The Difference Between Men & Babies? 90 Minutes.

The "men" in the semi finals were reduced to mere toddlers in Rome, as Barcelona walked all over a helpless Manchester United side to emerge, deservedly, the Champions of Europe. There's a very fine line between confidence and arrogance, pride and haughtiness, but also a fine divide between champions and runners-up, and United were the latter in all three examples listed above.

Barcelona can thank Arsenal for Manchester United's tactically cavalier approach to the Champions League final, because the two legs of the semi final probably led to the Red Devils overestimating themselves. Patrice Evra's comments after the semi finals were a disgrace, and lacked any respect whatsoever to a team that had beaten United as recently as this season. And it were these comments that reflected an over-confidence of sorts in their dressing room among the players, and the manager.

Chelsea were fantastic against Barca in both legs of the semi finals, and for all the 'anti-football' talk, which I think is pure bollocks, they were the ones who created more chances at Stamford Bridge. In fact, the Catalans didn't even have a single shot on target until Iniesta unleashed his right foot upon West London. The Blues showed just how Barcelona could be stopped, and even put under pressure, at least till before injury time.

To be fair to United, they stuck to their principles in the final, and planned on playing their own game, which they believed was good enough to beat the Spanish champions. In honesty, United's attacking play is good enough to breach Barca's defence, but the individuals that consitute that attack weren't at their best in Rome. Darren Fletcher, it has to be said, was sorely missed. His energy and drive in midfield were the one of the prime reasons Arsenal stood no chance in the semis, and a 36-year-old Ryan Giggs could in no way replace the energy Fletcher brings to the table. Paul Scholes would have probably been the better replacement, as he's a proper central midfielder, and has the ability to control the ball well and retain possession.

The exclusion of Carlos Tevez from United's starting line up has always baffled me. The Argentine is a class act, one who can pressurize defences with his pace and energy, and even though Park ji Sung scored against Arsenal, he's nowhere near Tevez in terms of quality. However, I doubt any of these changes would have changed the final result in any way, because in truth, everyone in the United lineup had an off-day. Ronaldo was utterly wasteful, Rooney was ineffective, whereas Carrick and Anderson were merely steamrolled by Xavi and Iniesta.

The two Spaniards played like artists yesterday, drawing moves with precise brushstrokes, while letting the likes of Eto'o and Messi provide the final touches. Messi wasn't the star-man yesterday, as most news reports are proclaiming, but it was this duo in midfield, which was at the heart of everything good Barca did offensively. Before the final began, the key for United in my opinion was how Carrick would be able to break up Barca's attacks and deal with Xavi and Iniesta, and with that battle being totally one-sided, the match was as good as over.

Also, a word must be said for a largely makeshift defence that the Catalans put out last night. Marquez, Alves, and Abidal were all either injured or suspended for the final, which meant that Pique was partnered by erstwhile midfielder Yaya Toure, resulting in captain Carles Puyol being shifted to right back. Also, Abidal was replaced by 35-year-old Sylvinho, a former Arsenal fullback. However, all four of them dealt with United's attacks superbly, barring the opening seven minutes of the match. Pique, in particular, was immense, clearing any danger immediately in the Barca penalty area. The lad has now won back-to-back Champions League titles. Very few footballers, even those who have gone through their entire careers, can boast of that!

Everyone talks about how Arsenal pass the ball around superbly, and are pretty to watch, but Barcelona have taken that same brand of football many levels higher. The passing is unbelievable, and it's fascinating to watch all these players stay amazingly calm in possession, and choose their next pass carefully. Also, at the same time, they concentrate on the defensive side of their game very seriously, and have a highly capable defence, which doesn't always get the credit it deserves.

In short, teams all around Europe should quickly realize that this Barcelona side means business, and will get even better next year. They are the best team in Europe, and the world, at the moment, and deserved this triumph. Meanwhile, for the team from Old Trafford, it's been a phenomenal season as well, having won three trophies, including the Premiership. Also, this result might go a long way in bringing Fergie's men back to Earth, which seemed necessary in the light of recent events.

For as we've seen, it only takes 90 minutes for "men" to turn into "babies".

IPL: The Unforgettables I

The IPL had it all. Cheerleaders, bollywood music, bollywood superstars, an R&B sensation, corporate hotshots, mystery bloggers, and the small matter of a cricket league. One thing it didn't have, though, was a commentary team who stuck to the basics. Cricket commentary plummetted to new lows in the recently-concluded tournament, with sights never seen before, and some we never hope to witness again!

More than just that, the IPL had its share of unforgettable moments away from the cricketing side of things. Here are ten such incidents, and please add your own through comments!


1) Bruno, The Rugby Star!

