Well there might be less number of T20 matches compared to the number of one day internationals and test matches played. But, the number of mega tournaments that involve the T20 format of the game are extremely high. This was more so after the inaugural edition of the world T20 happened to be a major success in 2007. This was boosted after the finals of that edition happened to be the arch rivals namely India and Pakistan, between whom any sort of contest is not only welcome but also viewed by most part of the world and not restricting only to the two sub continent nations mentioned.
Added to that, it was India who won the inaugural T20 world cup by beating their arch rivals Pakistan which boosted the fan following the T20 format of the game to much higher level because India is the nation that stands apart when it comes to cricket crazy people. And with such a cricket crazy nation making it big on the biggest stage can draw more people to the stands and in front of the television sets. This craze was first cashed in by something called as the Indian Cricket League which started a parallel league which was opposed not only by the BCCI but also by all the cricket boards over the world.
The BCCI couldn't rest in peace as long as the ICL breathed its last. As a result of this, the BCCI came out with a similar format of the game when it decided to launch the multi million dollar Indian Premier League in early 2008 with an attempt to rival the ICL and partly to take the game forward. And, needless to be said, there have been so far three editions of the Indian Premier League every time drawing more crowds to the stadiums and also forcing more people early back from their jobs to enjoy the action in front of the television sets.
And then, there is this third edition of the world T20 being held in the Caribbean which is just a year later since Pakistan lifted the trophy last year in June. And then since the year the IPL was maunched, the world's major cricket governing body namely the ICC comes out with the idea of holding the Champions League T20 tournament which considers the top three domestic teams from all major cricketing nations. The one scheduled at South Africa this year should have been the third one had the inaugural edition been taken off successfully. This stripped the Rajasthan Royals from a chance to take part in the tournament.
However, one thing that is to be noticed from the above stats is that everyone being initiated by the Indian cricket board are interested in bringing the T20 format of the game not only forward but also to such an extent that people go sick over this and one fine day stop watching the same.
Showing posts with label Rajasthan Royals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rajasthan Royals. Show all posts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Do the RCB deserve to move to the semis?
Yesterday, the Royal Challengers Bangalore not only ended up on the losing side but also welcomed defeat with both hands when they dropped catches at will, with a couple of leg before decisions going the Mumbai Indians' way. One can never forgive the two catches dropped by Dale Steyn off one over bowled by Anil Kumble. The first catch can be given a pass but not the second which landed safely in Steyn's hands only to be dropped seconds later. This was not the first time the RCB were found dropping catches. Prior to this, the RCB were found dropping catches against the Deccan Chargers as well.
After yesterday's match against the Mumbai Indians, the Royal Challengers had equal number of wins as that of the defeats. If the Royal Challengers' campaign in this tournament is given a close look at, their wins and the way they have been achieved give a different picture of the team that is now placed in the second position of the points table. The entire RCB campaign shows only their wins against Mumbai Indians in the first round to be the most impressive win. Then, comes the win against the Kings XI Punjab where RCB chased down 200+ total at Bangalore.
And the only victory that is worth rejoicing for the RCB was the one against the Chennai Superkings which they won by 36 runs once again at Bangalore. Out of the 7 games which the RCB won, 4 of them were won at Bangalore which constitutes for more than 50% of their wins. Also, they have lost 3 games at Bangalore. Even if that is to be given a pass for theuir wins against Mumbai Indians at Mumbai and Chennai Superkings at Chennai, the other side of the coin also suggests that four of their wins have come against Punjab and Rajasthan who are placed in the bottom of the points table.
And then, the RCB had a win against the Kolkata Knightriders who have show a better performance compared to their previous two editions of the IPL when they finished in the 8th position, this time to finish 6th. Though a win against Kolkata doesn't come in for much applause, a loss against the same brings in a lot of disappointment and that was what the RCBs were upto. They had no reasons to lose to Deccan Chargers despite in both occasions having the match well in their hands. First time, the RCBs put up a total in excess of 180 to see them lose by 7 wickets on their home ground.
