All of India is dancing to the tune of IPL. I ensure that I reach home from office by 7.45 PM so that I won't miss the beginning of the match and I don't have to sit through the insufferable Extra Innings....(How I wish Mandira Bedi still was a part of it....). But the matches have been amazing...Shane Warne carting Andrew Symonds for 16 in 3 balls to win the match in the last over...The return of that 1000 watt smile to L.Balaji's face after his Hat trick.....Badrinath ekeing out the last ball win for Chennai to end its streak of 3 loses....It has been a real treat....So here's my list of the best and the worst of IPL....
Batsman of the Tournament: Ok, so Gautam Gambhir is the top scorer in the tournament as of now...but my pick for the Batsman of the tournament is Sean Marsh. This guy has 295 runs to his credit and just from 5 matches. See him batting along with Yuvraj Singh and try if you can make out who just played that flick off his hips for six.
Bowler of the Tournament: Again...Irfan Pathan, Sreshant and Zaheer Khan has 13 wickets in their kitty, making them the leading wicket takers....but my pick for Bowler of the tournament goes to Glen 'Pidge' McGrath. If he hadn't retired, he still could lead the Aussie pace pack....Even the bowling machine may err in line and length...but don't ever expect that from Pidge. This fact is further proven by his economy rate 5.71. In a 20-20 tournament where 8 runs per over is supposed to be really good, Pidge shows why is a class apart from the rest of them.
Fielder of the Tournament: Virat Kohli has been outstanding in the field for RCB and so has been Sean Marsh for KXP. But my fielder of the award goes to Ashish Nehra....for his full length dive and stop at long on in the match against Rajasthan Royals.
Captain of the Tournament: Well...no doubts here...take a team of rank youngsters...mix them with a couple of International stars....add a pinch of Midas touch...and shake well...you get the IPL's cheapest team but leading the board both in terms of wins and fair play. The man who made this possible goes by the name of Shane Keith Warne....the best captain Australia never had...Seeing his magical hand at work with the Rajasthan Royals, many an Australian might have wondered...If only his other 'head' didn't call the shots from time to time......
Non show of the Tournament: Pick a 20- 2o match....any 20-20 match...now think of a team with Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist, Hershelle Gibbs and Shahid Afridi. It would take a really brave man to bet against them...but it seems sometimes the whole is way lesser than the sum of the parts....if even 2 of the had fired consistently, there would have been no stopping the Deccan Chargers...but instead, they went from bad to worse....but one silver lining in this dark grey cloud has been the batting of Rohit Sharma...man he bats like a dream....The questions to who at No.4 when Sachin retires seems to be getting an answer at last....
Ball of the Tournament: There have been many outstanding deliveries in these matches...but the title goes to the twin of the "Ball of the century" also known as the magic ball...Shane Warne to Dhoni...pitched outside leg...turning viciously...taking the outside edge on the way to hands of First Slip....Gatting might have had something like a De ja Vu seeing that ball...
Best Package of the tournament: When teams could not get over the obsession with Kings and Royality, SRK's Kolkatta Knight Riders showed us how to do it...and in style....with arguably the best uniform in IPL and without doubt the most innovative name, their packaging rocks...Their anthem/theme song..Karbo Larbo Jeetbo re is an instant classic. Once you hear it you keep humming it...contrast it with the Royal Challengers' song..Jeetenge Hum Shaan se....Other than the once in a life time sight of Vijay Mallya with no female accompanying him, it does nothing for you.So in terms of packaging, as the song goes...aami Kolkatta....We rule....
So my dear readers...that's all from my keyboard right now....maybe if IPL throws up something extraordinary in its second half or if I feel like it, I'll be back with more IPL buzz...till then..Peace out.