In case you don't know who or what Bruno is, just take your memory back to 18th April, the day the IPL began, and the first game between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Still clueless? Hint: He's a dog. Ah! The German Shepherd (That's what he looked like) was the biggest star on Day One of the the 2nd IPL, which otherwise saw slightly one-sided matches and rainy weather.

He wandered onto the pitch early in the first innings and stayed on for what seemed like an eternity, with neither food nor fear luring him away from the playing turf. However, the one lasting memory of the dastardly dog would be that of him getting away just when one of the security guards thought that a tackle would be the best way to get the mutt off the ground! Imagine if Bruno had a rugby ball in his mouth, he wouldn't be caught till he went into touch!

2) LS On The Slide

This definitely is one of the most memorable moments of this IPL, if you managed to catch it live on television. Forty four-year-old Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, or LS, as he had popularly come to be known during WC 2003, climbed up the ladder of an inflatable slide set up for the kids in the crowd, talking to millions of viewers across India through his microphone as he got up. My heart skipped a beat as the skinniest commentator in the world took the plunge and slid down the other side of the structure. But the former India spinner played safe, and made his way down in a RIP position, although the device his earpiece was connected to came out of the back of his shirt midway through his adventure! A classic, and one of those things you would never expect to witness!

3) Was Fake The Real Deal?

The Fake IPL Player blog was a raging success during the tournament, and saw almost 8,000 followers on the site, but who was he? The writer chickened out right at the end, after promising to disclose his identity. What's pretty clear, though, is that he isn't a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad. When he revealed his exact location during KKR's match with Chennai in one of his posts, it was clear that he wasn't a player. Now whether he's a journo who has close ties with someone in the squad, or just an uber-creative cricket freak sitting in India, only time will tell. However, a bug thumbs up to him for some non-stop entertainment. He should really write a book, like he says in his video.

4) Jeremy Coney Does The Cha-Cha!

Firstly, I had very little idea about who Jeremy Coney was, but the man who was commentating in South Africa behaved nothing like a former "Wisden Cricketer of the Year" should. Yes, the IPL is all about cricket-ainment, and I'm all for it to be brutally honest, but a line has to be drawn, maybe till before Coney's feet. The former Kiwi skipper made it up to the stage where the CSK cheerleaders were strutting their stuff, and joined in for one of the most bizarre dance routines you will ever see! To add to his adventures with the Chennai side, he even sang one of the team's slogans from a sheet of paper next to percussionist Sivamani, who slapped his own face constantly to provide the beats!

5) Rudi Better Than Shastri Or Raja

One of the lasting memories of the IPL final was that South African umpire Rudi Koertzen kicked things off by asking the Bullring if they were "ready". And to be honest, his adventure with the microphone went off much better than Ravi Shastri's or Rameez Raja's! Shastri has been an embarrassment at every toss he's overseen since the last IPL, where he's tried everything from "Are you ready?" to "Aaj ki party korbe?" Rameez Raja tried more of the same, but he couldn't even evoke the slightest of responses from the crowd on most occasions, once having to say "They're not so ready at the moment". Koertzen at the toss, please!

6) NO MORE MANDIRA!

Sorry for the caps, but it only signifies how strongly I feel about this. Not even slightly attractive anymore, Mandira Bedi has nothing left to offer on cricket shows. Her stint in '03 was a hit for two main reasons. One, having a woman on the show was an entirely new concept, and that it helped attract male viewers a bit more than Charu Sharma did (!). Two, she was the earnest student of the sport on the show, which helped many female viewers understand the game better. Now, she behaves like an expert herself, and has the interviewing skills of an umbrella. Add to that her flirting with Danny Morrison and Rameez Raja, and we have a repulsive television programme.

7) Give Miss Bollywood A Miss

To be fair to the organizers, this wasn't the worst initiative, but the way they handled it was a little comical. Picking a pretty girl during every match and interviewing her on camera only provides a bit of glamour which all of us love, but making her gyrate in front of the camera for 30 seconds non-stop is plain embarrassing for the poor girl! And what was worse was that the eventual winner looked extremely scary in that fashion show in the closing ceremony!

8) I'd Rather Have Danny Denzongpa

What is it with Kiwi commentators at the IPL? One major reason why commentating standards came down this time was Danny Morrison. The former pacemen is reminiscent of compatriot Ian Smith in his accent and voice, and might be right in a lot of stuff he says about cricket, but most of his energies are focussed on freaky dialogues and acts. The interview with the CSK cheerleader almost on his lap wasn't even funny, and just trivializes everything going on at the IPL. Like the heading says, if entertainment is all that Morrison has to worry about, why not hire Danny Denzongpa? Come on, wouldn't that just be hilarious!

9) Commentary, Brought To You By...

