Is Cheteshwar Pujara ...

the new VVS?

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What happens in a strategic time-out?

What happens in a strategic time-out?

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Is it a surprise more people want to watch IPL than England?

Is it a surprise more people want to watch IPL than England?

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The hat-trick

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Ganguly: Gayle and Bond will give us impetus

Our last match didn't go the way everyone wanted it to. We definitely disheartened our fans at home. Without offering any excuse, one needs to say that any team can have one bad match. Bowling first, we fared badly only in the last five overs. Before that Shane Bond, Ishant and company did keep things under control. Bond showed a glimpse of what he is capable of, having arrived in the city just a day before the match. I am confident that as he settles down and adjusts to the heat and sultry weather he will be some bowler to deal with.

Gayle and Bond will give us impetus

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Hitler played cricket

From Cricinfo

Adolf Hitler wanted to use cricket to train German troops according a new book about to be published by the BBC’s former World Affairs Editor, John Simpson.

However Hitler, who was taught the basics of the game, found the complex rules too much to comprehend and wanted to do away with the use of pads because they were “unmanly and un-German”.

How much less suffering the world would have endured had Hitler played against Harold Larwood and Co without any protective gear.

Check this game out: http://www.cricinfo.com/games/content/site/games/bodyline.html



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A streaker sporting weird body art

A streaker sporting weird body art creates a stir

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Get a bat of your size, Haydos

Once again we snooped in and got this gem.

Non-serious IPL spectator: Gosh! Why is he playing with a dwarf's bat?

Serious IPL spectator: That's The Mongoose.

Non-serious IPL spectator: More like The Midget to me.

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The snake bat

The snake bat

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I let captaincy affect my batting

Brendon McCullum need not tell us that. But unfortunately no mention in this interview about John Buchanan, the genius whose ideas almost doomed the Kolkata Knight Riders. Why come with up some multiple captains theory when you could have been frank and just stated you didn't want Sourav Ganguly as captain?

I let captaincy affect my batting

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How come Dhoni is playing then?

A conversation we overheard yesterday during the game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals.

Non-serious IPL spectator: If Rajasthan are batting, then who's bowling?

Serious IPL spectator: Royal Challengers Bangalore

Non-serious IPL spectator: Then how come Dhoni is playing?

Serious IPL spectator: Dhoni? Dhoni is not playing. He plays for Chennai Super Kings.

Non-serious IPL spectator: Oh, is that Kumble then?

Serious IPL spectator: Yah.

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Moth laga, moth laga, moth laga

Ahmedabad takes steps to curb moth menace

The Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) will use fogging machines to reduce the menace created by moths attracted to lights during the IPL matches. Ahmedabad hosted its first IPL game on March 15 - Rajasthan Royals lost to Delhi Daredevils - but the players and spectators had to endure an army of moths. The insects swarmed over the entire ground, including the stands and the media box, making it difficult for the players and everyone else to sight the ball clearly.

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The Goggly

The Goggly

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The joy of text (Not)

The joy of text (Not)

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Things we'll miss from the last two IPLs

John Buchanan
And his laptop. And Matthew Mott, his sidekick. We need some people to reinforce the time-proven fact that cricket is a complicated game that mortals like captains cannot understand. Like he does with his movies, Shah Rukh Khan has attempted to dumb down an intellectual, even nerdy, game by sacking Buck. Shah Rukh, be a man.

Paul Collingwood and Glenn McGrath
Oh, sorry, even their team didn't want them last year. Nonetheless, they were inspirational, reassuring figures on the bench, er, in the dugout. Pidge particularly for matches when Delhi Daredevils played sides with more than one Englishman in them. He could always make a prediction or three.

So long Shoaib, goodbye Colly

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Crass, but any day better than IPL's fun feed

Now, try finding Sehwag's reaction to a beamer that Kieron Pollard got from Dirk Nannes in this crap video.


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It is all about technique

After watching Kallis and Tendulkar cream the opposition bowling, who can disagree.

Some of it may be fun to watch, but cowboy batting styles makes it necessary for the coaches to impress on the players eschewing genuine technique how ordinary batting styles also work. Employing the slog-sweep, or the scoop variations that have followed Doug Marillier's initial invention in the late 1990s, is one thing, but when the captain and bowler start setting fields to curb such toffee brittle attempts in run-scoring, the improviser ends up with the flawed performance and more often failure.

Read more.


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A thrilling start

Is Dileep Premachandran's verdict. Read the whole article.

