The Wicket Post

Joy to the Indians: India vs. Pakistan Match Report

2015-02-16T17:58:00.000+05:30

Misbah ul-Haq on familiar sights as Mohammed Shami looks on.

Many Indians yesterday, on the 15th of February would’ve said “it’s okay if India don’t win the world cup, but India just MUST beat Pakistan” and likewise the Pakistanis. What really went around after the match though, was a series of #WeWontGiveItBack statuses on social networking platforms. That pretty much sums up how India came out of their bubble with far more intensity, and knocked an in-form Pakistan team down. The match was a brilliant display of how a team could change gears with the confidence gained from a single victory, in this case against minnows Afghanistan. India mowed down Pakistan not only with their patient, yet aggressive batting but also with their mere intensity on the field and energy which we haven’t seen in them since the Adelaide Test this summer.

The Indians started brilliantly with a good partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli (both, returning to form) who put on 129 runs for the second wicket. When Shikhar Dhawan fell for a well-played 73, India already had a strong platform. They were already going at about five and a half to the over, when Raina came in and launched himself. The Indian batting line up looked as strong as ever at the top, as Kohli and Raina put on another hundred run partnership quickly while Kohli scored a ton in the process. After that explosive batting, which was expected to ensure a 320+ total, the implosion began. During the last 7 overs, the Pakistanis bowled with intensity (courtesy of Sohail Khan’s 5-55) and restricted the opposition by taking wickets off slower balls and bouncers. India eventually imploded, but they already had a strong score 300/7 by the end of the innings.

The start of the Pakistan innings was a solid one, with the openers looking very cautious in their approach. But India stuck to a packed cover field and bowled in the right areas, to restrict Pakistan from any easy singles. Younis Khan was the first to go off a bouncer from Mohammed Shami as Pakistan were one down for 11 in the fourth over. Then Haris Sohail came along and looked really good for his 36. He scored quick and also allowed Ahmed Shehzad to settle in. But then, there still weren’t any easy singles available. The pressure was building as Ashwin bowled with good variations to both batsmen. Haris Sohail got out to a regular off spinner, edging to slip and eventually Ahmed Shehzad also perished in an attempt to release the pressure. But then following that, a series of Pakistani batsmen came in and went out. Umar Akmal got out to a controversial decision, and Maqsood got out first ball against Yadav, edging while trying to cut. When Misbah and Afridi came together, Pakistan were 103/5. Misbah played slowly, ensuring that his wicket would remain,while Afridi played with his usual aggression. The Indians continued to build pressure by denying singles, doubles and boundaries by bowling to their field. The Indian Seamers and Spinners bowled barely any loose deliveries. Afridi eventually got out, and it was only a matter of time before the rest of the Pakistan batting collapsed around Misbah, who as usual gave the Indians a mini scare, but couldn’t do much in the end.

India won by a comprehensive margin of 76 runs and got ahead of the tailless summer they went through. This win would not only provide the Indian team with confidence, but also provide it with a positive mindset. If the Indians stick to the game they played yesterday, not letting boundaries through, being intense on the field and taking wickets by building pressure, their bowling weakling can be terminated. If they bat patiently like they did yesterday, India will be looking at large totals almost every time they come out to bat and can back it up with some sharp fielding and accurate bowling. They are upbeat, and have got their momentum going. Most of their batsmen also seem to be in form. Hence, it could be firmly said, that beyond the victory over Pakistan, India have made a strong statement to the world, that they are still in strong contention for the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Pakistan still haven’t beaten India at a World Cup game. 6-0.

Lyon roars as the Aussies snatch a thriller!

2014-12-14T20:56:00.001+05:30

Emulating his debut performance in 2011, ‘Gaz’ ripped through the Indian batting order

It seemed so near, yet it was so far as Ishant Sharma attempted to break the shackles by dancing down the pitch, only to be beaten by Nathan Lyon as Australia scripted one of the most thrilling victories in Test History. In all ways, the last day of this match carried the reminiscence of the test between India and New Zealand in Auckland earlier this year, as the Indian middle order yet again failed to capitalize on the solid platform provided by their Top Order. In the end, they fell 49 runs short of what seemed to be an almost impossible task at the start of day’s play. This Australian victory seemed to have been written in the stars after the tragedy that shocked the entire sporting fraternity.

‘Greatest Match I’ve ever played in’: Kohli

For a man who was desperately out of touch in the tour of England and the initial stages of the home series against West Indies, Virat Kohli managed to regain his lost form at the same ground where he slammed his maiden ton three years ago. His impeccable stroke play and his wide array of shots have come as a welcome relief for many Indian Cricket fans who questioned their batting line up during failures abroad. Whilst breaking records in both the innings, Captain Kohli managed to put up one of the greatest fightbacks in cricketing history along with Murali Vijay on Saturday. They made a mockery of the Australian bowling attack in the Afternoon, before Vijay perished for one too many on 99. After this 185-run stand for the 3^rd wicket, it was only a matter of time before the Kangaroos ripped through the Indian batting. At Teatime today, the equation favored India and Virat Kohli continued his aggressive game whilst bearing testimony to the incessant dismissals at the other end, as Australian turned the tables. Tragically, he fell to what was a short off-spinner to Mitchell Marsh at Deep Midwicket, thus ending the hopes of a billion. However, his love story with Adelaide didn’t cease to end as he made his best score in test matches as well With back-to-back tons and sublime technique, Kohli managed to silence those who questioned his form in the longer format. He also proved his worth as a captain with a few aggressive tactics up his sleeves and his ‘no-nonsense’ approach with sledging. This is a welcome sign for Indian cricket, and Virat will be the driving force for India in this tour.

Lyon roars in his own Den

For decades, Southern Australia has managed to produce some of the greatest players to have played this game, which includes the Chappell brothers and the Don himself. Lyon’s upbeat performance has proved why the club still continues to produce quality match winners for Australia. His ability to extract turn from a small portion of rough on a dry fifth day pitch had befuddled the Indian batsman, who are regarded as one of the best players of spin. Despite being carted to all parts of the ground by Kohli and Vijay, he was determined enough to pitch the ball up on the rough and wait for the batsman to make a mistake. He fought back hard after being attacked and he varied his length and his pace constantly after the tea break. After managing only 5 wickets in his dry run in the UAE, which is regarded to be a spinner’s paradise, his place in the team was questioned. He bounced back and silenced his critics with this stunning performance. This would certainly pep his confidence up before the next test in Brisbane and the remainder of the series. He had been the man to watch out for on the last two days of the test, and he was befittingly awarded the man of the match for his 12-wicket haul. He troubled the Indians in the same, if not better manner in which Moeen Ali tormented them in the English Summer.

Woes that need to be addressed in the Indian camp

Despite being a thrilling contest, one would definitely say that India had lost the game from an extremely comfortable position at Tea. Their middle order had disintegrated in both innings to crumble to scores that weren’t one bit expected by the fans when their top order had started out all guns blazing. The middle order conundrum has been chasing India ever since the retirement of the Big 4 (Laaxman, Ganguly, Dravid and Tendulkar). They haven’t managed to fire at all, and there have been no great contributions from the middle and the tail even in England. Although Dhoni’s supposed return in Brisbane might just boost their strength, they still lack a stable all rounder and late middle order batsman. Rohit should be given another fair chance to showcase his progress in test cricket. He also has the experience of playing some amount of white ball cricket in Australia in the past. However, Ashwin must come into the side instead of Karn Sharma. In the press conference, he had stated that he had learnt from his poor performance in the last tour. Also, Ashwin is regarded as one of the best all rounders in business today. His stable and initially cautious technique has helped him lay the necessary foundations for decent scores in the past. The Indian opening combination has been a subject of debate for a few years now. Whilst Vijay has comfortably cemented his place in the team with two splendid performances, the trouble lies in finding an ideal partner for him. Dhawan would definitely love the Gabba, as the ball would come on to the bat a little more. He needs to learn from his partner and improve his level o patience. Indian Fans have desperately wanted a good 50-run opening stand in tests abroad, and the last time India managed to do so was in 2011 against England. Endurance and patience is the key. The openers need to be wary of Ryan Harris’ ability to swing the ball and Johnson’s pace. Dhawan is yet to bring out his complete potential. Its essential that he plays in a calm manner initially and then plays his natural attacking game. Finally, whether or not we’d all like to digest this fact, the current Indian bowling attack doesn’t have the capability to take all 20 wickets. Whilst Shami and Ishant showed promising signs in what was a lifeless track for the bowlers, Aaron did disappoint a little. Despite having the pace and carry, he doesn’t have complete control over his bowling, and he seems to run out of ideas when the batsmen are on the offensive. It’s time Umesh Yadav replaces him. Umesh showed prowess and skill on the previous tour to Australia, by picking 13 wickets with a decent average of 39.35. Umesh does have greater variation and control over his pace, and his recent performances against the Sri Lankans at home shows that he has found some good rhythm before this tour.

Australia also has its fair share of woes

To start out, both teams didn’t deserve to lose this contest, as they showed prowess, skill. In Adelaide, both teams did expose their individual weaknesses. Australia ended up being the happier side with greater concerns. To begin, their opening partnership hasn’t been all that great as well. Chris Rogers does seem to have a problem playing the moving ball, and he hasn’t been in great nick recently. He didn’t provide the necessary support that Warner needs from the other end. He underperformed in Australia’s recent tour of the UAE as well, scoring just 88 runs in 4 innings. It’s essential that Rogers finds his nick and supports Warner by playing in a calm manner at the other end. Michael Clarke has long been regarded as the backbone of this Australian batting line up. His outstanding ton in the first innings showed his willingness and determination to carry on with the game. His loss would surely hurt the Australians. Shaun Marsh’s weaknesses were completely exposed by the Indians in the their last tour of Australia, and he averaged a mere 2.83 in that 2011 series. He had showed some skill in their tour of South Africa earlier this year, when Australia reclaimed the ICC test championship. Aussie fans would certainly hope that he avenges the Indian bowlers in this series for the manner in which they had troubled him in 2011. Shane Watson hasn’t fired after his comeback, and its essential that he steps up as a senior player and makes his bat do all the talking at the top of the order. Mitch Marsh has proved to be a great find for the Aussies this summer, and he has been a perfect all-round performer for the Australians, with the cameo in the second innings and the all important catch of Kohli that sealed the victory. It’s also essential that Brad Haddin contributes with the bat in the late middle order. With the additional responsibility of captaining the side, one would have to wait to see how Haddin responds to the situation. His aggressive field settings and his determination to push for Nathan Lyon in the final day was something commendable. Finally, Mitchell Johnson didn’t appear to be much of a threat for the Indian Batsmen. Not so long ago, It was in the same venue where he tore the English batting line up apart with figures of 7-40. However, one could argue that this wicket was much flatter than that one. Johnson would enjoy bowling at the Gabba, and Australia’s hopes for early strikes are pinned on him.

We had witnessed one of the greatest matches ever played this weekend, and one would certainly hope that such quality of cricket continues for weeks to come, so that people keep their minds off the tragedy that had occurred. Good cricket is the only healer to these turbulent times. The young India showed signs that they were here to prove a point by trying their best to chase victory, and these are positive signs for a country whose test team has seen major shuffles and revamps in the last couple of years. It’s only a matter of time before they settle in and get the knack of winning tests away from home. What India lacks is a clear set of all rounders, one that isn’t an area of concern for the Australians. So, it’s essential for both teams to find the right equation before Tuesday and move on.

Catch Bolt

2014-08-27T22:27:00.003+05:30

Update - 03/09/2014

The Yuvraj Singh vs. Usain Bolt charity match is now officially over and in what style! Needing 10 to win from 2 balls, here's Usain Bolt doing a Yuvraj Singh.

Update - 30/08/2014

The Catch Bolt contest is now officially over, but you still have a chance to meet the legends. So here's what you have to do -

You have one more chance to #CatchBolt next week. Tweet us a video message to @usainbolt telling him why you want to meet him. Get cracking.
— PUMA Social Club (@PUMASocialClub) August 30, 2014

Update - 28/08/2014

The passes for the game are now available!

