Okay, my final prediction came true at least. I dunno why I predicted Hyderabad's gonna win. I just think that Gilchrist's team was gonna come through, and they did!
Anyway, anything that won't make Mallya gloat too much is a plus for me LOL (I'm not so much into the guy for some reason ^^;).
There you go, IPL is finally finished. We didn't get our team to a place where we wanted it to go, but I think it's not just the management and team players who were at fault. The fans were too.
I think icon-worshipping is okay, but really... the fans carried it too far even from before the tournament (remember the burning of Mr B's effigy and SRK's posters?).
I have nothing against Sourav, but to be honest... his fans piss me off (and piss off quite a lot of others too if the discussions in KR website are to be believed).
I know he'd probably make a better captain than Mac and the manner in which he was ousted was terrible, even to a non-cricket savvy fan like me.
But calling yourself a fan and wishing that the team would fail because he's no longer captain? I have never come across this weird sentiment in fans of other teams... or fans of any team in any sports, period.
I understand that they're fans of KR because of Sourav. I'm a fan of KR because of SRK. I get that logic. But I frankly don't understand it when they vehemently screamed for the team to lose while Sourav IS STILL PLAYING! on the side of KR in the XI just coz they didn't get what they wanted (i.e. Sourav re-installed to captaincy). Whaaa...??
I hope those idiots will stand fast by their decisions to abandon the KR ship next year, regardless of whatever fate Sourav will face in the team, and stay firmly away from our team's matches. Their negativity is muchly unneeded in the furiously fast-paced format of Twenty20.
All in all... it's been a good experience following IPL 2. I love the entire IPL sporting environment. For an easily bored person like me, T20 is a nice thing to happen as I only need to follow it for one month.
More than a month, I bet my attention would start straying elsewhere and I'd only be back to following the game once the semis start XD.
So congrats to Hyderabad, and congrats to their fans for having a winning team this year. Hopefully our team gets to meet your team (or any team, really XD) in the final next year.
Showing posts with label ipl 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ipl 2009. Show all posts
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Chennai lost!
I knew it. Someone up there doesn't like my betting streak and is out to get me.
Okay, maybe I don't have the makings of a bookie after all. That's a good thing, on top of not being allowed to gamble, coz I won't be able to fritter my fortune away on IPL ..huh.
Now I dunno who to support. I was gearing myself up to cheer for Delhi coz it's my favourite to win the championship.
Errrr... KR is my team but I only predicted it to go up to the semis. KR is at last place this year but I'm not feeling murderous coz their points = 7 were not so far below the next guy (Mumbai = 11), whereas the difference between that next guy compared to the one above him at the time (Rajasthan = 13). If they had finished the match at points = 3, I'd have thrown pointy things at the KR website.
So what is so awesome about the final that even though my two favourites couldn't make it, I'm still blogging about it here?
It's coz the final is between the two underdogs of IPL 2008! Cool, huh?
Both were at 7th (Bangalore) and 8th (Chennai) last year, and now one of them is gonna win the cup! Proves that it pays to stick to your loyalty with your team all the way through. That means, poster and effigy burning activities are not a requirement for the KR supporters come IPL 3, are you guys listening??
Let's just pray that the KR management and team will improve next year and we can be the next underdog at the top of the IPL pile for 2010.
......................
On the SRK front, there's this hue and cry over his inability to perform at the IPL 2 Grand Finale and supposedly it's bad news to us SRK fans.
I dunno about the non-KR supporters SRK-fans, but I think I speak for a lot of us KR-supporter ones that if he were to go and dance at that party, there'll be some violent outrage from our quarter. It'd be like, "Does he want to make our KR more of a laughingstock than it has been??"
He will go and perform at that finale party when we've got to the semis. Better yet when we've got to the final. And not before. Get that?
......................
Some stuff I want to archive:
Okay, maybe I don't have the makings of a bookie after all. That's a good thing, on top of not being allowed to gamble, coz I won't be able to fritter my fortune away on IPL ..huh.
Now I dunno who to support. I was gearing myself up to cheer for Delhi coz it's my favourite to win the championship.
Errrr... KR is my team but I only predicted it to go up to the semis. KR is at last place this year but I'm not feeling murderous coz their points = 7 were not so far below the next guy (Mumbai = 11), whereas the difference between that next guy compared to the one above him at the time (Rajasthan = 13). If they had finished the match at points = 3, I'd have thrown pointy things at the KR website.
So what is so awesome about the final that even though my two favourites couldn't make it, I'm still blogging about it here?
It's coz the final is between the two underdogs of IPL 2008! Cool, huh?
Both were at 7th (Bangalore) and 8th (Chennai) last year, and now one of them is gonna win the cup! Proves that it pays to stick to your loyalty with your team all the way through. That means, poster and effigy burning activities are not a requirement for the KR supporters come IPL 3, are you guys listening??
Let's just pray that the KR management and team will improve next year and we can be the next underdog at the top of the IPL pile for 2010.
......................
On the SRK front, there's this hue and cry over his inability to perform at the IPL 2 Grand Finale and supposedly it's bad news to us SRK fans.
I dunno about the non-KR supporters SRK-fans, but I think I speak for a lot of us KR-supporter ones that if he were to go and dance at that party, there'll be some violent outrage from our quarter. It'd be like, "Does he want to make our KR more of a laughingstock than it has been??"
He will go and perform at that finale party when we've got to the semis. Better yet when we've got to the final. And not before. Get that?
......................
Some stuff I want to archive:
- Lalit Modi is as gung-ho and ambitious as ever. Read this as it might well be life-altering for the cricket fans around the world, esp in India where it's been said to be a religion
- What is the "The Warne" style of captaincy ?
- This is for the Indian fans who are left wondering whether IPL will become a wandering nomad or stay rooted in India
- Ha! Before this, a lot of people gave Mr B flak for daring to suggest that the foreign players be increased in IPL. Now the bulbs have lighted in several heads as well. It's true what they say, losers don't get to write history.
- A prediction came true for Gilchrist: 'We will win by six wickets.'
- Oy, somebody? Please have some sense and listen to this guy. No more crazy ideas that are not based on solid argument for next year, comprende?
"I think it was going to be tough for me to take the captaincy being an all-rounder -- especially after opening the batting, opening the bowling, and worrying about the fielding. To have the added burden of captaincy as well would have been hard on me. I don't think it would have been fair on me or the team. For Kumble it was a lot easier to lead the team as a bowler. He had an added advantage of being an Indian. He knows most of the players well and that makes his job easier. I think right choice was made. I was totally happy with that," Kallis told iplt20.com in an exclusive interview.
