02.29.08
IPL Team Review – Chennai Super Kings
With no iconic player from this city, the Chennai Super Kings did an unthinkable job by being the highest bidder in the competition outplaying RIL’s Mumbai for M.S.Dhoni. With a good expertise of knowledge about the game in the city, it will surely be a crowd-puller in this part of the country. Even if they had chosen some other player as its icon, the Chennai team would have had the full support of its crowd. Rather I see that move only in the view of striking better sponsorship deals.
The Chennai Team was brought by Mr.Srinivasan (Also BCCI Office-Bearer) for USD 91 million, representing India Cements. The Team has been named as ” Chennai Super Kings “.
Jacob Oram – No doubt that he’s one of the best all-rounders in the current Cricket era. He has been an outstanding performer for New Zealand in the past few years. He is very well-known for his ability to strike the Cricket ball as clean as a whistle. He has played some breath-taking innings for his country (Still I remember his innings against Australia that he played at No.6). He’s also an equally good fielder. Can’t ask for a complete player like him. His experience could prove handy for the Chennai Super Kings. At USD 675,000, he’s such a note-worthy player. Look out Chennaites (If he’s available though). He’s a good finisher of the ranks o Chris Cairns.
Albie Morkel – He is from South Africa and is shaping up into a pretty good All-Rounder. Though his ability to hit the ball cleanly may look appealing, his ability to bowl quick and extract good bounce can’t be let alone. In his short International tenure, he has done well to capture the hearts of people with his ability. At USD 675,000, Chennai Super Kings of a Bowler who can trouble the Batsmen with his pace and bounce. Be careful, don’t ever under-estimate his ability with the Bat.
Suresh Raina – Ex-Indian Coach Greg Chapple regarded him as one of the best players in the country. He is electric in the field. His batting is also flawless. He can play the dual role of re-building the innings as well as shifting gears to up the tempo. He is also a handy Off-Spinner and can be quite effective in stemming the run-flow. His ability to play both spin and pace with sheer command makes him one of the most talented youngsters in the Indian Cricket. At USD 650,000, the Chennai Super Kings have made sure that they have an electrifying Multi-Utility player in their ranks who can last the entire season.
Muttiah Muralidaran – The name speaks for itself. One of the living legends of the game and with the leading test wickets under his belt, the Chennai Super Kings have done a good job securing him. His experience could prove very crucial. T20 format will be challenging for Murali too. But he’s the one who enjoys challenges and would love to dominate the Batsmen even in this format. He’s being paid USD 600,000 for his stint here. Wake up youngsters, make the most of him.
Matthew Hayden – Probably one of the finest openers that the game has seen, he is not afraid of playing his shots. He boasts of holding the record for the fastest century in World Cup history. He can prove very dangerous at the top and can turn the tables single handedly. He’s also a very good fielder despite his build and age. At USD 375,000, Chennai Super Kings have struck a perfect deal.
Stephen Fleming – He is one of the good guys of International Cricket and has already announced his retirement at the Internationa level. He is one of the most influencing personalities on the field. He is a specialist at the slips and is also the most experienced Captain at the big stage. Again his experience could be very handy and he alongside Matty Hayden can tear apart any opposition on a given day. With the experience he brings in, he’s worth every penny of USD 350,000 that the Chennai Super Kings are paying him.
Michael Hussey – One of the most consistent players in the current generation of Cricketers. He’s aptly called Mr.Cricket for his consistency.He’s a very solid player and can play dual role, either consolidate the line up when the top order fails or play aggressively. He’s also pretty good inside the circle. He will be a tricky customer to bowl to.He’s very good against the quicker bowlers.The Chennai Super Kings have signed a decent deal with him priced at USD 350,000.
Parthiv Patel – He is one of the upcoming talents in Indian Cricket. He cam into the International scene quite briskly and left with the same pace because of his improper work behind the stumps. But he has come quite a long way from there on. He has become all the more improved player and has started to play some quick-fire scintilating knocks. At USD 325,000 Chennai Super Kings have ensured that they have aback up for M.S.Dhoni who is quite capable behind the stumps and also with the Bat.
Joginder Sharma – He was a member of the victorious Indian T20 team and he was the one who bowled the last over against both, Australia and Pakistan. He did well to take up the responsibilty then. He’s looked at as an All-Rounder. But he has a lot to prove at this level. Still a rookie. That can work in his favour as there won’t be too much pressure on him. Chennai Super Kings have done well to get him at USD 225,000 and will surely exploit his plus points in due course which would benefit him also.
Makhaya Ntini – This South African Player has performed very well in many crunch situations. Everyone knows about his ability with the ball. He’ll provide the fire power that we need with the ball. He is very good either opening or at the death overs.He’s a cool customer and can keep the Batsman hoping on any surface. At USD 200,000 you can’t ask for more.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni – He’s the new face of Indian Cricket and he is the highest paid player in the IPL tournament. He’s been paid a whomping USD 1.5 million for his appearance in the matches. He should make sure to convert those apperances into stunning performances. He has improved his game behind the stumps and has grown more mature these days. If given proper starts by the top order, you can count on him to make sure that the oponents are torn to pieces. He brings this Multi-Dimension into the team. As far as I’m concerned I still feel that its quite a gamble. Whatever be the scenario, he’ll surely bring in fans and also sponsors along. Well planned Chennai Kings.
