So,time to set aside egotism and make a few candid admissions:
1) The teams with the two best captains in the tournament entered the final. If the franchises are watching, this should lead to a paradigm shift in the way teams are constructed next season. From this point on, the author shall never question M.S. Dhoni's intentions as a cricketer. He has throughout this tournament shown his versatility as a batsman and the final loss only enhanced his reputation as a captain. At least this phlegmatic character will no longer carry the mridiculous tag of a lucky captain. He led his team with great composure to win the Fair Play award by a distance; he was tactically excellent throughout the tournament and the way he rallied his troops after the loss was for me the moment of the tournament.
2) The best team in the tournament won. PERIOD Mr.Hollywood won the battle hands down against Kollywood. The battle lived up to its billing but finally it was the colourful and enigmatic but inspirational champion, Shane Warne who had the last laugh. Though the author whinged at the fact that he was allowed to get away with pathetically poor over rates, Warnie was spot on with his tactical nous. Emerging Media- the laughing stock befor the tournament displayed all its cricketing acumen acquired from years of T-20 success at Leicestershire. The only outstanding choice they made was that of Shane Warne outside of Yusuf Pathan. But the champion leg-spinner tweaked it all together as only he can.
3) India's most revered cricketers were exposed as very poor captains. Ganguly, unsurprisingly, made some very smart moves as captain at the auction but had to suffer as a result of the no-show of Shoaib and Gayle as well as his own poor form. Laxman was let down by a set of non-performing assets including R.P.Singh and his injury and the collective tactical naivete didn't help. Tendulkar's choices were questionable and it was not until that PR man for all times, Harsha Bhogle brought in Bravo and Smith that Mumbai got going. Tendulkar was poor tactically in the close games but undoubtedly had a presence about himself. Dravid had nothing but his runs to crow about.
4) DC and RCB had awesome cheerleaders. RCB would have won the style quotient award any day with that leggy lass Katrina Kaif hogging more camera time than the team itself when she was present. The closing ceremony paled in comparison to the opening one as well.
5) The IPL was a bumper-hit in India. For an idea whose lead time was barely 7 months, the IPL was brilliantly packaged and executed. The gala and glamour was truly world-class; the organisation was brilliant and for once even the controversies were handled profesionally by the BCCI.
8 comments:
:)
hehe
u cn become a cricket research analyst
Good wrap-up; especially for souls like me who were deprived of the entertainment :(
u have brought out some good pionts here...the way Dhoni brought his team together and spoke to the players after the loss in the finals was very thoughtful of him. Even during the last over when the things werent looking too good for them..he was constantly talking to Balaji and Parthiv(when he gave that extra run and his face seemed all drained of confidence). Dhoni seems to be maturing as a good captian and all the things he did will make sure that the players will have greater respect for him when they return next year.
Nice work Varun...and now that u are khaali most of the time :) i am looking forward to many new posts from u.
Neatly put. The BCCI's handling of controversies was especially positive.
If you get around to my blog read some of my season's selections (everything from the All Star Team to the best Cheerleaders).
http://ankit-khanna.blogspot.com/2008/06/ipl-seasons-selections.html
I was watching final presentation.
Then the Body language of Shane Warne was suggesting that he was gonna have a blast or blast something out of place in his hotel room.
But i was all Dhoni for the finals.But all credit to Raina for dropping that offering.
My father was sulking since then to the end of the match and i was trying to be all cool.
You are now a Dhoni fan ,i suppose not only as a cricketer who adapts but also as a well-homeworked captain who keeps his cool on the ground.
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Blogger Neerav said...
Well the IPL has been brilliantly summarized by your latest post. But the problem with over rate is something that shouldn't bother, after all the game has already been shortened so much. If a few extra minutes can make the game really interesting then its really worth it. And I agree with you that BCCI has handled the controversies really well. Kudos to BCCI for creating such a entertaining package for all.
Another thing that will be carried beyond the IPL will be the bonding that players from different regions, countries had formed during the IPL. It will impact the international cricket in a big way and perhaps sledging will be less after it.
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