Friday, May 22, 2009
What??
Delhi lost!?! *throws off hat in tantrum*
Okay, maybe I should limit my career in the betting business to the semis stage... huh.
It's a good thing my religion does not allow me to gamble, otherwise I would have staked quite a lot of dough on Delhi. I really believed it was gonna win the championship. What happened? Adam Gilchrist, that's what.
If this is how it goes, perhaps Bangalore's gonna win against Chennai just to spite me.
I am one very unhappy dudette today.
Okay, maybe I should limit my career in the betting business to the semis stage... huh.
It's a good thing my religion does not allow me to gamble, otherwise I would have staked quite a lot of dough on Delhi. I really believed it was gonna win the championship. What happened? Adam Gilchrist, that's what.
If this is how it goes, perhaps Bangalore's gonna win against Chennai just to spite me.
I am one very unhappy dudette today.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Knight Riders' last match
Scorecard
THEY WON AGAIN!!!
Why now? Why not last week?? Heck, why not after the 6th match? That would have been the perfect timing for a straight win like this. I know I should just be thankful to God for the win, but what can I do? My heart is not logical.
It's a mixed feeling. I'm ecstatic. I've been screaming the house down in happiness. But at the same time I feel cheated. I feel like kicking the wall or smashing some crockery on someone's head... preferably Mr B's, with some target practice on a number of his useless butt kissers (read: assistants), but they're thousands of miles away from me right now.
Next time, if a coach or a captain were to raise a hare brain idea like multiple captaincy or changing captain at the last minute, I'd like to see the owners shredding that worthless proposal to smithereens or at the very least, no comment from Shah Rukh in support of the issue ...or I'd smash some crockery on HIS head. Errrr... I'm sorry Datuk, no disrespect intended. It's a 'heat of the moment' thing.
It feels weird to want to smash some crockery on Shah Rukh's head, when mostly it's for making himself the target of so much frustration and hatred by so many unreasonable people. If I read one more comment on how he's responsible for KR's dismal show now that the game is over for them, I think I'd punch my monitor XD.
To me and thousands (millions?) of other fans, what Mr B did has disturbed the balance of the team. This is what could have been had it not been for his untimely interruption ...maybe, I dunno. I'm happy, but I'm angry as well. If a team can still make you feel like this after losing so many games, then by God... it's a good team.
You guys had better get to the semis next year, or else...!!!
I'm also feeling sad because there's no more match to follow after this. I think I can safely say also that this blog will be a bit neglected from now on (to be updated weekly, most probably) coz:
THEY WON AGAIN!!!
Why now? Why not last week?? Heck, why not after the 6th match? That would have been the perfect timing for a straight win like this. I know I should just be thankful to God for the win, but what can I do? My heart is not logical.
It's a mixed feeling. I'm ecstatic. I've been screaming the house down in happiness. But at the same time I feel cheated. I feel like kicking the wall or smashing some crockery on someone's head... preferably Mr B's, with some target practice on a number of his useless butt kissers (read: assistants), but they're thousands of miles away from me right now.
Next time, if a coach or a captain were to raise a hare brain idea like multiple captaincy or changing captain at the last minute, I'd like to see the owners shredding that worthless proposal to smithereens or at the very least, no comment from Shah Rukh in support of the issue ...or I'd smash some crockery on HIS head. Errrr... I'm sorry Datuk, no disrespect intended. It's a 'heat of the moment' thing.
It feels weird to want to smash some crockery on Shah Rukh's head, when mostly it's for making himself the target of so much frustration and hatred by so many unreasonable people. If I read one more comment on how he's responsible for KR's dismal show now that the game is over for them, I think I'd punch my monitor XD.
To me and thousands (millions?) of other fans, what Mr B did has disturbed the balance of the team. This is what could have been had it not been for his untimely interruption ...maybe, I dunno. I'm happy, but I'm angry as well. If a team can still make you feel like this after losing so many games, then by God... it's a good team.
You guys had better get to the semis next year, or else...!!!
I'm also feeling sad because there's no more match to follow after this. I think I can safely say also that this blog will be a bit neglected from now on (to be updated weekly, most probably) coz:
- Tonight is the last match for KR
- Shah Rukh is MIA due to his many shooting schedules (don't disturb him, you gossip-mongering journalists! I want his films to be released on time so I don't mind not having his mug plastered on the front pages every 2 days)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Man, you gotta upload that video at the KR website! LOL
Source: KKR players get stuck in lift after CSK win
Centurion, May 19 (PTI) As skipper Brendon McCullum put it once, something or the other keeps going haywire for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Savouring their first win in nine Indian Premier League matches, some of the team's members, including former skipper Sourav Ganguly, were stuck in a lift for more than 15 minutes.
A technical snag left a few members of the side inside the hotel lift even as their coach John Buchanan mischievously captured their anxious moments on a handy cam.
The tournament-laggards, owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, have nothing but pride to play for in the remainder of the Twenty20 event.
They had earlier earned the dubious distinction of losing eight matches on the trot. PTI
Centurion, May 19 (PTI) As skipper Brendon McCullum put it once, something or the other keeps going haywire for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Savouring their first win in nine Indian Premier League matches, some of the team's members, including former skipper Sourav Ganguly, were stuck in a lift for more than 15 minutes.
A technical snag left a few members of the side inside the hotel lift even as their coach John Buchanan mischievously captured their anxious moments on a handy cam.
The tournament-laggards, owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, have nothing but pride to play for in the remainder of the Twenty20 event.
They had earlier earned the dubious distinction of losing eight matches on the trot. PTI
Monday, May 18, 2009
What the hell.. they won!
I am speechless...
THEY WON! THEY WON! THEY WON!
Okay, it's a good thing that I'm in my laboratory garb right now and surrounded by dangerous chemicals or I would have danced around the place like a maniac.
I was just feeling blegh yesterday, thinking.. this blog is going to be abandoned for quite sometime now coz with KR not doing so good at IPL 2 and Shah Rukh going AWOL, I just didn't have the mood to blog. And then this happened.
This is taking awhile to sink in. Excuse me while I go roam about the net and see what else I can dig out.
EDIT:
I see a lot of people are quite vocal about their support for the Aussie captain over at KR website now. Where were they when the team was suffering?
Anyway, some are despairing over fans criticizing Sourav. I say... all's fair in war and sports. You guys should have followed baseball in America. It's really a circus compared to cricket in India. Relax. The supply of idiots in this world is never-ending, accept that and move on.
