IPL-3 is in final stage with Mumbai, Bangalore, Deccan and Chennai qualified for the semi finals. Mumbai will take on Chennai in the final and rest two will fight for the 3rd spot. Teams like Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders have only themselves to blame, they had plenty of riches within their ranks for their vapid show, others like Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab neither had the firepower nor the form to help their cause. These four teams, which failed to make to semi final, paid the price for the lack of form of their key players, names which promised a lot, but delivered a little. Let’s have a look at performance of top players from these four teams. Yuvraj Singh (Kings XI Punjab)Matches: 14 Runs: 255 Highest: 43 Average: 21.25 S/R: 128.14He was in news for all other reasons except his batting!!Stripped from captaincy, Yuvraj didn't do his reputation any good by being one of the biggest flop stories of this campaign. Even Yuvraj did come out with his own statement saying there is no problem within the side. Kumar Sangakkara (Kings XI Punjab) Matches: 13 Runs: 357 Highest: 56 Average: 29.75 S/R: 138.91 If the outgoing captain of Kings XI Punjab was struggling to find form, the incumbent fared only marginally better. Kumar Sangakkara's 42-ball 56 against Mumbai Indians was a match-winning effort, but most of his other contributions were forgettable may be because of captaincy pressure on him. S Sreesanth (Kings XI Punjab)Matches: 6 Wickets: 3 Best Bowling: 2-24 Average: 63.66 E/R: 10.05 The Kerala speedster is never in the news for his performances. In the inaugural edition, we remember him for crying in public after the 'Slapgate' incident. But … [Read more...]
Yuvraj Singh: The angry prince
Anger, when channelized properly can be turned to an advantage; else it only causes harm. The best example for this can be seen in IPL-3 in the form of Yuvraj Singh. How can one forget the 6 sixes he blasted, to avenge the treatment meted out to his bowling by England’s Dimitri Mascarenhas in a one-dayer in England? One could only feel sorry for the bowler Stuart Broad. And everybody said that the way to get the best out of ‘the crown prince’ is to get him angry. Woe to the opposition who meddles with him. But now in IPL-3 Yuvraj seems a shadow of his former self. Stripped of his captaincy of Kings XI Punjab, one can sense the umbrage he has taken. But one would expect the proud young man to play his best and show that he is an asset to the team as captain or otherwise. Instead we see him sulking, glaring…..everything but playing well. Right now one doesn’t see much of a future Indian captain in the former vice-captain. A good leader accepts his own loss gracefully. How will one who has no control over his own emotions manage a team comprising of different personalities? Though he is said to have suffered a wrist injury in Bangladesh, the cause of his current poor form looks more psychological than physical. Or, are issues other than cricket occupying his mind? Whatever, one likes to see Yuvraj Singh angrily smashing sixes and fours all over the place. Hopefully he gets back to his former self soon. Author: Pratibha Shenoy (Basavanagudi, Bangalore) Inspirational comment by Shahrukh Khan. … [Read more...]
Analysis of IPL captains
Captains played a very crucial role in changing the fortunes of their IPL teams. Captains like Shane Warne and Dhoni inspired their teams with their leadership qualities while Dravid and Laxman buckled under pressure with poor batting and unimaginative captaincy. Unlike Dravid, Laxman at least sacrificed money and iconic status. Analysis of Indian Premier League captains: 1. Shane Warne: He is the coach, captain, magician, God, motivator and saviour for underdogs Jaipur. He inspired young Jaipur team to sensational victories. 2. MS Dhoni: Ice Man Dhoni showed his immense potential against Bangalore with his hard hitting and cool captaincy. Indian cricket is in the safe hands of this “Ice Man”. We will know his real potential in the coming matches where Chennai will miss the services of Mathew Hayden, Michael Hussey and Jacob Oram. Can he inspire his team like Warne? 3. Virender Sehwag: One superb inning against Hyderabad and nothing else. 4. Yuvraj Singh: He is playing consistently well in all the Mohali IPL matches. But team lost some matches due to bad selection and unsettled batting order. Indian vice-captain need to prove his captaincy skills. 5. Sourav Ganguly: He is an inspirational leader but poor batsman. Kolkata fans love the passionate combination of Sourav-Shahrukh but Ganguly needs to score runs. 6. Rahul Dravid: Why is he playing in this tournament? What can he do in Twenty20 games? He should sit at home and watch matches. Poor leader but good man. 7. VVS Laxman: You should pick your best players to win tight Twenty20 games. You can’t bat; you can’t see potential in young men; you can’t take bold innovate decisions; you can’t field; you can’t say no … [Read more...]
2008 IPL Team analysis: Punjab Kings
Mohali boasts of best stadium and one of the fastest pitches in India. This franchise failed to buy its local hero, Harbhajan Singh, which will spoil its fortunes in crucial matches. Brett Lee and Irfan Pathan are crucial to the fortunes of Mohali team. Preity Zinta bagged most eye balls on the eve of Indian Premier League auction with her innocent look and good costumes. Will Mohali IPL team succeed like its owner? It needs to rope in big hitters among young recruits to increase its odds to win inagural Indian Premier League ywenty20 tournament. Mohali IPL cricket Team review: Rating: 3.5/5Franchise: Preity Zinta and Nes Wadia Coach: Tom Moody (Australia). Money spent on players: 18.4 crore. Strong points: 1. Strong middle order batting. 2. Yuvraj Singh- World class twenty20 batsman. 3. Simon Katich is a good strategist in the Australian domestic league. 4. Brett Lee-World best fast bowler. 5. Irfan Pathan- Reliable all-rounder. 6. Good coach. Weak points: 1. Who will open the innings? 2. Sreesanth is not a reliable option. Mohali IPL cricket team: 1. Yuvraj Singh – Captain and Icon. 2. Kumara Sangakkara- Sri Lanka- 2.8 crore. 3. Mahela Jayawardene- Sri Lanka- 1.9 crore. 4. Ramnaresh Sarwan- West Indies- 0.9 crore. 5. Simon Katich- Australia- 0.8 crore. 6. Irfan Pathan- India- 3.7 crore- Most crucial player. 7. Brett Lee- Australia- 3.6 crore- wise investment.8. Piyush Chawla- India- 1.6 crore. 9. Romesh Powar- India- 0.65 crore. Verdict: Mohali IPL team may reach semi-finals and this team may surprise favourites as most … [Read more...]
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