And then, in the 2nd encounter, the RCBs were able to take three quick wickets which were followed by two drop catches immediate to that. And, if a team is not able to chase down 150+ total in a neutral venue, they shouldn't deserve to be in the 2nd position.As far as the RCBs are considered, the only teams worth beating in this IPL would have been the Delhi, Mumbai & Hyderabad team. And, Bangalore has lost both their matches to Delhi and Hyderabad and one to Mumbai.
After yesterday's match against the Mumbai Indians, the Royal Challengers had equal number of wins as that of the defeats. If the Royal Challengers' campaign in this tournament is given a close look at, their wins and the way they have been achieved give a different picture of the team that is now placed in the second position of the points table. The entire RCB campaign shows only their wins against Mumbai Indians in the first round to be the most impressive win. Then, comes the win against the Kings XI Punjab where RCB chased down 200+ total at Bangalore.
And the only victory that is worth rejoicing for the RCB was the one against the Chennai Superkings which they won by 36 runs once again at Bangalore. Out of the 7 games which the RCB won, 4 of them were won at Bangalore which constitutes for more than 50% of their wins. Also, they have lost 3 games at Bangalore. Even if that is to be given a pass for theuir wins against Mumbai Indians at Mumbai and Chennai Superkings at Chennai, the other side of the coin also suggests that four of their wins have come against Punjab and Rajasthan who are placed in the bottom of the points table.
And then, the RCB had a win against the Kolkata Knightriders who have show a better performance compared to their previous two editions of the IPL when they finished in the 8th position, this time to finish 6th. Though a win against Kolkata doesn't come in for much applause, a loss against the same brings in a lot of disappointment and that was what the RCBs were upto. They had no reasons to lose to Deccan Chargers despite in both occasions having the match well in their hands. First time, the RCBs put up a total in excess of 180 to see them lose by 7 wickets on their home ground.
And then, in the 2nd encounter, the RCBs were able to take three quick wickets which were followed by two drop catches immediate to that. And, if a team is not able to chase down 150+ total in a neutral venue, they shouldn't deserve to be in the 2nd position.As far as the RCBs are considered, the only teams worth beating in this IPL would have been the Delhi, Mumbai & Hyderabad team. And, Bangalore has lost both their matches to Delhi and Hyderabad and one to Mumbai.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Beware orange cap holders!
All the fans of Mumbai Indians and Sachin Tendulkar in particular would have been happy when the Mumbai captain gained the orange cap from Jacques Kallis who held the same from the last 10 matches. But, if the other side of the story is to be believed, all fans of the Mumbai team would pray that Sachin Tendulkar lose the orange cap which is better than the Mumbai Indians getting knocked out from the Indian Premier League in the semi finals itself when all eyes are now on Mumbai Indians thinking them to do it big this time after they finished in the 7th position last time.
There is also a bitter side of the orange cap which has so far been successful in restricting their teams only until the semi finals of the IPL. In the inaugural edition of the tournament way back in 2008, the orange cap was worn by Shaun Marsh who belonged to the Kings XI Punjab after the Aussie amassed a mammoth 616 runs by the end of the tournament and that too in just 11 games that he played. And, much to anyone's surprise, the team to which Shaun Marsh belonged to couldn't go past the semi finals in 2008 after losing to the CSKs.
Similarly, in the very next edition played at South Africa in 2009, the orange cap holder happened to be another Australian in Mathew Hayden after he amassed 572 runs playing just one game more than what Shaun Marsh was found playing in the earlier edition in 2008. Once again, the team to which Mathew Hayden belonged to, namely the Chennai Superkings were knocked out by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the semi finals of the tournament after they lost the match by 6 wickets. This has so far been the fate of the team which has a player wearing the orange cap.
This time, the orange cap was snatched by Sachin Tendulkar from Jacques Kallis after the match between Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals. Moreover, the Mumbai Indians have also confirmed their semi finals berth after their victory over the same. Likewise, purple cap holders have been lucky for their team with both editions having gone to the teams having a purple cap holder in them. In 2008, it was Sohail Tanvir who wore the purple cap and was also on the Rajasthan Royals who lifted the trophy. And, the situation was no different in 2009 as well when R P Singh - the purple cap holder in that edition belonging to the Deccan Chargers who won the title.
