NZ ODIs - Yusuf seals his place in Indias 2011WC team

Sanjay Manjrekar called him "an opportunist" but he wouldnt mind it a bit.

Gautam Gambhir, prior to the Bangalore ODI, had spoken of how the Baroda Bomber could do wonders if promoted up the order.

Yusuf Pathan, in his true humble manner, dedicated the knock to his brother Irfan, who is currently recuperating in the same city. If there is someone else whom the Senior Pathan has to thank, it would have to be the BCCI (surprise!!!), Shane Warne and the ones like Lalit Modi who conceptualized and successfully (no longer) ran the IPL for the first three years.

For, if not for IPL, Yusuf would not have got a chance to showcase his talent to the international audience. Thanks to Shane Warne's tactical use of Yusuf as a lower-order big-hitter, the Indian selectors decided to try him out in the ODIs. Though not very successful in the initial set of matches, Yusuf showed a lot of promise to the Indian team management with his batting skills. One saw him as the logical successor to the role that MS Dhoni used to do before his captaincy days. Being dropped because of his weakness against the short ball, Yusuf managed to make a comeback thanks to the rotation policy of the management.

During the Bangalore ODI, he showed remarkable restraint in taking the singles before the situation warranted the big strokes. The IPL has seen him engineer victories from situations very similar to the one he faced last night - a run-rate of 7-8 in the last 20 overs with 5 wickets in hand. Yusuf knew exactly how to achieve the target now. All that he needed was someone to stay with him and rorate the strike so that he could do the big-hitting. Sourabh Tiwary fitted the bill at the non-striker's end. As he stated after the match, at no time, he was thinking about failing to win the match.

Even though the Black Caps bowled some of the overs miserly, the big shots were a matter of when, if not how. Mills and later all the other bowlers, forgot the plot against Yusuf thanks to his astute decision-making. He selected the balls to hit and which ones to give the respect. There was no hint of panic on his mind since he was so clear about his target. The shot he hit of a low full-toss was the highlight of his innings while the one he pulled over the ropes to get to his century was indication enough that he had partially exorcised the demons in his mind. This was a wicket that had a bit of carry and the pitch had received some rain during the intervention. But, Yusuf was not to be denied.

Now, the selectors will breathe a bit easier. Their man for the 7th position is relatively settled - in fact, there will be a close call between Yusuf Pathan and Virat Kohli for the final slot. Based on the opposition and the surface, either one can be used. This is not to say that his defeciencies has been removed - on Indian pitches, a person of such talent cannot be ignored, especially after his match-winning knock last night.

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IPL - Incorporate from F1

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The Formula-One Racing has been expanding every year and I am sure Mr. Lalit Modi must be checking out how he will bring on IPL in the same way.

Some suggestions from my side to LKM

• Hook up the teams with radio to the coach in the dug-out. This will make the comments made by various teams transparent to the viewers as well as ensure match-fixing is controlled
• Warm-up. Let both teams use the pitch before the match for an over each so that they have an idea of how the pitch plays and choose their team accordingly.
• Take the matches to be played at overseas locations. Let teams pick their home-ground (even if it is outside the sub-continent - of course, LKM can give them a list to choose from). Let each team host the other nine teams at one go & the jamboree continues in each location.
• Do not allow rain-breaks disturb the match. In fact, there has not been much of an interference this season but would like players to continue the match even in rain!!!

Of course, some of these might just remain on this blog but who cares. What do you think IPL should 'borrow' from F1.

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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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IPL3 - Nuggets

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Noticed some points in the ongoing IPL3 - I am sure you will have observed this, as well.

• Commentators - The commentators are typically known to be honest, non-biased, frank and brutal in their insights on the cricket match. In this tournament, the set of commentators at all the venues (including reputed ones like Gavaskar, Shastri, etc), the descriptions are more around the sponsors of the tournament - DLF (Six), Maxx Timeout, Karbonn (Catch), etc. In fact, one commentator even forgot to mention six - he just said 'It is a DLF'!!! Is the terminology being changed here, by Lalit Modi? If someone pays him a bonanza, he will gladly agree.
• Sledging - the international players seem to be a bit less reluctant to voice their intentions on the field in international cricket. It is probably the fact that they are playing in IPL together with players from other countries. But, the attitude of the Indians is not getting better - Harbhajan and Sreesanth are prime culprits - even Zaheer seems to give his opponents a solid hearing (check the video against RCB when he gave a mouthful to Uthappa who was his team-mate till last year).
• Faster Ball - The slower ball in the T20 matches are being over-used so much to the extent that bowlers ball almost all the balls lesser than their normal speed. It is time that the 'faster ball' makes a (re)appearance in cricket now.