In Blinded by Rainbows, the Rolling Stones ask: "Did you ever touch the night/Did you ever count the cost/Do you hide away the fear/Put down paradise as lost?" I don't know about touching the darkness, but over the past five days, in three different cities, I've watched stolid Jacques Kallis win a Twenty20 game, witnessed an Eden Gardens crowd roar its approval of a returning prodigal son, and seen Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya upstaged by two kids who could still walk down a busy street in Mumbai unmolested. Welcome to the IPL.

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Critics can say whatever, but class is class

Says Anil Kumble in the Hindustan Times.

Tuesday’s game showed us one thing: It doesn’t matter where you’re from, or what form of the game it is, when good players are challenged, or criticised by people who don’t have anything else to say, they tend to show the world why they’re considered good, or great.

We agree, but still some bad buys were made in the inaugural auction, Wasim Jaffer one such case. And thank god they didn't pay more.

"Look at my runs, assess my performance," says Jaffer, pointing to his five centuries in 28 Tests, including two double-hundreds. And that's why, he says, he was hurt by the US$150,000 he was deemed worth at the IPL auction last month - the lowest price an India cricketer fetched.

"Obviously it hurts when you compare the price of some others to what I got. I have proved myself on the field, and I have made runs in Test cricket, over 2000 of them. But other players who haven't scored enough have got much more, because people think they will be a big hit in Twenty20. That's what public image does. You can only change their views by going out there and scoring runs."

Read the rest of the interview at Cricinfo.

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IPL skirt-o-meter

IPL skirt-o-meter- Hindustan Times

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The blimp

The blimp is 19 metres long, contains upto 400 cubic metres of pure helium and can be raised to a maximum height of 1000 feet. Once in the air at 300 metres height, it can withstand wind velocity of upto 40 knots during a storm.

http://beta.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/article253860.ece

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Farmers target IPL to vent ire

“Thousands of farmers from all across the state will gather in Chandigarh next week to protest the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government’s decision to roll back free power. We will decide on the mode of protest then. Disrupting IPL matches can well be one of the ways to register our protest,” said Bhupinder Singh Mann, a former Rajya Sabha member and president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union.

More in The Telegraph.

Meanwhile, Anti-Oz protesters held in Orissa.

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IPL tickets for votes?

It’s learnt that wannabe BBMP corporators in Jayanagar and JP Nagar wards gave out IPL tickets — each worth Rs 220 — to nearly 70 youths belonging to their wards for Tuesday’s match. Tickets worth Rs 550 were also given away.

More in The Times of India

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Jingoism reaches new heights in IPL avatar

Gulu Ezekiel in The New Indian Express:

The Indian Premier League has become the latest chest-thumping vehicle for Indian Netizens both at home and abroad. Any non-Indian critic of the annual jamboree now into its third year is immediately dubbed a racist. Any Indian critic is branded a traitor. Jingoism has found a new vehicle in India and the rest of the cricket world is told to dance to its tune or take a hike.

How a domestic cricket league with a smattering of international players came to this pass is entirely due to the massive PR machine cranked out by Lalit Kumar Modi and his merry band of Bollywood stars, fat-cat businessmen, ex-players and journalists, all with a vested financial interest in singing from the same hymn sheet.

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Tendulkar glow helps Mumbai shine

Wonderful piece by Jamie Alter on Cricinfo.

Tendulkar is clearly enjoying his cricket, and it was evident in his body language throughout the game. After losing the toss and being asked to bat, a calm Tendulkar said he would have chosen to do so anyway. You could sense he was eager to get out and bat on what he called "a venue that has never been bouncy and tends to play slow and low". His mind was running, and the body caught up soon after in a thrilling display of what experience and form can produce.

Do read the whole thing

Lalit and Lara are best buds

Better watch out Warnie. A prize for anyone who watches the whole eight minutes 100 times. Cheers.



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The lord of the fans

Lord of the fans
Gambhir pointed out how crucial the home fans would be for his team tonight, even going as far as to say they would be the 12th man, but the crowd's reaction to each run Tendulkar gathered made it sound more like Dadar than Delhi. When Tendulkar clipped three runs, collecting the ball from outside off and working those wrists, the fans showed their appreciation. When he walked down the track and put Farveez Maharoof away for four, they went wild. And when Tendulkar steered a lovely four, opening his hands and placing it past the infield, well that was just what you'd expect from fans of this man. Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, had spoken before the first season of how he had envisioned city-based loyalties. That's not going to happen anywhere in India when Tendulkar is batting.

The lord of the fans

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Wish the IPL fun feed was like this

Here's one of the fun feeds. What's the blimp-like thing Delhi are playing with.


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javascript:void(0)

Will Mumbai Indians win this year?

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Are Rajasthan missing Ravindra Jadeja?

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No Ravindra Jadeja here

Although the show is called IPL Rockstars



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If you were bored of the cricket ...

