..and it's Bayern v Chelsea!

          Would you believe it? Most people felt the world-famous La Liga rivalry would spill over into the Champions League like it has before. Or at least one would make it to Munich. After all, they are widely accepted to be the best sides in the world, aren't they? Few predicted that both would exit the first leg with deficits and bow out after humdingers at home. But they did. Bayern and Chelsea showed fantastic spirit and strength to hold off these giants from Spain to progress to the event in Munich.
          Chelsea, going into the second leg with a slim 1-0 lead, held out with some dedicated defending until Sergio Busquets slotted home a simple one. Not long after, John Terry was shown a straight red for sticking his knee into Alexis Sanchez. The absence of the captain and defender threw Chelsea off track for a while, leading to their conceding another, this time from Iniesta. The Camp Nou rejoiced. But soon, Ramires ran up on the counter and accurately  chipped it over Victor Valdes' head. Chelsea now led on away goals. It was to stay that way for a long while, an entire half in fact, until a high ball found Torres, who stormed into the penalty box, ran round a hapless Valdes and scored. Barcelona were stunned. Having been unable to crack the Chelsea defence for a half, they now needed two goals in a matter of seconds. Needless to say, they couldn't; Chelsea had beaten the formidable defending champion and were on their way to Munich for the final.
         24 hours later at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich walked onto the ground knowing exactly what to do. Real were on course, with a penalty and an open play goal for Cristiano Ronaldo withing 14 minutes. Bayern were not the kind to be bogged down though. Robben converted a penalty after a foul on Mario Gomez. 2-1 that night, 3-3 aggregate. In the shootout, Kaka and Ronaldo missed the first two penalties, causing Real to be 2-0 behind. At 2-1, Ramos sent one high over the bar, needing Schweinsteiger to just score to send Bayern to the final. Schweinsteiger scored without a problem as the Bayern team whipped off their shirts in unison.
          The final at the Allianz Arena promises to be a thriller. Neither side will be domestic champion, but they have a lot to win. The flip side is, both teams will be missing key players after a double yellow in the tournament. This rule has come under fire. Nevertheless, it will be a grand spectacle watched by the world.

Bayern have one foot in the final

          Having snatched a win in the last minute of normal time courtesy a Gomez conversion of a neat Lahm cross, Bayern Munich will start the return leg at the Bernabeu with a 2-1 aggregate lead. Bayern and Real Madrid both showed energy and skill, making it a game worth waking up at midnight and watching. Franck Ribery pounced on Sergio Ramos chesting away a corner and pushed one past keeper-captain Iker Casillas. Mesut Ozil equalised, slotting home a simple Cristiano Ronaldo pass. Mario Gomez, frustrated many a time in the second half, must have felt a combination of thrill and relief while making his way to the corner flag after his 90th minute goal put the home crowd on its feet. The very same stadium will host the grand final in a month's time and Bayern Munich would kill to be a part of it.
          With Chelsea, it was a different story. Faced with the daunting obstacle of holders Barcelona, the only English club left in the competition looked calm and poised before the big game. 'All matches begin with a 50-50 chance', Frank Lampard had said. Resolute defence, great goalkeeping and the post denied Barcelona the whole time. In the very last kick of the first half, Didier Drogba swept in a cool cross from Ramires, who had broken the Barcelona defence. This turned out to be the only goal of the match. Barcelona made inroads early in the second half, but were thwarted again by Petr Cech. It stayed that way till the end, when Cech dived fully to save a shot. Barcelona had lost to rank outsiders and will have to battle a deficit during the return leg in the Camp Nou.
          Till then, it's celebrations in London and Munich. Both started as underdogs, Chelsea more so. The Spanish clubs are not the kind to be bogged down by pressure, though. Expect fireworks in Spain next week as all four teams scramble to be part of the spectacle in Munich. Chelsea's aging leaders may never get such an opportunity again. It will be a fitting build-up to the final.

Nothing's clear yet, which is good

          As with most Twenty20 tournaments, nothing is clear at all. No team is dominating completely like the Rajasthan Royals of 2008, who are doing well this year anyway. Some teams like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have been remarkably inconsistent. The latter pulled off two spectacular wins and fell to three tame losses, the batsmen being particularly unpredictable. I was just querying Deccan Chargers' depth and ability and as I write they are defending 197.
          The thing about Twenty20 cricket is that things can change in the blink of an eye and the innings is irreparable and sometimes over before you know it. Lose three wickets in succession and before the new batsmen can settle in, it's time. For example, Rajasthan were playing Kolkata and batting. Their run rate was steady until three quick wickets tumbled. They managed a harmless 131 and the Knight Riders had no problem chasing that down. So the challenge is to find a rhythm and get going consistently in this gamble of a game.
          The disappointment of the season, Chennai, may take comfort in the fact that they have never started really big in four editions, but somehow picked up and made it to the last four. The batting has looked especially like Jekyll and Hyde, looking benign against Delhi and Mumbai and looking like twice champions against Bangalore.
          There have been the issues, like chucking and fixing, but none quite as big as Fake IPL Player, so things look okay for the time being. One hopes this will be a clean IPL. After all, if it was dominated by one side or rigged like a movie, would it be as much fun as it is to watch?

The cricketainment festival is here!

          After a very short year which seemed like an eternity, the Indian Premier League caravan with its non-cricketing shots, filmstars, cheerleaders, enthralled crowds, hyping commentators, thumped bowlers, flat pitches and of course, cricketers has arrived. The twice champion which had not lost an IPL home game for nearly two years, began with a crushing loss at the hands of a resurgent Mumbai, which with smart buys, a CL trophy and a legend fresh from a milestone, looks all out to win this time around. They went on to get upset by a revamped Pune who changed everything from jersey to captain to stadium after a disastrous first season. Meanwhile, a strong Kolkata line-up embarrassed itself at the hands of the inconsistent Delhi, while 2008 winner Royals, missing Warne for the first time, dismantled Punjab.
          Love it or hate it, the IPL is here to stay. Whether it is a genuine indicator of talent or reveals mere flashes in the pan, whether it endorses good cricket or just provides starry nights, whether it's out to draw people to the game or just make money, it will be around for a long while. A team has been terminated, the founder has been sacked, players have been traded like player cards but the fan following cannot be thrown out because of its sheer size. I have asked many people, 'Do you follow cricket?' and a very frequent answer has been, 'Only the IPL.' The idea of stars from all fields packed in a three-and-a-half-hour nutshell has appealed to most.
          Only the orthodox remain. The presence of legends like a Dravid, who has adapted well to the slam-bang form, Tendulkar, who has always been versatile anyway, Ganguly, whose captaincy redeems his age to an extent and Gilchrist, who suits this form perfectly, has resulted in few converts. However, these anti-IPL purists are few and far between, and almost everyone I know has been, willingly or otherwise, sucked into the T20 mania.
          The 45 days of action are here. In the end, one team will come out on top. The rest will make their money anyway. But it the cricket we watch it for, and it seems promising enough.