Mumbai Indians need 12 to win from 10 balls against Rajasthan Royals…

Abhishek Nayaar hits Botha for a huge six!!!

6 to win from 9 balls.. Game Over for RR.. One can almost hear their co-owner Shilpa Shetty sigh – No Chance!

But this is IPL and RR are the defending champs led by the mercurial Shane Warne!

Botha bowls Nayaar of the next ball….. 4 to win off 6 balls…. And then Munaf Patel bowls an amazing final over as the Royals win by a whisker – 2 runs !!!


Welcome to the ‘Incredibly Pulsating League’ 2009 – the ultimate combo of cricket and entertainment, it just does not get better than this atleast for me!! What with an unbelievable amount of time at my disposal, courtesy my ongoing holiday time at home, IPL 2009 is serving as my daily dose of thrillenium!!

However, this fun & frolic saga had begun during my last EVS days only, when I accumulated a good fortune with my perfect IPL prophecies. Had I continued on with those, who knows I could have been an IPL consultant by now :P

So as this cricketing mahayudh reaches its edge-of-the-seat climax, these are my top-4 for the semis (in that order):





Delhi Daredevils: Viru and Gambhir at the top, followed by Warner, Dilshan, Villiers and Karthik and you have a super-strong 20-20 batting line-up. This coupled with a more than handy bowling attack comprising Nehra, Sangwan, now-injured Vettori, Nannes etc. and you have a really formidable outfit. Not to forget the fact that DDR is also one of the best fielding unit in IPL. Sitting pretty at the top of the table now, this has been favourite team from the start….

“Yeh Delhi Daredevils hai mere yaar, bas cricket, victory aur IPL 2009 is baar” :-)

Chennai Super Kings: Led by the captain-supreme MS Dhoni, CSK is one of the most balanced teams in the tournament and one of the favourites from the start. Runners-up last time, the team had a very ordinary start this time, what with winning only 1 of its first 5 matches. But since then the team has bounced back in style and is on its way to a semis birth. With Orange cap holder Hayden going great guns this time, Suresh Raina blazing on all cylinders, Albie Morkel as dangerous as ever and a decent bowling attack, CSK may well make it to the finals yet again.

Deccan Chargers: After hitting rock-bottom in 2008 with the last spot, the team is determined to make up for the debacle this time around. Fully charged up under the able leadership of Gilchrist, who is himself moving to top gear now, DC would be a tough nut to crack this time. The return of Symonds has further bolstered the team that also includes Gibbs. With some luck, one of the strongest line-ups in the tournament is all set to reach the last 4 stage and from thereon, anything is possible.

Rajasthan Royals: The winners of the last edition had the worst possible start this time, after being skittled out for the IPL-lowest 58 in their very first match against Royal Challangers Bangalore. But the defending champions have bounced back in their inimitable style under the inspirational leadership of Warne. With Yusuf Pathan (one of the most dangerous players in this format of the game), Graeme Smith, R Jadeja etc. in their line-up, the side is good in both batting and bowling. Their 211 runs effort against Kings XI Punjab was testimony of how the team is all set to repeat their 2008-act.

The Surprise Package: Vijay Mallaya’s RCB has been the surprise package of the tournament so far. With their latest victory against CSK, the team stays in reckoning for the semifinal birth. Sachin’s Mumbai Indians may be in a gloomy state after their 2-run loss to RR, but other teams would ignore MI at their own peril.

The Disappointments: SRK’s Kolkata Knight Riders has turned out to be the biggest disappointment of IPL 2009. After being plagued by captaincy issues at the start, the team has been found wanting on all fronts – batting, bowling and fielding despite being a formidable outfit on paper. KKR is all set to do a DC this time around. Yuvi’s Kings XI have also disappointed this time and would have to win all their remaining matches to replicate their top-4 performance of 2008. They will also hope that other results come out to their liking!

All said and done, the last phase of IPL-2009 promises to be a supremely exciting affair!!
Hats Off to Lalit Modi for making this IPL another winner amidst all the problems faced initially and despite this cricketing extravaganza happening away from home!!

So guys, stay glued to this ‘Incredibly Pulsating League’!!

Let the best team (read: DDR) win! :-)