March 31, 2010

Chennai Sup(CK)er Kings

CSK is definitely one of the best teams in IPL. Somehow its managing to screw it up big time leaving even the cricket pundits confused. It is definitely not a team which should be at the bottom of the table. Their bowling has been pathetic, but then its the same bowling attack for 3 years now. So what is the problem?

The bowling has become more pathetic with at least 2 bowlers going for 40 runs of their quota. CSK has the weakest bowling attack of all the teams. Every team has a Fast 'Sting' bowler like Steyn for RCB, Roach for DC, Malinga for MI, Lee for KXI, Nannes for DD, Bond for KKR and Tait for RR. These are bowlers who can hit the 145ks+ consistently. Speed does help in T20 and we can see it. Albie Morkel is CSK's fastest bowler who barely touches 130. CSK's pace bowlers are Morkel, Balaji, Gony, Tyagi, Joginder Sharma, Ganapathy, Ntini, Perera & Thushara.

Morkel has been lucky ,with his pace with the new ball he should be whacked all over.
Balaji gets the right treatment every match.
Gony and Tyagi play alternate matches and its even stevens, both get creamed.
Joginder Sharma, only God knows how he makes it to the playing XI
Perera bowled 5 full-toss deliveries on his debut game, 4 were to God. Got spanked, let the game shift to Mumbai Indians. Obviously not returned to the team since.
Thushara , haven't seen much of him yet and with whatever seen ,he isnt impressive either.
Ganapathy bowled just one over, not enough to rate him.

Chennai's only saving grace has been the spin department comprising of Murali, Jakati and Ashwin
Murali is Purple Cap holder with an economy of less than 7. Period.
Jakati has been impressive with his line and length.
Ashwin has been disappointing.
All over ? wait a minute..
Makhaya'Fast bowler-converted-Joker'Ntini, where the hell is he ?
why isnt he playing ? If MSD needs a fast bowler y is he still waiting for Ginger Bollinger.
Bolly can be vicious and very useful but he too has his limits and bowls under 140k's and in Indian conditions will be a big question mark. So, y hasn't MSD tried Ntini when he had so many opportunities.. remains unanswered!



ps: more on the batting and champion-like fielding later...

March 24, 2010

Indian squad for World T20 in West Indies



No it hasn't happened yet but, we look into the gloomy future ahead of the jokers running the selection panel. So, we can say "I knew that would happen...". Injuries have been the toast of IPL this season. Either it is Yuvi, Bhajji, Zak coming out of injuries or MSD, Gauti, Bhajji getting injured. So unless the BCCI share confidential fitness reports with us it will be difficult to strike the exact squad they are likely to pick. But we'll have a go at it anyway.

LIKELY SQUAD STUDY:

Certainties: MSD©, Viru, Gauti(subject to fitness), Yuvi, Raina, Bhajji, Zak, PK, Yusuf.

Hopefulls: Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma, Sudeep Tyagi, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra, Ravindra Jadeja, Irfan Pathan & Saurabh Tiwary (both not in the announced 30 probables list)

CASE I: It seems like a choice between a specialist spinner a part time spinner and a genuine batsman from the looks of it. Gambhir's fitness will play crucial. Pandey has done well as an opener for RCB so he may benefit from the body blow to Gauti.
Ojha, Mishra have lots at stake in the their next games. One spot or maybe no spot available if selectors go with Jadu and Yusuf. Or we must pray Bhajji can pick another injury soon.

CASE II: Be-sharam Sharma(s):
Rohit Sharma probably the only notable name we are bold enough to drop courtesy Robin's innings last night against CSK. He just won the lottery! Could not have come at a better time Robin! But the tournament is a long one, Rohit is one the leading performers for DC in IPL he should just let his performance do the talking. And he can bowl better than Virat and Robin so, hopes are alive. Ishant Sharma will have to do some magic à la Robin to get back his mojo.

CASE III: The plot thickens with Irfy and Tiwary who have impressed all with their show in the IPL so far. But, whether BCCI can pick outside the 30 probables is still not clear to us.

So, under these circumstances the squad is most likely to be --> MSD©, Viru, Gauti, Yuvi, Raina, Bhajji, Zak, PK, Yusuf, Jadu/Ojha, Pandey, Kohli, Robin/Rohit, Karthik*, Tyagi, Vinay Kumar (if Irfy can't make it)

FINAL CALL: Kathik's wicket keeping ability should get him the ticket. Pandey has been a revelation, would be sorry if they left him behind. Virat has not had time in the middle thanks to the RCB top-order stealing the show but, his ODI form was good and hope selectors show faith in him. Vinay Kumar is a doubtful pick but, (with Nayar injured) playing in West Indies and as a back up seamer he has shown promise!

March 23, 2010

DLF IPL - CSK rope in Doug Bollinger

Not much of a surprise, after the horrendous run chase against the Zintans, CSK have been on repair mode ever since. If you do remember a certain member of the team Jacob Oram a.k.a delicate doll was injured and ruled out from playing in the IPL this season. Following further damage caused due injuries to MSD and Kemp, CSK have roped in Doug Bollinger. Looks Santa gave them their X-mas present quite early this year. This will definitely boost their chances to make it to the knock-out stage of the tournament. Bollinger is said to join the team from Apr 1st following the aus-kiwi test series.

