Related Links : DFL Indian Premier League 2007/08
I watched the first round matches of IPL’s T20 show. At the start I was amazed at the tall scores of over 200 that a few teams posted. But thankfully things have settled down a bit. Captains and bowlers have rallied around with clever field placements and accurate bowling. Big hitters like Shahid Afridi, Dhoni, Gilchrist etc have had average outings while Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Vidyut Sivaramakrshnan, Abhishek Nayar etc are playing beautifully. T20 is not about power. It’s more about being present every moment which is far more taxing as most are figuring out.
Some of the impressions I am left with are as follows:
1) Teams must be young. Old teams like Royal Challengers have no hope.
2) Teams need good, solid leadership. Captains with a tactical mind and the ability to rally the team together fare well. This is a team game more than anything else. Warne, Dhoni, Sehwag, Yuvraj are doing well. Laxman, Dravid, Saurav, Harbhajan/Pollock are struggling.
3) The difference between your international ‘stars’ and the younger lot in the country is not much – in fact some youngsters look better than the ‘stars’. Several ‘stars’ are getting exposed and some wisely are pulling up their socks and performing to their abilities. For example, Irfan Pathan’s sharp swing has returned.
4) The best names do not make successful teams. Deccan Chargers, Kolkata Night Riders and Royal Challengers are cases in point. It is about getting the best playing XI and making them play as a team. I would dearly love to hear in on some team meetings.
5) Not many bowlers seem to be able to bowl yorkers consistently, or for that matter even a consistent line and length. Far too many full tosses, length balls, slower ones, short balls – there’s not enough variation, not enough skill. What are the coaches doing? The ones with skill and adaptability are doing well like Ishant Sharma, Steyn, McGrath, Piyush Chawla, Murali, Warne, Gony, Pollock to name a few. Some younger ones are a revelation – Dinda, Amarnath, Dhawal Kulkarni, Salunkhe, Siddharth Trivedi, Vijay Kumar, Ojha to name a few.
6) I have no personal stake with any team, not even my local Hyderabad team. I root for the underdogs because they provide drama and they are doing well – Rajasthan Royals.
7) The filmi and corporate franchise owners are probably wondering how anything gets done with cricketers, whether there is any logic in anything at all. And that in sport, you don’t jump up and down after one match-you can afford to do that after the tournament – else you look rather silly. Maybe the franchise owners could start shaking hands at the end of the match as well. And come on, boys (and girls), it’s a game after all.
8) Harbhajan’s suspension and Sreesanth’s crying act left me shaking my head. Grow up fellows. Gawd! Counsel them please someone-they are such terrible examples to young cricketers. Why can’t someone put them in a room and tell them that as full grown men – they need to behave with more maturity.
9) After a while, the matches are getting to be a bit like the WWE matches; watch it because there is nothing else to do.
10) Having CEOs, Chief and Assistant Coaches, team songs, logos and team ads, designer wear, brand ambassadors, models and actors – do not make the team. You are better off planning a better team. The Rajasthan Royals got it right there.
More on these issues later.