Now that KR has 'officially' won its first match, I can understand the joy of supporting a team in a tournament. I abandoned caution and jumped about in front of the fume hood just now (no one was around... I checked).
Happy, happy... I'm happy. Even though I'm happy, I'm still wary of being optimistic for the next and last match. I just want them to go and play to win, that's all. I'll leave the result to God.
Friday, May 15, 2009
SRK is to be blamed for everything?
Source
P.Chakraborty,Ludhiana,says:What rubbish is going on? Mr. Khan now its your time to do something.[12 May, 2009 1302 hrs IST]
paul,bangalore,says:SRK, we do not care if your team wins or loses. But we care for the Indian players who are getting abused by the Aussie gang. Your popularity is already melting; and it will be good idea that you take some action now. [12 May, 2009 1220 hrs IST]
Gautam Gualti,adipur,says:Shame on SRK for letting this happen. He should immediately sack all foreign coaches.[12 May, 2009 1219 hrs IST]
Mohd Munaf,Pune,says:Here, I give a great console to SRK and his team. I am a huge fan of SRK so do not want to see him upset. His team should have perfomed as a topper in this tournament. Because there is a very smart person, Sourav Ganguly, who has not been given the chance to lead the team. Because of the waste coach John Buchanan. I do not understand why SRK is giving so much importance to Buchanan.[12 May, 2009 1120 hrs IST]
rabindranath bhattacharya,chennai ,says:Buchanan's multi captain theory was useless as pointed out by Gavaskar and he is to be sacked if KRK is to survive .We still have the mentality of slaves when we face a white person and Saurav proved it otherwise and there lies his fault. What about SRK? He being the owner does not seem to have guts to take action. [12 May, 2009 1109 hrs IST]
Sneha,Delhi,says:This is utter disgusting and racist. Aussies are know for their haughty and racist attitude especially towards Asians. This must stop. SRK cannot lay low now and ignore these irritations. He has been acting spineless till now bringing shame not only to him but India as a whole besides KKR. The KKR foreign management staff must be sacked with immediate effect- no diplomacy required.[12 May, 2009 1109 hrs IST]
Santosh,Mysore,says:SRK should take responsibility for all the things that have taken place.[12 May, 2009 1102 hrs IST]
Next they'll be blaming him for famine, flood and bad weather. I've read of movie stars being treated like Gods in India and temples erected to perform pooja for SRK (despite the fact that he's a muslim ^^;) so probably in a way, it's quite a compliment ..him being blamed for everything wrong with KR in IPL as if he were some magnanimous God who could allow miracles to happen. But this is starting to look ridiculous, to an outsider at least.
Lemme tell ya, KR is not only owned by SRK. It's co-owned. And it resides under the banner of Red Chillies Entertainment so any decisions must be discussed with everyone who's involved. There're also many sponsors who have signed agreements under terms we don't know, which affect any decision the owners take. What's wrong with being calm-headed and waiting until the tournament is over to take stock of everything instead of going on a rampage and suspending/sacking everyone who was allegedly responsible for the catastrophe now? Please enlighten me as to how the latter will impact the team brand in a more positive way.
I've read so many comments from so many quarters now that I'm convinced these people suffer from acute schizophrenia. They want SRK to take charge ...they don't want SRK to take charge. They want SRK to be there in SA until the end of the tournament ...they want SRK to go back to India and not to show his face anymore in the stadium. They want SRK to sack Mr B + the coaching staff and get Sourav back to captaincy ...they don't want SRK to get involved in deciding anything regarding team composition. They say he knows nothing about cricket ...they blame him for all the cricketing decisions taken by the team. They're angry when he appears on TV/newspapers to talk about KR and IPL ...they're angry that he's laying low and not commenting on everything pertaining to the issue of why KR has not been performing in IPL. They say he's clueless about anything that happens in the team ...and now they're blaming him for 'allowing' his Aussie staff to be racists even while he's sulking back home with no access to their dressing room.
Come on guys, I read Fake IPL Player's blog too. I know where this 'fact' comes from, despite former India player Ajay Jadeja vehemently insisting that he had the information from players themselves (why do these legendary and esteemed cricket ex-players always target KR as their platform to speak about IPL when there're seven other teams available too?). Is Mr Jadeja a closet follower of FIP?
You believe everything you read on the net even though it's written by an anonymous blogger? If I say I'm a 40 year old businessman who actually has a small stake in one of the teams making up IPL, which is why I've been blogging continuously about the tournament (by the way, I usually dictate to my SRK-obsessed secretary what to write in this blog coz I don't have time to do the posts myself) ...you'd also swallow it whole? You don't believe people so easily off the net, why are you so gullible online? If he'd interfered with the team, you'd liken him to Vijay Mallya and accuse him of caring only about money and nothing about cricket, etc etc. ad nauseam. Your logic is warped and you want the people at Red Chillies Ent to accept your 'brilliant' advices and make decisions based on them? You guys are funny.
Have a bash wasting your time with the blame game. We'll 'see' each other again on the internet for IPL 3 next year. Ja!
P.Chakraborty,Ludhiana,says:What rubbish is going on? Mr. Khan now its your time to do something.[12 May, 2009 1302 hrs IST]
paul,bangalore,says:SRK, we do not care if your team wins or loses. But we care for the Indian players who are getting abused by the Aussie gang. Your popularity is already melting; and it will be good idea that you take some action now. [12 May, 2009 1220 hrs IST]
Gautam Gualti,adipur,says:Shame on SRK for letting this happen. He should immediately sack all foreign coaches.[12 May, 2009 1219 hrs IST]
Mohd Munaf,Pune,says:Here, I give a great console to SRK and his team. I am a huge fan of SRK so do not want to see him upset. His team should have perfomed as a topper in this tournament. Because there is a very smart person, Sourav Ganguly, who has not been given the chance to lead the team. Because of the waste coach John Buchanan. I do not understand why SRK is giving so much importance to Buchanan.[12 May, 2009 1120 hrs IST]
rabindranath bhattacharya,chennai ,says:Buchanan's multi captain theory was useless as pointed out by Gavaskar and he is to be sacked if KRK is to survive .We still have the mentality of slaves when we face a white person and Saurav proved it otherwise and there lies his fault. What about SRK? He being the owner does not seem to have guts to take action. [12 May, 2009 1109 hrs IST]
Sneha,Delhi,says:This is utter disgusting and racist. Aussies are know for their haughty and racist attitude especially towards Asians. This must stop. SRK cannot lay low now and ignore these irritations. He has been acting spineless till now bringing shame not only to him but India as a whole besides KKR. The KKR foreign management staff must be sacked with immediate effect- no diplomacy required.[12 May, 2009 1109 hrs IST]
Santosh,Mysore,says:SRK should take responsibility for all the things that have taken place.[12 May, 2009 1102 hrs IST]
Next they'll be blaming him for famine, flood and bad weather. I've read of movie stars being treated like Gods in India and temples erected to perform pooja for SRK (despite the fact that he's a muslim ^^;) so probably in a way, it's quite a compliment ..him being blamed for everything wrong with KR in IPL as if he were some magnanimous God who could allow miracles to happen. But this is starting to look ridiculous, to an outsider at least.