March 22, 2010

DLF IPL CSK-Chennai Super Krap

Well, for people who believe they witnessed one of the best matches ever, I pity them. It was one of the worst matches I have ever seen. And only teaches how teams should not screw up a chase. First of all, it was a contest between a team with a poor batting and a team with a poor bowling. CSK seemed to have an upper hand as they had the momentum with them after 2 consecutive victories. Raina won the toss and elected to field, quite a good decision considering the dew factor and also the fact that KXI were playing 2 spinners.

It was quite a surprise to see Irfy opening alongside Bopara. CSK suddenly, from no where got brains and dropped Joginder Sharma. KXI kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Yuvi and Irfy showed some resistance. CSK's bowling was pretty ordinary . KXI batting was even worse. Wonder what was going through their minds.Everyone got out with poor stroke play and lack of application. If I was Md. Kaif's father/mother/wife/child I would lock him up in the dungeon for eternity. The guy should not be allwoed to hold a cricket bat ever again! It was a terrible batting display by Punjab and they managed to score 136. Moorali getting the better of his two countrymen (Sanga & Jaya) BRILLIANT!

Then the Mongoose Man and Mini bullet took strike for CSK. They were scoring briskly at a steady pace and KXI , by the looks, were all down with drooping shoulders thinking that the match was slipping away from them. But with the fall of Haydos everything seemed to slip out of CSK's grasp. First a horror run-out of the capt. Raina and then the crumble. Vijay, Badri have hardly impressed and it seems with Srikanth their chances of wearing the national cap will also disappear. Kemp injured himself with a side-strain so, he could not come in to bat as well. With Parthiv out after making his half-ton Gony made it to the crease. With just a run-a-ball reqd. all that was needed was sensible batting, pushin the ball into the gaps and giving Morkel most of the strike. But, it was not to be. Gony wanted to become Super Gony in no time and ended losing his stumps and CSK reqd 10 off the last over. Albie hit a boundary the very 1st delivery to make it 5 from 5 and then 3 from 3. Here the final twist. Ashwin hits the ball and they run 2!!! Why would you want a bowler to face the final 2 balls of a match Albie. Even if it was 2 off 2 with Albie on strike it would be the smarter choice. Alas, Irfy bowled a dot ball and Ashwin hit the final ball straight to Kaif. Match tie = SOOOPER OVER

KXI chose the rookie Juan Rusty Theron, who bowled a superb spell earlier in the game. Not looking rusty at all. so the CSK managed 1,W,2,6,W just 9!! So 10 to win for the Zintans and they got there with a slight hiccup but, when you have the quality of Yuvi, and the two Lankans in your side you are more likely to win from these situations. Had MSD been there it would have been a sight! Well played to both teams to make an interesting match out of shitty batting performances. Lalit Modi will be very pleased!

March 19, 2010

DLF IPL 3.0 Dudes to Duds


The IPL is everywhere... everywhere you go, everywhere you see, and mostly everywhere you don't want it to be. Among all this hara-kiri some expected IPL heroes have disappointed. This post is dedicated to them, thanks to restore sanity and help us waste time just hoping today you will fire.

K xi P - yea, the entire team has been a tad disappointing. I'm sure the boys know it themselves.

Haydos - the Mongoose man is yet top breathe fire like he did in the previous IPL's. (this post was drafted way before Hayden tore apart the Daredevil attack and left them crying like babies. I take credit for his knock.)

Dilfan - Considering Delhi's majestic line-up. It is hard to expect a knock from each of the top5. But 0,0,17 (15 against CSK) is just hard to digest.

Yuvi - The last time he hit it was 2009!

Che Pujara - First lack of opportunity, now lack of patience from KKR.

Poppadom Smith - Yet another finger injury, end of the road for him.

Jayasurya - If he's in the team for his bowling then pardon me but, his bat has not done the tonking it promises.

AB DeVil - Was found under-par when DD needed him the most.

Sangakkara - Has not been comfortable, lacked imagination couldn't defend 200+ score! ahem..

Freefanth (
Aapam choo..) - I duno why anyone has expectations from him.

Sloon Tait - Fast & Furious, all over the place.

Dada - Captaincy may have been inspiring. Still a lot left to cheer, a long way to go.


The tournament is alive, still a lot to play for. It is difficult to judge too soon. It may be too harsh on a few, DC haven't played too much so many DC players get away. Rajasthan Royals look to be getting into deeper mess with Smith, Dimi being ruled out. Martyn not performing, Lumb flopped as well. Captain Warney now is bit to follow on twitter.

March 15, 2010

DLF IPL 3.0 DareDevils tame the Zintans

It's finally happening, not just the 3rd edition of the IPL and Lalit Modi shimmering in the Indian heat. But, the first ever IBIB... ummm .. Inter-Blogatic IPL Battle.