Kepler Wessels (Former South African Captain) is all set to done the role of the Coach of the Chennai Super Kings team. The team looks quite balanced on paper. All of them are proven performers and you can put your money on this team for some breath-taking performances. The team is estimated at USD 96,925,000. The fans will back this team and they have to perform accordingly to satisfy this Cricket crazy Metropolitan.
For more details about the match schedules for Chennai Super Kings, kindly follow the link. For details about the Second Bidding follow this link.
02.25.08
The Sweet Little Milestone
Well people, if you think this post is about some sporting event, you are absolutely wrong. Rather this is a post just with sheer enjoyment of reaching a landmark of 1000 unique visits to my blog
. I was never confident of reaching the landmark so very soon.
Though I started blogging sometime last year around the same time, it was my personal blog Rendezvous. I started this blog in December last year (14th December,2007 to be precise) just to write about the India Down Under series. But then soon I realised that writing a Niche Blog was quite awesome. It helps you to gain loads of information about your field of interest. I’m happy for myself and I thank everyone who has helped me achieve this milestone. Keep contributing so that I can do better.
02.24.08
IPL Team Review – Delhi Daredevils
Though Virender Sehwag was keen to get into the bidding rounds, the GMR Holdings somehow managed to convince the Delhi dasher to lead his home team and henceforth be renowned as its iconic player. The team will bank upon local support from the audience and are quite good on paper. Let us check out the squad and talk about the cost of the team also.
We know that the Delhi Team was brought for USD 84 Million. They’ve named the team as “Delhi Daredevils”.
Gautam Gambhir – After his outstanding display at the T20 World Cup in South Africa (September 2007 to be precise), everyone knows what he is capable of. There was no doubt thathis home team would rope him in at any cost. They brought him for USD 725,000. This shows the kind of trust they have on this new found hero. With his ability to pace his innings quite easily and the ability to shift gears as he wishes makes him a tricky customer. Of late he has been in tremendous form and has been quite consistent. He’s also pretty good on the field.
Manoj Tiwary – The Delhi team has gambled here by picking this lad. He doen’t have so much experience at the big stage and didn’t seem to be too comfortable against the likes of Lee in the tour Down-Under. Though he played just one game, he neveer looked impressive. He is a good Batsman and quite a handy leg-spinner. But is he worth that whomping USD 675,000 ??? I doubt. I feel they’ve spent too much on an unknown quantity.
Mohammad Asif – With his ability to bowl at any given condition, either with the new ball or the old ball, he has been the best find for Pakistan Cricket. He bowls at a genuine pace and can be very dangerous on any wicket. The Delhi Daredevils have done a good job in getting this pacer at USD 650,000 – quite a good bet I must say.
Daniel Vettori – He has been a proven product in International Cricket and is respected by all his opponents. He is on a high after being named the New Zealand team Captain. He is also very good on the field and also a mature Batsman. You can count on him for some big shots or also to consolidate the innings. He deserves a lot and the crowd here are bound to give him his share. Well Dan, be prepared to interact with the fans who will follow you all the way and support you. He was brought for USD 625,000 which I feel is quite nominal for the talent he has.
Dinesh Karthik – This Chennai lad was brought for USD 525,000 by the Delhi Daredevils and hence will have to move to Delhi soon. We know his capabilities as a Batsman, Fielder and a Wicket-Keeper. Thus the team can boast of a International level Wicket-Keeper. He is quite electric in the field and has the talent to turn games around in this format. Look out people!!!
Shoaib Malik – The Pakistan Skipper is one of my favourite players and I have admired him for the sheer dimension he has brought to the game. Though he is a good Batsman, his ability with the ball and on the field can’t be neglected. At USD 500,000, he’s worth every penny. He can be quite tricky with his off-spinners and his ability with the bat is well-known. He is a treat to watch.
Glenn McGrath – The name says it all. By far the Best Fast Bowler of the past decade. He’s not express quick. But if your talking about containing the Batsman with accurate bowling, then Glenn McGrath is the answer. He has troubled every Batsman that he has ever bowled to. At USD 350,000, the Delhi again bagged a perfect deal. But I’m still wondering what took them so long to pick him that he had to be waiting in the reserve pool. Were you guys sleeping? Remember guys, he would be available for the entire schedule unlike many other players.
AB de Villiers – He is by far the find of the South African team. He has proved his worth with his quick fire knocks. He also has the Jonty Rhodes kind of standard on the field. At USD 300,000 he is one of the players to watch out for when this team takes the field.
