IPL 2012 - A mixed bag

          Like any long tournament, the IPL has had its highs, lows, great moments, times when you want to simply strangle someone and times when you turn off the TV in boredom. Times when you take one look at the snaking queue in the stadium and wish you could jump it. Times when you simply don't know which team to support. Times when you feel hopes are hanging by a hair - but that hair is (Garnier) long and strong and gets you through.
          On the field, some shots have simply taken out breath away. Vijay, due a big one, fired in the second qualifier with some scintillating ones. Gayle as usual punished bowlers, erring or otherwise, with his muscly ruthless shots. Delhi's Warner, Sehwag and Pietersen were having a good time as well. Of course, good balls are present too, despite the odds being stacked against the bowlers. Speedsters Morkel, Dale Steyn and Malinga contained and took wickets, while spinners Narine, Mishra and Muralitharan in parts and some other flashes have shone. Fielding - Steve Smith with his dives could be the next Jonty Rhodes, while CSK as a team showed good commitment.
          There were a large number of last-over and last-ball finishes, so much so that some even became suspicious. But some thrillers were worth hearing the criticism. CSK had a part to play in many of them - against RR, RCB and MI.
          A number of off-field events marred the IPL. I shall not go into them in detail because they have been analysed to death over the past few weeks. But if they want the fan following to remain and not walk away disillusioned, the authorities need to step up the control and security.
         Many players seem to enjoy using unparliamentary language when celebrating and former players have voiced their displeasure against this. A win, wicket or century is a time to smile and enjoy, not negatively influence youngsters watching the game! This gives a feeling that the happiness experienced by the player is a competitive, furious joy, not clean happy thrill. Of course, there is also swearing at an opponent, which is again because of all the attention, high stakes, pressure... and TV cameras.
          Some up-and-coming stars are being noticed, hopefully they will prove their worth in the longer formats. Bowling 24 good deliveries or hitting around for a few overs is not a good parameter for genuine talent. More attention should be focused on the Ranji Trophy games to look for young talent. The good young players unearthed in the IPL should be trained properly for longer periods to groom their skills.
          People have begun to speak about IPL 6, and many are looking to the Champions League. And of course the World Twenty20 will be upon us in a few months. Love it, hate it, there is no running away from the shortest form of the game.

CSK develops a good habit

          Like any good five-year-old, the CSK side has begun to develop a good habit. Here, it's not daily brushing or weekly nail-cutting, but an almost-yearly sojourn to the final. This time, like the others, it has been done in style, with a whopping 86-run win over table-toppers Delhi Daredevils. Murali Vijay stole the show with a blitz century, indiscriminately massacring the bowlers.
          Delhi's daredevilry hit them hard - they chose to leave out influential pacer Morne Morkel and opened the batting with Warner and Jayawardene rather than with the successful duo of Warner and Sehwag. The fielding of newbie Sunny Gupta in a crunch match also rebounded as the spinner was heaved for an economy of nearly sixteen an over. Skipper Sehwag also chose to have a bowl. He will probably empathise with the bowlers he faces more as he was smacked for 21 runs.
          Chennai's deep batting line-up helped - as Vijay fired on all cylinders at one end, almost everyone else pitched in at more than a run a ball from the other. Bravo's cameo in the dying overs was rather helpful. Setting a target of 222 in an important game is always helpful, and though Jayawardene and Ross Taylor looked a little good for DD, they never really looked like they were going to overhaul the mammoth total.
          Hilfenhaus did well to remove countryman Warner early, and when Morkel took out Sehwag, only God could have saved DD. And he chose not to, because CSK and Vijay deserved a win for their performance. Ashwin and Jakati wrapped up the rest, with Bravo also pitching in with a wicket, and it was all over for DD after a great league stage.
          Chennai will now have to deal with Kolkata Knight Riders' batting variety and good spin, particularly the unpredictable Sunil Narine. They have beaten them before, courtesy a last-ball Bravo six, so they will carry hopes. But underestimating the sparkling line-up will amount to self-destruction. Both teams should be careful in this regard.
          This year's IPL has got more bad publicity than ever before. Thankfullly for its fans and organisers, no key players have been involved in fixing. But a player getting into a fight and two more attending a rave party is not the best news for them. And of course, a celebrity filmstar having to resort to bad language and violence to deal with security guards. But as Kirti Azad found out, openly criticising the IPL and fasting in protest can hurt. There is no doubt that this tournament is here to stay. And if we continue seeing great cricket like we did last night, I am perfectly okay with its staying.

