IPL 2018: hits and misses

This year (2018), one expected a lot from IPL since there was a general rearrangement of teams following the big auction.  One would have thought that we would get to see a more balanced contest, instead of the same old teams dominating others. 

Guess what happened... the same old teams dominated others!  CSK and SRH continued in their merry way, in spite of the former coming back after the two-year hiatus, and the latter losing its Aussie captain due to the ball tampering row.  Even more familiar: RCB continued its woeful run in the IPL.

Here's a low down on this year's edition; the hits and misses; the good, bad and the ugly part of the annual cricketing event that fills our summer holidays, and that we have come to love so much.

That is, if you leave out the doubters and naysayers.  They are usually bothered by 'commercialization,' 'match-fixing,' 'loss of purity of cricket,' and what not, all conjured up and exaggerated to vilify India's sporting sensation.

I ask them these:  When was the last time an Indian sporting event garnered so much global attention?  When did foreign players ever show so much interest in an Indian sporting event, so much so that getting picked in the auction is a matter of pride and fortune for them?  When was the last time, a rattled global (read mostly English) cricketing community pour out so much vitriol towards an Indian cricketing phenomenon, a sure sign of their underlying insecurity and jealousy?  

That's right... NEVER!

So peeps, take the chill pill, sit back and enjoy the cricketing action.  As with every other sport, there are bound to be the bad apples that are up to no good, which of course does not mean that the other players, the game itself, or the fans, should pay the price.

Here are my observations from the 2018 contest, some good, some bad.

Good

• Even though the usual suspects dominated, the two best teams in this year's tournament - CSK and SRH - made it to the finals.  It was good that the other lesser teams did not sneak in due to some fortuitous twist in the tail.  My tweet:

• The very fact that the broadcasting rights were given to Star Sports was good.  Great escape for the viewers from the hideously incompetent presenters of Sony TV (bar one or two).  Star's Mayanti Langer is such a welcome relief!

• If going away from Sony means Sidhu would also not be a part of the team - he wasn't on Star this year - then all the better for it.  It's better he sticks to entertaining the political dynasty.

• Star came up with quite a few innovations this year: the dugout commentary, star commentators playing street cricket, etc.  Indeed, Star had lined up as many as 30 commentators throughout the tournament, most very good with their comments and opinions (especially my favourite, Harsha Bhogle).

• The addition of DRS is good in terms of reducing umpiring errors.  Perhaps IPL can innovate further by adding more technology to get decisions right, and to enhance the viewing experience. 

• The one-off women's IPL match.  Let there be a tournament just for the ladies!  Too bad, the people of Mumbai kept away from this game. 

Bad

• The cheerleaders: To me, IPL is all about good cricketing action.  I care very less about the celebrities or the non-cricketing entertainment.  Don't get me wrong - I've nothing against the girls themselves.  It is the concept that I am dead against.  Consider this: each time a player (a man) hits a six or takes a wicket, the women have to get up on the stage and dance in skimpy clothes.  Has nobody - especially the feminists - considered the sexism inherent in this cheerless act?

• Promotions: I am afraid, Star Sports has fallen prey to the familiar temptation of publicizing its other programs during the cricketing action.  So we had characters from the Star serials inflicting themselves on the hapless audience.  They got to sit in the front seat along with some Star Plus contest winners and gesticulate madly to garner attention.  On one occasion, 'Himanshu' from Khichdi was doing his trademark hand-over-head wave, and Bumble (David Lloyd) who was commentating, asked incredulously, 'What did I just see there?!'  These Star characters were part of the awards ceremony also, in keeping with the godawful Star Parivar Awards... ridiculous and redundant.  Star, please get rid of them!