Yes, we are the latest to join the rest of the bunch . We maybe last but its God given.. cos we now support the one n only Dilli Daredevils. Oh, the joy and fulfillment bla bla bla.. as u can see i'm running short on the buzzer. Just 15 mins to go for their nxt game and I need the points secured. So, this is wat hapnd in the opening game for Delhi. Zintans bat 1st. Screw up to make a good total (it was less even on a green track). Dirk Nannes breathes fire! 4 overs 2 wkts for 12 runs! Whoz da man now !!?? Mahroof & Nannes dont allow the Kings from Punjab to build partnerships. Bopara get 56(48) Punjab end at 142. Dilshan, Viru, AB, dont seem to be interested in a low scoring match which means capt. G does the rest himself!

DD were at 45/3 and then 79/4 but,Mithun Manhas played along with his capt. not sure whether he got recognised. DK got a start too. Capt. G fined 20,000 $ for slow over-rate. 1st win and 2 points in the bag. Gr8 start to DLF IPL 3.0 Period!

March 11, 2010

IPL 3.0 DEVILS PARADISE



DELHI DAREDEVILS

The only team in the league whose name and game is pure EVIL! Batting order that excites the ladies and a barrage of left arm bowlers that make any ordinary man facing wet his pants. Its quite disturbing that this mean side has not won the IPL yet. Missing out on both times in the knock-out phase. Perhaps, bcoz every member in the team seem to be on a suicide mission and is looking to hit every ball for a DLF maximum!! This has resulted in upset victories for the opponents and despite topping the table in season by a mile. One Gilly performance ended the journey for the Daredevils in the semis.

The Virender Sehwag left-arm fast bowler fetish just seems to have gone too far, they purchased yet another Lefty - Wayne (not Rooney) Parnell! Oh yea, Sehwag might not be the one leading the team but, he surely has got the men he would rather not face at the crease. Nannes will have stiff competition from Parnell, while Warner's form will be sweet poison for the Delhi team whose batting order already boasts of Sehwag, Gauti, AB DeVil, Dilshan, Karthik. Choosing the 4 foreign players may become a new concern for the team which has already kept the likes of Glenn Mc Grath, Paul Collingwood & Owais Shah on bench. They have also got in Moises Henriques from KKR in trade. No worries, no regrets as far as the squad is concerned. Champion stuff!


SQUAD:Amit Mishra, Ashish Nehra, AB de Villiers, Avishkar Salvi, David Warner, Dirk Nannes, Gautm Gambhir, Joginder Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Mithun Manhas, Moises Henriques, Farveez Maharoof, Pradeep Sangwan, Rajat Bhatia, Sarabjeet Ladda, Sarandeep Singh, Dilshan, Umesh Yadav, Virender Sehwag, Yo Mahesh, Wayne Parnell, Yogesh Nagar.

STRENGTH: Explosive Batting order. Captaincy of Gauti.

WEAKNESS: Success or failure is just decided by the man on the boundary. HIT or MISS strategy!

WATCH OUT FOR: Warner, Dilshan, Parnell, Nannes... we shall just stop there.

WAH'S XI:
  • Sehwag
  • Warner
  • Dilshan
  • Gauti©
  • DeVil
  • Karthik
  • Bahtia/Manhas
  • Parnell/Nannes
  • Mishra
  • Sangwan
  • Nehra


WAH SAY:Anything less than winning the championship will be tagged as failure. That pressure is sure to be on the players. Most likely to see Nannes & Parnell fight it out for one spot. Would have played both if Warner consistency is a question. Gauti playing lower will steady the team if needed. Overall, Excited from the looks of it. Dare to beat the Devils anyone?

p.s: Just a reminder of the famous bench-warmers the side has produced. A small tribute to those guys!

March 10, 2010

IPL 3.0 Sooper Dooper Kings



Chennai Super Kings

Alas the Chennai Sooper Kings, the side that lost the championship in the inaugural season and then lost in the knock-out semis in the second season, look like they are on the downslide. They rely heavily on Aussie giant Matt Haydos and from there the problems begin. MSD has played Parthiv-mini-Patel as he is free from the wk duty that has already given him enough back issues. But this means Parthiv who can(read should) be playing lower down the order opens the batting with Hayden. If MSD is going to take IPL seriously, as equal to winning World Cup. Then he may have to strain his back a bit more and stand behind stumps and accommodate an extra bowler in place of mini Parthiv. Otherwise Parthiv has to lift his game, or bat lower down the order so, Vijay can open the batting. The CSK are marred and scarred by injuries to Jake' Oram, Al' Morkel has his line of fitness issues, Mike Huss wont be available initially. Losing Flintoff was a big blow for them. But, the replacements for Freddie and Stephen Fleming were just not enough. So now they have Justin Kemp their new recruit along with a few Lankans whom they dont miss to buy at every player auction.

CSK do look like a formidable opposition but, seriously not the top-3 in the competition. In Balaji and Gony their bowling can fall apart anytime. Add Tyagi to that, MSD will have some serious cardiac issues while fielding. Raina, Badri, Vijay should help MSD post big, bigger, biggest totals everytime so, he wont worry about the bowling too much. Ashwin, Jakati & Murali give him added tension of whom to drop and whom to play. It will take a few games initially to find the balance in the team and sort out fitness issues.