Lemme tell ya, KR is not only owned by SRK. It's co-owned. And it resides under the banner of Red Chillies Entertainment so any decisions must be discussed with everyone who's involved. There're also many sponsors who have signed agreements under terms we don't know, which affect any decision the owners take. What's wrong with being calm-headed and waiting until the tournament is over to take stock of everything instead of going on a rampage and suspending/sacking everyone who was allegedly responsible for the catastrophe now? Please enlighten me as to how the latter will impact the team brand in a more positive way.
I've read so many comments from so many quarters now that I'm convinced these people suffer from acute schizophrenia. They want SRK to take charge ...they don't want SRK to take charge. They want SRK to be there in SA until the end of the tournament ...they want SRK to go back to India and not to show his face anymore in the stadium. They want SRK to sack Mr B + the coaching staff and get Sourav back to captaincy ...they don't want SRK to get involved in deciding anything regarding team composition. They say he knows nothing about cricket ...they blame him for all the cricketing decisions taken by the team. They're angry when he appears on TV/newspapers to talk about KR and IPL ...they're angry that he's laying low and not commenting on everything pertaining to the issue of why KR has not been performing in IPL. They say he's clueless about anything that happens in the team ...and now they're blaming him for 'allowing' his Aussie staff to be racists even while he's sulking back home with no access to their dressing room.
Come on guys, I read Fake IPL Player's blog too. I know where this 'fact' comes from, despite former India player Ajay Jadeja vehemently insisting that he had the information from players themselves (why do these legendary and esteemed cricket ex-players always target KR as their platform to speak about IPL when there're seven other teams available too?). Is Mr Jadeja a closet follower of FIP?
You believe everything you read on the net even though it's written by an anonymous blogger? If I say I'm a 40 year old businessman who actually has a small stake in one of the teams making up IPL, which is why I've been blogging continuously about the tournament (by the way, I usually dictate to my SRK-obsessed secretary what to write in this blog coz I don't have time to do the posts myself) ...you'd also swallow it whole? You don't believe people so easily off the net, why are you so gullible online? If he'd interfered with the team, you'd liken him to Vijay Mallya and accuse him of caring only about money and nothing about cricket, etc etc. ad nauseam. Your logic is warped and you want the people at Red Chillies Ent to accept your 'brilliant' advices and make decisions based on them? You guys are funny.
Have a bash wasting your time with the blame game. We'll 'see' each other again on the internet for IPL 3 next year. Ja!
Oh?
I did wonder why Steve Waugh was suddenly so chatty about KR. But that's not the main point of this post.
I just want to say... bloody hell, there're too many yappers in KR, that's for sure. They yap worse than my aunts. Who are all these frigging sources anyway? Don't we have enough 'sources' from the FIP already? If there's anything official, dudes... I suggest you wait until the management issues the statements in a press conference. Or, don't use the anonymous 'sources closely related to the Knight Riders' tag. Why bother giving all these juicy bits if you can't get your 15 minutes of fame? Idiots.
Which is what I want to suggest to the FIP as well. Why expose yourself in your 'FAKE' blog? Why not call up a press conference and create a whole new drama? God knows the desperate journos covering the IPL can't get enough of it.
I bet he can get a book deal. Maybe I should go to his blog later and suggest it. His two-day posting schedule is today. I wonder if he'd read my comment. I suggested something to him earlier but the suggestion wasn't taken up. I was so disappointed coz I thought he'd mention my name in his next post. Shucks, there goes my chance to be famous on the internet. Oh, and I voted in the poll too. Not that new longishly freaky one adorning the page now, the first one. I ticked the last option.
I intensely dislike incompetent people who talk too much. I feel like telling the noisy team members to shut the frell up and leave SA so the lot of them unenthusiastic players and staff can be axed and done with. Meh.
On another turf, someone has gone and done a study on the relationship between the celebrity status of the owner of an IPL team and its performance. Wow. Maybe Amitabh Bacchan was right on the money about wanting to be a journalist. If this is journalism, then anyone can do it, even a movie star. I too have a lot of relationship theories pertaining to anything and everything. Maybe I can also get paid if I write articles about them and send them to the paper.
PS: Something is not quite right with the comment display in his blog. I'll try again later lah. The deadline is 18th, right?
I just want to say... bloody hell, there're too many yappers in KR, that's for sure. They yap worse than my aunts. Who are all these frigging sources anyway? Don't we have enough 'sources' from the FIP already? If there's anything official, dudes... I suggest you wait until the management issues the statements in a press conference. Or, don't use the anonymous 'sources closely related to the Knight Riders' tag. Why bother giving all these juicy bits if you can't get your 15 minutes of fame? Idiots.
Which is what I want to suggest to the FIP as well. Why expose yourself in your 'FAKE' blog? Why not call up a press conference and create a whole new drama? God knows the desperate journos covering the IPL can't get enough of it.
I bet he can get a book deal. Maybe I should go to his blog later and suggest it. His two-day posting schedule is today. I wonder if he'd read my comment. I suggested something to him earlier but the suggestion wasn't taken up. I was so disappointed coz I thought he'd mention my name in his next post. Shucks, there goes my chance to be famous on the internet. Oh, and I voted in the poll too. Not that new longishly freaky one adorning the page now, the first one. I ticked the last option.
I intensely dislike incompetent people who talk too much. I feel like telling the noisy team members to shut the frell up and leave SA so the lot of them unenthusiastic players and staff can be axed and done with. Meh.
On another turf, someone has gone and done a study on the relationship between the celebrity status of the owner of an IPL team and its performance. Wow. Maybe Amitabh Bacchan was right on the money about wanting to be a journalist. If this is journalism, then anyone can do it, even a movie star. I too have a lot of relationship theories pertaining to anything and everything. Maybe I can also get paid if I write articles about them and send them to the paper.