There is also a bitter side of the orange cap which has so far been successful in restricting their teams only until the semi finals of the IPL. In the inaugural edition of the tournament way back in 2008, the orange cap was worn by Shaun Marsh who belonged to the Kings XI Punjab after the Aussie amassed a mammoth 616 runs by the end of the tournament and that too in just 11 games that he played. And, much to anyone's surprise, the team to which Shaun Marsh belonged to couldn't go past the semi finals in 2008 after losing to the CSKs.
Similarly, in the very next edition played at South Africa in 2009, the orange cap holder happened to be another Australian in Mathew Hayden after he amassed 572 runs playing just one game more than what Shaun Marsh was found playing in the earlier edition in 2008. Once again, the team to which Mathew Hayden belonged to, namely the Chennai Superkings were knocked out by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the semi finals of the tournament after they lost the match by 6 wickets. This has so far been the fate of the team which has a player wearing the orange cap.
This time, the orange cap was snatched by Sachin Tendulkar from Jacques Kallis after the match between Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals. Moreover, the Mumbai Indians have also confirmed their semi finals berth after their victory over the same. Likewise, purple cap holders have been lucky for their team with both editions having gone to the teams having a purple cap holder in them. In 2008, it was Sohail Tanvir who wore the purple cap and was also on the Rajasthan Royals who lifted the trophy. And, the situation was no different in 2009 as well when R P Singh - the purple cap holder in that edition belonging to the Deccan Chargers who won the title.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Triple treat for Mumbai Indians
At last, the Mumbai Indians became the first side in this edition of the Indian Premier League to enter the semi finals. However, they had to wait almost a week to get into there. A win against the Chenni Superkings would have assured the Mumbai Indians a berth in the semi finals which was scheduled on the 6th of this month at Chennai. But, all that the match would be remembered for would be the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar on the field due to the scorching heat in Chennai. Mumbai lost that game to the CSK by 7 wickets which delayed their march to the semis.
Then came the match against the Kings XI Punjab where a win should have been guaranteed to the Mumbai Indians for they were facing a team which was placed at the bottom of the IPL points table. But, no one needs to be specially said regarding the result of the match. The Mumbai Indians lost yet another time in the IPL. Coincidentally, that was the 2nd defeat that the Mumbai Indians had in this edition of the IPL and on the other side, it was the 2nd win for the Kings XI Punjab in this year's IPL after Sangakkara's men had beaten Kolkata Knight Riders by 8 wickets.
This was not only a match for the Mumbai Indians that took them to the semi finals of the IPL but also a match where Sachin Tendulkar grabbed the orange cap from Jaques Kallis after scoring an unbeaten 89 and over taking Kallis by 11 runs with both of them having the same number of matches and the same highest score. This was also the match that saw Sachin Tendulkar hit 2 sixes which was twice of what he could in the earlier 10 matches put together. Tendulkar has so far scored 5 half centuries which is one less than Jacques Kallis (once again).
This was Sachin Tendulkar's 4th man of the match award and a much deserving one. Mumbai Indians were facing the Rajasthan Royals on their home ground where the Rajasthan Royals were fresh from their win against Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians fresh from the loss against the same Kings XI Punjab. Once again, what a coincidence! Mumbai Indians were at one stage reeling at 93 runs on the board with the loss of 4 wickets and Sachin having scored 48 from 43 deliveries compared to the final score of 174 with Sachin's individual score being 89 meaning an additional 41 runs from 15 balls.
Then came the match against the Kings XI Punjab where a win should have been guaranteed to the Mumbai Indians for they were facing a team which was placed at the bottom of the IPL points table. But, no one needs to be specially said regarding the result of the match. The Mumbai Indians lost yet another time in the IPL. Coincidentally, that was the 2nd defeat that the Mumbai Indians had in this edition of the IPL and on the other side, it was the 2nd win for the Kings XI Punjab in this year's IPL after Sangakkara's men had beaten Kolkata Knight Riders by 8 wickets.