SQUAD:R Ashwin, L Balaji, C Ganapathy, MS Gony, SB Jakati, M Muralidaran, M Ntini, S Tyagi, KB Arun Karthik, S Badrinath, GJ Bailey, ML Hayden, MEK Hussey, SK Raina, M Vijay, T Thushara, JA Morkel, JDP Oram, NLTC Perera, JM Kemp, MS Dhoni, PA Patel.

STRENGTH:Hayden opening, Depth in batting.

WEAKNESS:Bowling in death overs.

WATCH OUT FOR:Lankans could well prove to be strong plus for CSK, Ganapathy, Bailey. Justin Kemp.

WAH'S XI:
  • Haydos
  • Patel*
  • Raina
  • MSD©
  • Albie
  • Badri/Vijay
  • Perera/Thushara
  • Ganapathy
  • Murali
  • Balaji
  • Jakati


WAH SAY: Bailey replacing Pup in the Kiwi tour mid-way will hurt CSK. Mike Huss will have to play in a cramped batting order again. I will have to stick my neck out and say CSK are most likely to miss the bus to the semis. DD, MI, RCB clear favorites right now. With KxiP, DC, CSK fighting for that final semi spot. But, dont count them out completely! Like MSD would say it "MIND IT!" Period.

Ijaz Butt & the 7 Dwarfs



Well, if you thought only the Pakistan Cricket team was unpredictable,hold on! Their cricket board is a step ahead. Ijaz Butt's decision has shook the cricket team and others concerned. Agreed Paki cricket was not doing well, but its nothing new. Its been happening for ages now. Every team goes through a slump. Lets look at the fellows who faced Butt's fart..oops wrath!

1) Kamran'Butterfingers'Akmal: Well, he single-handedly won the game for Australia. He dropped catches which came his way and helped Aussies win it easily. Rs. 3 million fine and under probation.

2)Umar'Poor Acting'Akmal : He alleged to have feigned an injury in order to miss the test for his dear brother who had been dropped.He did ended up playing the match though. His mom would have been proud of this act, but not the PCB. Rs 2 million fine and under probation.

3)Shahid 'Once Bit Twice Punished'Afridi: If Adam bit the forbidden apple, our Boom Boom bhai bit the cherry umm... ball. Satan hit both of them. ICC banned him with a heavy sum and a 2 T20 match ban. Ijaz went a step higher and fined him Rs.3million and is also under probation for 6 months.

4)Rana Naved and Shoaib Malik: On disciplinary grounds. Banned for a year from the national side from all the formats of the game and a sum of 2 million.

Here's the shocker :
5) MoYo & his accomplice, Younis Khan: Final nail in the coffin for both of them. Seems their attitude let the team down. Well, I do agree in the case of Younis, who , whenever he needs, takes rest citing stress and too much cricket, when they play once in a blue-moon. He stated that 20-20 was a fun game... maybe for him! That statement surely raised a few eyebrows. Luckily, they went on to win the WCT20 else he would have been doomed long back.

Well, with T20 WC coming up shortly, I don't see it as a wise decision by the PCB. Could have checked their performance in the T20WC. With the ban of these players,the Pakistan team is like a human being with just a head and legs and nothing in between. Its gonna take a long time to come over from this disaster.

P.S: I hope WICB doesn't take it seriously and dissolve the whole team considering the way they are performing!! :)

P.P.S: All above mentioned nominations are in PKR currency - Pakistani Rupee.

March 8, 2010

IPL 3.0 Fully Charged



DECCAN CHARGERS

When the Deccan Chargers ended rock bottom in the inaugural season of the IPL, it shocked quite a few how a team that had Gilchrist, Symonds & Afridi not succeed in this format. And to come from a season full of disappointments to be crowned champions in the very next premier league season is a serious achievement. They had a new skipper in Gilly new team management new team colors. As to say, they almost had a new beginning. And what a beginning that was to be. Beating the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 6 runs and becoming the 2nd under-dog team to win the champions title. The Champions League T20 was a disaster for them. Getting knocked out in the 1st round of the competition.

Citing the success Fidel Edwards had, the Chargers have roped in Kemar Roach to boost their pace attack. They have also been swift in getting the Aussie u-19 world cup winning captain and brother of Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh. Whether the rookie lives up to the hype is yet to be seen. Overall, a well balanced side. Defending champs need to press their authority from the very start.

SQUAD: Tirumalasetti Suman, Herschelle Gibbs, V. V. S. Laxman, Arjun Yadav, Azhar Bilakhia, Rohit Sharma, D.B.Ravi Teja, Monish Mishra, Anirudh Singh, Adam Gilchrist, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Marsh, Dwayne Smith, Yalaka Venugopal Rao, Andrew Symonds, Ashish Reddy, B.Sumanth, R. P. Singh, Harmeet Singh, Chaminda Vaas, Kemar Roach, Pragyan Ojha, Rahul Sharma.