Europe's unlikely champion

          They were possibly the team in the semifinal which seemed least likely to win. With powerhouses like Bayern, Barcelona and Real Madrid around, who would have expected a team languishing in the league, with no Champions League trophies in the cabinet, aging players and an inexperienced manager to come out with the cup? But their fans stuck with them and were rewarded with club football's biggest prize. And Bayern's home fans were heartbroken, for they came so close.
          In terms of playing style, 80 minutes flew past in a manner not unlike the Barcelona game. Bayern held possession but simply could not break through the blue defence. And when they did, their below-par finishing prevented them from going ahead when they could and should have. The slight underdogs' two-tier defence, now perfected, created a deadlock. Finally, when Bayern went ahead amid wild celebrations, their defence went slack and allowed Drogba to equalise. Incidentally, the Ivorian, set to leave his club, has made a habit of scoring in finals.
          Extra time followed. The very Drogba who had lifted Chelsea fans' hopes now seemed to kill them again by conceding a penalty. Dutchman Robben stepped up - and missed. Incidentally, Robben has made a habit of missing penalties in key finals. Extra time finished with the score locked at a goal apiece - the Champions League would culminate in football's cruellest creation, the penalty shootout.
          Lahm scored for Bayern. 1-0. Mata missed for Chelsea. Would this be fatal? Still 1-0. Gomez, denied in open play may times, scored. 2-0. David Luiz pulled one back for the Blues. 2-1. Surprise! Bayern goalie Neuer scored. 3-1. Chelsea veteran Lampard scored. 3-2. Olic's last kick as a Bayern player - missed! 3-2. Experienced Cole equalised for Chelsea. 3-3. Virtual sudden death. Schweinsteiger stood behind the ball. The very man who whipped off his shirt after sealing a penalties win against Real Madrid, now buried his face in his shirt in shame and agony. He had missed. 3-3. Drogba simply needed to score for thousands of fans to not bay for his blood. His own last kick as a Chelsea player was a resounding success. It was his turn to remove his shirt and run like possessed. Chelsea had won the Champions League for the first time ever.
          Skipper John Terry, suspended for the game, hoisted the tall trophy along with stand-in captain Lampard. This was later paraded in West London. Chelsea also get to qualify for next-year's tournament at the expense of Tottenham, which would not have been the case had Bayern won. Drogba will leave the club in style, albeit on a free transfer. Torres, though, spoiled the party with his ill-timed comments on his not starting the game and debutant Ryan Bertrand starting instead. But until next year, Europe's best team is blue.

A tumultous week

          The past week has been a hectic one for all fans of sport. Summer is the time the European football leagues shut shop and the Formula One races take over. The run-up to two back-to-back major tennis tournaments makes the players frantically try to get used to the surfaces. And who can forget the magnetic Indian Premier League, drawing Indians and some foreigners of all backgrounds and interests into its net.
          New champions were the norm in Europe this year. Real Madrid ended its La Liga trophy drought which lasted four years in style. Juventus enjoyed a tremendous winning run in Serie A and won its first legitimately won title since 2003. In both cases, the winners are also the record champions. Perhaps the most dramatic was Manchester City's first league title in 44 years. The 'noisy neighbours', as described by Sir Alex Ferguson, clinched it in unbelievably film-like style. Simply needing a win against London minnows QPR, they took a first-half lead. But the pressure subsequently got to them and by midway through the second half they were a goal down. At this stage, it looked like the trophy would go to the red side of town. The Manchester United-Sunderland match concluded with Rooney scoring the solitary goal for the Red Devils. City were still trailing. But two injury-time stunners from Dzeko and season-long star Aguero deservedly brought the trophy to City.
          Exceptions to the new-champion rule were Borussia Dortmund and Ajax Amsterdam, who defended their titles in Germany and the Netherlands respectively.
          In the Madrid Open, the top two seeds Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal crashed out relatively early. They blamed the unusual blue clay for their failure and will be glad that Roland Garros is always red. The forever-young and adaptable Roger Federer came up trumps against Tomas Berdych in the final.
          Pastor Maldonado assumed the top step of the podium in Catalonia after Hamilton was relegated from pole position to last place on the grid after a fuel issue.Alonso and Vettel are level on points on top.
An exciting period of world sport is here, with the UEFA Champions League final and IPL playoffs still to come. May the best teams win. 

Yuvi's return and some heroes

          Yuvraj Singh, the long-term absentee from Indian cricket, made an unofficial return last week. In a home match for the Pune Warriors, he had a bat before the game. When he was interviewed during the match, the TV broadcaster proudly identified him as Yuvraj Singh, Pune Warriors India. He will probably not play in this IPL, but he has lifted many spirits anyway.
          It will be very difficult for him to match what Lance Armstrong did after overcoming cancer. The legendary cyclist won seven back-to-back Tour de France titles post his return. Yuvraj, on the other hand, has achieved a lot already - a World Cup, a World Twenty20 which included six sixes in an over. In the ICC Cricket World Cup last year, he established himself as an all-rounder; he became the first to score a half-century and take five wickets in a WC match. I was also fortunate enough to witness a century from him live from the stands against West Indies here at the MAC. No one was aware that he was going through health problems at the time.
          A malignant tumour in his lung was detected which was soon diagnosed as cancer. The star flew to Boston for treatment, where he kept fan updated through Twitter. His will and strength showed as he is now back from the ordeal. He will now have to find his cricketing spark, if he wishes to continue his career.
Meanwhile, in the IPL, some people are shining bright. Virender Sehwag is in sublime form, taking over from a merciless Kevin Pietersen. The marauding duo are demolishing bowlers like a wrecking ball would a rickety building. He has saved Delhi in many a match. He may well lead Delhi to a maiden title.
          Not that others aren't hitting hard. Chris Gayle may not be the phenomenon he was last year, but is clobbering bowlers anyway. Ajinkya Rahane is not a new find but his ability to play elegant shots in a format where smashing is the norm catches the eye. Faf du Plessis has not been very consistent but his hits have given struggling Chennai some reason to smile.
           Among the bowlers, Dale Steyn, Brett Lee, Morne Morkel and Lasith Malinga have made an impact. Some like warhorses Muttiah Muralitharan and Azhar Mahmood; newbie Pawan Negi and Ashok Dinda have stood out in some matches. But for bowlers to contain and take wickets in Twenty20 at all is a challenge, so hats off to them.
           Just five points separate the second- and eighth-placed teams, so it's an open tournament. A little slump can cost a team big. Some teams have found consistency and that is helping them in this fast, dynamic league that is the IPL.