This was not only a match for the Mumbai Indians that took them to the semi finals of the IPL but also a match where Sachin Tendulkar grabbed the orange cap from Jaques Kallis after scoring an unbeaten 89 and over taking Kallis by 11 runs with both of them having the same number of matches and the same highest score. This was also the match that saw Sachin Tendulkar hit 2 sixes which was twice of what he could in the earlier 10 matches put together. Tendulkar has so far scored 5 half centuries which is one less than Jacques Kallis (once again).
This was Sachin Tendulkar's 4th man of the match award and a much deserving one. Mumbai Indians were facing the Rajasthan Royals on their home ground where the Rajasthan Royals were fresh from their win against Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians fresh from the loss against the same Kings XI Punjab. Once again, what a coincidence! Mumbai Indians were at one stage reeling at 93 runs on the board with the loss of 4 wickets and Sachin having scored 48 from 43 deliveries compared to the final score of 174 with Sachin's individual score being 89 meaning an additional 41 runs from 15 balls.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The special IPL pattern
This is needless to be said the third edition of the Indian Premier League and is more than enough to draw some pattern regarding the winners and losers of the trophy. So has been the case regarding the teams that make it to the semis and also the teams which top the ratings in every edition of the same. In its inaugural edition, the winners happened to be the Rajasthan Royals while the runners up happened to be the Chennai Superkings. And the teams that finished last were the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Deccan Chargers who finished at positions 8 and 7 respectively.
But, much to everyone's surprise, it was the same two teams that finished in the last two positions a year prior to the second edition of the IPL who ended as winners of the trophy and the runners up. Had the winners been the Royal Challengers and the runners up been the Deccan Chargers, that would have been just ideal for the team which finished last would have finished first in the second edition while the team that finished second from the last would have ended second from the top. Anyways, that is secondary at the moment. But, one would be surprised with the pattern that the IPL is found following.
It was the Mumbai Indians who finished second from the last in the second edition held at South Africa and the last position was booked long before by the Kolkata Knight Riders. But, this time, if history is anywhere to go by it has been the Mumbai Indians who are found dominating the tournament like the Deccan Chargers did in the previous edition. And, the Kolkata Knight Riders are though following slowly. they have no reason for not to do what the Royal Challengers were found doing in the second edition. Even the RCBs started their IPL campaign without any sort of initial success as long as the team was captained by KP.
It was only after Anil Kumble was made the captain that the RCBs started rocking and eventually reached the finals though there were the Delhi Daredevils who were a better team than both the RCBs and the Deccan Chargers. So, if the pattern is to be followed, it has to be Mumbai Indians beating the Kolkata Knight Riders to lift the trophy. And, if the present edition of the IPL is considered, the Kings XI Punjab are found holding onto the last position and the second from the last is held by Deccan Chargers once again after they lost it to the KKR last year. So, one can expect the KXIP team to lift the trophy next year by beating Deccan Chargers if the pattern is followed.
However, decent teams compared to the KKR have been the RCBs. But, even there were DD who topped the charts last year and their fate is well in front of us.
But, much to everyone's surprise, it was the same two teams that finished in the last two positions a year prior to the second edition of the IPL who ended as winners of the trophy and the runners up. Had the winners been the Royal Challengers and the runners up been the Deccan Chargers, that would have been just ideal for the team which finished last would have finished first in the second edition while the team that finished second from the last would have ended second from the top. Anyways, that is secondary at the moment. But, one would be surprised with the pattern that the IPL is found following.
It was the Mumbai Indians who finished second from the last in the second edition held at South Africa and the last position was booked long before by the Kolkata Knight Riders. But, this time, if history is anywhere to go by it has been the Mumbai Indians who are found dominating the tournament like the Deccan Chargers did in the previous edition. And, the Kolkata Knight Riders are though following slowly. they have no reason for not to do what the Royal Challengers were found doing in the second edition. Even the RCBs started their IPL campaign without any sort of initial success as long as the team was captained by KP.