STRENGTHS: Gilly's batting, Gilly's leadership, Gilly.... It's all abt him here.


WEAKNESS:The part time bowling of Venu and Suman worked, may not be the case this time. Gibbs form is hit & miss.

WATCH OUT FOR:Mitchell Marsh the new boy from down-under. Kemar Roach's deadly few. Roy will wanna prove he's still among the best in the world.

WAH'S XI:
  • Gilly©
  • VVS/Gibbs
  • Rohit
  • Symonds
  • Venu
  • Suman
  • Azhar
  • Harmeet/Harris
  • Ojha
  • RP Singh
  • Roach



WAH SAY: Ideally will want to try Mitchell Marsh opening with Gilly. If that fails there is always VVS solid as ever lost in the world of just 20 overs a side. Gibbs form should get him a ticket into the playing xi. The defending champs have to lift their game as all other sides have boosted their camps with some ICL recruits. The domestic strength still a worry. Looking good nevertheless.

IPL 3.0 Royally Challenged Bangalore


Royals Challengers Bengalooru ,owned by none other than Dr.Mallya was a much hyped team during the first edition of IPL and they went down begging.There were talks that their team was more of a 'Test' team rather than 20-20. None of them really clicked in that edition which really irked Mallya.There were some problems in their management and the coaches were replaced . Dravid stepped down from captaincy and the Jumbo took up the challenge.The only good thing about them in the first edition was their cheer group. They were the underdogs in the second edition but they proved they weren't. They were the runners-up in the second edition. They surely made Mallya one the happiest men 0n the planet. This time also they are looking really good.I am sure the team managers are gonna have a hell of a time finalizing the playing XI. They have bought Eoin Morgan , whos the shining star for the Poms at the moment. With aggressive batting and excellent fielding , he is surely to be watched out for in this edition.

SQUAD:
Anil Kumble (Captain),Kevin Pietersen,Rahul Dravid,Jesse Ryder,Virat Kohli,Ross Taylor,Cameron White,Jacques Kallis,Manish Pandey,Robin Uthappa,Wasim Jaffer,Eoin Morgan,Mark Boucher (WK),Roelof van der Merwe,Dillon Du Preez,Dale Steyn,Ashok Menaria,Sunil Joshi,K P Appanna,J ArunKumar,Devraj Patil (WK),B Akhil,Bharat Chipli,Tinu Yohanan,Saurav Bendekar,Gaurav Dhiman,Jitendra Patil,Udit Patel,Rohit Sabharwal (WK),Ishank Jaggi,Rajesh Bishnoi,Raju,Bhatkal,Gautam.C.M,Kedar Jadhav,Mithun.A,Karan Sharma,Aravind S,Bhuvanesh Kumar
Praveen Kumar,Vinay Kumar,Pankaj Singh,Suteesh R,Srivats Goswami (WK)

STRENGTHS:
They have definete match winners in their side who can win the game single handedly.Their local players are doing good too. So its gonna be interesting watching them play.Kumble being their captain is surely their strength.

WEAKNESS:
They had some communication problems in the first edition and they did not coordinate together . It looked like it was all sorted out last time . So, I don't see any weakness anymore.

WATCH OUT FOR : Robin Uthappa's last chance to prove himself to the Indian selectors. Manish Pandey would try to create some magic too. Ross Taylor, though entering only during the later half, would be a great boost . *Eoin Morgan* Period! Dale Steyn who ripped apart the Indian batting in the test series is sure to have a go at the oppositions this time . Cameron White is having the time of his life.

WAH's XI:
  • Robin Uthappa*
  • Manish Pandey
  • Rahul Dravid
  • Jaques Kallis
  • Virat Kohli
  • Eoin Morgan
  • Van De Merwe
  • Goswami*
  • Praveen Kumar
  • Anil Kumble©
  • Dale Steyn

WAH'S SAY : This team looks really really strong. Very difficult to pick a definite xi, excellent bench strength. Goswami may don the gloves or Robin and Rosco/White could play. Not to forget KP! *wow* If they have a little bit of luck factor going their way , its gonna rain beer @ Bengalooru : Cheers!


IPL 3.0 Zinta's Kings arrive




Kings XI Punjab

The last of 3 teams that have a direct Bollywood link, made it to the semis in the 1st edition but came no where close in their own standards in the 2nd season. This time their experimentation conitnues, Sangakkara will now lead the team so no more swearing in cool Punjabi! But the Zitans are still the most lovable team with the jhappis(hugs) and pappis(kisses) u know! :P

Recruits wise KxiP look solid than ever, Sodhi coming from ICL, Vikramjeet Malik, Love Ablish doing well in domestic season and buying Md. Kaif has clearly boosted the domestic strength which was seen clearly in the previous two seasons of the league.

SQUAD:Shaun Marsh, Mahela Jayawardene, Adrian Barath, Karan Goel, Tanmay Srivastava, Mohammad Kaif, Bipul Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ravinder Bopara, James Hopes, Ramesh Powar, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Kumar Sangakkara, M.S.Bisla, Yusuf Abdulla, Sreesanth, Brett Lee, Vikramjeet Malik, Love Ablish, Amanpreet Singh, Shalabh Srivastava.