Throughout the IPL, we were subject to an overdose of sponsor-pleasing by the entire commentary team, whether it be thanking the sponsors before every game began, or irritating every viewer so much by calling every darn six a "DLF Maximum", that one wished the batsmen hit only fours. Another low point was every commentator, including the seemingly reluctant Sunil Gavaskar, calling every other wicket a "Citi Moment of Success", which has only resulted in Citibank losing a lot of credibility in the market. The pick of all the comments though, was Robin Jackman describing a dropped catch as "A Citi Moment of Disaster". Ha!

10) Katrina Rules, Even In SA

The closing ceremony was threatening to become one long bore, but just as I was wishing goodbye to the IPL for the final time this year, she came on stage and looked ravishing enough for me to wait on for a little while longer! Although the original version of "Jai Ho" would have been better to dance on, who cares when Katrina's the one gyrating? She was the highlight of a show in which Akon only lip-synced, and Eddie Grant looked more bored than the audience itself. I'm sure the entire Deccan squad would rather have her as their trophy than that piece of monstrosity they were presented by Lalit Modi.

Special Mention...

The entire IPL, like last season, was made just that bit more interesting for me by Super Selector, a fantasy game on the web. And it is this game that made me laugh the hardest during the tournament, when it revealed to me that Sri Lankan fast bowler Dilhara Fernando's full name is "Randi Dilhara Fernando". That's right, that's exactly what it is! I just want to thank the guys at Super Selector for publishing his name in its entirety, which hadn't been done up till now! No offence Dilhara. :-)

IPL Team Of The Season '09

The Deccan Chargers were crowned champions of the 2nd Indian Premier League last night, and deservedly so. The Chargers came back after an embarrassing opening season last year to notch up some memorable performances in South Africa, and completed the dream turnaround by holding their nerve in a tense final in Jo'berg.

One can't help but feel for Bangalore, their skipper Kumble, whose dejected walk back to the pavilion after the final delivery was heartbreaking to see, and owner Vijay Mallya as well, who skipped the most important F1 race of the year to be with this team. However, Gilly's men deserved their victory, as they stayed calm when it mattered, and won all the 50-50 moments when it came to the crunch.

The tournament has seen some brilliant performances with bat and ball, but before I get to my favourite performanced, I've listed my own "IPL Team of the Season '09" below. Go on, have a look, and leave your own team in the comments.

Matthew Hayden (CSK/Aus) - The burly Queenslander was at his imperious best throughout the tournament, and was perhaps why the Chennai Super Kings got as far as they did. The team's middle order didn't perform up to scratch, but Hayden's form made all of that irrelevant. He wore the Orange Cap right through these 6 weeks, even though he played only 12 games in all. How Australia would be wishing he hadn't retired, especially with the Ashes coming up.

Adam Gilchrist (DC/Aus) - It's an all-Aussie opening pair, and one that's won many a match for the Baggy Greens. Gilchrist has done a "Warne", if I may say so, this season. Even though the Chargers have their match-winners, the team had embarrassed itself last year, and it required an entirely new coaching staff, along with the formal declaration of Gilly as captain, to turn it all around. Perhaps the absence of Shahid Afridi also helped (Grin). And as a batsman too, Gilly shone the brightest in his team, with his semi final knock being the innings of the tournament. Also, he is my captain for this XI.

Suresh Raina (CSK/Ind) - If there's one established Indian batsman who has truly done himself any justice with his performances in this IPL, it's Raina. He notched up 434 runs, behind only Hayden, Gilly, and De Villiers, and hence was the highest Indian run-scorer in the tournament. At the same time, he scored all those runs at a highly impressive strike rate of 140, which makes him a perfect No.3 in this team.

AB De Villers (DD/SA) - The Delhi Daredevils' batting order has been something of a mixed bag. Last season, while Sehwag, Gambhir, and to an extent Dhawan were going all guns blazing, De Villiers, Dilshan, Karthik and co struggled. This year, it's the exact opposite, with the South African being their top scorer, with a series of crucial knocks which saved the team from the capital, including the brilliant century, the first of the tournament.

Tillakaratne Dilshan (DD/SL) - I never rated Dilshan too highly before this tournament, but I stand corrected. He and De Villiers's combined for more than 43% of Delhi's runs, and the Sri Lankan looked like a man on a mission whenever he went out to bat. He threw caution to the wind almost all the time, going gung-ho, especially on the off side. If there was one player in the Delhi side who really wanted to win this tournament, it was Dilshan, and it showed on his face and in his body language in every game. He ended up as the Daredevil's second-highest run scorer, and was economical in his bowling as well.

JP Duminy (MI/SA) - One of the rising stars in world cricket, big things were expected of JP Duminy when the Mumbai Indians snapped him up at the 2nd IPL auction for a whopping $950,000 , and he didn't disappoint. He was one of the few expensive players who lived up to their auction price, and scored five fifties in the tournament, along with bowling at an economy rate of 5.31. Andrew Symonds was also a contender for the spot, but Duminy, having played the entire tournament, seemed the better choice.