What do you think about this?

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More potential revenue for IPL

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All of us cricket-followers must have come across the offering from EA Sports - Cricket 07 at some point of time, if not played it. I am not sure if Lalit Modi has seen this. If he has, he will get a lot more ideas from this game.

Obviously, one would be to get into a partnership with a gaming company to create a Gaming eco-system around IPL. But, that is not my main suggestion for IPL (and LKM).

If you notice the commentary in the matches played in the game, the wonderful voices of Richie Benaud and other prominent commentators can be heard. Of course, the key sentences like 'A great over' or 'Wonderful shot to get a boundary' are recorded in the voices which are played whenever required.

From what we have seen in this year's IPL3, the commentators are more focused on giving the details of the sponsors rather than the happenings of the game - 'DLF Maximum', 'Karbonn Kamaal Catch', 'Max Mobile Timeout', 'Citi Moment of Success' are phrases more heard than the actual commentary. This will get worse next year if LKM is successful in getting the sponsors of the Orange Cap and Purple Cap (this year the deal did not fall through apparently).

These statements can be recorded in the voices of Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and others. They can be played by the TV producers whenever required in the game. What happens between balls? They can be used to show more ads (further potential to make more money) - every ball can be preceded and succeeded by 1-2 ads. Optimal utilization of time at the best. All the travel/hotel costs of the commentators can be reduced this way. The match can be actually covered by the low-cost television anchors who cost way less than the ex-cricketers.

What do you say Mr. Modi? Will you follow this route next year?

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Lalit Modi - the next Ecclestone

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Lalit Modi - the name is worth millions, no billions in the cricketing world. Not just for him, but for the rich BCCI. Today's outcome of the selection of additional 2 teams was no different - $703 million for 2 teams - could anyone have predicted this? Especially after the way the previous auction was terminated.

The IPL has become a brand that was evaluated at more than $4 Billion last year - this year, the number is set to grow exponentially.All this has been the brain-child of Lalit Modi who holds an iron hand in all decisions regarding the IPL as well as the Champions League. Who would have predicted that the game would prosper in such a way that it will become every marketing guys' envy.

Of course, there have been various turns and twists in the story so far but this man cannot be out of action - as the saying goes, you like him or hate him, you cannot ignore him at any cost. Just have a look at his introductions to the IPL brand this year:

• Tie-up with Youtube to broadcast the IPL on internet
• Partnership with ITV for UK broadcasting rights
• Broadcasting of the matches in HDTV

Whatever one can say of the man, he has shown that he is one innovative person in terms of branding and marketing his product. I am not sure whether he considers Bernie (F1 Supremo) as his guru but he sure looks like he is on the same highway as Mr. Ecclestone.

What will he do next year remains to be seen - re-auctions will happen and the stalwarts who are playing (Tendulkar, Kumble, Gilchrist and others) after their retirement from this format may not continue. From what I can see, the IPL will continue to expand and be played in many more venues than today - more countries will be covered. There will be more countries where cricket will be beamed, 2 IPLs in the same year was one thinking last year. He might be one reason why West Indies and New Zealand teams will see a revival, thanks to the financial backing.

What next, Mr. Modi?

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IPL3 starts in less than 24 hours

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The IPL is scheduled to start in less than 24 hours now and there is excitement in the Twitterverse - everyone is looking forward to the next 45 days. One's evenings are going to be busy and housewives will have problems getting the attention of their husbands to do anything!!!

Matthew Hayden is planning to use the Mongoose bat in the IPL - would be interesting to see the bat and how runs will flow from the already broad blade of Haydos.

 Darren Lehmann must be hoping to do it third time - he has been part of the winning teams in the first 2 editions.

Adam Gilchrist feels that his team does not have the pressure on them - maybe because they are not playing in their home-town. The DC skipper has advocated for a IPL window to be scheduled by ICC.

Hope the tournament does not see any problems with security, which was a big worry for many international stars.The opening ceremony will definitely be a huge spectacle, considering the nature of Lalit Modi. Let the games begin!!!

This edition will be one where many players will try to prove their point - there will be a re-auction next year and hence, the players will be eager. The favorites for this IPL - Kolkata Knight Raiders

PS - Grounds of IPL3 can be found here.