STRENGTHS:They tend to handle pressure situations better than most teams. Be it season 1 or 2, they have won some really close encounters! Batting finally looking good. Young and dynamic side!

WEAKNESS: Injury prone team. Marsh still not confirmed. Lee has his history. Sreesanth you know why!

WATCH OUT FOR:Sodhi's return. New seam attack, Ravi Bopara would like to send ECB some direct messages from the ground.

WAH'S XI:
  • Bopara
  • Goel/Hopes
  • Yuvi
  • Sangakkara©
  • Kaif
  • Sodhi
  • IrfanPathan
  • Brett Lee/Yusuf Abdulla
  • Piyush Chawla
  • Love Ablish
  • Vikramjeet Malik


WAH SAY: This team has finally come to the party! They dont even need 4 intl players to make a strong xi. They are gonna be the dark horses this season i reckon. Not a very strong bench strength though. They have to keep Sree on the bench if Ablish and Malik deliver the goods. Feeling super reviewing them. Go Zintans! Chak de phatte..



March 7, 2010

IPL 3.0 The Ree(a)l Indians


One of the most expensive teams in IPL and so far they haven't done much justice to that . In the first edition, they almost rose from the ashes, after being down and out for the first few matches , they almost reached the semis.In the second, they were thoroughly outplayed, though they did have their share of chances, the other team got the better of it . They finished 7th. Sachin 'God' Tendulkar's captaincy jinx I guess.

This time they have bought some really valuable players and are looking favorites to clinch the title. They have bought the Hot Shot player at the moment, i.e Keiron Pollard who can be handy with bat as well as ball. They also have the ICL star , Rajagopalan Satish, who can hit the ball many a mile . So their team looks pretty even with a perfect mixture of stroke makers, hitters, all rounders and attacking bowlers. If the unit can gel well, they can steamroll over the other teams. Fans just have to pray that Sachin's captaincy jinx doesn't screw it up again.

SQUAD: Sachin Tendulkar (c), Shikhar Dhawan ,Jean-Paul Duminy, Saurabh Tiwary, Ajinkya Rahane, Chandan Madan, Luke Ronchi, Pinal Shah, Yogesh Takawale, Sanath Jayasuriya, Dwayne Bravo, Abhishek Nayar, Stuart Binny, Ryan McLaren, Graham Napier, Jude Singh,Syed Sahabuddin, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Rahil Sheikh,Dhawal Kulkarni, Rohan Raje, Chetanya Nanda.

Strenghts : A perfect mixture of experienced and young players. A perfect combo of stroke makers, powerhitters, all rounders and bowlers.

Weakness: I don't know if the team coordination is good . If it can overcome that , it should make their owners proud.

Watch out for : The man of the season , Keiron Pollard who can send the ball screeeeeeeaming to the boundaries and can bowl 4 overs . R. Sathish ain't less either. He can come handy with his part - timers and is an excellent fielder. Dwayne Bravo. Period!

Wah's XI:
1)Sachin Tendulkar©
2)Sanath Jayasuriya
3)Rahane/Shikar Dhawan
4)Dwayne Bravo
5)Keiron Pollard/JP Dumminy ( considering the present form form of JP, I think Pollard would make it )
6) R. Sathish/ Binny/ Nayar
7)Chandan Madan*
8) Bhajji
9)Zaks
10) Dhawal Kulkarni
11) Lasith Malinga

Wah's Say : The team looks in perfect shape. Jayasurya should be tried a few games, then decided to be played only on merit. Its a weak side in terms of fitness, Malinga, Zaks, Bravo etc are injury prone. If not for the fitness, they are a champion side this time .No wonder if they clinch the title too. :)



March 5, 2010

IPL 3.0 Royal Spirit



RAJASTHAN ROYALS

Introducing this team is like showing light to the sun(LOL), from being the under-dog champions to now being over-rated chimps they have done it all in just 2 seasons of IPL. The big news last year was Shilpa Shetty and her beau who had bought stakes in the champion side. From there on everything seemed to go down-hill literally! Warne the chief-in-charge could not re-create the magic the Royals put up in the debut season. Partly due to missing key players like Watson and Tanvir who were very effective in the inaugural season. Even Graeme Smith dint look in touch even at home conditions. So, they ended up missing the cut to the semis but, entertained us with a few fiercely fought games. Thus, keeping us interested in the Royals.

This year they have done Warne some favour and made him feel at home by bringing in some of his mates from down under and his county side Hampshire. Michael Lumb currently making news is also one to look out for. Damien Martyn was probably the steal for them in the auctions it has to be seen whether he stands to that. Otherwise losing Kaif and Jadeja has made their domestic rooster even more brittle. Apart from that Royals planning to expand their franchise even outside India is a bold and great move.