Irfan Pathan (KXIP/Ind) - Irfan Pathan is a world-class cricketer, more so in T20 cricket. His batting is perfectly suited to the shortest format of the game, and he's developed a knack for picking wickets and keeping his cool when bowling in tight situations. He picked up 17 wickets in all, and scored 196 runs at an average of almost 20, which is commendable for a man coming in at No.7, mostly towards the end-overs.

Pragyan Ojha (DC/Ind) - Ojha's gone from strength to strength since he emerged in this very tournament last year, and should definitely be in India's first XI in the World Twenty20 coming up in England. His run-up and action aren't as smooth as they should be, but it doesn't matter, as he outwits the batsman time again with his variations in flight and pace, and can turn the ball a long way too. He topped it all off with a fine performance in the final, picking three crucial wickets to help his side defend a modest total.

Anil Kumble (RCB/Ind) - It's been one hell of a roller-coaster ride for India's very own Mr.Cricket in the last 6 weeks, which unfortunately ended in heartbreak. The way he led the Bangalore side in the second half of the tournament was admirable, and was probably why the team did start performing well, and even a sterling performance with the ball in the final didn't turn out to be good enough. Even a Hyderabad fan wouldn't have liked to see Apple Crumble lose, but the fact that he could get his side into the final, and complement that with some fine bowling performances, speaks volumes of his talent and character, even at this age.

RP Singh (DC/Ind) - RP Singh is just one of those bowlers who looks like he's got nothing special in his armoury, but manages to pick up bucketfuls of wickets. Ravi Shastri always describes the U.P lad as a "skiddy customer", which is possibly true. He's got that gift of picking up wickets, but he's also added a bit of intelligence to his bowling, which meant that he went for fewer runs per over than last season. Another one who should start every game for India in the upcoming World Cup.

Lasith Malinga (MI/SL) - To be fair, I could have chosen either Nehra or Nannes for this spot, but I've gone for Malinga to lend a bit of variety to the attack, and also for his excellent economy rate. He didn't have the best second half of the tournament, but was phenomenal in the first month, which probably explains why Mumbai's challenge was on course midway through, but petered out towards the end.

Who's Your Daddy Now?

That's what Rahul Gandhi must be wanting to say to the BJP now, isn't it? Forever mocked and ridiculed by his political counterparts, Rahul Gandhi, in most cases, has maintained a dignified silence, and even the rare retort, when used, has been precise and not dramatic in any way. However, his response to the BJP-led NDA on 16th May, 2009 was more dramatic than anything they could ever say. It reads something like this:

UPA - 261, NDA - 159.

The day before counting began, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad came out in front of the press, and declared, with a firm voice and unwavering confidence, that the BJP would emerge to be the single largest party, and the NDA the largest pre-poll alliance. And not only did he just declare it in front of reporters from all over the country, he repeated it louder every time. Apparently, and very strangely, the BJP had done an exit poll of their own, which led him to believe whatever he was mouthing in front of the media.

Twenty four hours later, those statements were made to look as ridiculous as L.K.Advani's face (Sorry I couldn't resist saying that), which we haven't seen since the results came out. Let's call a spade a spade, and unanimously agree that the public has voted for a Congress-led government. Even the most staunch of BJP supporters would agree to that, barring the one or two who tend to be different for the sake of being different. And, as many people have been saying it already, what was more interesting is the number of mini-battles the UPA won all over the country, which helped the result to be what it is.

And by far, the most shocking result among the states this time around, was the one in West Bengal. Bengal has been the left front's bastion for decades, and even in the last LS polls, the left gathered as many as 26 seats, with the current victors Trinamool Congress bagging just one. However, a lot has happened in the last five years, notably Nandigram, which meant that rural Bengal, which was the left's stronghold, was willing to look elsewhere for hope, which the TMC has capitalised on brilliantly. It rode the nationwide pro-congress wave, in the end bagging 19 seats, which along with the Congress' 6, makes it 25 for the UPA, while the left could garner only 15.

Mamata Banerjee has since said that her party isn't interested in ministerial berths, and I hope she's being brutally honest, because this is an oppourtunity of a lifetime for her party to cement their place in West Bengal, especially with the assembly elections coming up in a couple of years. She, her party, and the Congress, must make sure that enough attention is paid to the Bengali's demands so that the left can finally be well and truly driven out of Bengal in another two years.

Moving out of Bengal, the result than stunned almost everyone was Uttar Pradesh, and the fact that the Congress emerged as the second largest party in the state with 21 seats, closely following the Samajwadi Party, who bagged 23. As blared across all news channels for the past few days, the credit for their resurgence in what is technically the most important state in the LS polls, goes to a certain Rahul Gandhi. It was his decision to let the party go it alone in UP, and it was under his leadership that the party worked tirelessly to regain credibility in the state. And he has done it emphatically, against all odds. The best way i can put it is, that the BJP called him a baccha, but he turned out to be sabka baap!