Tillakaratne Dilshan – He is one of the modern faces of Sri Lankan Cricket. He has this multi-talent and you can call him a complete player. He can pace his innings very well and is also a good finisher. A very good middle-order bat and a handy off-break Bowler, he’s worth that USD 250,000 which has been paid to him.
Farveez Maharoof – He is the second Sri Lankan player in the team. He has this knack of picking up crucial wickets and breaking partnerships. His change of pace is well-disguised. He has this ability to play big shots lower down the order. He is quite mean in giving away runs as well. At USD 225,000, the Delhi Daredevils couldn’t have asked for more.
Virender Sehwag – Being the icon player he is priced at USD 833,750, 115% of his team’s most paid player. We know about his ability to tear apart the opposition attack on any given day. He is also quite handy with his offies as well. But he’ll be known for his sheer brilliance with the bat. He along with Gautam Gambhir can be a deadly-duo at the top of the order.
Thus we can see that this team is quite well-matched and has a good mix of youngsters with experience and also old war-horses who can still be at their best. There is no point arguing this. All they have to look in is to fit in pretty good youngsters and also another back-up Wicket-Keeper. Greg Shipperd, the Victorian State-Team Coach has been appointed as the Head Coach of Delhi Daredevils.The team is now worth USD 89,658,750.
For details about the Schedule For Delhi , kindly follow the link. For details about Second Bidding follow this link.
02.23.08
IPL Mania – The Cricket Sudoku
Finally the much awaited bidding took place and of the 77 contracted players, 75 were signed by the teams. All that is left is only the sheer action-packed summer weekends.Can’t hold on till April 18th.Each team went through this entire process just like playing Sudoku – had to pick the best possible combination of the lot for the right spot.
All that is on offer for us fans is a star studded Indian Domestic Tournament with World’s top players- Ah!!!Had been dreaming of this for quite sometime now (Inspired by the English county). The 44 day event has loads on offer for the Cricket frenzy nation.
The sheer magnitude of money being dished out has its own good. This attracts all the top players to try out their hand for this event. This also ensures that there is proper infrastructure and standards for the game to take place in the best of the entertaining ways.
All that we have to do is sit back and be treated. Talks are on that another 8 teams are in line for the coming year.I’m still wondering whether they’ll have enough players to fit in.For now there are a total of 8 teams. To sum it up, I will list out the teams and its proud owners :
- Mumbai team for USD 111.9 million – Mukesh Ambani (Reliance India Limited)
- Bangalore team for USD 111.6 million – Dr.Vijay Mallya (United Breweries)
- Kolkata team for USD 75.09 million – Actor Shah Rukh Khan/Juhi Chawla/Jay Mehta (The Bollywood Fire Power)
- Mohali team for USD 76 million – Ness Wadia/Preity Zinta (The Wadia Group)
- Delhi team for USD 84 million – GMR Holdings (Currently incharge of Delhi Airport Renovation)
- Chennai team for USD 91 million – Mr.Srinivasan (India Cements)
- Hyderabad for USD 107.01 million – Deccan Chronicle (The Media Group)
- Jaipur team for USD 67 million – Emerging Media Group (UK based)
Quite a huge money has been invested for the teams.The initial bidding price was set at USD 50 million.
02.13.08
Australian All The Way – Simon Taufel
In the recent past,we have seen quite a number of players deciding to call it a day.When they do it we have recollected some creditable features about them and we have saluted their performances.Here is another person opting out of International Cricket(Let’s hope it is temporary).But he’s an official instead.Yes I’m talking about Simon Taufel.
Simon James Arnold Taufel played Sydney Grade Cricket Competition as a fast-medium bowler at the start of his career. But it was cut short due to a back injury.He was not interested in Umpiring but he did attend an Umpiring course with one of his friends.He cleared the exam with ease and did very well.
He started Umpiring Grade Cricket and even before he realised what was happening,he had advanced to the first-class level and made his debut in 1995, aged just 24.He had some more credible performances and went on to officiate his first ODI on January 13 1999 in the match between Australia and Sri Lanka at Sydney. He was just 28 then,younger than many other players who were playing.
With some more good shows in the ODI’s he was finally was given the honour of standing in his first test match in December 2000 – the Boxing Day Test between Australia and West Indies at Melbourne.From there on,there has been no turning back for Simon Taufel.He was later chosen into the Elite Panel in 2002.
He has earned the respect of all the players and is one of the best Umpires to have officiated in the history of Cricket.For his sheer brilliance,he has been named the “Best Umpire” by the ICC and the Players four times on a trot from 2004 to 2007.The happy news for the Indians though is you can hope to catch him in the upcoming IPL tournaments in April.
He has admitted that the increasing competition level and travel has taken toll and henceforth has planned not to review the contract with the ICC in March.On the whole,till today,he has officiated 49 Test Matches,118 ODI’s and 11 T20’s.He deserves all the credit.
P.S. : Why I named this post as above is just because of the sheer Professionalism that he has brought into Officiating the game.