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Ever wanted to play with an international cricketer? How about with an international sports legend? Now you can do both!

Send a picture of your best Usain Bolt pose using hash tag #CatchBolt and get a chance to field for @usainbolt vs @YUVSTRONG12 cricket match. Contest open for every one in India. Winners will be be flown in to Bangalore by @pumacricket.

So what are you waiting for? Start posing!

Watch this space for more.

There's a Storm Coming

2014-08-13T18:52:00.001+05:30

There’s a storm coming

The Indian batsmen were reduced in less than 3 hours in their second innings in their 4^th Test.

Britain might be battling Hurricane Bertha, but MS Dhoni has his own hurricanes to battle internally when it comes to Team India and it’s poor show in the 4^thTest match of the Investec Series in Manchester. Moeen Ali, a Batting All-Rounder from Worcestershire who was less known till the start of this summer, has left the Indian top order clueless, carrying forward his good form from Southampton. He carries the reminiscence of Muralidharan from the 90’s, and has earned massive appreciation from critics and colleagues. He certainly has been the Trump Card for English Cricket this summer. His fighting century against Sri Lanka in the second test match proved that he is a composed batsman who’s got the ability and technique, and he has risen above ranks to be the star performer and a match winner for England. His spin’s befuddled the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, and judging him by his performances in the last two Test Matches, no one would certainly term him as a part timer. He has taken more wickets than what Graeme Swann had in the 2011 India-England Series, and that’s reason enough to prove why England doesn't need a mainstream spinner.

There’s been a massive turnaround after the Lord’s drubbing for the English team. Cook and Bell have got their share of runs in Southampton, and their spearheads, Anderson and Broad, haven’t failed to impress them throughout the series. The fact that England was able to bowl out India for a mere 161 without Stuart Broad (Figures of 6-25 in the 1^st innings) is something commendable and noteworthy. Anderson’s swing and Ali’s spin have left the Indian Batsmen looking like they’re a part of some C-Grade team. This is the bitter truth. Over the last two test matches, one could certainly say that the English Camp’s been more determined and dedicated. Anderson’s excellent bowling despite his ill health on the 3^rd day at Old Trafford is something remarkable. Changes have happened in both teams over the last two test matches, and England’s certainly got the right combination. The addition of Jos Buttler has brought in more stability to the middle order, and his bat has done the talking. Chris Woakes is another Bonus. His pace and his batting technique have certainly proved to be a great asset for England. He also headed the pace attack along with Anderson in the 2^nd innings, and he had bowled impressively. It was a great opportunity for him to showcase his potential. Jordan, on the other hand, hasn't made much of an impact with the ball, and Steven Finn is a more convincing bowler, given his height and pace. Jordan hasn't been an impact player, and his heroic against Sri Lanka in the ODI series was the sole reason for his selection. Jordan somehow seems more convincing as a limited overs cricketer. The key to England’s success at Manchester was the fact that they didn't change their winning combination, and that was what had lead to India’s downfall in Southampton. Ishant Sharma’s change was an unavoidable one, but they should have retained Binny, whose heroics in the 1^st test saved the game for India. Varun Aaron should've played instead of Pankaj Singh in Southampton, given the fact that the pitch had more pace and bounce on it.

MSD will have to rack his mind up and create a clearer combination for the game at The Oval. The slip cordon for instance, needs extra attention. Although this is a relatively young side, they do have a bunch of excellent and energetic fielders. It’s all in the mind. Jadeja was always seen at a position like point in the limited overs, and I believe that it’s best that he remains there. Jadeja’s role in the team is another issue that needs to be sorted out specifically. As Kapil Dev rightly said, MSD must sort out each person’s role appropriately. Bringing back Ishant and Binny for the test at The Oval would give India a glimmer of hope for securing a win and get a face-lifting series draw. Virat Kohli’s woes against swing bowling are also issues. His footwork needs to improve. He has timed the ball well, but his foot hasn’t been moving across to the pitch of the ball. His interpretation of Anderson’s line has gone completely awry this series. Every player in cricketing history has been through a lean patch, and the expectations are high on Kohli. England has also had a list of underperforming batsmen such as Alastair Cook and Sam Robson, but their underperformances have been overshadowed by the team’s victories, as Shane Warne had rightly pointed out. So it’s high time the Indian batting addresses it’s concerns.

The Opening Combination is also another issue. In my opinion, Rohit Sharma and Murali Vijay should open the innings. Rohit has impressed us with his excellent performances as an opener in the shorter format of the game, and it’s about time that he’s promoted to that level in Test matches as well. From what we've seen in these 4 matches, Anderson and Broad find it easy to trouble left-handers since they've got natural outswing. Dhawan has failed with the bat, and he needs some amount of rest to cope up with the stress before the ODI series. He’s more of a limited-overs cricketer. On the other hand, Rohit has shown some grit through his performances against the Windies at home and against the Kiwis as well, and he has an average of 48.9, compared to Dhawan’s 38.7. Despite his failure at Southampton, Rohit should be given another chance up the order, and this might just boost his confidence. India should stop being conventional and they shouldn’t mind having openers who aren’t a right-left combination. Australia’s openers, Warner and Rogers are both left-handed batsmen, and they have had a successful time with the bat recently.

It’s high time Team India puts in some extra effort and battle out the English bowing attack with caution and aggression to set new standards for themselves. They’ll have to learn quickly from what the Sri Lankans did correctly in their series triumph in England, and accordingly attack them. No doubt in my mind, there’s a storm coming, and by all means, MSD and Co. need to brace themselves for it.

Credits: Shrinivas Uppili

Early Indicators for the 2015 World Cup

2014-07-28T21:28:00.001+05:30

Early Indicators for the 2015 World Cup

By: Matthew Harris (Sky Sports and Huffington Post)

Test cricket currently dominates the international schedule but with the 2015 World Cup looming, attention will soon turn to the One Day form of the game. The tournament itself starts in February 2015 so, with little more than six months remaining, which countries are in form ahead of the first ball?

Home advantage

Australia and New Zealand are joint hosts for the 11^th One Day World Cup and as you may expect, the Aussies are favourites at 3.20 with Betfairto lift the trophy. After demolishing England on their winter tour, Michael Clarke’s men climbed to the top of the ICC ODI rankings and the side will have a busy schedule leading up to the tournament, starting with the Triangular series against Zimbabwe and South Africa in August.

Australia haven’t played a one day international since their final game against England at the end of January but all signs were good. Aaron Finch and David Warner form the most explosive opening partnership in world cricket and if Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson can stay fit, the Aussies will be the side to beat.

New Zealand continue to perform strongly in all forms of the game and their batting will be strong in 2015. Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson will be supported by Jimmy Neesham and Corey Anderson in the middle order and if the bowlers can keep things tight, the Kiwis should progress to the knockout stages at the very least.

Recent Series

Traditionally, South Africa do not travel well, particularly to the subcontinent but AB De Villiers’ side were hugely impressive in taking a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka in July. HashimAmla was in supreme form, scoring two hundreds in the series while Quinton de Kock and De Villiers also made tons as their team passed 300 on two separate occasions.

Australia and New Zealand will also offer favourable conditions for South Africa’s strong bowling attack led by Dale Steyn. The Proteas have yet to win a major ICC trophy but judging by the form shown in the Sri Lanka series, this may finally be their time.

Sri Lanka themselves will have been disappointed by those recent performances, particularly after defeating England by three matches to two in a controversialseries earlier in the season. Angelo Mathews’ men will now play Pakistan before hosting the English again at the end of 2014.

As for England’s hopes, it’s clear that they are undergoing a ‘transitional period’ under Peter Moores and little is expected from them at the 2015 World Cup. There are criticisms of a relatively pedestrian opening partnership of Alastair Cook and Ian Bell and perhaps the selectors need to be brave and to introduce a power hitter such as Alex Hales at the top of the order.

Upcoming clashes

Before England and Sri Lanka do battle again, Cook will lead his side in five ODIs against the touring Indians. MS Dhoni’s men have been poor away from home and a 4-0reverse against New Zealand in January suggests they will struggle to retain their trophy.

Elsewhere, Pakistan will always threaten with their bright, if inconsistent brand of One Day cricket while West Indies currently seem to prefer the T20 format, almost to the complete exclusion of all other forms of the game.

Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Afghanistan, Scotland and the UAE will also travel to Australia and New Zealand in 2015 but while they are capable of providing the occasional upset, it’s hard to see any of these sides progressing beyond the groups.

The forthcoming World Cup promises to be the most entertaining and possibly the closest tournament ever but can these recent ODIs really help us to pick a winner?

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Matthew Harris is freelance journalist who writes for the likes of Huffington Post and for some of the larger sports bookmakers such as Sky Sports.

Cricket: The basics of the game

2014-07-15T21:09:00.002+05:30

Cricket is one of the most popular and amazing sports in the world. Very few athletic competitions can charge up the atmosphere like a game of cricket. This enticing pastime inspires millions of fans worldwide. The rules of the game seem complicated at first, but once you get around to knowing the basics, you will see that’s actually one of the most fun sports you can watch or play.

The game is played on a cricket field with a pitch in the middle. The pitch is in the shape of rectangle and is exactly 22 yards in length. The entire playing area goes way beyond it, but the pitch is where most of the action is happening. The pitch is sometimes referred to as a wicket. Wicket is a term you need to remember – it not only refers to the pitch sometimes, but it is also the name of a construction of three stumps and two bails near the ends of the pitch. Finally, wicket is also one of the ways a batsman is being dismissed. There is no other sport where the sentence, “A wicket occurs when the batsman loses a wicket near the end of the wicket” would make sense. One more thing we need to explain about the field are the creases – lines signifying the borders where the batsmen and the bowlers have to stay.

The game is played with 22 people –2 teams of 11 players each. There are two halves of the game, called innings. One team is batting while the other team is fielding in the first inning, and then they switch roles in the second one. The batting team has two batsmen on the field at all times – their job is to guard the stumps (or the wickets) using the bat to hit the ball, as well as to score a run. Once the batsman hits the ball, he has to reach the other end of the pitch, thus scoring a run. Both batsmen stand at the ends of the pitch facing each other so they can score runs. If a batsman hits the ball so hard that it reaches the boundary of the field, his team is automatically rewarded 4 runs and if it leaves the boundaries without touching the ground – they’re rewarded 6 runs. All the runs the batsmen make during the inning is recorded and summed up. The opposition has to make more runs during the second inning if they want to win.

The fielding team has to prevent runs and dismiss batsmen. This can be done by hitting the wickets, catching the ball before it touches the ground or returning the ball to the end of the pitch before the batsman has finished their run. The inning is over once all batsmen have been dismissed.

This is a brief overview of the rules – the game is actually way more complicated and this is what makes it so interesting. It’s amazing that something that looks so simple from the side can hold so much complexity into its core. When you begin to understand the game, you will find that it’s one of the most amazing sports you can watch.

You can watch cricket anywhere on the Internet or on TV, but the best venue for betting cricket ultimately remains the Winner. The site is fitting for this exhilarating game and if you register with JohnnyBet , and use coupon code: JOHNNYBET, you can get a €/£/$25 free bet. It’s an amazing offer worthy of an amazing sport. JohnnyBet is an extremely helpful sites that gives you access to tons of tips and connects you with an active community. Some of the members are among the biggest names in the industry, so you can’t go wrong in registering. Claim nice bonuses, get useful tips and watch one of the most interesting sports in the world!

The Wolf of cricket takes charge of ICC

2014-06-28T11:46:00.001+05:30

John Oliver on his HBO show recently ripped apart FIFA to shreds for being a big corrupt, bully whose actions are not always for the betterment of the game of football. ICC have long been accused of the same. Now that N Srinivasan - the former President of the BCCI and owner of the IPL franchisee, CSK - has taken over the reigns and the power structure of the entire organization resting with the cricket boards of India, Australia and England, the question now arises if ICC has become a huge monster like FIFA. The odds of that is one scary thought and with Srinivasan's appointment one can bet with certainty on this!

This is what Emperor Palpatine would look like in real life.

To understand just how bad Srinivasan's appointment to the ICC is, one must first understand who really is Srinivasan. Who is this wolf of cricket?

Srinivasan is an industrialist from a rich family with many connections. His younger brother Ramachandran is the head of the Tamil Nadu Squash Rackets Association, president of the Indian Olympic Association and the chief of World Squash Federation. Srinivasan has been the president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association for over a decade and he had the constitution of the board changed so that there was no limit to the tenure of presidency. Srinivasan joined the BCCI under the tutelage of then BCCI president, AC Muthiah (who he eventually pushed out of office in a power struggle that saw Jagmohan Dalmiya into power).

Since then he has gained prominence in the BCCI and during the formation of the IPL, despite being the then treasurer of BCCI, he gained an ownership stake in Chennai Super Kings. This was a direct contradiction of the BCCI clause (no administrator of BCCI could have had, directly or indirectly, any commercial interest in the matches or events conducted by the cricket board), and hence Srinivasan had the BCCI amend that rule. Despite the evident conflict of interest,Srinivasan went onto become the president of the BCCI and under him BCCI bullied and coerced ICC to make decisions in it's favor and often threatening to pull out of a tour or even ICC. During his reign as president he shuffled around the members of the BCCI and anyone who opposed him was quietly shown the door.

Even after Srinivasan's son-in-law and CSK team principal - Gurunath Meiyappan got arrested for his involvement in illegal betting and providing inside information to bookies, Srinivasan remained defiant and only after the supreme court of India stepped in and forced Srinivasan to resign, commenting that it was 'nauseating' to see him in office, did he leave loudly protesting. Srinivasan also heads the Tamil Nadu Golf Federation and the All India Chess Federation.

Great sport. Great spirit. And now great corruption.

Even in his private life, Srinivasan is just as ruthless and his homosexual son on numerous occasions accused his father of physically and mentally abusing him and his partner. In 2012, Srinivasan even had the Mumbai police physically beat his son in a restaurant.

Now that is the man who now heads the body that is in charge of the game called cricket! He makes Sepp Blatter look like a cute puppy next to him! Srinivasan is the devil. Scratch that. The devil works for Srinivasan.

So is the ICC the same as FIFA? Only time will tell. But one thing is certain. If FIFA and ICC join hands, they can form one large corrupt syndicate and rule the world.

Indian Premier League

2014-05-22T23:12:00.002+05:30

One area of serious interest for cricket punters is the Indian Premier League, or IPL as it is better known. This Twenty20 cricket tournament began life in 2008 and has grown to become one of the biggest commercial successes that the world of cricket has ever seen. IPL is watched by fans from around the globe and has a brand value estimated to be worth over $3 billion. Pepsi are the official sponsor of the Indian Premier League and this tournament became the first sporting event to be broadcast live on YouTube back in 2010. There are a total of eight teams within the league and there have been eleven different sides compete since its inception in 2008. Five different teams have won the title and the Chennai Super Kings are the only side to have two tournament wins to their credit.

Betting markets on the IPL are growing all the time and for England Cricket or IPL Odds visit here. All the major bookmakers have outright odds for the championship as well as prices on the outcome of each individual Indian Premier League match. The Chennai Super Kings are currently challenging Kings XI Punjabfor favouritism at the head of the IPL outright market and it would be no surprise to see them add a third title to their impressive record in 2014. Betting odds are also available on top batsman and top bowler as well as a top four finish and there are even price on offer for teams to reach the final with some betting firms. When it comes to the Premier League matches, there are even more betting opportunities available. Some of the most popular markets include highest opening partnership, first ball and fifty in match.

DLF paid a $50 million fee for a five year sponsorship deal with the Indian Premier League which gave them exclusive rights from 2008 to 2012. Pepsi then increased the stakes by paying a total of $72 for the next five years from 2013. When the league began, Sony paid a massive fee of $1 billion for the broadcasting rights to the IPL for the next ten years. While Brand Finance valued the IPL at $4.13 billion in 2010, this figure has been subject to some debate. That being said, there is no doubt that the IPL is very a profitable business and one that continues to grow in stature year on year.

During the Indian Premier League season, all eight teams play each other home and away, with the top four teams in the tournament progressing to a semi final stage. Two points are awarded for a win, one point for a no result and zero is the return for a defeated side. Any teams on equal points in the league are separated by various criteria including number of wins, net run rate, bowling strike rate, and finally their head to head results. This format appears to work very well and allows for a very exciting and extremely watchable cricket tournament which looks set to be around for many years to come.

Scotland cricket team inspire at the grassroots level

2014-05-19T21:25:00.001+05:30

Inspiring the Next Generation: Scottish Cricket Team Visit Aberdeen Schoolchildren

If you love the game and you have children of your own, then you’ll know that most cricket-mad parents hope and pray that one of their brood will one day share their passion. One sure fire way to guarantee a new generation of fans is to recruit members of your country’s national team, just two days before an international with their most infamous historic rivals, so Aberdeenshire parents must be over the moon following a recent ‘come and try’ session.

A Hero’s Welcome

Cricket Scotland’s development manager Neil Cameron managed to pull off the impossible; just one day before their international against England on Friday, he persuaded five members of Scotland’s cricket team to take part in a ‘come and try’ session.

As the team’s minibus pulled up at Harlaw Playing Fields in Aberdeen, the heavy rain stopped. The clouds parted to reveal a sun-bathed pitch with over one hundred excited children rushing towards their heroes, Scottish stars Moneeb Iqbal, Gordon Goudie, Michael Leask, Richie Berrington and Craig Wallace.

The eight and nine year olds from Ashley Road and St Joseph’s Primary Schools threw themselves into the session with unbridled enthusiasm and a healthy dose of gusto, happily lapping up lessons in throwing and catching, batting routines and even executing the perfect celebratory cartwheel.

A New Legion of Fans

Neil Cameron said: “We invited schools to come here and try some cricket-related skills, have a bit of fun, and introduce them to a game that they’re not familiar with. The whole point of today is a preamble to the big event on Friday – Scotland v England. We just want to generate as much enthusiasm, as much knowledge [as we can], and raise the profile of the game in Aberdeen. The fact that we’ve got guys playing on Friday who are involved today is fantastic.”

The event certainly seemed to have the desired impact on the children involved. Eight-year-old Kirsty Hogg said “I’ve enjoyed today because I never knew about cricket, but now I really enjoy it.”

Ambitious nine-year-old Joe Millar added: “I do feel like I just want to play cricket again, and I want to play for Scotland or England or any of the major teams.”

Looking to the Future

Michael Leask, who played in Scotland’s successful 2015 Cricket World Cup qualifying tournament and was one of the players who helped out, said: “It’s something I’ve done from a very young age and to see these guys have such enthusiasm for it gives you a little bit more encouragement to carry on. To know you’re inspiring kids to do it as well is a bonus for me.”

Richie Berrington, who was also present, believes that Scotland’s involvement in next year’s World Cup, and Grant Bradburn’s appointment as national coach, mean that it’s the perfect time to invest in the future of the sport by attracting a new generation of fans and players. “We’ve got a big 12 months leading up to that [World Cup]. We’ve also just got a new coach, and I think the game is definitely starting to grow in Scotland. There’s a lot more kids getting involved. Obviously the more exposure we can have at the highest level is going to help bring more people into the game.”

Aberdeenshire has a history of high-levels of participation in the sport, and events like this will undoubtedly help those trends to continue. The city has yielded an impressive crop of international cricketers over the years, and perhaps its future stars were among those attending this week’s ‘come and try session. At the very least, the squad found themselves 100 new fans. Arm them with the right equipment, and we’re sure that they’ll one day take the cricketing world by storm.

Star-studded Sides Promise Cracking Opener

2014-04-16T10:08:00.000+05:30

By: Shrinivas Uppili

Edited By: Ajay Suresh

With the inclusion of new stars, the Defending champions will be looking

to strike early this tournament and regain their momentum

With the defending champions Mumbai Indians, taking on the glamorous Kolkata Knight Riders in the Sheik Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, the IPL 2014 is expected to begin with a cracker. Given the track record, it does seem like the advantage is with Mumbai, but with both teams having an equal set of strong players in their squad, the match looks at balance.

Although there have been relatively significant losses for both sides this auction, their owners have managed to grab some brilliant picks which might make up for the losses. Kolkata would certainly feel the heat due to the loss of McCullum, a star who is in ripe form since the Indian tour this February. He’s repetitively proved that he has been a vital asset for any team. The absence of Brett Lee’s stealth would hurt KKR dearly. Mumbai would also face some trouble due to the absence of their legendary icon, Tendulkar. He has been a source of inspiration and motivation for Mumbai. Johnson is another ‘one that went away’. His mercurial rise in the past few months have made him look rough and deadly. But with all said, the teams have acquired a couple of valuable additions who can turn games around. The format of T20 also provides the balance to any match since in this format, absolutely nothing is predictable!

Ø Rohit Sharma vs. Sunil Narine: Rohit’s recent show at the World T20 has shown that he is quite mastering the way he

handles spin. His exploits against Narine in the group stage match would’ve certainly fuelled Narine up. However, many still find it difficult to read Narine. The UAE tracks are known to help spin bowlers, and we’ve seen it happening it with Saeed Ajmal. Will Narine be able to make the most out of the pitch or will Rohit get the better of him?

Ø Corey Anderson vs. Jacques Kallis: Two mighty all-rounders. The former yet to forge a mark, while the latter’s retired a hero! Who will emerge victorious in this clash of the titans?
Ø Gautam Gambhir vs. Lasith Malinga: The KKR skipper’s got no better opportunity to redeem himself than this. His composed yet aggressive batting on top of the order will be tested by the suave and offensive bowling of Malinga, another name which every opponent would be wary about.
Ø KKR’s bowling vs. the Mumbai Batting: With a strong bowling line-up that’s second only to SRH, KKR could cause some woes to any batting line-up. But with big names such as Narine and Morkel, can Mumbai still have the last laugh?
Ø Kieron Pollard vs. Yusuf Pathan: Two great strikers of the ball who can hit any ball out of the park. Both their contributions will be key to their respective teams.
The key lies in Kolkata making the most out of their bowling, especially Narine, who could extract maximum turn from the pitch. Morkel is another key player who would like to bounce the ball as much as possible, and create problems for the opening batsmen. Skipper Gambhir even quoted yesterday that he firmly believes that it’s the bowlers who’ll win them matches. Vinay Kumar, who guided Karnataka to a Ranji win this season, is in prime form, and he could also add to the misery of the batsmen. Piyush Chawla is another good leggie, who could provide some assistance to Narine. Gambhir should make the best out of the occasion, and he should bear in mind the fact that UAE tracks are friendly for batting and spin. Mumbai, on the other hand, have an explosive looking line-up. Big match winners like Mr. Cricket, Pollard, Malinga, Anderson and Rohit; they do pose a grave threat. Rohit Sharma must make use of the two excellent spinners in his team, who are equally good. Ojha and Harbhajan had performed well last season, and Rohit must make sure that they step in bowl at the right time, so as to pick crucial wickets or slow down the run rate. Lasith Malinga is another deadly bowler at the death, and his recent performance as the skipper of the Lankan team this World T20 has certainly earned him laurels. For now, this match certainly seems as a clash of two good bowling units.

Mumbai however, would believe otherwise. They have a tremendous track record against KKR through all seasons of the IPL. Having an

80 % success rate against KKR, they would be holding this as a psychological advantage today. However, given the fact that both the teams have a fairly new bunch of players, this does seem like an even contest. Both Mumbai and KKR must make use of the local pool of talent, such as Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav, to make their team strong and balanced. Jasprit had created problems for the batsmen in the initial stages of the previous season. He has an astounding average of 22.61 in all domestic T20s he’s played, and he would be waiting for an opportunity to get into the limelight. The leadership and manhandling skills would be tested. KKR has been seen as a side with a lot of potential, yet they've failed to utilize it completely. Mumbai on the other hand, is a team that rises to the occasion. However, after the auctions, one could certainly say that their Team Balance has taken a beating. Kolkata has players, but now it’s all in Gambhir’s hands. He must make good use of the players he’s got to swing the chances in his favour.

Looking at team balance and fitness woes, it looks as if KKR has the upper hand in today’s match. KKR does seem to be a stronger side. However, given their poor record against Mumbai, they still need to work a lot and change their tactics. KKR does have the upper hand in today’s game if one doesn’t look at their past. But hold on, you never know what’s going to happen, because this is T20 cricket, and unpredictability is in the DNA of this format.

Mumbai Indians Expected 11: Rohit Sharma (Capt.), Mike Hussey, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Corey Anderson, Ambati Rayudu, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Aditya Tare (WK) and Jalaj Saxena.

Kolkata Knight Riders Expected 11: Gautam Gambhir (Capt.), Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine, Morne Morkel, Yusuf Pathan, Manvinder Bisla (WK), Umesh Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Uthappa, Vinay Kumar and Piyush Chawla.

PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR:

Ø Lasith Malinga

Ø Kieron Pollard

Ø Jacques Kallis

Ø Pragyan Ojha

Ø Corey Anderson

Ø Vinay Kumar

Big Names win big games!

2014-04-13T17:50:00.000+05:30

By: Ajay Suresh

The Kings XI Punjab haven’t really done what the title says over the past IPL Seasons although they've had the big names.They will be looking for a massive turnaround this tournament as they progress towards their first match against the Chennai Super Kings against whom, the Kings XI would want a strong start. The previous years have been unlucky for the Kings XI as they weren't able to make the semis often even though they performed brilliantly especially during IPL 6 where they stormed past positions when they were almost about to lose. They also clearly swept past teams like RCB who had a stronger say in the tournament. But somehow, they lost their momentum during the crunch games and hence lost hold of their position at the points table.

This year though, things are expected to be different. The Kings XI look like one of the strongest teams on paper as they march into the tournament with their newly acquired squad. Players like Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Johnson are match winners by themselves, and they will be key during the crunch games where the Kings XI have usually failed. Another couple of key players for the Kings XI will be David Miller and George Bailey around whom the batting revolves. Miller who acquired his title of ‘Miller the Killer’ in the previous IPL season won as he won games almost single-handedly against the oppositions. His ability to contain himself when the ball is seaming around or when the team’s under pressure is a key element the Kings XI will look to. His ability to go berserk as all IPL fans know, is threatening to any team. His Australian counterpart though, hasn’t really had much of an IPL experience. George Bailey has spent most of his time on the bench for CSK and hasn’t really had any IPL Experience. Since Adam Gilchrist has retired, and left a large whole in the KXIP side, all the pressure will be on George Bailey to fit in his shoes! Although he’s a match winner and a strong captain, he’s looked in no comfort during the T20 World Cup where his country steamed out early. But as he said in one of his interviews, T20 isn’t the format where players are “in” or “out” of form. All it takes is a couple of good hits to get going. With all said and done, will Bailey be able to show the big match temperament and win games for his side? We’ll have to wait and watch.

Virender Sehwag. Two words which can make bowlers run off the field. When it’s Sehwag’s day, he can tear an opposition apart with well-timed and powerful shots. He can demolish and demoralize absolutely any attack. Currently, he’s been in a lean patch, but he will be looking to make a big comeback not only for KXIP, but also for a place in the Indian Side. His temperament and persistence will be important as he will look to score a boundary off every ball he faces. The mere presence of a Sehwag can demoralize oppositions as we’ve witnessed in the past. Having a huge reputation of making big scores, Sehwag is an element which puts KXIP as one of the favorites to win this IPL.

You can’t talk about KXIP’s magnificent IPL Auctions without talking about their big buy, Mitchell Johnson. Johnson has been at the top of his game in the past few months and was one of the key player any team would have wanted during the auctions. But KXIP snatched Johnson from the hands of Mumbai to make their side as strong as ever. Johnson’s buy will not only add to the team’s assets, but will also be a boost of morale in the team as they’ll feel safe in the hands of a game changing bowler. Although the UAE pitches aren’t really fast bowler friendly, Mitch is expected to rip the surface with his heavy bouncers which will give batsmen nightmares.

One of the concerns for KXIP this time around though, will be their lack of spinners. On spinner friendly pitches in the UAE, spinners can be a real asset to any team. But KXIP doesn’t seem to have any spinner to rely on except Murali Kartik. Although Murali is a match winner on his day, once he has a bad day, KXIP will have no spinners to look to. This is a major concern which has to be addressed by the team management as they’ll look to balance their side.

Summing it up, KXIP has one of the best squads in IPL 2014 and will be looking to seal the proceedings on April 18^th against CSK. They look strong as a unit and will look forward to race for the cup! It will be a competitive IPL this year as all the teams are well balanced. But KXIP can never be kept out of the race as they will be fancying their chances with the backing of their explosive batting and threatening bowling attack.

Flashy KKR Look to Turn the Tables

2014-04-13T13:18:00.002+05:30

Edited By: Ajay Suresh
Article By: Shrinivas Uppili

A few days ago, we all must have come across the TV show ‘Living with KKR’ on the Discovery channel. Watching that program, anyone could tell that it hadn’t been an immaculate journey for the team and it’s celebrity owners. The show threw light on the evolution of KKR, the ups and downs they’ve faced as well as the future prospects of the team. The One-time champions have had an average record through most of the IPL, except for 2012, when they’d pulled out spectacular performances. Would they look for a repeat of 2012 this time around?

Kolkata has always been seen as a balanced team that has failed to use all their potential. Their poor performance last season has seriously garnered quite some criticism, considering the fact that they were the defending champions. However, Jay & Co. have made some brilliant picks this Auction, to bring about the perfect recipe this season.

But you can't say it has been a perfect auction for KKR this year. They've lost a couple of good players like Brendon McCullum who could've made KKR a much stronger side with his current form and unpredictable batting at the top. They've also lost the bowling of Brett Lee who started their previous season with a WICKET! He could have shattered the stumps and contained runs in any situation. KKR would definitely be missing the services of Brett Lees experience.

Nevertheless, they have a very promising set of players this season as well,

Their Batting line-up has been further strengthened with the addition of Manish Pandey, a flamboyant youth who would be remembered as the first Indian to score a century in the IPL. His healthy first-class average of 53.37 talks a lot about the way he carries himself whilst at the crease. He was also a part of the Karnataka team that won the Ranji trophy this year.

Suryakumar Yadav and Robin Uthappa are also two key Indian batsmen to watch out for. Yadav has a good First-class average of 50.97. Manvinder Bisla, a man who famously won the trophy for KKR in 2012, is another player to watch out for in the flat and dry pitches of the UAE.

The KKR also boasts Jacques Kallis, who is undisputedly the best all-rounder at present. His ability to change the game with both the ball and the bat for more than a decade now, has inspired cricket lovers.

Shakib Al Hassan is also an excellent all-rounder whose left-arm spin slows the run rate in the middle overs. However, his performances in the Asia Cup and the World T20 have thrown him out of the spotlight for a while. He will be looking to redeem himself this IPL.

Yusuf Pathan is another talented all-rounder who would like to have a go this season. Known to be a hard hitter of the ball, his performances in the first leg of the tournament is something to be watched out for.

Undoubtedly, KKR has one of the strongest bowling line-ups that is second only to SRH.

Their latest addition, Morne Morkel, is known for being a nightmare for opponents on his day. But can he get the ball to rise in the flat UAE pitches?

Vinay Kumar is another man in great form. His courage and leadership skills helped guide Karnataka to their Ranji win this season. He was in dangerous form throughout the tournament, and his magical spell in the Irani Trophy makes him look deadly, and he would be looking forward to carry on his momentum.

Umesh Yadav is another great talent, and the Vidarbha pacer would help make crucial breakthroughs initially and even in the final overs.

Sunil Narine is another uncanny spinner who would help slow down the opponent’s run rate in the middle overs, and his bowling is still difficult to pick for many batsmen. Piyush Chawla could also prove to be a great asset for the team, and his googlies and leg-break could prove to be useful for KKR.

With all said and done, KKR does have a couple of impact players. On paper, they definitely do look strong. But finally, performances talk. KKR would be looking forward to make an early strike in the tournament with a win in their first match against Mumbai. Their poor record against Mumbai is something they should be wary of. Gautam Gambhir does have a great team under him, but his leadership skills would be tested. Overall, KKR would be hoping to justify their owners’ choices and make sure that they do everything right to repeat their performance in IPL 2012!

Making Hay while the Sun Shines

2014-04-10T19:50:00.001+05:30

By: Ajay Suresh

Nobody would’ve thought that the Sunrisers Hyderabad would deliver such performances as a debut franchise in IPL 6. Nobody was warned of the storm-like bowling attack they possessed which ripped apart many teams while chasing low totals last season. Rather unfortunately, the intention they showed while bowling was nowhere close to what they showed as a batting unit. The Sunrisers Hyderabad have risen from the lights of defeat many times with their power packed bowling attack spearheaded by the world class Dale Steyn. Although this is a new beginning for a new squad, SRH’s core team remains the same.

The aspect which was under the scanner last year was Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting. Their batting consistently failed last season and they needed their bowlers to bail them out in various occasions. Their batting concerns remained at the end of last season as the Sunrisers Hyderabad failed to qualify for the final. Putting the previous year behind, the Sunrisers management marched into the IPL Auctions this year and made sure that their batting wasn’t going to affect them this season. With big buys of David Warner, Aaron Finch, Moises Henriques and Anirudh Srikkanth, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have balanced their squad in a near perfect way. They also managed to buy back a couple of players from their previous squad to maintain the team structure which had done so well last year.

As Sunrisers Hyderabad look potentially threatening this season, they would be hoping that their strength on paper reflects on the field. Their strong bowling line up has also been bolstered with a couple of good buys like Bhuvaneshwar Kumar who can swing the ball at the top. There’s a saying that a captain is only as good as his team. The strength behind the Sunrisers Hyderabad will prove to have a positive impact on Shikhar Dhawan’s captaincy as he awaits the test with eagerness. He has proved to be a brilliant captain for SRH in a couple of matches last season, but can he handle the pressure of a lead batsman along with captaincy?

This season will definitely be a test of quality for the Sunrisers Hyderabad as all the teams look equally strong due to the re-distribution of players in the IPL Auctions this year. Whether they will capitalize on their newly acquired batting strength still remains a question. The Wicket Post wishes Sunrisers Hyderabad the best of luck to put on a competitive performance this IPL.

Key Players

Opening Combination: SRH has a couple of good openers in their squad. It will be up to them to make sure that they select the best combination to succeed at the top. David Warner, Aaron Finch and Shikhar Dhawan are all aggressive openers and possibly, if Aaron Finch and Dhawan open the innings, we can expect some fireworks at the top.

Dale Steyn: Of fast bowlers, the most dangerous one in the world is undoubtedly Dale Steyn. Steyn can rattle batting orders single handedly. He won a game for South Africa when the opposition needed only 7 runs off the last over. Undoubtedly, if Dale Steyn can extract the pace and swing off the pitches in UAE, Sunrisers can run through their opponents easily.

Darren Sammy: Being one of the best finishers in SRH, Darren Sammy can turn games around with massive blows. His ability to strike the ball with immense power can ensure good finishes for SRH even from a weak position. He also keeps things tight with his bowling and can be a handful for other teams to handle.

Amit Mishra: With his ability to extract turn from almost any pitch, Amit Mishra will play the lead spinner’s role for SRH. All his variations and ability to turn the ball will have to come into play if he wants to win games for his team. But can he handle the pressure of the lead spinner? We’ll have to wait and watch.

‘Red-hot’ entertainment guaranteed!

2014-04-09T18:00:00.000+05:30

IPL Team Preview #2: Royal Challengers Bangalore

- Credits: Shrinivas Uppili

With a top-class batting line-up that produces a lot of fireworks, RCB are undoubtedly a leading contender for the IPL.

It seemed so near, yet it was too far for the RCB throughout the IPL. To redeem themselves, they would be looking forward to defy all odds and make themselves seem as one of the lead contenders for this Pepsi IPL. In many ways, they've been seen as an unpredictable yet uncanny team. Will they be breaking their title jinx with a win this season?

When someone talks about the Royal Challengers Bangalore, all that comes into their minds is the great batting potential they hold. With big names such as Kohli, De Villiers, Yuvraj and most importantly, Christopher Henry Gayle, they’re sure to produce a blitzkrieg, and make life uneasy for the opponent bowlers. The conditions in the UAE would favor RCB, as they host dry, flat tracks, like in the sub-continent. However, what’re the problems their own bowlers would be facing?

As easy as you’d like it to be, the RCB is a perfect example of a team where there are a perfect set of batsmen and a not-so perfect set of bowlers. With big names such as Vinay Kumar and Zaheer Khan being sold to KKR and MI respectively this auction, their local pool of pace has certainly taken a beating. However, RCB fans could still breath a little easier. They’ve made a few good buys such as Varun Aaron, and Sandeep Warrier. Sandeep is a brilliant buy, considering the fact that he has good first-class record (35 wickets in 11, with an average of 28.7), and his medium pace would prove to be helpful for the RCB. Then again, they’ve got experience in the form of Ravi Rampaul, Murali and Morkel, and finally, some young stealth in the form of Mitchell Starc. However, RCB’s bowling line-up still remains a big question mark, as they’ve had a handful of instances where the bowling line-up has failed to capitalize on their batting performances. We’ve seen it happening twice against the Kings XI Punjab last IPL. Ashok Dinda would be looking forward to get a chance to prove himself right this season, considering the fact that his poor performances in the shortest format has been overshading his growth.

Speaking of all-rounders, Yuvraj, a clean match winner, Albie, an excellent Middle order batsman, and needless to say, Chris Gayle, could help boost runs and take crucial wickets. Chris Gayle could act as a substitute spinner, in the absence of a main spinner such as Murali. The question here is, was Yuvraj really worth 14 crores, given the fact that he is in a lean patch? Only time will tell. The question of unpredictability comes again. As far as we’ve seen, RCB is the most unpredictable team.

Dynamism and elegance are two great qualities any leader must possess, and Kohli is one of those leaders. His juggernaut of getting runs hasn’t ever had a halt in the past year, and there’s no doubt about him looking very threatening at the crease. He is one of the best batsmen on earth today, and his mercurial growth and rise through ranks is something all opponents have been looking out for. Many would talk ill about his aggression, but there are still many who feel that it’s a plus point for him. Touted to be the next Indian Skipper, the former U-19 world champion is someone everyone would set their eyes on.

Overall, one could definitely expect a lot of fireworks from this team. However, their unpredictability lies with their bowling performance. RCB should make maximum use of the flat & dry tracks in UAE, and also make good use of the local pool of talent such as Sandeep Warrier, who can prove to be a great asset for them. They should be wary of archrivals such as MI, whom they don’t have a good record against. Let’s hope for the best from Kohli & Co!

Yellow Brigade’s Strength hides Behind Controversies

2014-04-08T20:12:00.001+05:30

By: Ajay Suresh

Will these two be able to bail CSK out in key moments?

With one of the strongest batting line-ups in the IPL, CSK as always, are one of the favorites to win IPL 2014. Although they have been one of the most controversial teams of the IPL in the past year, they’re inevitable batting strength has been bolstered with well-planned buys of Brendon McCullum, Faf Du Plessis and Dwayne Smith in this year’s IPL Auctions. Chennai has always been the team with the most in-form players over the past few IPL Seasons and it is no different this year. The lights of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum will look to attack and de-moralize bowlers at the top, something which CSK has failed to do often. Although CSK has one of the most potent batting line ups filled with variety, their bowling as always remains under the scanner.

The main brain behind CSKs successful IPL Seasons has been the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. By taking CSK to 5 out of 6 IPL finals, MSD has sustained CSKs momentum. His intelligence and sense of calmness on field will continue to be a key factor for CSK this IPL. Mahendra Singh Dhoni almost led the Indian team to another ICC Trophy as they had a flawless season but just lost his spark in the finals. Will Dhoni inspire his Yellow Brigade to march into yet another IPL Finals? Dhoni’s trust in his young bowlers and his Zen attitude on field has added a new dimension towards captaincy. We’ll have to watch how much of magic MSD can recreate on field this year.

Will consistency remain as the core squad remains?

CSKs main trouble over the past few seasons has been its bowling and it continues to look like a problem. Their bowling doesn’t look too impressive on paper but we never know how unpredictable bowlers like Hilfhenhaus and Ishwar Pandey can be. Although the fast bowling department has a big question mark over it, the spin department seems settled with top class spinners like Ashwin, Jadeja and Samuel Badree. Dhoni loves to play around with his spinners, but the question is whether the pitches in the UAE will provide any sort of assistance to the spinners. The Wicket Post wishes all the best to CSK to give a top-notch performance in IPL 2014, leaving behind the controversies it’s been hurt by.

Expected Game Changers:

Brendon McCullum: With his recent form and ability to create immense bat speed, Brendon McCullum will determine how well CSK does at the top. He will look to attack the spinners and also provide the quick starts which CSK will depend on at the top. With a couple of dangerous batsmen alongside, Brendon McCullum will be able to play without pressure and free his arms.

Dwayne Smith: His recent showing in the World T20 has proven that Dwayne Smith can provide a quick boost to the run-rate at any point of time in the innings. Dwayne Smith is likely to open the innings along with Brendon McCullum which would take a huge burden off his shoulders since Baz has that ability to hit the ball into the orbit and provide those quick starts. This will lift a huge weight off Smith’s shoulders and allow him to play his natural game.

Ravichandran Ashwin: His recent performance in the World T20 shows what kind of an asset Ashwin can be for any team. His variations of spin and skill in varying his lines and lengths will keep the batsmen guessing. His specialization in the T20 format will also give Dhoni a trump card to go to when the team’s in trouble.

Suresh Raina: has been in his best of forms as we saw glimpses of what he can do in the ICC World T20. His immaculate ability to strike the ball and his determination on the field can win matches for CSK. Other than being a great fielder, Raina has also been a spinner that Dhoni has turned to often against left handers. His consistency in the T20 format may just have a “Kohliesque” effect on the side.

MS Dhoni: ”Well, you know,” you can never speak of CSK without talking about the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His calmness on field and massive ability to turn games around with his intelligence and batting has won CSK a couple of IPLs. There’s not much to talk about the obvious ability of MSD, but his presence in the team will send shivers down against CSKs opponents.

Sri Lanka defeat "Finals Jinx" to lift the T20 World Cup

2014-04-07T22:19:00.000+05:30

By: Ajay Suresh

A firm front foot heave down the ground crushed the hopes of a billion, as Sri Lanka did everything right on the night of the finals to snatch the cup away from India. From the toss, till the last ball of the match, India seemed to have lost all the momentum they had throughout the tournament. Sri Lanka put up with the big game pressure brilliantly and made sure that India was restricted. They not only won the finals but also won against all the odds of losing 5 World Cup finals to give their two senior most players a shot at holding the world cup. Dhoni’s men were outplayed completely as the best team in the world cup till now was defeated.

An ecstatic Sri Lankan team after receiving the cup.

It all started as India lost the toss and an early wicket of Rahane. Sri Lanka capitalized on their decision to field and restricted the Indian batsmen with precise field settings. The Indian batsmen were unable to play shots freely. But then came in Virat Kohli. After getting settled with the first few deliveries, he started picking the boundaries at will. Virat started his tally by attacking Rangana Herath in particular. He played all the Sri Lankan bowlers brilliantly as he always does and set India a base for a big score. The Sri Lankan bowlers were running out of options as Virat Kohli carted their bowlers all around the park. Virat worked his way through smartly and picked out the weaklings in the Sri Lankan side. He put pressure on the spinners and made sure Sri Lanka kept worrying. Contradictory to the expected final berserk from MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, the Indians were able to score only 19 runs off the last 5 overs. Malinga and Kulasekara bowled brilliantly to the combination of Kohli and Yuvraj. Yuvraj’s struggle especially hampered India’s momentum as they were moving towards the last few overs. Yuvraj’s wicket in the penultimate over was celebrated by many Indians as MS Dhoni walked into the middle. But the expected boundaries didn’t come as Malinga and Kulasekara targeted the batsmen’s weaknesses and bowled wide yorkers. India were only able to touch 130 as they couldn’t score even a single boundary in the last 27 deliveries.

Although the last couple of overs damaged India’s chances, the Indians believed that they could defend their under-par target. Under Dhoni’s captaincy, with the statistics backing them, India believed that they could win the cup. Their confidence was boosted furthermore as Mohit Sharma picked up an early wicket of a menacing Kushal Perera. The Indians kept the pressure on in the first couple of overs as the Sri Lankans seemed to meander into familiar territory by losing wickets at regular intervals. But then came in the legendary Kumar Sangakkara who was playing his last T20I match. After Sri Lanka had lost their fourth wicket, things looked blur as the Indians kept believing. Sri Lanka was struggling at 78/4 when Kumar Sangakkara and Thisara Perera came together. They weaved a match-winning partnership by counter-attacking the Indian spinners. Their 50+ run partnership ended their 18 year world cup drought.

Key Moments

- Rahane’s Wicket: India seemed to have lost their momentum right after the de-moralizing first wicket of Ajinkya Rahane who went early. If he had given them a better start, the result might have changed.

- Virat Kohli’s half century: Virat Kohli’s contribution and efforts to revive the run rate was the turnaround that India badly needed as they went towards a low, but respectable total.

- Yuvraj ahead of Raina: Another key moment was when Yuvraj, who was in poor form throughout the WT20 was sent ahead of Raina at number 4 as he struggled to pace his innings and eventually proved disastrous for the Indian side. Raina, who was in far better form, might have provided India the boost they needed.

- Double to Single: This was probably one of the most simplest deciding moments of the match. In the 17^th Over, Virat Kohli had the opportunity to run two and retain strike for that over, but since Yuvraj refused to respond and remained on strike to eat up deliveries, he failed to give the strike to Kohli who could've possibly revived India’s run rate.

- Malinga/Kulasekara Death Bowling: This part was what tied India in knots. Malinga and Kula bowled brilliant wide Yorkers to make sure the Indians didn't score the boundaries they needed off the last few overs.

- Sangakkara’s Innings: Saving the best for his last, Sangakkara anchored the Sri Lankan innings and made sure they laid their hands on the cup! He aggressed when needed and set up a match winning partnership with Perera.

WT20 Finals Preview

2014-04-05T18:55:00.003+05:30

It's yet another India vs. Sri Lanka match. India - Sri Lanka clashes are what one would call an inevitable in life as Ramesh Srivats earlier today pointed out on Twitter. However this time the battle between the two Asian giants is just not another match but rather for the World T20 title and it promises to be a grand contest.

The 3 inevitable things in life - Death, Taxes, India vs SL matches.
— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) April 4, 2014

Castrol Cricket and Harsha Bhogle have come up with a formula to determine the value of a particular player's performance in a match called Zip Factor. The Zip Factor developed by Castrol Activ Scooter helps determine how effective a player in a game has been has to take in plenty of factors and there is a complex equation behind the number. In fact every ball is analyzed and points are given for catches, wickets, runs, etc.

India's hopes will be on this man's shoulders.

The New Age formula works in similar lines to how fantasy cricket scores are counted expect that it is a bit more complex as the entire thing is jigged towards the T20 format. So therefore now for a batsman the emphasis is not on his average but his strike rate and for bowlers on the number of wickets and their economy rather than their strike rates. You can find a breakdown of the points here.

The Zip Factor therefore is a great tool to analyse a player, team and a game and as this post is a preview of the finals, the Zip Factor will help us understand better what to expect tomorrow. Fans can check out their favourite players’ Zip Factor scores by clicking here: bit.ly/ZFapp.

Looking at the top ten performances of the tournament, we can see three players from tomorrow's match in it. Virat Kohli's breathtaking innings in the semifinal has won him a place on top of the list and he'll Sri Lanka's biggest hurdle to the title. Rangana Herath's name is also there thanks to his five wicket haul against New Zealand, but it will be interesting to see how he goes against the Indian batting known to play spin.

Interestingly South Africa have four names in the top ten and are not in the finals.

Match	Name	Zip Factor
India VS South Africa	Virat Kohli	38
England VS South Africa	AB de Villiers	32.25
Sri Lanka VS New Zealand	Rangana Herath	31.29
New Zealand VS South Africa	Jean-Paul Duminy	29.33
South Africa VS Netherlands	Ahsan Malik	25.5
Pakistan VS Bangladesh	Ahmed Shehzad	25.25
India VS Australia	RavichandranAshwin	25
South Africa VS Netherlands	Imran Tahir	24.67
New Zealand VS South Africa	Dale Steyn	24.67
Bangladesh VS West Indies	Samuel Badree	23.5

Looking at the cumulative Zip Factor score throughout the tournament so far, then we have the following list.

Name	Zip Factor
Virat Kohli	82.5
Angelo Mathews	71.3
RavichandranAshwin	68.3
Samuel Badree	65.25
Imran Tahir	61.59
Glenn Maxwell	61
Darren Sammy	59.67
Sunil Narine	55.13
Jean-Paul Duminy	54.78
David Miller	54.61

It must come as no surprise that the the top three names are finalists and here too India lead Sri Lanka 2-1.

So going by the Zip Factor, it looks like India have the edge. Sri Lanka in the past decade have made it to the finals of a world event on four occasions and every time come second best. This is their third WT20 finals and will be hoping for it to be third time lucky. While India with their World Cup and Champions Trophy will also be thinking along the same lines.

Notes on the IPL player auction and teams

2014-02-14T21:30:00.000+05:30

The IPL player auction finally concluded after two days of hectic bidding in Bangalore. What some in the English media called resembled a 'modern day slave' auction was certainly a sight to behold. As players went under the hammer and the team management aided by their computers and big money started to bid ferociously the entire event was nothing less than a great big market with a very expensive fire sale.

One thing thing that was fascinating to watch was the different strategies the teams employed when investing in the players. Sometimes it looked and seemed logical and other times completely irrational and one cannot help but draw comparison with Shane Warne gambling at 888poker.com. Now that the auction has finally concluded, here's a look at the new teams that have been assembled together in the last couple of days.

Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings
Player	Type	Price Paid
Faf Du Plessis	Batsman	₹4,75,00,000
Dwayne Smith	Batsman	₹4,50,00,000
Brendon McCullum	WktKeeper	₹3,25,00,000
Ashish Nehra	Bowler	₹2,00,00,000
Mohit Sharma	Bowler	₹2,00,00,000
Ishwar Chandra Pandey	Bowler	₹1,50,00,000
Ben Hilfenhaus	Bowler	₹1,00,00,000
John Hastings	All-Rounder	₹ 50,00,000
Samuel Badree	Bowler	₹ 30,00,000
Matt Henry	Bowler	₹ 30,00,000
Mithun Manhas	All-Rounder	₹ 30,00,000
Vijay Shankar	All-Rounder	₹ 10,00,000
Ronit More	Bowler	₹ 10,00,000
Baba Aparajith	Batsman	₹ 10,00,000
Pawan Negi	Bowler	₹ 10,00,000

Chennai have already retained Dhoni, Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ashwin and Dwayne Bravo and together with some explosive buys, their batting looks really strong. Where CSK might struggle is their bowling which is somewhat weaker. However they look like a really strong team.

Delhi Daredevils

Player

Type

Price Paid

Dinesh Karthik

Wicket Keeper

₹12,50,00,000

Kevin Pietersen

Batsman

₹ 9,00,00,000

Murali Vijay

Batsman

₹ 5,00,00,000

Mohammad Shami

Bowler

₹ 4,25,00,000

Nathan Coulter-Nile

Bowler

₹ 4,25,00,000

Quinton De Kock

WktKeeper

₹ 3,50,00,000

Manoj Tiwary

Batsman

₹ 2,80,00,000

Jaydev Unadkat

Bowler

₹ 2,80,00,000

Jean-Paul Duminy

Batsman

₹ 2,20,00,000

Ross Taylor

Batsman

₹ 2,00,00,000

Kedar Jadhav

Batsman

₹ 2,00,00,000

Rahul Sharma

Bowler

₹ 1,90,00,000

Mayank Agarwal

Batsman

₹ 1,60,00,000

Laxmi Ratan Shukla

All-Rounder

₹ 1,50,00,000

James Neesham

All-Rounder

₹ 1,00,00,000

Wayne Parnell

Bowler

₹ 1,00,00,000

Shahbaz Nadeem

Bowler

₹ 85,00,000

Saurabh Tiwary

Batsman

₹ 70,00,000

Siddarth Kaul

Bowler

₹ 45,00,000

Rahul Shukla

Bowler

₹ 40,00,000

Jayant Yadav

All-Rounder

₹ 10,00,000

HS Sharath

Bowler

₹ 10,00,000

Milind Kumar

Batsman

₹ 10,00,000

DD was the only team that didn't retain a single player and hence went into the auction with a full purse of ₹ 60,00,00,000. DD got back KP who thanks to the ECB now can play the whole season and also plenty of Indians in their top order. They might have overpaid with Dinesh Karthik, but he is a versatile player and hopefully can justify that price tag. The bowling also has plenty of young Indian players and it how they go will play a huge part in Delhi's success. The question of who would be the captain is one that DD will have to find an answer for with so many candidates available.

Kings XI Punjab

Player

Type

Price Paid

Mitchell Johnson

All-Rounder

₹6,50,00,000

Glenn Maxwell

All-Rounder

₹6,00,00,000

George Bailey

Batsman

₹3,25,00,000

Virender Sehwag

Batsman

₹3,20,00,000

Rishi Dhawan

All-Rounder

₹3,00,00,000

Wriddhiman Saha

Wkt Keeper

₹2,20,00,000

Shaun Marsh

Batsman

₹2,20,00,000

Cheteshwar Pujara

Batsman

₹1,90,00,000

Beuran Hendricks

Bowler

₹1,80,00,000

Lakshmipathy Balaji

Bowler

₹1,80,00,000

Thisara Perera

All-Rounder

₹1,60,00,000

Gurkirat Singh Mann

Batsman

₹1,30,00,000

Murali Kartik

Bowler

₹1,00,00,000

Sandeep Sharma

Bowler

₹ 85,00,000

Mandeep Hardev Singh

All-Rounder

₹ 80,00,000

Akshar Rajesh Patel

All-Rounder

₹ 75,00,000

Parvinder Awana

Bowler

₹ 65,00,000

Shardul Narendra Thakur

Bowler

₹ 20,00,000

Anureet Singh

Bowler

₹ 20,00,000

Shivam Sharma

Bowler

₹ 10,00,000

Karanveer Singh

All-Rounder

₹ 10,00,000

Punjab who had earlier retained David Miller and Manhan Vohra made some very smart buys. The Ashes hero, Johnson finds a place in the team and he would be spearheading the KXIP's bowling attack. They also got Sehwag at a bargain price and some very big names in international cricket. This is perhaps their strongest line-up in the history of the tournament.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Player

Type

Price Paid

Jacques Kallis

All-Rounder

₹5,50,00,000

Robin Uthappa

Batsman

₹5,00,00,000

Piyush Chawla

Bowler

₹4,25,00,000

Yusuf Pathan

All-Rounder

₹3,25,00,000

Shakib Al Hasan

All-Rounder

₹2,80,00,000

Morne Morkel

Bowler

₹2,80,00,000

Ranganath Vinay Kumar

Bowler

₹2,80,00,000

Umesh Yadav

Bowler

₹2,60,00,000

Manish Pandey

Batsman

₹1,70,00,000

Chris Lynn

Batsman

₹1,30,00,000

Patrick Cummins

Bowler

₹1,00,00,000

Ryan Ten Doeschate

All-Rounder

₹1,00,00,000

Suryakumar Yadav

Batsman

₹ 70,00,000

Andre Russell

All-Rounder

₹ 60,00,000

Manvinder Bisla

Wkt Keeper

₹ 60,00,000

Veer Pratap Singh

Bowler

₹ 40,00,000

Kuldeep Singh Yadav

Bowler

₹ 40,00,000

Debabrata Das

Wkt Keeper

₹ 20,00,000

Sayan Sekhar Mandal

All-Rounder

₹ 10,00,000

KKR retained Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine. They bought back many of their old players and among the new names, Robin Uthappa stands out. KKR look like a decent team overall.

Mumbai Indians

Player

Type

Price Paid

Michael Hussey

Batsman

₹5,00,00,000

Corey Anderson

All-Rounder

₹4,50,00,000

Pragyan Ojha

Bowler

₹3,25,00,000

Zaheer Khan

Bowler

₹2,60,00,000

Aditya Tare

Wkt Keeper

₹1,60,00,000

Jasprit Bumrah

Bowler

₹1,20,00,000

Jalaj Saxena

All-Rounder

₹ 90,00,000

Josh Hazlewood

Bowler

₹ 50,00,000

Marchant De Lange

Bowler

₹ 30,00,000

Krismar Santokie

Bowler

₹ 30,00,000

Ben Dunk

Wkt Keeper

₹ 20,00,000

C.M. Gautam

Wkt Keeper

₹ 20,00,000

Apoorv V Wankhade

Batsman

₹ 10,00,000

Pawan Suyal

Bowler

₹ 10,00,000

Sushant Marathe

Wkt Keeper

₹ 10,00,000

Shreyas Gopal

Bowler

₹ 10,00,000

Mumbai Indians in addition to Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan, Rayudu, Pollard and Malinga bought Michael Hussey as a replacement for Sachin Tendulkar. Zaheer Khan makes his way back to MI yet again and the rising New Zealand star Corey Anderson also finds a place. They look like a formidable team and will be looking to go all out and defend the title.

Rajasthan Royals

Player

Type

Price Paid

Steven Smith

All-Rounder

₹4,00,00,000

Brad Hodge

Batsman

₹2,40,00,000

Rajat Bhatia

All-Rounder

₹1,70,00,000

Tim Southee

Bowler

₹1,20,00,000

Dhawal Kulkarni

Bowler

₹1,10,00,000

Abhishek Nayar

All-Rounder

₹1,00,00,000

Kane Richardson

Bowler

₹1,00,00,000

Ben Cutting

Bowler

₹ 80,00,000

Karun Nair

Batsman

₹ 75,00,000

Unmukt Chand

Batsman

₹ 65,00,000

Iqbal Abdullah

All-Rounder

₹ 65,00,000

Deepak Hooda

Bowler

₹ 40,00,000

Dishant Yagnik

Wkt Keeper

₹ 30,00,000

Kevon Cooper

All-Rounder

₹ 30,00,000

Vikramjeet Malik

Bowler

₹ 20,00,000

Ankit Nagendra Sharma

Bowler

₹ 10,00,000

Rahul Tewatia

All-Rounder

₹ 10,00,000

Ankush Bains

Wkt Keeper

₹ 10,00,000

Amit Mishra

Bowler

₹ 10,00,000

Pravin Tambe

Bowler

₹ 10,00,000

RR stuck to their strategies of investing in Indian talent bought a truckload of uncapped Indians to compliment their already retained stars in Watson, Faulkner, Rahane, Binny and Sanju Samson. RR bought Australia's Steven Smith and he would be ideal in their middle order. RR have always been the team with the surprise and it will be interesting to see how they fare. It looks like senior batsman, Hodge might be the captain of the team.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Player

Type

Price Paid

Yuvraj Singh

All-Rounder

₹14,00,00,000

Mitchell Starc

Bowler

₹ 5,00,00,000

Albie Morkel

All-Rounder

₹ 2,40,00,000

Varun Aaron

Bowler

₹ 2,00,00,000

Ashok Dinda

Bowler

₹ 1,50,00,000

Parthiv Patel

Wkt Keeper

₹ 1,40,00,000

Muttiah Muralitharan

Bowler

₹ 1,00,00,000

Ravi Rampaul

Bowler

₹ 90,00,000

Nic Maddinson

Batsman

₹ 50,00,000

Harshal Patel

Bowler

₹ 40,00,000

Vijay Zol

Batsman

₹ 30,00,000

Abu Nechim Ahmed

Bowler

₹ 30,00,000

Sachin Rana

Bowler

₹ 20,00,000

Shadab Jakati

Bowler

₹ 20,00,000

Sandeep Warrier

Bowler

₹ 10,00,000

Tanmay Mishra

Batsman

₹ 10,00,000

Yogesh Takawale

Wkt Keeper

₹ 10,00,000

Yuzvendra Singh Chahal

Bowler

₹ 10,00,000

When RCB bought Yuvraj for the whopping price of ₹ 14,00,00,000 everyone's eyes went wide. The team had exhausted ₹ 43,50,00,000 on just Gayle, Kohli, de Villiers and Yuvraj. RCB decided to pack it all into their batting and surely it has to be one of the most destructive batting units in the league. RCB's bowling looks a bit of a worry and if there is an injury the team might suffer, but RCB will hoping that that knock out batting will take care of any eventuality.

SunRisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Player

Type

Price Paid

David Warner

Batsman

₹5,50,00,000

Amit Mishra

Bowler

₹4,75,00,000

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bowler

₹4,25,00,000

Aaron Finch

Batsman

₹4,00,00,000

Karn Sharma

Bowler

₹3,75,00,000

Darren Sammy

All-Rounder

₹3,50,00,000

Ishant Sharma

Bowler

₹2,60,00,000

Irfan Pathan

All-Rounder

₹2,40,00,000

Moises Henriques

All-Rounder

₹1,00,00,000

KL Rahul

Batsman

₹1,00,00,000

Parveez Rasool

All-Rounder

₹ 95,00,000

Jason Holder

Bowler

₹ 75,00,000

Venugopal Rao

Batsman

₹ 55,00,000

Naman Ojha

Wkt Keeper

₹ 50,00,000

Brendan Taylor

Wkt Keeper

₹ 30,00,000

Prasanth Parameswaran

Bowler

₹ 30,00,000

Amit Paunikar

Wkt Keeper

₹ 20,00,000

Ashish Reddy

Bowler

₹ 20,00,000

Srikkanth Anirudha

Batsman

₹ 20,00,000

Ricky Bhui

Batsman

₹ 10,00,000

Chama Milind

Bowler

₹ 10,00,000

Manprit Juneja

Batsman

₹ 10,00,000

SRH is one of the more balanced sides with a little bit of everything in the team. Dale Steyn and Shikhar Dhawan who were already retained find themselves at the top of a good bowling and batting unit and it won't be a surprise to see this team travel far in the tournament.

That's what the 8 teams look like and looking at the names above, I can't wait to see them all in action this summer.

A look at some of the names up for auction

2014-02-08T22:52:00.001+05:30

In a couple of days 514 players would go under the hammer at Bangalore as the eight IPL franchisees would be looking to build their teams for the upcoming IPL season. This is the first time since the first edition of the IPL when all the teams would be building from scratch (almost from scratch as seven of the eight teams did retain a few players) and promises to be a fascinating sight.

Going under the hammer

I've always been interested in these auctions because it's not only fun to see what players your favorite team is buying but also the entire process reveals the strategy that the teams plan to employ the next couple of years by the players they invest in. Also the entire economics of it is simply fascinating and of course the event in a strange way resembles betting at betfair and naturally it's only human to be curious to see if the bet is a winning one.

In this article, I thought I'd just take a look at some of the names up for auction.

Virender Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen, Jacques Kallis, Mitchell Johnson and Yuvraj Singh are some of the biggest names out there and it won't be a surprise if one of these players go for the maximum. I am personally thinking that Kevin Pietersen would probably be the biggest buy this IPL, considering that after his fallout with the ECB, he is not contractually bound to play for England. Sehwag and Yuvraj have had trying days recently and both of them currently have a question mark over their international careers and it will be interesting to see how they go. Johnson was the star of the Ashes and last year's IPL for Mumbai and I expect Mumbai to shell out handsomely and pick him up with their right to match option.

Some of the other stars would be Azhar Mahmood, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, and Alex Hales. Sri Lanka are touring England and Ireland this summer and teams might be reluctant to go for the likes of Mahela Jayawardene, and Dinesh Chandimal.

Among the Indians with the top reserve price we have Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Yusuf Pathan, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Uthappa, and M Vijay. All of them are expected to sell like cold lemonade on a hot summer's day as Indian players are more in demand. And with the nine foreign player per team cap, they become even more in demand. All these players can expect to a big cheque. Irfan Pathan, and Umesh Yadav did not get the top base price, but they would still be equally contested.

Corey Anderson - one of the new names this season

Richard Levi last year had a brilliant start to his career and immediately Mumbai bought him at the auctions and same should be the case with Corey Anderson. His 36 ball hundred should land him a big contract and he not only brings batting but also bowling to the table and should be a good buy. Similarly Ryan ten Doeschate, the only player from an associate nation also would be a smart buy.

Brad Hogg was instrumental in Perth Scorcher's win this year and it will be interesting to see which team goes for the chinaman. At 43, Hogg is the oldest name. Muralitharan is another veteran and he could be a smart, cheap buy.

The IPL auctions have always surprised everyone in the past and it won't be anything different this time.Only time will tell how it will unfold.

You can find the entire list of 514 players here.

England In the Last Decade, The Wider Picture

2014-01-20T19:44:00.000+05:30

Guest Post by Abdullah Haider

Steve Waugh gets his assessment right - 'England are not as good as they think they are.'

One must pay tribute to the sheer ruthlessness of the Aussies. They gained plenty in defeat during the away Ashes where they lost marginally. Over the course of the 10 tests, something that is unlikely ever to be repeated, they were the better side, losing respectably in England and then thrashing England when they visited. Neither side won an overseas test during the 10, but Australia got close in every game barring Lords whereas England had their best chance at the MCG, yet lost that by a comprehensive 8 wickets, too. They say, 5 tests is a true test on a test cricketer because failure cannot be hidden like it can in 2 or 3 tests, even if is modest rather than utter failure. In 10 tests there is no hiding. It is an even grander task, and the England side has been shaken up heavily and will inevitably have some changing in both personnel and composition before Lords this June. The pressure of a disappointing 3 tests took it's toll on Graeme Swann, despite him bowling brilliantly for the bulk of the year and his absence in the slow bowling department will be a severe blow. For the Aussies, the plaudits are out in abundance and the series in South Africa could not have come at a better time for them followed by Pakistan in the UAE later in the calendar.

England are going through a challenging questioning phase at present having been whitewashed for only the 3rd occasion in the history of the Ashes, however the England team have seen some real highs over the years and there is little doubting that the team is in a considerably healthier state than it was during the doldrums of the 1990s, much like the case for India.

England have won 9 of their last 10 home test series against 8 different sides. They were number 1 in all formats in 2012. They won 3 Ashes series in a row home and away before the latest debacle. They have won their last 3 Ashes series at home in 2005, 2009 and 2013. Michael Vaughan, a recent English Captain won more Tests than any other England Captain and Andrew Strauss even more recently won the second highest number of Tests by an England Captain. England were undefeated for 9 consecutive test series in 2009-2011 and won 6 series successively in 2010-2011. They even won 10 ODIs in a row in 2012. They won a rare world title in 2010. They reached the Champions Trophy final last year. They won 8 series in a row in ODIs between 2010-2012 at home.

England's all time leading run scorer and all time leading wicket taker across all internationals are currently playing. England's all time leading Test centurion is currently playing. Alastair Cook had the joint highest win/loss ratio in Tests historically last year after they won the Test at Durham to give him an astonishing personal 9-1 record as Captain.

But, there have been disappointments along the way and more than one may imagine. They have lost 3 consecutive home Test series against South Africa in 2003, 2008, 2012. They have failed to reach the semi finals of the last 5 World Cups in the ODI format. They have lost their last 2 red ball away series against Pakistan. They have been whitewashed twice in an Ashes series this century. They have been whitewashed 3 times by an Asian team in ODIs since 2006. They have lost an ODI series against Australia by a 4 match margin or greater twice since 2009. They lost 3 ODI bilateral series last year. They have also lost a home test series against India in 2007 and an away one in the Caribbean in 2009. In their last New Zealand tour they somehow by the skin of their teeth managed to draw the Test series whereby they could have easily lost it. Since being number 1 in the latter half of 2011 in the premier form of the game, they have lost 3 series and drawn 2 in comparison to 4 series wins with 3 of them coming on home shores.

Strauss - the only Ashes captain to win an away Ashes series since 2005

In their last 5 overseas Test tours they have won just the 1 series. Apart from a rare but remarkable series win in India after the best part of 3 decades, they have not won any of their last overseas Test tour against other countries with losses against Australia, Pakistan and West Indies with draws in South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. They have lost 10 of their last 17 overseas Tests with just 3 victories, one in Sri Lanka and 2 in India, just since the start of 2012 when they played a resurgent Pakistan in the Dessert. They have been whitewashed twice since the start of 2012, by Pakistan as well if you have already forgotten. They have not won any of their last 9 overseas Tests, losing 5 of them and losing the first innings in six of them. They have not won any of their first Test in an overseas tour in their last 14 if you don't count the last tour of Bangladesh. They lost 8 consecutive international games in 2011-12 when they were whitewashed 5-0 in India during ODIs and then were outspun by Pakistan which led to another whitewash in the 5 day version.

Winning 4 of their last 6 Ashes series doesn't sound all that flash now, when you consider the 2 series defeats were both 5 nil humiliations. Though the 2010/11 is the only anomaly since 2005 where an away side won the Ashes and that magnifies Strauss's achievement of managing to retain the urn down under and overcome a 24 year drought.

England have a tremendous Test Match tradition, excellent levels of professionalism and a thriving first class structure, however despite this and given this; it would not be wrong to say they are a heavily overrated Test Side, especially away from home, despite plenty of success namely at home in the last decade or so. Steve Waugh hinted at it before the Ashes 10 Test one off marathon got underway when he was quoted as saying 'England are not as good as they think they are.' The World Cup and Ashes winning Captain gave an accurate assessment in the chain of events which followed over the course of 10 Tests. The warning was provided in May.

On a side note, the youth of English Cricket is not faring much better as they have failed to reach an Under 19 World Cup final since 1998 and failed to make the semi finals in the last 3 tournaments of the Under 19 World Cup. Additionally, they recently lost a game to the UAE in a tri nations series and lost against Bangladesh last summer. They lost 5-2 in a series against Bangladesh in 2011-12. They have lost 8 out of 8 against Pakistan in 2013, 4 in England and 4 in the UAE and were soundly beaten as well. Results are worrying. The quality is not coming through. Compared with Australia, Pakistan and India their youth record is not much to write home about at this level.

The 5 Test tussle with the Indian national side and the World Cup the following winter will be the next major challenges for the England side going forward before the next Ashes series comes around the English summer after next. But now is a time for reflection. England have had highs and lows in the last 10 years, but on balance they are an overrated team and a beatable one, without undermining impressive achievements along the way. Barring the 2010/11 Ashes and 2012 win in India, they are admittedly mediocre travellers.
England are bound to get back to winning ways in 2014, but the away assignments will be the tougher challenges and that is where they need to neaten up their record significantly if they are to remain a top force in the longest format of the game. Their next one is some way off, after the 2015 World Cup when they visit West Indies and later that year take on Pakistan in the Emirates before going to South Africa. The rebuilding process will start at home before a thorough examination of their progress is provided come 2015.

Here's a look at some of England's highs and lows in the last decade,

10 Highs Since 2003
Winning 4 out of 5 Ashes series since 2005
Number 1 Ranked Test Team in 2011-12
Winning an away Test series in India in 2012
Whitewashing India 4-0 in 2011 at home in Tests
Winning all 7 home tests against New Zealand and West Indies in 2004
Reaching Champions Trophy final 2004 and 2013
Drawing an away Test Series against South Africa in 2009/10 and winning in 2004/05
Winning the 2010 ICC World T20
Beating Pakistan in 2006, 2010 at home and West Indies in 2007, 2009, 2012 in Tests.
Whitewashing Pakistan and Australia in ODIs in 2012, 4-0.

10 Lows Since 2003
Losing an Ashes Series 5-0 twice
Losing 3 home Test Series against South Africa in 2003, 2008, 2012
Losing an away Test Series against West Indies in 2009
Drawing an away Test Series against New Zealand in 2013
Whitewashed by Pakistan in 2012 in a Test Series
Lost 5-1 in ODIs and 6-1 in ODIs vs Australia in 2009 and 2010/11
Lost 5-0 against Sri Lanka in 2006, India in 2008 and India in 2010 in ODIs
Lost to Ireland and Bangladesh in 2011 World Cup
Losing a home Test Series against India in 2007
Failed to make the semi finals in 3/4 Word T20s

England in their Last Test Tour of...
Australia = Lost 5-0 (5) in 2013/14
New Zealand = Drew 0-0 (3) in 2013
Pakistan in UAE= Lost 3-0 (3) in 2012
Pakistan in Pakistan = Lost 2-0 (3) in 2005
South Africa = Drew 1-1 (4) in 2009/10
Sri Lanka = Drew 1-1 (2) in 2012
West Indies = Lost 1-0 (4) in 2009
India = Won 2-1 (4) in 2012

My England Test XI Moving Forward
Alastair Cook (C), Nick Compton, Joe Root, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Adil Rashid, Matt Prior (WK), Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, Steve Finn, James Anderson.
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Abdullah Haider is currently an LLB Student who likes to analyse and write on the game he follows with great enthusiasm. He has particular interest in the longer form of the game, England and Pakistan internationals and youth cricket. He can be found on Twitter @maza786.

Faulkner the magician!

2014-01-17T22:36:00.002+05:30

James Faulkner did the ultimate magic act today in Brisbane as he pulled off the most stunning heist for Australia to win the second ODI [SCORECARD]. Australia chasing 301 saw its innings almost come to an end when the ninth wicket fell with still 57 runs more to get and from just 35 deliveries. A tough ask and it seemed as if the game was all but over. But Faulkner had something else on his mind. With a number 11 for company, Faulkner scripted one of the greatest escape acts known in modern cricket with 6, 6, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 0, 6, 1, 0, 0, 2, 2, 1, 0, 0, 6, 6, 0, 1, 4, 4, 4.

Faulkner scored 69 no. off 47 balls to see Australia through

This isn't the first time, Faulkner has played the role of the savior and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. He has conjured up such miracles before. Earlier last year he smashed 64 off just 29 against India at Mohali to script another heroic win and today's innings speaks volumes of Faulkner's ability as a world class finisher.

Australia has always found heroes in Michael Bevan, and then Michael Hussey to finish the game for them in the ODIs. In the last decade, with the emergence of this particular role in limited overs called 'the finisher' Australia have seen many escapades and heroics from these two and it looks like Faulkner has now inherited that role.

Watching Faulkner bat today was nothing less than a treat. How does one remain so calm and composed when faced with such an improbable feat to achieve? Faulkner showed no signs of nervousness and it was as if he knew the script already. With each wave of his wand, the ball kept flying out into the crowd and the sight was almost unreal.

"It was a sweet win" - Faulkner

Speaking of his innings, Faulkner said,

"The crowd was quite loud. I have been in that situation a fair few times now and I have stuffed it up. It gives you a lot of confidence. The game is played in the head, more so than the skills. But 12 off the last over was still quite a task. It was a sweet win."

And it certainly was sweet (as long as you aren't English)! And magical in every sense of that word.

Two cents on the player retention

2014-01-11T23:21:00.003+05:30

The window for the IPL franchisees to announce the list of players retained for the next three seasons closed yesterday and a total of 24 players were retained by 7 of the 8 teams. Most of the names on the list were expected names but there were a few surprises. Here we take a look at the retention list and give our two cents on it.

Manan Vohra - the biggest surprise in the IPL retention list

The 24 retained players are as follows,

Team	Player	Country
Chennai Super Kings	Ravichandran Ashwin	India
	Dwayne Bravo	West Indies
	MS Dhoni	India
	Ravindra Jadeja	India
	Suresh Raina	India
Kings XI Punjab	David Miller	South Africa
Kings XI Punjab	Manan Vohra	India (uncapped)
Kolkata Knight Riders	Gautam Gambhir	India
Kolkata Knight Riders	Sunil Narine	West Indies
Mumbai Indians	Lasith Malinga	Sri Lanka
	Kieron Pollard	West Indies
	Ambati Rayudu	India
	Rohit Sharma	India
	Harbhajan Singh	India
Rajasthan Royals	Stuart Binny	India (uncapped)
	James Faulkner	Australia
	Ajinkya Rahane	India
	Sanju Samson	India (uncapped)
	Shane Watson	Australia
Royal Challengers Bangalore	AB De Villiers	South Africa
	Chris Gayle	West Indies
	Virat Kohli	India
Sunrisers Hyderabad	Shikhar Dhawan	India
Sunrisers Hyderabad	Dale Steyn	South Africa

Chennai Super Kings having had perhaps the best squad in all IPL it made sense for them to retain as many players as possible. All four Indians retained are current international stars and keeping the all-round ability of Dwayne Bravo is a no-brainer of a decision.

Kings XI Punjab retained David Miller who last season helped them win a couple of games from impossible situation and got the nickname - Miller the Killer. While that was a wise move, the decision to retain Manan Vohra has had people scratching their heads. Even Vohra was caught surprised by the move! Who is this guy? Last season he scored 161 runs at a modest average of 20.12 with a highest of 43 runs. Hardly the numbers that would make one want to retain him, but that's not what the Punjab think tank thought and hopefully they see in him something the rest of us missed.

Kolkata Knight Riders retained the captain and their best bowler. No googlies there.

Mumbai Indians who perhaps with Chennai have had the best players used up all their five retention slots. Lasith Malinga might be getting old but his yorkers are still just as valuable as they always were and Kieron Pollard is the obvious choice of a T20 big-hitter! Rohit Sharma was retained as expected, and though some have wondered whether it was wise to retain Harbhajan Singh, there is plenty of logic behind the move. Harbhajan is an Indian and as such would have gone higher if Mumbai tried to pick him in the auctions. Also though he might not be in best form, he is someone who adds great value to the team and is a match-winner on his day. It's arguable that Mitchell Johnson might have been a better choice, but Harbhajan is a much better brand for Mumbai Indians to promote than the Aussie and surely Mitchell would be bought back in the auctions straightaway with the right to match card. Retaining Ambati Rayudu was the surprise from Mumbai. Dinesh Karthik - having played for India and a brilliant keeper seems to be the better option.

Rajasthan Royals - the money ball team stuck to their ideas and kept faith with their youngstars. Rahane, Samson and Binny all got the nod along with Shane Watson and James Faulkner.

Royal Challengers Bangalore whose batting has always been their mainstray kept their three biggest stars with AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli being retained. RCB will be looking to bolster their bowling which let them down last season in the upcoming auction.

SunRisers Hyderabad retained Dale Steyn and Shikhar Dhawan causing no one to blink an eye.

Delhi Daredevils interestingly did not retain anyone. This puts a huge question mark over the future of struggling Virender Sehwag and it will interesting to see which team he goes to.

That's our two cents on the player retention. With that we wish you a very happy and a prosperous new year!

Australia keep their eyes on the ball

2013-11-28T20:03:00.000+05:30

Australia after their win at Brisbane in the opening test match look more dangerous than ever. The Ashes opener had all the drama one associates with an Ashes series. In the test, England were jolted by Mitchell Johnson and some sharp words by the Aussies. The Aussies on the other hand just kept their eyes on the ball and played some brilliant cricket.

OPSM - the official eye care partners of Cricket Australia have come up with an interesting video to show how cricketers use their eyes when it comes to batting, bowling or fielding. The video also shows a little of how Australia prepared for the Ashes by testing out their eyes against a team of cardboard cut outs.

Considering Australia's mammoth 381 runs victory margin in the first test, one must wonder whether they actually took on the English team or just another set of cardboard XI shipped in from England.

From the performances so far it is clear that Australia not only have their eyes on the ball but also on the urn. The next test at Adelaide will certainly be interesting to see if England can up the ante.

This is a sponsored post, but opinions are my own.

An Ashes infographic

2013-11-20T10:32:00.000+05:30

With the winter Ashes starting today at the Gaba, we thought that we'd take a look at the numbers from cricket's greatest feud and look at some of the Ashes history.

Infographic brought to you by Spreadex, leading provider of Spread Betting in the UK.

Sachin Tendulkar - An era defined in person

2013-11-17T16:04:00.001+05:30

By: Satwik Roy

"Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth."

This line had been once spoken by the great Albert Einstein referring to Mahatma Gandhi and in the current scenario, fits perfectly on the greatest among the greatest, Sachin Tendulkar.

Come to think of it. 24 years. We the new-borns of that time have seen the world change around us.

We were still very much needed to be spoon fed our cereal when Sachin scored a match saving hundred against England in alien conditions. We learnt to walk, talk and Sachin was there scoring hundreds against Australia in Australia, earning himself the respect of Lilee, Hughes and McDermott. We started attending School and Sachin won a match for India with his bowling against South Africa, establishing himself as an all-rounder. We started studying Contemporary India, Civics, Geography, Physics, Chemistry and what not and Sachin was there with a broken heart at the end of the 2003 World Cup final. The “Player of the Tournament” award didn't’ matter much to him.

We finished school and Sachin was there only beginning to revel in his second wind. We were undergoing graduation, trying to mug up the chapters when a semester neared every time and there was Sachin, hitting the first ever double hundred in a one-day international. And then there he was, on the shoulders of fellow and much more junior Indian colleagues at the end of the 2011 World Cup, taking a victory lap around the Wankhede Stadium after having had a childhood dream come true.

By now some of us have jobs at hand, some are struggling but hopefully not for long. Some of us are undergoing post-graduation, some of us are currently in the various Armed Forces academies, learning to defend our borders and some of us are busy almost 24/7 in an attempt to establish our country’s name in the field of space research. While still others are pursuing their careers in various sports and earned a name for themselves and brought more pride to the country. The likes of Virat Kohli, Vijender Singh, Deepika Kumari, Saina Nehwal and many more. Almost all of us have had a heartbreak or two as well. And there is Sachin, still walking out on to the cricket field with a childlike enthusiasm, only this time to script his own swan song.

Tendulkar remained as a constant through 24 years of change

Amidst all these changes in our lives, the one name that has always been constant among us has been the name of Sachin Tendulkar.

In 'The Dark Knight Rises', Bruce Wayne tells Detective John Blake that 'Batman', is actually a symbol. Sachin Tendulkar to me has risen well above the tag of being a sporting Icon. He now has become a symbol. A symbol of dedication. A symbol of persistence. That no matter what you do, no matter what field you choose, you ought to give your absolute 100% and there is no compromise for that. That the journey you choose to embark up on, must not have any shortcuts.

On a lighter note, Sachin often proved to be a great escape for me personally from my father’s scolding whenever I messed things up in academics. All was forgotten and forgiven when the great man would wield his bat and radiate his magic on the cricket field.

The magician now has packed his stuff once and for all. The wand will go into a secure case. The wand with which he wielded innumerable tricks throughout his career. The hat will be taken off and hung on a hook on the wall. The hat from which he kept pulling out one rabbit after another for 24 years. The overcoat will be folded properly and put into his cupboard. The overcoat from which he often unveiled the impossible of trump cards which the people watching sat up and took notice of and heaped their admiration and praise on him. Alas, the show has finally come to an end! The heart wishes for him to contrive another trick to last this show for eternity. But then, all good things must come to an end as well.

Adios Sachin! It was an experience that can't be measured against any amount of material wealth in the world. His identity goes far beyond the 22 yards of the pitch and his legacy will hopefully go on for eternity. Thank you for being there, Sachin. Thank you for inculcating the sense of hope in all of us.

Thank you.

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Satwik Roy’s love for sumptuous food got the better of his dreams of pursuing a career as a Cricketer, Footballer, Badminton player and Formula 1 racer! He however harbors the dream of watching an Ashes Test at MCG and Lord’s, a Manchester United vs Chelsea clash at Old Trafford and a Formula 1 race at Monza. He now writes columns for Sportskeeda.