Rahul Gandhi isn't a very good politician, and probably never will be, but in that very sentence lies his USP. The quiet, intellectual scion of the Congress party comes across as an essentially apolitical man, a quality so sought after in politicians by the educated Indian voter. His earnestness, dedication, and sheer honesty as a soldier of the party over the past few years has been inspiring, with the current results being enough to shut every opposition leader's mouth, at least when it comes to him. He has given the Congress party a new face, an element of freshness, and along with Sonia Gandhi, a vision for the future.

And it is his apolitical nature that the Congress is imbibing over the past few years, and especially in the run up to these polls. While the UPA concentrated on national issues during their campaigns and only rarely responded to personal jibes, the BJP went all over the country bad-mouthing Dr.Manmohan Singh, and the entire Gandhi family. The Congress were telling the people why to vote for them, while the BJP were telling the people why NOT to vote for the Congress. They had very little to say about their own vision and plans for the country, and instead, thought that they had found easy prey in the Prime Minister, who had maintained silence throughout the last five years.

Surprisingly,the BJP will never get over Sonia Gandhi. Don't they realize that an anti-Sonia campaign will not work? Five years ago, they kept calling her a foreigner and an Italian, and now they call her the "real" Prime Minister. In my opinion, Sonia Gandhi distances herself from the government, and does so very smartly. She has stayed well in the background right through the government's tenure, and has concentrated on the nitty-gritties of party politics. She is the Congress President, but Manmohan Singh is the Prime Minister, and they have divided their responsibilities very well between themselves.

And even if we believe the BJP, and believe that our Prime Minister hasn't even taken nature's call before a signed permission from Mrs.Gandhi in the last five years, how does that even concern the opposition? What should concern the BJP is national security, the global recession, inflation in food prices, agricultural issues among many others, not the Congress' in-house problems. Manmohan Singh is the best Prime Minister India could have at the moment, and Sonia Gandhi has proved once again, that when it comes to party politics, she has outshone her more experienced counterparts, and has done so without uttering a word.

The Congress has been successful in projecting an apolitical image, an image of humility and stability, while the BJP came off badly as the sore losers, who could talk about nothing else but Manmohan Singh, and his apparent "weakness" as a Prime Minister. Who is a weak Prime Minister? A man who refuses to get drawn into personal arguments? A man who likes to keep quiet and get on with his job? A man who is prepared to let go of his coalition partners for the good of the nation?

It takes great self-control and strength of character to resist the BJP's childish accusations and the Left's arrogance, but Mr.Singh has done it with a lot of grace and dignity. If anything, he has only come to be known as a strong Prime Minister over the past five years, one who is erudite, calm, and honest. He was quiet when the dynamics of coalition politcs demanded so, and was stubborn when his conscience asked him to, like in the case of the nuclear deal.

The BJP need to go back to the drawing board, or, as some experts are saying, need a new drawing board altoghether. The mixed signals from within the party, especially related to Narendra Modi being their next PM candidate, seems to have turned off many voters too, and the party will have to be very careful with how they project Modi over the next 5 years. A change of guard is definitely needed, and the next set of decisions the party takes will be some of the most important decisions it has taken in a long time.

Meanwhile, the stage is set for the Congress party, and make no mistake, the spotlight's entirely on them for the next five years, with no Left Front liable to be blamed for any incident. But if there's a troika I would trust to pull this off, it's the one at the helm of the Congress. The challenge has only begun.

Bowling - Kolkata's Achilles' Heel

The Kolkata Knight Riders have had a catastrophic second season in the Indian Premier League, and that's just me being polite. However, as you already would know, it was a disaster waiting to happen, more than anything else. While the other teams kept a low profile, practiced hard in the nets, and worked out the balance of their side, KKR couldn't even come to a conclusion on who their captain would be. Or did they?

Conspiracy theorists went all over town proclaiming that Brendon McCullum's ascendance to captaincy was pre-planned, and was Buchanan's plan all along. Apparently Ganguly, considered to be "too old" for Twenty20 (Despite being the franchise's top scorer and most economical bowler last season), didn't fit into the big Aussie's scheme of things anymore, and the coach used his multi-captain theory only as a way to soften the blow for Dada, and his infinite fans in Kolkata. The team's preparations, and the cricket side of things, were totally overshadowed by this controversy, and it seems that the team hasn't recovered since, with their only victory being thanks to two English gentleman who have confused spectators like no other over the past decade.

The post-mortem of the outright failure of the most glamourous team in the IPL could go on and on, so I'll cut a long story short and look at a few numbers, and explain why I think Buchanan and co. have left their thinking caps in Australia. Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh's star cricketer, was bought for a whopping $600,000 at the 2nd IPL auction, after a long bidding war with King's XI Punjab, which led people to believe that KKR really wanted this player. Five months on, the Bangla Tiger (Fake IPL Player reference) is yet to make even a single appearance for the team, and is reportedly very frustrated with how things stand at the moment.