PS: Something is not quite right with the comment display in his blog. I'll try again later lah. The deadline is 18th, right?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
I'm depressed...
I've been reading Fake IPL Player (or FIP)'s blog regularly ever since I read it the first time last week. He always writes every 2 days so I know when to look up for new posts.
I don't mind what he writes. In fact, sometimes his posts give me hope on the future of the team when I thought all hopes are lost. Yeah, I find silver linings everywhere.. hmm. I'm such a positive person.
What depresses me are the comments. Most are anonymous, obviously. I wonder why they don't sign their comments with their Google IDs. There're more than 6000 FIP followers and you're telling me none of the anonymous comments was made by any of them? I wonder if they'd write what they wrote if they'd signed it with their ID. Bloody cowards.
I don't think of FIP as a coward XD. I think of him as a spy. Would a spy reveal his identity before his mission is completed? Of course not. That he's avoided detection for this long and continued to deliver his post after every match... how to say this without earning my fellow SRK-fans' wrath... mmm, it's like admiring an Inland Taipan. You know it's deadly, but oh... look at that lovely colour! You can't help being mesmerized.
I dunno what to believe, or who to believe. But in my humble opinion, if Shah Rukh wants his team to succeed next year, he doesn't just have to change the whole facets of KR, but he also has to change the face of KR. As long as it's Shah Rukh's face that's plastered on any KR-related items, promo, God-knows-what-else ...the ugly memory of IPL 2 will rear its head again in the mind of all cricket fans and followers. Not to mention, this weird almost-destructive frenzy that always grips the Indian media when they're in Shah Rukh's presence (when they interviewed him during the election, they trampled each other to get to him), whether it be virtual or physical.
I love Shah Rukh and I'm his fan, but hey... sports is sports, and if I want to invest this much and more energy in supporting the Knight Riders next year, there's no frigging way I'm going to jump into this much muck with my eyes open. RC Ent had better clean up everything right away if they want to have a chance in hell to make a difference with the team for next year.
Why do I still want to root for KR after this year's debacle? Well, I like what Shah Rukh is trying to achieve with the team (I'm one of those people who bothered to dig out his KR-related interviews) even though he failed spectacularly this year. I want to see whether the things he wants to accomplish are really doable or not.
Anyway, the other choices are those corporate types (...eeek!) and Bollywood babes. As much as I love beautiful women, I don't swing that way coz it's not allowed in my religion... nothing to do with discriminating females in cricket at all, no no. After all, I'm a female too.
Plus, Shah Rukh is a Datuk in my country, a title conferred by my birth state. Supporting a team he co-owns makes perfect patriotic sense. It's almost as if I were cheering for my own state team in the Indian Premiere League. Cool, huh? Now if only the team would start winning, then all will be alright with my world.
Other than that, the only reason why I support underdogs is because when they finally win, I want to be able to say that I've been with them from the beginning... ha!
I don't mind what he writes. In fact, sometimes his posts give me hope on the future of the team when I thought all hopes are lost. Yeah, I find silver linings everywhere.. hmm. I'm such a positive person.
What depresses me are the comments. Most are anonymous, obviously. I wonder why they don't sign their comments with their Google IDs. There're more than 6000 FIP followers and you're telling me none of the anonymous comments was made by any of them? I wonder if they'd write what they wrote if they'd signed it with their ID. Bloody cowards.
I don't think of FIP as a coward XD. I think of him as a spy. Would a spy reveal his identity before his mission is completed? Of course not. That he's avoided detection for this long and continued to deliver his post after every match... how to say this without earning my fellow SRK-fans' wrath... mmm, it's like admiring an Inland Taipan. You know it's deadly, but oh... look at that lovely colour! You can't help being mesmerized.
I dunno what to believe, or who to believe. But in my humble opinion, if Shah Rukh wants his team to succeed next year, he doesn't just have to change the whole facets of KR, but he also has to change the face of KR. As long as it's Shah Rukh's face that's plastered on any KR-related items, promo, God-knows-what-else ...the ugly memory of IPL 2 will rear its head again in the mind of all cricket fans and followers. Not to mention, this weird almost-destructive frenzy that always grips the Indian media when they're in Shah Rukh's presence (when they interviewed him during the election, they trampled each other to get to him), whether it be virtual or physical.
I love Shah Rukh and I'm his fan, but hey... sports is sports, and if I want to invest this much and more energy in supporting the Knight Riders next year, there's no frigging way I'm going to jump into this much muck with my eyes open. RC Ent had better clean up everything right away if they want to have a chance in hell to make a difference with the team for next year.
Why do I still want to root for KR after this year's debacle? Well, I like what Shah Rukh is trying to achieve with the team (I'm one of those people who bothered to dig out his KR-related interviews) even though he failed spectacularly this year. I want to see whether the things he wants to accomplish are really doable or not.
Anyway, the other choices are those corporate types (...eeek!) and Bollywood babes. As much as I love beautiful women, I don't swing that way coz it's not allowed in my religion... nothing to do with discriminating females in cricket at all, no no. After all, I'm a female too.
Plus, Shah Rukh is a Datuk in my country, a title conferred by my birth state. Supporting a team he co-owns makes perfect patriotic sense. It's almost as if I were cheering for my own state team in the Indian Premiere League. Cool, huh? Now if only the team would start winning, then all will be alright with my world.
Other than that, the only reason why I support underdogs is because when they finally win, I want to be able to say that I've been with them from the beginning... ha!
My comment to Mr. Vivek
(link)
O God. What more do you guys want? The team is already down so what's the point with dragging it into further controversies? Do you hate SRK so much that you want to tear his team apart like this? You're just inflaming the Indian fans against the Knight Riders and I think what you're doing is evil. I don't get why you're doing this but please stop.
Before this I thought I was just being paranoid, but now I seriously think that the Indian media is trying to tear apart this team and they're not gonna stop until Shah Rukh sells it off. And even if Shah Rukh were to sell it, I doubt they're gonna let the matter rest. They're like some savage hungry dogs who've got their jaws and paws on a juicy bone.
I'm not worried about Shah Rukh, he's faced worst things than this in the course of his 2-decades career. But I think it's really unfair on the guys in the team who're just trying their best to play their game. Are these journalists trying to tell us that no matter how bad or good the guys are on the XI, their effort will just be ignored in favour of this sort of controversies because one of their team owners is Shah Rukh Khan?
This is the first time I've come across such perversion in the media first hand. I've always heard it before but I've never had the 'priveleige' of witnessing it as it's unfolding. These evil people scare me. I'm so glad I've never wanted to be a journalist (unlike some people).
O God. What more do you guys want? The team is already down so what's the point with dragging it into further controversies? Do you hate SRK so much that you want to tear his team apart like this? You're just inflaming the Indian fans against the Knight Riders and I think what you're doing is evil. I don't get why you're doing this but please stop.
Before this I thought I was just being paranoid, but now I seriously think that the Indian media is trying to tear apart this team and they're not gonna stop until Shah Rukh sells it off. And even if Shah Rukh were to sell it, I doubt they're gonna let the matter rest. They're like some savage hungry dogs who've got their jaws and paws on a juicy bone.
I'm not worried about Shah Rukh, he's faced worst things than this in the course of his 2-decades career. But I think it's really unfair on the guys in the team who're just trying their best to play their game. Are these journalists trying to tell us that no matter how bad or good the guys are on the XI, their effort will just be ignored in favour of this sort of controversies because one of their team owners is Shah Rukh Khan?
This is the first time I've come across such perversion in the media first hand. I've always heard it before but I've never had the 'priveleige' of witnessing it as it's unfolding. These evil people scare me. I'm so glad I've never wanted to be a journalist (unlike some people).
Who are we supposed to believe? The media, the esteemed outsiders, the senior KR players or the Fake IPL blogger?
Source
KKR racial slur never happened
KKR racial slur never happened
espnstar.com has come to know that the alleged racist comment between a coach and a player in the KKR camp never happened.
By Shikha Sachdeva
According to sources in the camp it was just a heated exchange which has been misreported in certain sections of the media.
At least two senior players of the Shah Rukh Khan owned franchisee told espnstar.com that the allegations are "not true".
"I was there when the incident took place. It didn't involve John Buchanan but someone else from the support staff and a senior India cricketer," said one of the players on condition of anonymity.
espnstar.com has learnt that the incident took place on March 23rd when Kolkata Knight Riders were playing an IPL game against the defending champions Rajasthan Royals in Cape Town.
The flare up happened between a senior Indian player and one of the assistant coaches of KKR and there was nothing racist about it.
"I was there when the incident took place near the super over stage of the game. The coach told the player to whatever he is told to do and there was no mention of ‘you Indian' etc," said a member of the KKR who incidentally is of Indian origin.
The whole incident was highlighted when former India captain Ajay Jadeja told a news channel that more than one member of the KKR team has told him that they are being racially abused by the support staff of the team which largely comprises Australians.
The former Test cricketer made a sensational claim by hinting that a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders' foreign coaching staff had racial overtones to his language used for an Indian player during the tournament.
Jadeja said in a TV programme that Indian players were being ill-treated in their own domestic IPL, which has not seen the Kolkata team winning barring in one match where they triumphed via Duckworth-Lewis method.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
I'm at a loss for words...
Predictably, KR lost again by 6 wickets to Bangalore (source). Why predictably? Because I could sense that the only team KR felt as if they had a fighting chance with, and could probably win against, in IPL 2 is Punjab. And that chance was loooooong gone.
Looking back at my previous posts, I think I have the makings of a bookie. Even without watching the game and knowing how the game works, I managed to predict that Chennai and Delhi are going to be the top two teams even while Deccan was having a good run on the playing XI at the time. It's a good thing that gambling is not allowed in my religion or I could have raked in some dirty money by now XD.
The one I didn't predict was Rajasthan, although I did think it's gonna be one of the contenders for the top four positions. But I still think it'll be Chennai and Delhi in the final. Hmmm, we'll see what happens at the semis.
Looking back at my previous posts, I think I have the makings of a bookie. Even without watching the game and knowing how the game works, I managed to predict that Chennai and Delhi are going to be the top two teams even while Deccan was having a good run on the playing XI at the time. It's a good thing that gambling is not allowed in my religion or I could have raked in some dirty money by now XD.
The one I didn't predict was Rajasthan, although I did think it's gonna be one of the contenders for the top four positions. But I still think it'll be Chennai and Delhi in the final. Hmmm, we'll see what happens at the semis.
Monday, May 11, 2009
I like this article...
Source
Saturday May 02, 2009
There are matches every team loses. And there are games every team wins. But when you start losing every match that you were close to winning, then you are in deep, deep trouble. Which is why Kolkata Knight Riders, after having played 50 per cent of their matches in IPL2, are languishing at the bottom.
Several reasons are being offered for the inept display. None more than this: a lot of good KKR players are missing in action: Umar Gul, Shoiab Akhtar, David Hussey, Ricky Ponting and Salman Butt.
But KKR's isn't the only team missing out on key recruits. So far, Rajasthan Royals don't have Shane Watson and Sohail Tanveer, two of the most successful players in IPL1.
Kings XI Punjab doesn't have Shaun Marsh, Brett Lee, James Hopes, who were integral to their success last season. Yet they are not doing half as badly as KKR. Like a bad workman, one can always go on endlessly quarelling with the tools or try to make the best of a bad situation. That's exactly what Rajasthan and Punjab are doing.
Compare the phoren resources of these teams and you'll see that KKR is second to neither. On paper, Gayle, McCullum, Hodge, Mendis are as good as anything that Punjab Kings or Rajasthan Royal can offer.
Before IPL2, had anybody even heard of RJ Quiney who has now been regularly playing as a foreigner pro in the RR top order?
The scenario is similar with domestic players. Agreed that senior pros like Ganguly, Ishant and Kartik need to do much more. But it is also true that lesser lights like Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Ashok Dinda, Wriddhiman Saha have not been handled properly. They seem to be filling in the blanks, rather than being given a definite role.
Young cricketers often exceed expectations with the right kind of backing. And one is not just talking about Warne and his boys. Look how Karan Goel has played for Kings Punjab XI this season. He may not have got big runs, but on every occasion Goel has shown he belongs. It is a question of spotting talent and keeping faith.
In comparison, coach John Boka-known oops Buchanan's handling of fringe players has been below par. Players like Anureet Singh, A Ghosh, Yashpal Singh have walked in and out of the team like it were a thoroughfare. And there's simply no point in discussing the plight of Bangar and Chopra.
Tactically Buchanan has followed a policy of lining up all his best senior pros in the top slots. Once they are gone, often leaving a higher asking rate than what they started out with, lesser mortals are left to handle the worst.
