Deja Vu

"Perhaps, SRK would have been better off to support continuity rather than get mixed up in matters that are alien to him. After all, we are talking about serious, competitive cricket and not some movie shoot." (source)

This is so very similar to what they told him when he delivered PBDHH, the first movie he produced: You're an actor, don't get mixed up with production business since you know nothing about it.

Shah Rukh said he's motivated, not by success, but by failure. I want him to remember that, especially tonight after yet another KKR defeat, this time at the hand of Mumbai Indians (they won by 92 runs). Scorecard can be referred here.

After some thought, I've made up my mind that the match is just a game. Like life is just a game. If life is not going the way I want, I can't commit suicide. The same goes with the match. Just because they're currently on a losing streak, doesn't mean they can give up for the rest of the tournament. After this match, they'll be facing another match, and another, and another... until the round is finished. Next year they'll face another tournament, and the game goes on. As does life.

I've also made up my mind that Shah Rukh will be okay. He was okay all the while I was not around as a fan to support him so what am I worried about? That people will laugh at him when he comes home to India? People have always laughed at others when they're losing, and then come back to lick their asses when they're successful. It's the way of the world. That he's losing fans left and right coz of KKR's unpopular decisions? Fans come and go even without him joining the sports industry. Actually, I left his fandom in 2000 and I came back in 2008, so it's not a big deal for me. And what will my worry benefit him anyway? Nothing. All I can do is wish him all the best, that's it. And that's what I will do...

...as soon as I can get logged into the KKR website. Man, its jammed. I guess everyone's trying to show how important they are by writing "I TOLD YOU SO" messages and unsolicited advices on how to manage a cricket team to Shah Rukh, KKR and the KKR management.

Deccan Chargers won against Mumbai Indians by 12 runs

Deccan Chargers:
Adam Gilchrist c Shah b Bravo 35 (20 balls)
Herschelle Gibbs run out (Bravo/Khan) 58 (44)
Dwayne Smith b Jayasuriya 35 (22)
Rohit Sharma c Dhawan b Bravo 3 (5)
V.V.S. Laxman c Nayar b Bravo 0
Y. Venugopal Rao b Malinga 9 (10)
Ravi Teja lbw b Malinga 9 (9)
Rudra Pratap Singh c Jayasuriya b Harbhajan 4 (4)
Fidel Edwards b Malinga 1 (3)
Pragyan Ojha not out 0 (2)

Extras (b 2, lb 7, w 5) 14

Total (9 wickets in 20 overs): 168

Fall of wickets: 1-63 (Gilchrist, 6.5 overs), 2-124 (Smith, 12.5), 3-136 (Sharma, 14.4), 4-137 (Laxman, 14.6), 5-141 (Gibbs, 15.4), 6-156 (Venugopal Rao, 17.4), 7-161 (Singh, 18.4), 8-163 (Edwards, 19.2), 9-168 (Ravi Teja, 19.6)

Bowling:
Lasith Malinga 4-1-19-3
Zaheer Khan 4-0-32-0
Dwayne Bravo 4-0-34-3
Harbhajan Singh 4-0-27-1
Sanath Jayasuriya 3-0-29-1
Dhawal S Kulkarni 1-0-18-0

Mumbai Indians:
Sanath Jayasuriya c Gilchrist b Singh 1 (8)
Sachin Tendulkar c Gibbs b Ojha 36 (27)
Jean Paul Duminy c Smith b Ojha 47 (40)
Shikhar Dhawan b Ojha 3 (7)
Dwayne Bravo lbw b Edwards 21 (18)
Abhishek Nayar c Gilchrist b Edwards 10 (6)
Harbhajan Singh c Smith b Singh 20 (8)
Zaheer Khan not out 4 (6)
Pinal Shah not out 1 (1)

Extras (lb 6, w 6, nb 1) 13

Total (7 wickets in 20 overs) 156

Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Jayasuriya, 1.4 overs), 2-86 (Tendulkar, 10.5), 3-92 (Dhawan, 12.3), 4-105 (Duminy, 14.3), 5-120 (Nayar, 16.2), 6-144 (Bravo, 18.2), 7-154 (Harbhajan, 19.3)

Bowling:
Fidel Edwards 4-0-27-2
Rudra Pratap Singh 4-0-27-2
Harmeet Singh 1-0-19-0
Dwayne Smith 2-0-15-0
Pragyan Ojha 4-0-21-3
Rohit Sharma 1-0-8-0
Y Venugopal Rao 4-0-33-0

Toss: Deccan Chargers, who chose to bat first

Points: Deccan Chargers 2, Mumbai Indians 0

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and Simon Taufel (Australia)

TV umpire: S.D. Ranade (India)

Match referee: D. Govindjee (South Africa)

Rain plays spoilsport, Mumbai Indians-Rajasthan Royal match abandoned

Source 1, Source 2
April 21st, 2009 DURBAN - Rain played spoilsport Tuesday, forcing the abandonment of the second game between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals at the Kingsmead here. Both teams will get one point each.

Persistent rain forced abandonment of the game between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals here on Tuesday. Not even a single ball could be played due to steady drizzle.

The Mumbai team, after gaining one point from Tuesday’s washed out tie, have moved to the top of the table with three points in their kitty. The Sachin Tendulkar-led side had defeated last year’s runners-up Chennai Super Kings in their opening match on Saturday.

Defending champions Rajasthan, who were crushed by the Royal Challengers, opened their account and stand at number seven in the table.

(Week 1)

Mumbai Indians won!

Well, obviously I dunno how to read the figures but here's me trying on cricket speak: today's match saw Mumbai Indians won against Chennai Super Kings by 19 runs! (link).

I've read comments on loss of support in KKR over the captaincy issue but I always root for underdogs anyway so I'm alright with that. I'm against Shah Rukh's statement that he "would rather try the multiple captain idea and fail". I don't like the fact that the word 'fail' is lingering in his head when it comes to trying this new game plan or gameplay out. New ideas/concepts/theories should always be tried in any field that we're passionate about. Maybe I'm receptive to this because I'm a student researcher and coming up with new stuff is our bread and butter. But really, doing everything by the book may work most times, but then where's the fun in being followers of old traditions in a new game format of Twenty20?

I hope he's inserting the word 'fail' there just to ease the audience's heart, not because he really feels that way. I have a short limit for tolerating failures in others (which strangely doesn't apply to myself XD), so if KKR is still not gaining major grounds this year I know I will completely lose interest in them come next IPL, and continue to be so until they climb to the top spot some day (when?? Why can't it be this year??). I want them to at least make it to the 2009 semi-finals. Is that too much to ask? Surely not. Honestly, I want them to win the championship. And if I feel this way, I know KKR and its owners feel it 10,000 times more acutely than I do.

Other clips I found on IPL 2009:
Short clip of IPL Press Conference
Shah Rukh Khan at IPL Gala Parade - Part 1, Part 2
ipl season 2 kicks off with star studded gala carnival across cape town
IPL 2: The Cricket Carnival - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
IPL 2: Countdown begins!
Bollywood meets cricket as South Africa hosts the IPL
IPL cricketers dance to SA drummers' tunes!
Shah Rukh Khan & Preity Zinta announce Bollywood starlet contest at IPL press event April 17 2009