Buchanan explained the bowling all-rounder's exclusion as a part of their "batting strategy", as they wanted to strengthen that area of their game. The table speaks for itself when it comes to gauging how much that strategy has actually worked, but not once have Buchanan and his men shown any pro-activeness, creativity, or even an intention of re-thinking their strategy. While KKR's batting has been decent in most games, the team's bowling is, as the English would put it, pure bollocks. I looked up a few numbers, and here are the total number of wickets each team in the IPL has taken thus far. Note that I've discounted all rain-curtailed innings, and that all the stats hence forth are updated up till 13th May.

(Total Wkts, Wkts/Inn)

DD - (64, 7.11)
CSK - (60, 6.66)
RR - (63, 6.3)
DC - (68, 6.18)
MI - (57, 5.7)
KXP - (49, 5.44)
RCB - (48, 4.36)
KKR - (40, 4)

What these numbers do is bring to light one of the main reasons why KKR is playing a rather lonely IPL, with no team even near it in the table, and also why Delhi reign at the top. The Knight Riders have gathered a miserly four wickets per innings in the 10 innings they've bowled, which is why they haven't been able to defend even a single total they've put up on the board. The glaring example of why they're faltering this year was the last game against fellow-strugglers Bangalore, when Shahrukh's men couldn't even defend 173, despite having their opposition on the mat at one stage. "Strike Bowler" Ishant Sharma went for 40 runs in his four overs, including 19 in his last over, which essentially turned the game in favour of the Challengers.

Meanwhile, the batting, which was appalling in a select few games, has been competitive most of the time. KKR have chased only four times this season, beating Punjab once through the D/L Method, losing to the Rajasthan Royals in the Super Over after scoring 150/8 to tie the game, and scoring 95 all out and 139/6 against Mumbai.

While batting first, their scores have been:

101, 123/8, 139/6, 153/3, 154/3, 173/4

Clearly, at least four of those scores are competitive, and in South Africa, defendable. To add to that, I'll also put forth some more numbers. This time, it's the average runs scored by every team when batting:

Runs/Innings

CSK - 166.77
DC - 150.45
DD - 150
KXP - 147.5
MI - 144.2
RCB - 141.54
KKR - 136.33
RR - 130.6


To be honest, this isn't the most accurate of statistics, as the team batting second can only score as much as they're required to, but still, it does give an idea of the fact that batting isn't KKR's biggest weakness. In fact, Semi final contenders and defending champions Rajasthan Royals have managed the feat of finishing below KKR in this table!

Meanwhile, here are the total wickets lost by every team per innings:

(Total Wkts Lost, Wkts Lost/Innings)

DD - (42, 4.66)
CSK - (51, 5.66)
MI - (59, 5.9)
KXP - (61, 6.1)
KKR - (58, 6.44)
DC - (73, 6.63)
RR - (69, 6.9)
RCB - (78, 7.09)

Kolkata find themselves in 5th position in that list, unbelievable for a side so far behind the rest that people forget it's still competing in the tournament! Again, it suggests that the batsmen are showing a lot of responsibility while batting, even though they aren't particularly explosive. But they're still batting out the 20 overs, and putting up competitive scores for their bowlers to defend.

However, the team has faltered repeatedly, due to the lack of penetration in its bowling. This IPL is being touted as the "Bowler's IPL", and the key to winning games, especially when defending a total, is early wickets, which brings me to the biggest difference between KKR and the rest - Wickets taken in the first 6 overs.

Here are the total number of wickets taken by teams during the first 6 overs of the innings:

(Total Wickets taken, Wickets taken/Innings) in first 6 overs.

RR - (24, 2.4)
DD - (17, 1.88)
KXP - (17, 1.88)
DC - (19, 1.73)
CSK - (15, 1.66)
MI - (16, 1.6)
RCB - (14, 1.27)
KKR - (7, 0.7)

This is the most glaring difference between KKR and the rest, and something that should actually convince the coaching staff of the team's bowling deficiencies. After a long time, changes were made in the last game against Bangalore, but they were changes that made no sense whatsoever. The team's highest run-getters, Brad Hodge and Morne Van Wyk, were replaced by David Hussey and Angelo Mathews, whereas Ajantha Mendis came in for Moises Henriques. What happened to Mashrafe Mortaza and Charl Langeveldt? Did Shahrukh pay $600,000 just for someone to warm the bench? With all due respect to Mendis, he's not ideally suited to this form of the game. Even Langeveldt is known to be a superb bowler at the death, and one who is capable of picking up wickets. But the team management continues to make obscure decisions, and prefer someone like Mathews, who could hardly hit the deck with the ball, to a wicket-taking bowler such as Mortaza.