SQUAD: Shane Warne, Johan Botha, Damien Martyn, Michael Lumb,Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Shrikant Wagh, Abhishek Raut, Sumit Narwal, Faiz Fazal, Syed Ahmed Quadri, Amit Paunikar, Kamran Khan, Amit Singh, Graeme Smith, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Morne Morkel, Shaun Tait, Munaf Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Sidharth Trivedi, Swapnil Asnodkar, Mahesh Rawat, Naman Ojha, Amit Paunikar.

STRENGTHS: Warne's captaincy, his ability to make heroes out of unknowns.

WEAKNESS: Domestic players aren't top-class or even half of that. Sticking to just 4 foreign players will be tough.

WATCH OUT FOR: Michael Lumb as said earlier, Shaun SLOON Tait who's been in impressive form for Australia in T20s.

WAH's xi:
  • Smith
  • Naman Ojha
  • Abhishek Jhunjhunwala
  • Damien Martyn/Michael Lumb
  • Dimitri Mascarenhas/Shane Watson
  • Yusuf Pathan
  • Shane Warne©
  • Abhishek Raut
  • Kamran Khan
  • Sidharth Trivedi
  • Munaf Patel


WAH Say: The team looks mighty weak, if they need Tait/Morkel they would have to either drop a foreign player who can bat. The pinch of losing Jadeja, Kaif is gonna feel like a sledge hammer slammed on to your face! Sure to end at the bottom of the league table. Expect very few wins this time. Ex-champions will have to remain "ex".

March 3, 2010

IPL 3.0 Behold the Knights


KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

Undoubtedly the team of the masses and classes. There is no team too HOT and too COOL at the same time! Everyone from 8 to 80 simply love the team... rather let me put it as the team's co-owner Mr. Shahrukh Khan. He is their leading Knight. But off the field. And off the field the team has not been behind in any aspect. They have had their share of controversies nevertheless. But, its the on-field performances that the fans have not been able to digest. Supposed to be the team having their Dada Ganguly, #1 Ponting, Carribean calypso Gayle, Baz Mc Kill'em and to be coached by multiple world cup winning coach, John Buchanan just no one thought they would STINK! I mean everything fell in its place, strong team, shrewd coach, dreamy international players, people's fav but it was not to be. In the first season they ended 6th in the league table(with a win percentage of 45%). It was acceptable and they came close only to lose the semis spot. But, the second edition right at the bottom of the table!(win percentage of 21%) something had gone wrong terribly. Perhaps, the coach's idea of multiple captaincy had back-fired, and the team's unity was questioned far too often. The team was much involved in matters other than cricket and nothing of that helped.

This time the team has entered with an all-new look. Yes, new coach, new staff, new(back to old)captain, new jerseys, new owners oops.. my bad! Good for them, they bought Shane Bond in the auctions winning the secret bid but, no idea why his name is not in the final squad. That's as weird as KKR can get. Perhaps, some new strategy! This time from Dav Whatmore. :P They have finally got hold of local lad Manoj Tiwari from the Delhi Daredevils and also got Owais Shah but have had to trade Moises Henriques to them.

SQUAD:Cheteshwar Pujara, Owais Shah, Chris Gayle, Manoj Tiwary, Charl Langeveldt, Harshad Khadiwale, Chirag Pathak, Varun Aaron, Eklakh Ahmed, Ganapathi Vignesh, Iqbal Abdulla, Murali Kartik, Ishant Sharma, Brendon McCullum, Brad Hodge, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Sourav Ganguly, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Wriddhiman Saha, Ashoke Dinda, Ajit Agarkar, Rohan Gavaskar.

STRENGTHS: umm... yea, no no that cant be told here ummmm... how about.. never mind.!! carry on..

WEAKNESS: Dada, Gayle, Baz, Hodge(in T20) all are openers, at least 2 have to sacrifice that spot. No Bond means money invested but no one to repay it with performance. DJ is missing from the squad as well, no idea why! Crowned losers in South Africa have to perform or perish.

WATCH OUT FOR: Pujara was injured last season just before the IPL started this time hopefully, we see him in action. ICL hero Ganapathi Vignesh has been roped in and has a reputation to dismantle attacks. Charl Langeveldt form in India-SAF series was impressive, has the sensible head on shoulders with good variation.

Wah's xi:
  • Gayle
  • Mc Kill'em*
  • Dada©
  • Hodge
  • Che Pujara
  • Manoj Tiwari
  • vignesh
  • Saha*/Shukla
  • Charl Langeveldt/Mathews
  • Ishant Sharma
  • Murali Kartik


Wah say: KKR will want to repeat what Chargers have done in SAF last season. Rising from the ashes to claim the league championship. It's very tough indeed(I'd say impossible but..) Team looks good to better the performance from last season's crash course. Most likely to miss the bus the semis other teams look superior as a team rather than individual strengths. They are ready to upset others chances though so, watch out for the Knights!

IPL 3.0 Coming Soon!



Yes, Lalit Modi and his minions are back "bigger" and "louder" than ever! Somehow, I can't wait. With just about 8 days you can almost sense it's here already, with everybody on TWITTER constantly ranting the same training, practice match crap. So, we decided to see who's been up to what in the last one year and what has really undergone in the team building process. Who stands where and who is running the lead.. already. Your favourite, my favourite, everyone's favourite. Once again it boils down to the 8 teams and their performance on the field so, no matter how much we want in the end only one team can be crowned "champions"! Let the battle begin..