Don't watch this. Or realise that it's impossible to avoid the game in India (of course, the warning applies only to couch potatoes).


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Over the top - Harsha Bhogle

Thanks to Cricinfo.

"There might be 1411 tigers left but there's only one Murali"

“There are a number of moths around Maharoof. They must think he is covered in honey.”

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Tiwary's a Dhoni clone

Apart from the fact that he's a left-hand bat.

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The Royal masterminds

“We have done a dressing room design that we think is the first of its kind in world cricket. We have taken inspiration from some of the American sports and Premiership football and we have provided motivational backdrop for the dressing room. We unveiled that on the eve of our first home game in Ahmedabad,” Snape said.

In addition to the new dressing room, Snape has created caps with special numbers as we see in Test cricket. “Three years ago there was no history to the Rajasthan Royals. So we are actually creating history as we go. And every player now knows that they have got a number in succession in the history and we feel motivated now to make that a special legacy,” he said.

The Royal masterminds

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Rajasthan are yesterday’s bagel

And in the IPL bakery, the Rajasthan Royals are the stale bagels left in the back of the cupboard. They are yesterday’s treat. You can tart them up with gold icing all you like, but darling, they are so 2008. Back then, we were young, we were foolish, we thought fondly of Danny Morrison. Warne’s outlaws were quirky, inexpensive and they hopped about incessantly, like gaudy tree frogs on an electrified roof.

Rajasthan are yesterday’s bagel

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IPL fielding positions

IPL fielding positions

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The Chinnaswamy sets the benchmark

Don't bring your own, we'll give you some: The list of items spectators are forbidden to bring with them is long and all encompassing. You wouldn't get in with a large flag, or something to create a din with. But the organisers were handing it all out. 'Cheer kits', Royal Challenger flags, inflatable noisemakers and more. The props were everywhere and the fans used them. The result was a sea of waving flags and an awful din.

The Chinnaswamy Stadium sets the benchmark

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He too played in the IPL

Name: Musavir Khote
Team: Mumbai Indians
Matches: 4
Stats: Runs 24 Avg 12 SR 109.09 Wickets 2 Avg 25.5 Econ 10.2
Last played: 2008
Claim to fame: Could have been the last man to be sledged during a game by Sreesanth. Alas, 'Slapgate' couldn't shut Appam up.

Cricinfo Profile
Medium-pacer Musavir Khote was, by Indian standards, a late bloomer- he was almost 26 before he made the Mumbai side for the Ranji one-dayers in 2006. He switched over to Railways in the 2007-08 season to get more opportunities in four-day games, but not before he had impressed with some hard-hitting cameos for Mumbai in the Inter-State Twenty20 in April 2007. Those performances convinced Mumbai Indians to sign him on for the Indian Premier League.

From http://www.sportspundit.com/athlete/5722/

Musavir Khote, a medium-pacer was a slow learner as per Indian standards; as he started playing one-day matches (in Ranji Trophy) at the age of 26. These matches were played for Mumbai. Apart from Mumbai, Musavir has also played for Railways. This person is a right-handed player.

Musavir Khote entered the arena of fast-cricket on 3rd of April, 2007 in a Twenty20 match played against Baroda at Mumbai. He could pick a wicket in this match. Mumbai had won it by 8 wickets, with 23 balls to spare. As far as IPL is concerned, Musavir played against Deccan Chargers on 27th of April, 2008 at Mumbai. This day-night match went in to the kitty of Deccan Chargers. They won it by 10 wickets, with 48 balls to spare. In this match, Khote made ’34 not out’ in 18 balls out of the total of 154.

Khote made ’34 not out’ in 18 balls out of the total of 154. Really?. Well, he made 7 off 10 balls while Dwayne Bravo scored 34 off 18. Here's proof: http://www.cricinfo.com/ipl/engine/match/335994.html

That game also happened to be Khote's last for Mumbai. He played for Railways in a one-dayer earlier this year.

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IPL also stands for ...

Intense pulsed light
Intense pulsed light (IPL), is a technology aimed at producing light of high intensity during a very short period of time. It involves specific lamps together with capacitors whose rapid discharge provides the high energy required.

Used for
The Intense Pulsed Light hair removal process has become very popular due to its cheaper and faster procedure compared to laser hair removal. The comparison of effectiveness between Intense Pulsed Light and Laser Epilation is debated by scientists, equipment manufacturers and practitioners, but results are generally accepted to be roughly equivalent. It is also used for the treatment of the skin in a process known as photorejuvenation.

