IPL III Summary- 8 pm is free again
As quickly as it came, it went. IPL III is over and like all great sporting events it left us with joy, sadness, anger, controversy and uniquely for this event, it left us with the question, will IPL survive? Here is my take on IPL III.
Let me start with the final. SRT has been a god for years. There is no debate on what he can do with the bat, but I doubt the mans ability to lead an all star team against the Harris Shield champions. Fine, I know Raina was dropped twice, and yes Chennai did put up a good score, but sending Pollard in at # 8 is a sign that the captain had no clue what he was doing. That decision alone could have changed last nights outcome.
Some men thrive in leadership when they are under pressure. Our hero is not one of them. 
At the toss when MS Dhoni was asked about pressure, he said the most pressure he had felt regarding the final was the pressure from friends who were hounding him for tickets. While I am sure that was exaggerated, he just demonstrated how cool and calm he is in any situation. And that is what makes a winner. When Pollard cut loose MSD didn't panic. Instead he set the most unorthodox mid-off to eventually get Pollard caught out. He was calm and his head was in the game. The decision to send in JP Duminy might haunt Sachin and frankly it should. It was terrible.
At the toss when MS Dhoni was asked about pressure, he said the most pressure he had felt regarding the final was the pressure from friends who were hounding him for tickets. While I am sure that was exaggerated, he just demonstrated how cool and calm he is in any situation. And that is what makes a winner. When Pollard cut loose MSD didn't panic. Instead he set the most unorthodox mid-off to eventually get Pollard caught out. He was calm and his head was in the game. The decision to send in JP Duminy might haunt Sachin and frankly it should. It was terrible.On a side note, SRT was awarded best captain at the IPL awards, go figure that one out.
As for the rest of the tournament...
In my IPL preview blog I picked Mumbai, Deccan, Chennai and Delhi for the semis. 3/4 aint bad. Good job PRG. I also picked Punjab to be the worst team and Sachin to be the best batsman. I am good.
But I picked a Mumbai-Deccan final and a Mumbai win. Missed the ball on that one
Best Batsman- Sachin Tendulkar. He scored, what can you say
Best Bowler- L Malinga. He may not have had the most wickets, but he would be the first bowler I pick in my T20 team
Shocking Revelation- Robin Uthappa. Where did this guy come from? I still am not a fan, but he played some real game changers and was one of the main reasons Bangalore made it so far.
Best Revelation- Murali Vijay and Saurabh Tiwari. The first looks like the future and the second looks like he was built for T20.
Worst Player- Yuvraj Singh. His attitude, form and overall behavior through the tournament showed him as a non team player, a little sulking boy and a selfish individual. I just hope he gets it together for the World Cup.
Why is he still playing award- Ajit Agarkar. I would write more, but do I really need to?
Performance I enjoyed watching the most- Shane Warne's 4 for 21 against Deccan. He didn't come on to bowl till the 13th over, when it looked like Deccan were walking away with it. When he did come on to bowl it was vintage Warne. He is a king.
Best Captain- MS Dhoni
Best Team- 
Chennai Super Kings. Whoever holds the cup is always the best team
Chennai Super Kings. Whoever holds the cup is always the best teamIf there is another IPL, I will enjoy it. If not, then thank you Lalit Modi for 3 great years. Interesting to note that even Kasab is getting a fair trial while poor Lalit is not allowed to defend himself to the Governing Council. If the administration is to be cleaned up then clean it all up. Don't make one man the fall guy and let the rest go on with whatever they want. More on this later.....
Photo Credit
Chennai Super Kings- http://www.cricinfo.com/ipl2010/content/image/457322.html?page=1
Kieron Pollard- http://www.cricinfo.com/ipl2010/content/image/457306.html?page=1
Both pics © Indian Premier League
Dude, Sachin is the WORST....Should not be captain of anything....
ReplyDeleteAgree with you completely...He is pathetic...I liked the move to bring up Bhajji, but Pollard was shocking..SHOCKING
ReplyDeleteLoved the Kasab-Modi line at the end...These politicians are so dirty its unreal. To protect themselves they will make this guy the fall guy.
ReplyDeleteI hope he brings them all down. And brings them down hard. Shashank Manohar is rubbish
You forgot the most important award. Best supporter of a team --- Katrina Kaif !!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNot your finest piece of writing.
ReplyDeleteRoman numerals after IPLs makes me think in trilogies. And legendary trilogies have titles as well.
ReplyDeleteSo what was IPL I called - The Phantom IPL?
IPL II - The Attack Of The IPL?
IPL III - Revenge of the IPL?
Guessing the next ones could be:
IPL IV - A New IPL
IPL V - The IPL Strikes Back
IPL VI - Return of the IPL
May the IPL be with you ;)
very nice read
ReplyDeleteThe Pollard decision was so bad I dont even know how to describe that. Its one of those decisions a 10 year-old wont get wrong.
ReplyDeletegreat summary article prg! How can Lalit Modi get a fair trial? He's going to implicate the "judge, the jury and the lawyer" - now that's a first of ANY kind. Kinda sorta like the Pope going on a "fair" trial at the Vatican for the mess in his little Church. Just ain't happening.
ReplyDeleteAnd can anyone tell me if in the history of Harbhajans career he's EVER been sent out to bat as a 3rd-4th in the lineup?
ReplyDeleteAnd apparently SRT's fingers were cracked and had stitches - fine opening batsman to have for a final but the fact that he put himself there makes him an even finer Captain.
I know risk is reward but this was just reckless. I vote for a "Who deserves the biggest slap" award - SRT.