Quick Updates: Oz Vs Kiwis ODI #1


Aussies may have been undefeated thru'out summer but, I have always wondered why the Aussies suck when they enter Kiwi-land. Its been happening for ages now. I think they are not able to cope up to the irregularly shaped rugby grounds or pitch or whatever ( just kiddin :P) Dan the Man was not in the playin XI and Rosco was the skipper today. Punter won the toss and chose to bat and the Ozzies were off to a flier. Watson scored a quick-fire 45. Everybody chipped in with 30 , 20 etc and ended up setting a target of 276 for the Kiwis. Mike Huss topscored with a run a ball 59. A target of less than 300 in NZ has always been defendable(at-least most of the times!). Ingram and Mc Kill'em got off to a good start sharing a 75 run partnership for the opening wicket. If only Baz realised it's a 50 overs a side game! Ross Taylor then steadied the ship scoring a valuable 70. Definitely a captain's knock! Suddenly in the early 40 overs, Kiwis lost some quick wickets. Oram's injury was a huge blow (for ppl who consider the Oram can still bat).

Scotty 2 Hotty put all his experience into play and the altercation Mitchy must have pumped him up more. He played some gutsy shots and made sure NZ reached home in time :) Not to miss Bond's 4's in the 49th over. Definitely it did settle the nerves in the Kiwi camp. Ross Taylor was adjudged the MOM, Scotty Virus could've bagged it though. So Kiwis are 1 up in the ODI series. Let's see if they can keep the momentum going throughout the series.

March 1, 2010

World T20 champs, Unbeaten side of the summer & Chockers

Announcing a list of 30 probables may not be fair on most teams. Where India, Pakistan, Australia, England will be sad only 30 probables are allowed. West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Bangladesh will have to run a nation-wide talent hunt to choose 30 cricketers.

Pakistan have shown exactly why the format is tailor made for them. Runners-up in the first edition and champions in the second. They have talent in heaps as the match gets over in 40 at the most 42 overs!
This meaning they dont get bored to death fielding and start biting balls or get run-over by human trucks or want to have a dope in between overs. This is how their 30 list looks like : Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Hafeez, Salman Butt, Shahzaib Hassan, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Naveed Yasin, Hasan Raza, Kamran Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Arafat, Hammad Azam, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Sami, Saeed Ajmal, Raza Hasan, Abdul Rehman, Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Zulqarnain Haider.
No Shoaib Akhtar! No Tanvir. Too many new names, I cant comment anything. Strong team nevertheless.

The once mighty Aussies now running a 3-legged race with Ind and Saf for the top spot have had a phenomenal year. Barring the Ashes and the world T20 they won everything infact every game! Unbeaten until the last T20 against the Kiwis they seem to have now finally settled into a T20 combination.
The Pace attack looks the quickest set in a long time and hitters are no less. Aggression seems to be the key once again in the Aussie camp and dont be surprised if they manage to conquer the world T20 in their 3rd attempt.
Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey, Travis Birt, Doug Bollinger, Nathan Bracken, Daniel Christian, Ben Cutting, Xavier Doherty, Brad Haddin (wk), Ryan Harris, John Hastings, Nathan Hauritz, Moises Henriques, Brad Hodge, James Hopes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Andrew McDonald, Shaun Marsh, Clint McKay, Dirk Nannes, Tim Paine (wk), Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White.
Graham Manou lost out its sad, Hodge is still considered is a big news in itself. Looks like a very strong and high profile list of contenders. Must be very difficult to get down to the final squad.

The Chockers oops.. Saffers have long proven to be the ultimate no.2 team in the world. They work hard, play well, win and when it comes to earning rewards they choke. That's what they do for a living basically.
Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Abdulla, Hashim Amla, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Colin Ingram, Justin Kemp, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt, Ethy Mbhalati, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof van der Merwe, Johannes van der Wath, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Morne van Wyk.

English prove they have no taste

The ECB announced the 30 list of probables for the T20 world cup to be held in West Indies. And with that they proved they have no taste. Yea, the man currently leading the team in B'desh "Captain Cook" a.k.a. Mascara Man has been dropped from the list of 30! He is still leading the national team elsewhere away from all this comedy. Collingwood the grandpa clock of the team will now be captain. The ECB have clearly identified Cook is no good for T20 format. That's the bottom line! Bopara & Shah have managed to get their feet in, Craig Kieswetter has impressed many with his clean hits so has Michael Lumb. Sajid Mahmood, Liam Plunkett are also in the reckoning. No, Monty - The Sultan of Spin, The Sikh of Tweak has not made it. Geeeez!



Here is the final list: Paul Collingwood (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Steven Davies, Joe Denly, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Michael Lumb, Sajid Mahmood, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Eoin Morgan, Graham Onions, Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Matt Prior, Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ajmal Shahzad, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Peter Trego, Jonathan Trott, David Wainwright, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy.