Déjà-vu on IPL

With the intense 7 or 8 last months in Indian cricket, it’s a bit of let down to see the team playing against each other in the IPL. Somehow I am not able to digest the pills of IPL this time. I watched IPL – 1 with full excitement and enthu. But this time I find it bit tough to gather the same enthusiasm and support. I was off the blog last year when IPL – 1 happened. More so to do with the 1-2 loss in Australia especially in the Sydney test. That was wrecking. But somehow I did manage to recollect my enthu in 2008 later half and this blog was born. However due to the tight situations in the project in the workplace given the global recession and followed by crappy Dish TV when I had no access to Neo Sports for Aus and Eng home series, I lost the chance to watch LIVE the high Indians had in 2008. Besides retirements of Saurav Ganguly and Anil Kumble were further dampeners.

I am not able to swallow the glitz and glamour of IPL. Moreso with the entry of chaff in the ring with the likes of dumb headed boozoes like Ms Shetty, Ms Zinta and Mr SRK who have no idea of what cricket is. They have mixed the business and ROI with the dynamics of the game. And armed with that power, this elements don’t bother with whom they are dealing. As a result you have Sunny Gavaskar being ridiculed by a man who has never stepped on to a cricket field with a bat or ball in his hand, the likes of Dravid and Laxman were replaced by men who don’t know what concentration and power of silken touch means. There have been elements in the blog world who have mocked the concept of IPL and are against it. I am no big fan of IPL too, but I am more keen to watch few players play, otherwise it would be impossible to see them play. The love for the game is such that you always want to go and watch :

· Shane Warne

· Mathew Hayden

· Glenn McGrath and of course

· Saurav Ganguly.

In IPL.

I would never get a chance to see this players again in traditional form of game in whites or colored clothings of national teams. IPL gives me a chance to watch them with limited pleasure for a limited time. So I am pitching myself to watch the tamasha of the game which doesn’t stand a chance before the purity of a Test match or a tension of a ODI. I also don’t understand the logic of replacing RD with KP as skipper for Royal Challengers. And then when KP is far away for WI series Jacques Kallis replacing him. Kallis isn’t considered worthy enough to lead his own team for long, then how can he lead a IPL franchisee ? Not to forget amidst other failures in RC, Dravid was their highest scorer in the tournament. 347 @ 118 runs per 100 balls. Not bad for somebody who is considered to be a Test specialist. The problem with Dravid has been the intensity and the crave for perfection. He had a horrible team with his disposition. Jaffer was opening in T20 whereas he was never suited to open even in Tests. Mark Boucher has had a good record as a lower order hitter in ODIs, but he didn’t come good. And moreover he had to oversee the cynics of Vijay Malaya.

This year Dada has already been cut to size by his coach cum manager. Dada was a flash in manager’s eye when he coached Aussies. Out of 3 series at the helm, the Dada team got better of the coach’s team 2 times though won just 1 series. So all kinds of hoodlum politics is already in place in the franchisees…..

I just wish that the game of cricket wins over the chaffers and the dust particles trying to intrude the game we all love very much in the 2^nd season of IPL. Meanwhile the glaring contest to watch will be:

· Sachin and Jayasuriya opening the batting for Mumbai Indians.

· Old iconic contest between Sachin and Warne, McGrath though only for few overs or not at all. Not that this would matter though. Being a purist, I crave for the contests between greatest icons.

· Though he is no more hype now than he was in last year, Mendis would be a cult figure to watch. It would be interesting to see how Sachin and Jaya play against him. No doubt Jayasuriya would hit him if in form, but also Tendulkar would try to get better of him for the misery he suffered in SL test series last year.

Déjà-vu just can’t get better than this.