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. :)

IPL Aspirants – Part i

HOT & NOT

I am aware that the IPL is still a long way to come but, the season of team changes is round the corner, which means we should be keeping an eye on the key picks for the 3rd season of the Indian Premier League. Keeping in mind that the contracts end at the end of the 3rd season and the money banks are also not heavily loaded for new purchases, the buying is gonna be less and needs to be sharp and spot on. So, expecting a Mashrafe Mortaza style auction is highly unlikely. And also, since the teams are going to bid fresh for 2011 onwards bringing in two more teams making that 10 teams fighting for the league title. So, no point in signing big for just one year of the league (unless, that’s the only way to win). Most teams have already started recruiting in the wilderness. Mumbai Indians, have made a lot of changes in the staff and team, Robin Singh is to don the role of coach while, Pollock and Rhodes are continuing their stints. They have also roped in Stuart Binny, a high profile ICL player, a great prospect indeed. Kolkata Knight Riders have made Watmore as their coach and signed Abdul Razzaq, who is again a big hit at ICL but, the news of no Pakistani players will hurt them the most. Rohan Gavaskar has been signed by KKR for the 3rd season as well.

Steam’s shot:

Stuart Binny: HOT

Likely to give competition to Dhawal Kulkarni but, definitely given a shot for his reputation of performing with bat and ball.

Rohan Gavaskar: NOT

Way past his prime, another one added in the KKR list of dummies. Should pick some younger talent instead.

Abdul Razzaq: NOT (if IPL continues to avoid Pak players)

Doesn’t look good at the moment. We could be in for a surprise(not really) if, Pak players are given the green signal. He is sure to make an impact. Smart pick, bad timing.

We will continue to keep a close eye on the IPL franchises and all the movement across teams. And additionally pick players and match their profiles in our HOT n NOT segment. Review not only international but also local talents. Some of the names to feature are Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Clint Mckay, Doug Bollinger, Wayne Parnell, Hashim Amla, Eoin Morgan, Luke Wright, Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Trott, Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons and many more exciting talents, with some local flovor from India (and Pakistan if they are permitted to participate). So, till then keep the excitement rising and say “Wah! Cricket”.

p.s. – Yuvi to be axed from the Kings xi captaincy. News still building up, catch more of it right here!