Wikipedia entry

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Airtel Offers Broadband Speed Upgrade for IPL Fans

Airtel Offers Broadband Speed Upgrade for IPL Fans

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Uthappa kicks Appam's ass

Still figuring out what Appam is, read this.
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Any more crazy ideas?

Sourav Ganguly's KKR captaincy result in a comeback to India's national team?

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Was Yusuf's 37-ball 100 the best ever?

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Dilshan's latest 'scoop'

Dilshan's latest 'scoop'

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Disappointing to lose the first game

It's our first home game of this IPL season and we have to pull up our socks. Our fans in Bangalore are looking forward to seeing us succeed, and we will be looking to turn things around and get some points on the board.

Anil Kumble: Disappointing to lose the first game

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Really, Warnie?

So what to make of Warne's encomium for Pathan? Firstly, it makes little sense. Pathan batted for 37 balls. The bowlers on whom he took greatest toll, on a storied but small ground seating only 20,000, were Ryan McLaren, Rajagopal Satish, Ali Murtaza and Sanath Jayasuriya. His team lost. When Warne said of taking on Tendulkar that "it was a pleasure to bowl to him", it was a meaningful and heartfelt tribute. Exalting Pathan was simply succumbing to the tumescence of the moment - an action, of course, to which Warne is not exactly a stranger.

Really, Warnie?

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Insect Premier League and Warnie's lip service

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Tait not so great

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No room for complacency

No room for complacency

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Maharashtra and Hyderabad topple big guns en route to final

Maharashtra and Hyderabad topple big guns en route to final

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Even the IPL can't beat this. 

Rewind: Bert Vance's 77-run over Regulars Cricinfo Magazine

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The question of State or Club?

The question of State or Club?

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Faking news is disappointed, Mr Modi

Cricket was always an environment unfriendly game with thousands of trees being felled to produce bats and stumps. It was a welcome change when IPL decided to go green in its third season and partnered with UNEP. Everyone expected that the new Mongoose Bat used by Matthew Hayden would be non-wooden, but it was a disappointment. This week’s Sunday Magazine urges IPL to go green in true sense.

 http://www.fakingnews.com/2010/03/sunday-magazine-ipl-goes-green-but-why-wooden-bats/ 

Plant some trees today


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Modern cricket’s ‘naked’ truth

So if you ask me what the big difference is between 1932 and 2010 where glamour in Indian cricket is concerned, I would say that in the earliest times, women were bold enough to throw their mangalsutras at outstanding achievers like Lala Amarnath. Today, Preity Zinta would wait near the dug-out to give her star performer a big hug.

Cricket | Modern cricket’s ‘naked’ truths | ESPNSTAR.com

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Can the IPL lure Lara?

Can the IPL lure Lara?

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Princely reflections

KKR's captain looks back on a win well won, old boy

Princely reflections

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Sex, drugs, pizza

Well now, if it isn't the cigarette-smoking, beer-chugging, text-messaging blond wonder

Sex, drugs, pizza

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Plenty of dogs but no Mongoose

Plenty of dogs but no Mongoose

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What do you want her to do?

A cheerleader either performs or turns down requests made to her. Well, some stuff is totally out of bounds. Or maybe not. And mind you, she's selfish. She'll drink beer if told to but dare you ask her to offer you one. Ah, try, since you are so keen on being refused. Do tell us any cool things you managed to successfully request out of sheer boredom.

Try your luck at http://www.kingfisherworld.com/ipl/make_dance.htm



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Comedy of errors

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Chennai's super dogs

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Rajasthan's prescription for motivation

Best Team Culture" has been painted in bold lettering on the front wall, and you can't miss it upon stepping inside the locker room. To the left-hand side, across Warne's face starts a line "First for" and ends with "New Ideas" near the entrance on the same side. Snape, who is also the psychologist with the South African team, said the purpose of the idea is to create a strong bond in the squad and enrich the legacy of the team.

Rajasthans prescription for motivation

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The new commentary paradigm

Heard today:
Serious DLF Maximum


Real Citi Moment of Success

Gift your favourite commentators a copy of



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Redemption song for Tiwary and Kolkata

Redemption song for Tiwary and Kolkata

Three years ago, before the knee injury that ruined his chances of an ODI debut in Bangladesh, Tiwary was Indian cricket's man-in-waiting. But apart from the true cricket tragics, few will be able to tell you how his career has progressed since. In the space of 29 balls in front of his home crowd though, he reminded people that he too is a contender. Like Rayudu, he's just 24. The recent past can be written off as a bad dream. The future is no longer touched with grey. 

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Lalit says and other fun things

What a fun feed this is. 






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Do you like KKR's new colours?

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Do you think Haydos will use the Mongoose?

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Four IPL captains fined

Four IPL captains fined

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