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IPL - feedback

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The twitterverse throws up very interesting feedback on what people think about IPL - some selections provided below:

• anishmohan If #IPL can make more money by joining hands with bookies, they definitely need 2 do that
•  shripalgandhi made enquiries for #ipl3 tkts...east/west stands priced @ 500 and 1000. those seats suck! better ones priced at @ 3k and 5k! too expensive! 
• good one for a change - nithin1989 waiting for ipl3....atleast time we ll b out of boredom...

What this says is very clear - IPL as a concept is no doubt the winner all over the cricketing globe but everyone is sick and tired of the business model. Of course, everyone wants to make money but Mr.Modi, spare a thought for the viewers also - if you change your attitude, there will be more fans to the IPL. 


Thanks everyone - I will continue this trend on including your tweets in my blog. If you do not like it, please let me know.

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Countdown starts for IPL3

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IPL3 is all set to start and the countdown has begun already. Reviews of the various franchise teams are on TV and all websites. Lalit Modi is busy as ever, twittering away to glory. Players from all countries are likely to join this version (though the high-profile Aussies will most likely stay away).

Shane Warne, Damien Martyn are already in town - finalizing their teams while Greame Smith is on his way (with his other team-mates).

The Caribbeans are finishing the ODI series against Zimbabwe before they board the flights to India - in fact, some of the players like Bravo, DR Smith are playing T20 in Oz right now.

The Indians must have been happy with the free time they have received, recuperating from injuries (Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan) while some played the Salil Ankola Benefit match. The domestic series (Deodhar Trophy) is being played out - finishing off in the next few days.

The Kiwis will wrap up their ODI series against Aussies at home before landing in India - the IPL is definitely one of the reasons the players feel safe (financially).

The English side is getting into test-mode against Bangladesh very soon - the ODI/T20 specialists thus are available to come over - Owais Shah, Bopara, Flintoff being few of them.

Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh will miss out - probably one or two of the players from the latter 2 countries will play a match.

The selectors from the teams will be eyeing the IPL for new talent that might emerge out of nowhere. The captains must be hoping that their players get good practice at the same time praying for the absence of injuries.

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IPL - what to look forward to

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Harsha Bhogle has come out with his thoughts on what he is looking forward to, in IPL3. There were quite a few innovations in IPL2, if you remember.

While he talks about most of the innovations (slower/faster ball, scoops/paddles, wicket-keepers, captains), one point that he has probably missed out is the time-outs and how it will impact the concentration of the batting team.The teams are allowed to choose when to have the time-out (just like the NBA matches). This will become as critical as the PowerPlay in ODI matches. Teams will struggle to find the right time to take the time-out.

Another point to notice is the presence of dew in night-matches - how is Lalit Modi going to ensure that it does not play such a major impact?

The presence of Windies players will be an added attraction in this season of IPL - the performances of players like Pollard, Roach, Tonge will determine how the remaining players of the Caribbean will be awarded contracts in future versions of IPL.

The other innovation that I would like to see in IPL3 is the use of a Super-Sub - remember this not too long time ago?

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The casualties of IPL

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Today, the main news-item of the day was about Mutthiah Muralithara - he plans to bid adieu to test matches after the West Indies tour.

Few days back, it was Brett Lee.

Andrew Flintoff fears that he may not play again.

Earlier, Matthew Hayden spent a season in IPL and jeopardized his chances to play for his country - finally, tendering his resignation.

The common thread between all of them - IPL. Is Mr. Lalit Modi bothered? Not at all.

Only when an Indian player follows the players above, the BCCI will wake up. Till then, the Modi-dom will rule and he is allowed to talk about 'test cricket'...

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India's test future needs to be closely monitored

After India's defeat against Sri Lanka in the Nagpur T20 as well as reading Harbhajan's article on Cricinfo, it is a question whether India is hungry enough to win in T20 and test matches.

Background - India, with new faces and a brave fresh captain, won the T20 World Cup in South Africa. The win, started the boom of T20 matches marketed innovatively by Lalit Modi as the IPL circus. The players made truckloads of money because of the business model of the IPL. In T20 internationals however, the team has been losing almost every other match against significant opposition.

The present - India thrashed Sri Lanka by an innings and more to get to the No.1 slot. This was one of the achievements that was really treasured by the current pack as well as the ones who were part of the team in the near past. Of course, the entire nation enjoyed the achievement with media going overboard as usual.

The ODI pinnacle is the one that is missing in the Indian team's cabinet. Of course, they were No.1 in the ICC rankings also, but the World Cup has been absent from 1983 onwards.

Hence, the question for the team is whether the focus going forward will be only on the ODI matches. The scheduling of test matches also does not help the Indians. MS Dhoni and Gary Kirsten might have the answers.