• Star has also fallen prey to the age-old Doordarshan tactics of cutting to the action just as the ball is about to be delivered by the bowler.  It has to cash in during the ad-break, you see.  I tweeted about this, but to no avail:

• Consider this irritation: you are blissfully watching a game, you are trying to concentrate on the action and the commentary.  Suddenly, the resident stadium-DJ bursts out with something that sounds like, 'aaayyeeeeEEEEEEEEE!!!!,' to which the audience responds by shouting.  Then he continues to holler like a man on Ecstasy, raising the (already increased) decibels in the stadium.  It gives you a splitting headache!  I tweeted to Star Sports about this mid-match, and I would like to think that the DJ was muted out during that particular match:

But the shouting DJ returned in the later matches, and continued lunging it out in the rest of the tournament.  Please Star, in the future, stop this atrocity on the TV audience, at least!

• I still feel that there is a case for 5 overseas players in a team.  This way, more international players of quality will get a chance instead of warming the benches.  And, the Indian youngsters will have to compete harder to make it to the playing eleven, which can only be a good thing for the national team. 

• I also feel that there should be an earlier start to the second games of the day; say 7 p.m.  If the games start at 8, then the conclusion may be delayed by interruptions such as DRS reviews, checking the boundary/catch.  Many games this year went on till midnight.  I believe starting early was discussed before IPL began, but MI had objections to it, since the people of the city-that-never-sleeps can only watch the games late in the night.  But I say, one city does not make up the country.  We do have to get up the next day!

So there you have it... the highs and the lows.  You'll find more lows in the lists above because I want IPL to get better.  I hope that IPL goes from strength to strength, turning its harshest critics into fans and followers.

I want it to be the first to innovate, rather than catch up with what other leagues are doing.  So, pink balls, more technology, early starts, more overseas players, less non-cricket entertainment, women's league are all welcome... hell, even mixed men-women IPL, why not?!

Image source: https://www.essentiallysports.com/ipl-scams-history-t20-cricket/

The agony of being an RCB fan!

The pain... the suffering... the agony of being an RCB fan is beyond description.

Consider this: Glamorous big-ticket franchise - on paper.  Marquee players, with 2 best batsmen in the world - on paper.  Hype and hoopla, bold proclamations - on paper.  #eesalacupnamde and #playbold - on (e-)paper.  'Pirate' cheerleaders with the guy in the middle (!), trying to be funny with the slogans with godawful dance moves - on paper... okay, the last one is on stage. 

But NOTHING on the ground.  Zero results to show.  Not a single silverware in the cupboard since 11 years. 

No doubt, RCB have come close on a few occasions, but have not provided the finishing flourish.  If ever there was a team in the IPL that flatters to deceive its fans, it must be RCB.

Kevin Pietersen said during the beginning of this year's IPL (the 2018 edition) that 'the potential of this team is sky high'.  Sadly that potential has also remained only on paper. 

They may yet turn a corner this year, but it is highly unlikely (they have just lost the return match against CSK on 5th May 2018 as I write this).

Year after year, for the diehard RCB fan, it is a familiar story: more misses than hits, agony as the batsmen fall cheaply to innocuous bowlers, further misery as our bowlers get tonked as they are not disciplined enough to maintain a steady line and length, wides-galore down the leg-side, no-balls at inopportune moments, dropped catches...

Having said that, one also has to consider the luck of the team; the X-factor, or the mysterious element that is required to win a cricket tournament - especially considering the topsy-turvy nature of cricket - is eminently missing for RCB.

I have closely watched RCB's performance in this year's IPL, and what else but ill-luck could be the reason for these fiascos:

1. Out-of-form batsmen of other team regain their touch and suddenly start playing extraordinary shots (have you ever seen Sanju Samson play a better innings than the one against RCB?).

2. NONE of the changes in the RCB side - whether it is batting order, field placements, or bowling options - work out when it matters.  One loses count of the number of opening options RCB have tried in this edition of IPL (2018).  They are still searching for the ideal playing 11.