With three games remaining, the least the Kolkata Red Riding Hoods (As one friend calls them) can do is prepare for next year, and gather an idea of what their first XI would look like next season. Also, if Buchanan, who is constantly on his laptop, looks up the numbers (which he ought to), hopefully he'll realize that his so-called strategy is all bogus, and holds no substance.

It might just happen that even after bringing in Mortaza/Langeveldt, KKR lose, as they've got a one heck of a talent for it, but the team needs to show some intent to change things, as nothing has worked up till now, and because the current scenario is only embarrassing the most passionate cricket lovers in the country.

Wake Up, Arsenal.

Also published here.

The Plan

First and foremost, cut costs. How? Well, sell off your more experienced players, even though they're more than capable enough of contributing much to your team. Instead of buying ready replacements, concentrate all your efforts on youth development. Get kids to join the club at the not-so-tender-anymore age of 16 or 17, groom them, and build a team that grows together like a family.

Advantages?

The plan perfectly suits a club short on finances due to the building of a new stadium, and the sales of some players, coupled with the minimal compensation paid for young starlets coming in, helps the finances of the club immensely during the transition. The plan helps builds unity within the players, who know each other well as they grow up together on the pitch, and off it. Also, it means that the club is no longer dependent on transfer windows and big-name signings to succeed.

Disadvantages?

The biggest disadvantage of this plan, is that we don't live in an ideal world. It may have worked in Utopia, but not in the big,bad world that is professional football today. Playing youngsters in all positions on the pitch, when your title rivals are buying seasoned, proven, top-class professionals, is in most cases like fighting a losing battle. Moreover, when you sell literally all of the experienced trophy-winners in your squad, all you are left with is talent and potential, not consistency and performance.

With youth, also comes a little immaturity, and a lot of impatience. Clubs all over Europe are masters at exploiting these very qualites, and lure these starlets with the promise of more money and trophies, a combination that any player will find hard to refuse. All in all, the whole basis of the plan fails, in the sense that it becomes impossible to keep a team which hasn't won anything together, year after year, in search of the elusive cup or league triumph.

Problems Galore...

This season is over for Arsenal. And like last season, it has come to a halt just before the finish line, a season of almosts and near-misses. However, one wouldn't be off the mark when observing that the team under Arsene Wenger has moved backwards this season, as admitted even by Emmanuel Adebayor after the United defeat.

Almost every Arsenal fan at the end of last season believed that this would be their campaign, one where the squad would finally come of age, and deliver the end-result Wenger's plan had envisaged. However, all of that changed during a disastrous off-season for the club, with more players leaving than coming in, and only one of the incoming players ready for first-team action.

Arsene Wenger admitted recently to making mistakes in the transfer window before the season began, and was a rather refreshing change from his usual "the-team-is-very-young" hocus pocus. Wenger was never a great tactician, even during the years Arsenal were winning almost everything in sight, but he more than made up for it with an incredible eye for talent, and a superb brand of football that combined skill, speed, and precision like never before.

However, his tactical failings have become more and more blatant over the years, as his squad is nowhere near as strong as it used to be at the turn of the century to compensate for it. The one-touch quick-passing style during the early 00's has been replaced by a much slower multi-passing game, which is much easier to defend against. Arsenal were known for scoring time and again through classic counter-attacking football, with the ball being played from one end to the other in a matter of seconds, but this aspect of their game as been notoriously absent over the past few years, with most counter-attacks being rather slow, and eventually resulting in the same old short passes outside the penalty area.

The defence remains the team's achilles' heel, though, and Wenger could certainly do worse than call upon one of his former players to help out with the Arsenal backline. Martin Keown did a commendable job in 05-06 to help Arsenal set a defensive record in the Champions League, which guided them to the final, and maybe him, or even Tony Adams, could be brought in to make the defence a bit more mean.

However, the bigger problem seems to be the lack of leadership and ambition at the club. And no, this isn't just referring to the captain on the pitch, but leadership and ambition in the entire squad, coaching staff, and up in the boardroom. Arsenal have very noticeably lowered their standards and expectations in recent times, and when the club chairman comes out and declares that finishing outside the top four is "no disaster", no more words are needed to get the point through. A "successful" season for Arsenal these days seems to be a top four finish, and a couple of decent cup runs which end in the quarters or semis.

It's always advisable to give the manager of a football team a free reign, and let him function without any additional pressure, but it's turning out to have quite the opposite effect at the Emirates, with noone even questioning even a single decision that Arsene Wenger makes. Ever since David Dein left, the Arsenal board has seen many changes, with more board members leaving for reasons yet unknown to the fans. Also, none of the current board understand football and its dynamics as well as Dein did, which enabled a symbiotic relationship between him and Wenger, and propelled the club to great heights.

