Preity Zinta’s pep-up talk before the big game against Mumbai Indians worked wonders for Kings XI Punjab. The Mohali home-boys trashed their opponents sending them crashing to only their third loss this season.
Though why Sachin Tendulkar decided to field first on winning his first toss in nine games is beyond my understanding. MI have done extremely well batting first.
Following reports in the media of unsavoury characters loitering and hanging around Indian cricketers in South Africa at IPL2, the BCCI has decided to take precautionary measures against a repetition of such incidents on the forthcoming West Indies and England tours.
Upon receiving a list of shady personas from the CBI, the BCCI has begun interviewing ‘candidates’.
The administrative cricketing body believes that if there are to be any ‘crooked’ folks surrounding the Indian players, they should come pre-approved by the BCCI.
More random thoughts on the IPL:
The debate of ‘club over country’ should be put to rest , at least when it comes to Indian players.
Virender Sehwag will miss the rest of the IPL due to a shoulder injury he has been carrying for the past one year. He should have been allowed to take a break after the World Cup but his IPL masters would have been displeased. So Viru hoists the Delhi Daredevils until he can carry them no more.
Delhi Daredevils are no longer in the reckoning for a playoff spot.
No ‘butcher’ for the West Indies tour and perhaps half the English tour.
The Sri Lanka Premier League, in my opinion, has a couple of advantages over the IPL.
6th May 2011
Shivnarine Chanderpaul straight-batted the West Indian Cricket Board (WICB) once more with his straight talk.
Speaking to Line and Length, a local radio station, the seasoned campaigner slammed the West Indian management as ‘interfering’.
“I think, given the opportunity, I might have got bigger scores. Every time I settled in and started to get runs, messages would come telling what to do and what not to do, how to bat and how not to bat.” said the Guyanese.
Taking a cue from the English Cricket Board (ECB), the Board For Cricket Control in India (BCCI) appointed Anjum Chopra coach of the Indian T20 men’s team.
“The English have been very innovative lately. They stole a march on us by appointing three different captains. We had to do something.This is how we regain the initiative.” said Mr. Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI head of operations.
“It also makes for good PR to have a woman coach at the highest level.” added Mr. Shashank Manohar, BCCI President.
What he said:
“Dada is my favourite player. But we need to move on. I wish him all the best with Pune Warriors and hope that he does really well.”
Shah Rukh Khan making it clear that KKR don’t need Saurav Ganguly’s services.
What he meant:
“Now if Ganguly would have done a few more promotions with me, everything would have been hunky-dory.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“In Chak De II, I’m playing the coach again and Dada’s the captain of the team.”
What she said:
“”Yes,but his role in the management and in the IPL team are two very different things.”
Dona Ganguly defending her husband Saurav representing the Pune Warriors franchise owned by Sahara Adventure Sports in which he is on the board of directors.
What she meant:
“He (Saurav) can’t play cricket in board meetings, can he?”
What she definitely didn’t:
“Do you think Subrata Roy can play cricket as well as Saurav?”
“No, I don’t think Dada would have been chosen had he been an outsider.”
What he said:
“I always believed that there were never great captains and there will be no great captains. There are only great teams. No captain can win you the game. It is the team that wins the game.”
Gautam Gambhir on his captaincy stint with Kolkatta Knight Riders.
What he meant:
“The team makes me.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“I bet you a hundred bucks that Ganguly would win with this team.”
2nd May, 2011
Shivnarine Chanderpaul continues to raise a ruckus about his axing from the West Indian side.
In a second letter to West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Ernest Hilaire, the batsman questions his dropping for the Pakistan tour of West Indies.
Hilaire had squarely blamed the West Indies Player Association (WIPA) for Chanderpaul’s outburst in his response to his earlier missive.
The Guyanese was quick to respond saying:
“I may not be Dr. Chanderpaul, but I have been a top-ranked international batsman and we have to be able to think critically under the most intense and stressful situations.
It is therefore distressing that you blame WIPA by implication, if not overtly, for my letter saying that WIPA was offering me "ill advice". You may not be aware but I have faced the best bowlers in the world in my career and I know how to counter-attack. Furthermore, I am my own man and would ask that you respect that!"
The West Indian bat raised issues on the mishandling of injuries by the administrative body.
Coming on the back of a controversial decision by Chris Gayle to play the IPL rather than represent the band of nations that is the West Indies, the episode paints a sorry picture of the state of Caribbean cricket.
Chanderpaul may no longer be a sprightly young man but he should be allowed to decided when to quit the game.
Chanderpaul rarely courted scandal in his distinguished career but the lackadaisical attitude of the powers-that-be raised his hackles.
This man will not go quietly into the night.