player’s performance. But they still continue to bounce back and gag critics. At least for that, if not for anything else, these players deserve any amount of adulation. So stop criticizing; think, and reminisce. Relive all those exciting moments. And finally spare a thought for these over worked players!

YAARADI NEE MOHINI – EXPECTATIONS GALORE

Cast: Dhanush, Nayantara, Raghuvaran, Karunas.
Man at the Helm: Jawahar
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja


After a successful outing in ‘Polladhavan’, Dhanush is back in ‘Yaaradi Nee Mohini’, a remake of the telugu super hit, ‘Aadavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule’. Dhanush has had huge successes lately. The greatest plus point for him is that he fits the bill for the ‘Boy next Door’ roles. His blockbusters, ‘Polladhavan’ and ‘Thiruvilayadal’ stand testimony to this statement. But with huge successes come huge expectations. Dhanush has to be wary of that.

‘Yaaradi … ‘, is a movie which is right up the lane for Dhanush. He plays a middle class teenager, in search of employment which eludes him due to his poor communication skills. He is constantly pricked by his father, Raghuvaran. Finally he gets employed in a software firm. He falls in love with Keerthi (Nayanthara) who works in the same firm. But the love turns to be one sided as she doesn’t reciprocate his love and is engaged to another person. His life turns from bad to worse following this. How Dhanush deals with his crumbling life forms the remainder of this absorbing tale.

The movie is expected to take the box office by storm. The music is already a hit and the film is expected to take the same path. ‘Yaaradi nee Mohini’, could be the next biggie for the boy next door.

Motera Disaster in pics

The Indian debacle at Motera cant be described in words. The gallery below says it all.

The Nawab and his fans were left baffled.

This bouncer questioned Jaffer's place in the team

South Africa's pace trio prove too hot for the strong Indian batting lineup

Kallis in the midst of a great innings. Just another day in the office for him.

India's new nemesis?

Turbanator finally amongst wickets!

Sourav's knock - A glimpse of Sunshine on a cloudy day for India.

A face saving knock. Nothing more than that and Nothing less.

Ntini drives the final nail into the coffin.

The star of the match gets his due.