It was only after Anil Kumble was made the captain that the RCBs started rocking and eventually reached the finals though there were the Delhi Daredevils who were a better team than both the RCBs and the Deccan Chargers. So, if the pattern is to be followed, it has to be Mumbai Indians beating the Kolkata Knight Riders to lift the trophy. And, if the present edition of the IPL is considered, the Kings XI Punjab are found holding onto the last position and the second from the last is held by Deccan Chargers once again after they lost it to the KKR last year. So, one can expect the KXIP team to lift the trophy next year by beating Deccan Chargers if the pattern is followed.
However, decent teams compared to the KKR have been the RCBs. But, even there were DD who topped the charts last year and their fate is well in front of us.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
IPL teams captained by non-T20s
If I'm not mistaken, IPL is filled with the joys of T20 cricket. However, if the captains of all their eight teams featuring in the Indian Premier League since its inaugural launch in 2008 are considered, they have been less captained by T20 specialists and more by test and ODI specialists. In 2008, there were players namely Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag who were termed as icon players and were entitled for a pay of 115% of the highest paid player in that particular squad. V V S Laxman was also termed as an icon player who rejected that offer so that no problems occur in terms of the team's budget.
If not for Virender Sehwag, no other player has made a name for himself in T20 cricket. None of the remaining 4 icon players have featured even in a single T20 game for India to be crowned as an icon player. Moreover, Anil Kumble had quit all forms of cricket a year before the IPL was even thought about. The fun factor in them is that they are not only found playing T20 in the IPL but also found captaining the same. It is not that these players are not fit to play in the the IPL or T20 cricket. But, it the fact that they are made to captain something that they have had least interest for.
Added to that is that, even most of the remaining teams are also found following suit when they are captained by non-T20 players. There are at present only 3 teams who are captained by T20 players namely the Chennai Superkings - who are captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Kings XI Punjab - who are captained by Kumara Sangakkara and the Delhi Daredevils - who are captained by Virender Sehwag. The remaining 5 teams are captained by non T20 players. Though Adam Gilchrist has played in the inaugural T20 world cup, he has been more of a test and an ODI batsman rather than a T20 specialist.
And, Rajasthan Royals are being captained by Shane Warne who - forget about having a T20 experience behind him, but has last played limited overs cricket way back in 2003 before he was banned for a year from all types of international cricket. And then, as mentioned earlier, the Royal Challengers are captained by Anil Kumble whose first T20 game was in the IPL. The year 2008 saw the Deccan Chargers team captained by V V S Laxman who has been a forgotten episode when it comes to even limited overs game and is slightly better than Shane Warne. Finally and fortunately, the DCs realized their mistake and crowned Gilchrist as their captain.
If not for Virender Sehwag, no other player has made a name for himself in T20 cricket. None of the remaining 4 icon players have featured even in a single T20 game for India to be crowned as an icon player. Moreover, Anil Kumble had quit all forms of cricket a year before the IPL was even thought about. The fun factor in them is that they are not only found playing T20 in the IPL but also found captaining the same. It is not that these players are not fit to play in the the IPL or T20 cricket. But, it the fact that they are made to captain something that they have had least interest for.
Added to that is that, even most of the remaining teams are also found following suit when they are captained by non-T20 players. There are at present only 3 teams who are captained by T20 players namely the Chennai Superkings - who are captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Kings XI Punjab - who are captained by Kumara Sangakkara and the Delhi Daredevils - who are captained by Virender Sehwag. The remaining 5 teams are captained by non T20 players. Though Adam Gilchrist has played in the inaugural T20 world cup, he has been more of a test and an ODI batsman rather than a T20 specialist.