Wouldn't it have been better to hold at least one top pro back and let players like Shukla or Saha intersperse in the top order? The only game when such an experiment was carried out (against Rajasthan Royals), KKR played its best game. And how about using Agarkar as a pinch hitter as Mumbai Indians have done with Harbhajan?
With all the aides at his disposal (17 according to one newspaper report), Buchanan doesn't seem to have a Plan B. Or is it that he has too many plans - from Plan A to Plan Z - and doesn't know which one to choose.
Solve this mystery for me. In the game against Bangalore, KKR had three wicket-keepers in the playing XI. One of them, Van Wyk, has been relatively successful with the bat. But why was he played in the first place remains a mystery.
Surely, the team did not need a 'pro' wicket-keeper batsman taking up the precious fourth foreigner slot in the team when they already have a competent desi keeper (Saha, also a World Cup probable) and a phoren player (captain McCullum) capable of playing the same role.
What KKR really lacks is depth in bowling. The team badly needs a strike bowler capable of taking two-three wickets. Which is why playing Van Wyk was not a great idea. For playing him means keeping out Ajantha Mendis, the only genuine strike bowler in the team, apart from Ishant. In any case, Buchanan seems to be a rare coach who doesn't see the virtues of playing the best spinner in the team in such favourable conditions.
Mendis shouldn't have been reduced to being a fringe player but seen as an integral part of KKR's scheme of things. That's perhaps Buchanan's biggest strategic mistake. True, Yusuf Pathan, Sachin and Jayasuriya hit him but remember these players can hit anybody on their day. Don't forget Mendis got Pathan the first time and was unlucky not to have got Pathan in the second ball of the super over. For a majority of batsmen, Mendis still will be hard to get away.
Now, the real question is: Can KKR haul itself out of the abyss? If that is translated as whether it can enter the semi-final, the answer is a flat no. There's no way captain McCullum and his boys, including Fake IPl player, can claw their way to the top four. With or without Buchanan.
But I guess that's not what the KKR fan is expecting anymore. What the average fan really wants is a performance with heart. Even in the first edition, KKR never looked like a champion team. But there was an electricity, a frisson that every fan felt running through his spine watching most of the games.
Remember McCullum's 13 sixes in his 73 ball 158 against Royal Challengers, simply the best knock played in IPL today.
Remember Ganguly's 3-0-7-1 spell where he clean bowled Rahul Dravid, every dot ball cheered like a six by a passionate Eden Gardens crowd on a muggy night. Those 18 deliveries, along with a modest 20, got him the man of the match award in that rain-curtailed game.
Remember Shoiab Akhtar, playing his first game, bowling an unplayable 3-0-11-4 spell where he toyed with Gambhir, Sehwag, de Villiers and Manoj Tiwary. Nobody has bowled a more fiery and memorable spell in IPL before or since. That night KKR defended 133 with ease.
And remember Ganguly smoting Irfan Pathan for sixes to win the last game for KKR. It was an unbeaten 86 off 53 balls with six sixes. But that didn't get him the man of the match award because Umar Gul went one better. He had smashed 24 off 11 balls with three sixes and scalped four for 23.
Each of these performances came straight from the heart. That's what made KKR stand out from the rest. Watching them play wasn't just witnessing a game. It was also witnessing human drama. And that's what everybody is waiting for.
And that's what Buchanan, McCullum and company have also failed to produce.
Saturday May 02, 2009
There are matches every team loses. And there are games every team wins. But when you start losing every match that you were close to winning, then you are in deep, deep trouble. Which is why Kolkata Knight Riders, after having played 50 per cent of their matches in IPL2, are languishing at the bottom.
Several reasons are being offered for the inept display. None more than this: a lot of good KKR players are missing in action: Umar Gul, Shoiab Akhtar, David Hussey, Ricky Ponting and Salman Butt.
But KKR's isn't the only team missing out on key recruits. So far, Rajasthan Royals don't have Shane Watson and Sohail Tanveer, two of the most successful players in IPL1.
Kings XI Punjab doesn't have Shaun Marsh, Brett Lee, James Hopes, who were integral to their success last season. Yet they are not doing half as badly as KKR. Like a bad workman, one can always go on endlessly quarelling with the tools or try to make the best of a bad situation. That's exactly what Rajasthan and Punjab are doing.
Compare the phoren resources of these teams and you'll see that KKR is second to neither. On paper, Gayle, McCullum, Hodge, Mendis are as good as anything that Punjab Kings or Rajasthan Royal can offer.
Before IPL2, had anybody even heard of RJ Quiney who has now been regularly playing as a foreigner pro in the RR top order?
The scenario is similar with domestic players. Agreed that senior pros like Ganguly, Ishant and Kartik need to do much more. But it is also true that lesser lights like Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Ashok Dinda, Wriddhiman Saha have not been handled properly. They seem to be filling in the blanks, rather than being given a definite role.
Young cricketers often exceed expectations with the right kind of backing. And one is not just talking about Warne and his boys. Look how Karan Goel has played for Kings Punjab XI this season. He may not have got big runs, but on every occasion Goel has shown he belongs. It is a question of spotting talent and keeping faith.
In comparison, coach John Boka-known oops Buchanan's handling of fringe players has been below par. Players like Anureet Singh, A Ghosh, Yashpal Singh have walked in and out of the team like it were a thoroughfare. And there's simply no point in discussing the plight of Bangar and Chopra.
Tactically Buchanan has followed a policy of lining up all his best senior pros in the top slots. Once they are gone, often leaving a higher asking rate than what they started out with, lesser mortals are left to handle the worst.
Wouldn't it have been better to hold at least one top pro back and let players like Shukla or Saha intersperse in the top order? The only game when such an experiment was carried out (against Rajasthan Royals), KKR played its best game. And how about using Agarkar as a pinch hitter as Mumbai Indians have done with Harbhajan?
With all the aides at his disposal (17 according to one newspaper report), Buchanan doesn't seem to have a Plan B. Or is it that he has too many plans - from Plan A to Plan Z - and doesn't know which one to choose.
Solve this mystery for me. In the game against Bangalore, KKR had three wicket-keepers in the playing XI. One of them, Van Wyk, has been relatively successful with the bat. But why was he played in the first place remains a mystery.
Surely, the team did not need a 'pro' wicket-keeper batsman taking up the precious fourth foreigner slot in the team when they already have a competent desi keeper (Saha, also a World Cup probable) and a phoren player (captain McCullum) capable of playing the same role.
