IPL3 - 12 matches completed by all teams

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For the first time in the tournament, all the teams have played the same number of matches - a good basis to compare the teams. Pity there is just one more match that they are expected to play - two more matches each, in fact.

The status after the 48 matches so far, gives the table a muddled look. Mumbai has qualified while Punjab are definitely out. KKR is on the way out while the other 5 have a chance to get the 3 remaining slots.

A thought occurred to me - why is the points table so muddled at the center? Is it because of the format of the game? Is it because of the team composition where all the teams are more or less equal (have a mix of overseas and domestic players)? I would have thought that the answer would be a combination of these reasons.

But, again, I had a re-think. Punjab started winning while Mumbai started losing. The others anyway were inconsistent as usual. Then, today, Lalit Modi's past history incident came to the surface while his fight against Shashi Tharoor is in the open. Of course, Shashank Manohar of BCCI is also against LKM.

The English Premier League is something hard to miss in the United Kingdom - each year the matches are held dime a dozen - in fact, more than what are being played in this year's IPL. But, the top teams mostly are at the top and keep winning consistently. Why does it not happen in IPL? Should the games be more, for these two formats to be compared? Of course, it is just a thought and one could always argue that this is a case of comparing oranges and apples. But, why not?

The Twitter search here will show you how many twitterers think differently. Of course, Rahul Mehra has been suggesting what could be the possibilities. It is time Modi creates a unit for Anti-Corruption that works with ICC and gives the entire IPL circus a clean chit.

What do you think might be happening behind the doors?

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