And, Rajasthan Royals are being captained by Shane Warne who - forget about having a T20 experience behind him, but has last played limited overs cricket way back in 2003 before he was banned for a year from all types of international cricket. And then, as mentioned earlier, the Royal Challengers are captained by Anil Kumble whose first T20 game was in the IPL. The year 2008 saw the Deccan Chargers team captained by V V S Laxman who has been a forgotten episode when it comes to even limited overs game and is slightly better than Shane Warne. Finally and fortunately, the DCs realized their mistake and crowned Gilchrist as their captain.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Hardly any Indian flavour in IPL
Well the multimillion dollar IPL was launched keeping in mind to bring up some new talent by giving yougsters a chance to showcase their skills. Keeping in mind that it has to be the Indian players who will have to benefit to a greater extent from the IPL, Lalit Modi put a restriction on the number of foreign players that can be included in the playing 11 to at the most four. However, there is no restriction on the number of players from India that can be included in the playing eleven. But, despite there being three editions of IPL being passed by, hardly any Indian flavour has been seen.
In the previous two editions of the IPL, the winners of the trophy happened to be the Rajasthan Royals in 2008 and the Deccan Chargers in 2009, both the teams which were captained by Australians. Luckily, the runners up happened to be the Chennai Superkings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore which were captained by Indians namely Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Anil Kumble respectively in 2008 and 2009. As mentioned earlier, there can be less than 4 overseas players featuring in the playing XI but the same is maintained at 4 exactly in most of the games. This means that all captains consider the foreign players as trump cards.
It is not an unknown fact that foreign players are included taking into account their credibility and caliber unlike Indian players who are included owing to the rules imposed by the IPL organizing committee. The man of the series awards in 2008 and 2009 was awarded to Shane Watson and Adam Gilchrist respectively, both of whom are from Australia. Out of the 8 teams in the IPL, this year luckily 5 teams have Indian captains unlike in the second edition where 4 teams had foreign players as captains viz KKR (Brendon McCullum), RCB (Kevin Pietersen), Deccan Chargers (Adam Gilchrist) and Rajasthan Royals (Shane Warne).
The RCB and KKR were found having faith in players like Kevin Pietersen and Brendon McCullum who had hardly captained their national sides. There was no reason to consider McCullum over Ganguly who had a better run as captain for India. So was the case with Anil Kumble who was forced into captaincy only after Kevin Pietersen had to return back owing to injury. Had there been no injuries to Pietersen, one could not think of Anil Kumble captaining the RCB side. And, had it not been for Kumble, RCB would have not even reached the semis. And, regarding the coaches of the teams, nothing need to be cited specially.
In the previous two editions of the IPL, the winners of the trophy happened to be the Rajasthan Royals in 2008 and the Deccan Chargers in 2009, both the teams which were captained by Australians. Luckily, the runners up happened to be the Chennai Superkings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore which were captained by Indians namely Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Anil Kumble respectively in 2008 and 2009. As mentioned earlier, there can be less than 4 overseas players featuring in the playing XI but the same is maintained at 4 exactly in most of the games. This means that all captains consider the foreign players as trump cards.
It is not an unknown fact that foreign players are included taking into account their credibility and caliber unlike Indian players who are included owing to the rules imposed by the IPL organizing committee. The man of the series awards in 2008 and 2009 was awarded to Shane Watson and Adam Gilchrist respectively, both of whom are from Australia. Out of the 8 teams in the IPL, this year luckily 5 teams have Indian captains unlike in the second edition where 4 teams had foreign players as captains viz KKR (Brendon McCullum), RCB (Kevin Pietersen), Deccan Chargers (Adam Gilchrist) and Rajasthan Royals (Shane Warne).
The RCB and KKR were found having faith in players like Kevin Pietersen and Brendon McCullum who had hardly captained their national sides. There was no reason to consider McCullum over Ganguly who had a better run as captain for India. So was the case with Anil Kumble who was forced into captaincy only after Kevin Pietersen had to return back owing to injury. Had there been no injuries to Pietersen, one could not think of Anil Kumble captaining the RCB side. And, had it not been for Kumble, RCB would have not even reached the semis. And, regarding the coaches of the teams, nothing need to be cited specially.
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