3. Retained players have been failures.  Sarfaraz Khan and Pavan Negi, who were retained have not delivered.

4. On the other hand, those that were let go - Shane Watson and Chris Gayle - are in the form of their lives and have notched up centuries for their respective franchises.

5. Some players have ended up being mere travellers with confusing roles.  Why was Washington Sundar picked?  He is said to be a good power-play bowler, but he has not bowled often at any stage of the innings, let alone power-play.  He is said to be a good batsman who can score briskly, but he has not been tried as a pinch-hitter opener.

6. Much was said about the improvement in the bowling department after the purchases in the big auction in April this year (2018).  But it continues to be a familiar sob story: bowlers getting thrashed in the death overs. 

7. RCB boasts of having the 2 best batsmen in the world.  Indeed, many non-Bengalureans are fans of RCB only because of Virat Kohli and A B deVilliers.  Sadly, even 2 koels do not a monsoon make.  It takes more than these 2 to win the matches.  If these 2 fall early (as it happened in today's match against CSK), you can pretty much forget about the rest of them stepping up.

One also has to ask what is it that the other teams are doing right that RCB aren't?  Granted, that the format is tough and 'it is not an easy tournament, man' as Ashwin put it after King's XI's loss against MI.  But still there is something that the others are doing better than what we are.  

Take Chennai Super Kings for example.  They are returning to the tournament after 2 years.  But they didn't have to 'rebuild'.  They just teed off where they left off, and started winning matches straight away.  Dhoni, who must be an avatar of Cricket God, has led them well, and whatever the man has touched has turned to gold - especially against RCB, whom he has simply tormented this year.  Kolkata Knight Riders, who had a poor run in the first few years, brought in changes in the team management and structure.  They turned around their fortunes and went on to win the cup twice.

Mumbai Indians are masters at nearly exiting the tournament and staging remarkable comebacks; they are well on their way to doing this again this year.  King's XI Punjab have changed their team considerably and built a balanced batting/bowling unit.  Even Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals have performed well at times.  Sun Risers Hyderabad have been good as gold in spite of the fact that they do not have David Warner.  They are sitting pretty at the top of the table.  In fact, as things stand now, it may be tempting to hold the finals between SRH and CSK, and be done with the whole damn thing!

In all this, the frustrated, agonized RCB fan may well tear his hair out and say, WHY NOT RCB???!!  Why are they not improving?  

In the absence of any other sane or rational explanation, one is left wondering if the fortunes of the main man at the helm of affairs of RCB - the inglorious position of its owner-in-exile - has anything to do with the fate of the team itself.

A cursory look at the RCB website suggests that United Spirits Limited are still the 'founding partners' of the franchise.  One has to question where this franchise is headed.  What is the fate of this franchise that promises so much, but delivers so little?  Who are the men behind the team; the think tank, the people who matter, the talent scouts, those who call the shots behind the scenes?  What are they doing, year after year, as the franchise flounders from one disastrous outing to another?  

Empty proclamations about 'play bold', go green initiatives, birthday dedications, harping about flash-in-the-pan performances, and even individual records of marquee players are not going to cut it.  

We need that elusive cup!

Yes, the fans are asking for changes.  They are getting impatient.  Heads may have to roll.  Radical changes may have to be made to the team management, ethos, team constitution.  

Dare I say it, the franchise probably needs rescuing from the owner/s.  Yes... play bold RCB!  Do something... soon.

In the meantime, diehard fans that we are, we shall hold on to the hope: mundinasala cup namde!

Image source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtX_jQlY6Pird-jEp70FJhn3clfJnvUR9_u8BpTui87GqdS-vI5dxPuUwaZe6sHTscgHeGnSb24plsCmc9DT3b-zw_ewJ1ddqgTrnc5Lp7aYtJvUMYwsOk4Yi19Pm6OGHnHDGukqWAzM/s1600/Royal-Challengers-Bangalore-RCB-IPL-Team-Logo-Wallpaper.jpg