Prediction reversed

If one could go through the post "beware orange cap holders", cricket avatar had predicted a loss in the semifinals of the Indian Premier League this year in case Sachin Tendulkar retains the orange cap awarded for scoring the maximum number of runs in an IPL tournament. This was done taking into consideration the previous two editions of the IPL wherein the teams which had players wearing the orange cap had to come out of the tournament in the semis itself. One can recall the way the Kings XI Punjab in 2008 and the Chennai Superkings in 2009 breathed last in the semis of the trophy.

This despite having players like Mathew Hayden in 2009 and Shaun Marsh in 2008 who wore the orange cap in that particular editions of the IPL. And then, coming to the purple cap episode that is awarded to the player with the highest wickets in the tournament, coincidentally, in both the editions of the IPL teams having a player wearing the purple ended up victorious. It was the Rajasthan Royals in 2008 and the Deccan Chargers in 2009 who not only won the tournament but also had players wearing the purple cap namely Sohail Tanvir and R P Singh respectively.

However, this prediction not only went wrong this time but also got reversed, after the Mumbai Indians reached the finals of the tournament despite having an orange cap holder in Sachin Tendulkar and, added to that the Deccan Chargers lost the semis to the Chennai Superkings though having Pragyan Ojha who was the purple cap holder in this year's IPL. This has not made me feel sad for my prediction getting wrong but on the other hand has delighted me for the prediction getting reversed exactly. If one goes by the new theory, it should be the Mumbai Indians who should walk away with the trophy.

And this is more likely to happen for reasons needless to be said. However, if the other side of the coin is considered, there was every chance of a team containing a player wearing the orange cap making it t the finals of this year's IPL. Even if the Royal Challengers Bangalore had made it to the finals, Jacques Kallis had every chance to make the orange cap his, with the difference in the runs scored by the two differing by a small margin. Moreover, Sachin Tendulkar had got out scoring just 9 runs in the semi finals, which bought the difference to just 28. However, in case the Deccan Chargers had won yesterday, there would have been a contest between the teams who had an orange cap holder and a purple cap holder in them.

Odds favor the Deccan Chargers to win IPL3

A couple of days back, cricket avatar was found warning the Mumbai Indians' captain - Sachin Tendulkar for wearing the orange cap considering the fate of the teams that had a player wearing the orange cap namely the Kings XI Punjab in 2008 and the Chennai Super Kings in 2009. Added to that similarity, both the teams that lost the semis after having a player wearing the orange cap had the name Kings in their team name and were captained by Singhs. Anyways, with that being a different issue altogether, the story right now has got to do with the advancement of the Deccan Chargers after their win over KXIP.

The Deccan Chargers came back from nowhere to win the game yesterday against the Kings XI Punjab after the latter scored 174 runs and in the process losing just 3 wickets. This somehow has got to do with Pragyan Ojha who is wearing the purple cap this time. At one point of time in this tournament, the same Deccan Chargers were found being placed in the 7^th position with only Kings XI Punjab having a worse record compared to them. And, after yesterday's win, the Deccan Chargers are now placed in the 4^th position which is more than enough for them to make it to the knock out stage.

If the teams with orange cap holders are found choking in the semi finals of the tournament, when it comes to teams having a purple cap holder, it has always been a sign of fortune with both the teams triumphing with them having a purple cap holder in them. Though the Mumbai Indians have at present in the top most position and stand apart when compared to the other 7 teams, a loss in the semi finals is more than enough to see them ending their dreams in this edition of the IPL. Just before the match against the Kings XI Punjab, the Deccan Chargers were placed in the 6^th position.

This means that it was a matter of just one match that could make a difference for the same. If their earlier record was considered, the Deccan Chargers were thought to play a spoilsport by not making it to the semi finals of the IPL when it was placed in the 6^th position, thus turning down all the misfortune and fortune that was until the last edition bought by orange cap and purple cap holders. But, the case has changed since yesterday's match. Irrespective of who topped the rankings and who did not, semi finals is totally a different game. This was evident with the Delhi team losing in the semis last year after having 2 wins in the league stages the same edition.

And, this time, in case the Mumbai team loses either in the semis (which is evident with Sachin wearing the orange cap), one can see a glimpse of South Africa in them.