What it also did was provide Wenger with an alternative view, which is so important for Wenger, whose job can get rather lonesome. Pat Rice has always been a steady and competent No.2, but different times require different solutions, and it seems that a stronger assistant coach, someone who could dare to disagree with Wenger, would help the first team a lot more right now.

The Solution...

One thing is for certain, that Arsenal lack that extra bit of fire, desire, and steel, that takes teams past that final hurdle and makes them champions. And at times, it isn't all dependent on the players. Things are a bit too relaxed and laid-back at the club, and everyone must be put on alert and on his toes, and this starts right at the top, from the chairman, who seems to be in a world of his own.

It would be ideal to get David Dein back, but Hill-Wood's ego will probably not allow for that. In this situation, new CEO Ivan Gazidis must be given a little more power. Wenger should remain the manager of the first team and not more, because his double-role hasn't worked for anyone. Gazidis may have taken on Dein's role, but whether his personality and dynamism can match his predecessor's, remains to be seen. And who knows, maybe the man who brings "change" at Arsenal is Stan Kroenke, who hails from the country that is witnessing "change" every moment with President Obama!

Whoever it may be, Arsenal Football Club needs to be woken up from its slumber. The snoring's becoming too loud to be ignored.

Elections '09: Who's Your Pick?

Politics has always been something that fascinates me immensely, although I've never really done anything more than watch the news on a regular basis. So when I was invited to a BJP event organized by this group called "Friends of BJP", I thought to myself, "why not"?

Before anything else, let me just mention that I'm no BJP supporter. In fact, I'm quite the anti-BJP civilian, who supports the Congress purely because I think they're the best in a bad bunch. But this event was on a smaller scale, with 2-3 Rajya Sabha MPs coming down to give short speeches, and answer a few questions posed by an essentially young audience.

As expected, the MPs went on and on about how the UPA has failed on all fronts, and that the NDA could correct all of that given a chance, which they believe they will. Quite predictable, as that's what they're supposed to do anyway, but I was waiting for the moment when I could ask a question, although I did feel awkward questioning BJP leaders in front of a predominantly BJP-supporting audience, who clapped at various moments during the leaders' speeches.

However, after listening to them harp on about the UPA's failings, the temptation was too much. I wrote down:

"Since you have mentioned terrorist attacks and 26/11, and how the UPA didn't retaliate well enough after it, can I ask you what the BJP would have done in retaliation to 26/11 if it was in power? Also, since you feel that terrorist attacks take place due to lax security, for which the UPA is answerable, can you guarantee that NO terrorist attacks will take place if the NDA forms the government? The NDA's record isn't great either, with incidents like Kargil, Kandahar, and the Parliament attack taking place, among others."

Luckily, they chose to answer my question, but the MP, Pinky Anand, disappointed me and made me realize what I'd forgotten for a while, that they were all politicians in the truest sense. She read out the question as:

"What would you have done in retaliation to 26/11, and can you guarantee no attacks?"

Congratulations Ms/Mrs Anand (I don't know!), for rendering the rather potent question almost toothless!

I hardly listened to her answer, but it was something like "No party can guarantee no attacks. About 26/11, I wont go into what we would have done, but blah blah blah blah blah". She rambled on for the next 2 minutes, talking about POTA among other things, but didn't answer the main question, and yet, managed to garner appreciation in form of a lukewarm applause!

Now that's a politician, I said to myself, and then the age-old realization came back to me, "They're all like that!" But I'll stop right there. Blaming politicians and criticizing them all the livelong day is something I really look down upon, especially when it's said by people not knowing even half the story. If you hate them, and if you want things to change, the least you can do is talk about it, discuss it, and exchange views with people sharing and opposing your beliefs!

As for me, I'm with the Congress in these elections, which means I'll be voting for Trinamool Congress, which in turn means that my vote will be cast in favour of Mamata Banerjee! A shame to tell the truth, but that's the flaw in the parliamentary system, according to me.

Ideally, each individual's vote should be cast in favour of the party you want to form the government, or even the Prime Ministerial candidate, but what happens in India is that people vote for their local candidate, which has resulted in the rise of the regional parties, and the Left winning seats even in LS polls. I choose to vote in favour of the government I want to see at the center, and the PM i want to lead the country.

However, irony might just rear it's head after the results are out, because if the left ends up with the UPA, Mamata and Trinamool will back out, which means my vote didn't go to the UPA at all! That's the "beauty" of the whole political situation in India at the moment, and all it's done is bring my interest in politics to the surface.

Who knows, things might change so much in the next few days that I might vote for the left, so that the UPA can form the government.

Who's your money on? Who do you want to see lead this country? Manmohan Singh, or L.K.Advani? Or even Mayawati?!

Brace yourselves for one hell of a roller-coaster ride in the coming weeks!