What KKR really lacks is depth in bowling. The team badly needs a strike bowler capable of taking two-three wickets. Which is why playing Van Wyk was not a great idea. For playing him means keeping out Ajantha Mendis, the only genuine strike bowler in the team, apart from Ishant. In any case, Buchanan seems to be a rare coach who doesn't see the virtues of playing the best spinner in the team in such favourable conditions.
Mendis shouldn't have been reduced to being a fringe player but seen as an integral part of KKR's scheme of things. That's perhaps Buchanan's biggest strategic mistake. True, Yusuf Pathan, Sachin and Jayasuriya hit him but remember these players can hit anybody on their day. Don't forget Mendis got Pathan the first time and was unlucky not to have got Pathan in the second ball of the super over. For a majority of batsmen, Mendis still will be hard to get away.
Now, the real question is: Can KKR haul itself out of the abyss? If that is translated as whether it can enter the semi-final, the answer is a flat no. There's no way captain McCullum and his boys, including Fake IPl player, can claw their way to the top four. With or without Buchanan.
But I guess that's not what the KKR fan is expecting anymore. What the average fan really wants is a performance with heart. Even in the first edition, KKR never looked like a champion team. But there was an electricity, a frisson that every fan felt running through his spine watching most of the games.
Remember McCullum's 13 sixes in his 73 ball 158 against Royal Challengers, simply the best knock played in IPL today.
Remember Ganguly's 3-0-7-1 spell where he clean bowled Rahul Dravid, every dot ball cheered like a six by a passionate Eden Gardens crowd on a muggy night. Those 18 deliveries, along with a modest 20, got him the man of the match award in that rain-curtailed game.
Remember Shoiab Akhtar, playing his first game, bowling an unplayable 3-0-11-4 spell where he toyed with Gambhir, Sehwag, de Villiers and Manoj Tiwary. Nobody has bowled a more fiery and memorable spell in IPL before or since. That night KKR defended 133 with ease.
And remember Ganguly smoting Irfan Pathan for sixes to win the last game for KKR. It was an unbeaten 86 off 53 balls with six sixes. But that didn't get him the man of the match award because Umar Gul went one better. He had smashed 24 off 11 balls with three sixes and scalped four for 23.
Each of these performances came straight from the heart. That's what made KKR stand out from the rest. Watching them play wasn't just witnessing a game. It was also witnessing human drama. And that's what everybody is waiting for.
And that's what Buchanan, McCullum and company have also failed to produce.
Revival of the Art of Sledging By IPL Players
I'm not sorry for having a sense of humour... ha! XD
Well, I find this article quite funny. I didn't know this kind of thing happens regularly on the field. I know about the slapping incident that barred Harbhajan for 11 matches in last year's edition of IPL but I didn't know it's an accepted and even an expected thing in cricket.
I hate the fact that KR is becoming the butt of everyone's joke now, but hey... supporting a team that has consistently been losing every match except 2 (and even those wins were said to be due to divine intervention) and being vocal about your support for it to people who're ridiculing it right and left requires you to have a sense of humour. When they lose, we say "tough luck, try harder next time" and when they win, we say "that's it, now do it like that again for the next one". Although, we didn't get to say the latter as often as we want to this year.
I got into it because of Shah Rukh of course, but no way am I going to defend the losses by spouting about his goodness, hotness, and whatness. He's not one of the players on the field and he's not involved in the cricketing decisions (except when Mr B tries to get some veto power in support of his brilliant suggestions, I guess).
I don't find any point in bringing to the table Shah Rukh's achievements in promoting the team as a valid argument against KR's detractors for the same reason I think there's no point in getting him chopped off body part by body part with a guillotine blade for KR's poor performance. Losers are always getting kicked around anyway, at a school playground or a widely broadcasted IPL playing field. And even when you're a winner in almost all your previous ventures, if you find yourself currently saddled with a losing team... you just have to accept the brunt and move on.
In this last week though, I feel as if us KR supporters are cheering for a game that's separate from everyone else's. While their eyes are trained on the finish line, ours are trained firmly on one direction... the faltering horse at the back (hey, I like that Derby analogy, okay). You can do it, kiddo! Just a coupla feet more! Yes, I'm inwardly slapping myself. Happy?
Source
If you have thought sledging is a lost art reserved for special applications during the test matches, you seem to be in dire need of revamping your cricket knowledge. The international cricket stars playing in the IPL are not only resorting to sledging in a big way, they have actually elevated it to the level of an art form. From Shane Warne to senior Indian cricketers, all are brushing up on their sledging prowess, while a few formidable veterans stay immune from the sledging. Read this cricket funny news to learn about which IPL player is up to what kinds of banters.
Sledging has always been a part of international cricket. This is what adds spice to the game. Though employed with the prime objective of diverting opponent’s focus from the game, sledging is basically funny and at some points of time it even becomes hilarious. After the Harbhajan-Symonds incident during India’s tour to Australia, the ICC called for banning sledging in cricket. While the malicious remarks are rarely reported, the funny ones still making their rounds in the cricket pitches and it is the Indian Premier League, which is reviving this lost art in a big way.
How do you feel when your worth is questioned after you fare poorly for the organizations/ teams that have been paying you! Well, it plain hurts us to the hilt and that is the purpose of the sledger who asks you bluntly “So, how much did you cost your owners? Man, look at him, he’s our million dollar wicket, no?”
No matter whether you have made your owner poorer by millions or gave a pocket pinch of few thousand dollars - you will be attacked by a volley of queries by your opponents about your pay package in the ongoing tournament. Yes! This is the latest IPL trick that every team has been employing in vogue to disarm his opponents.
Even the senior cricketer like Shane Warne can’t help bantering about the price tags when it comes to pulling the leg of his opponents! Every time a batsman on the other end of the crease makes a six or four, he makes matter of fact queries as to how much he is billing his team for each four or six! A leading Indian batsman, unable to bear the brunt of the spinners’ unending queries anymore, retorted back, “You still don’t seem to be earning much anyway. You were the cheapest team last year and the cheapest this time again.”
Shah Rukh’s Knights are however the ones to suffer the worst kinds of sledging. Every time a Knight Rider batsman is packed off to pavilion, the inevitable comment that hurls upon him is: “He’s decided to put you all on sale? Is it true? But who’s going to buy you?” The sledgers seemingly picked up their cues from the rumors about Shah Rukh’s possible sale off of the team, as well as his practice of sacking the under performing cricketers!
For Kings XI Punjab players, it is even more unsettling. As a batsman starts taking a few big shots, the players from the opposite camp start yelling at each other hinting at the player’s attempt to impress the beautiful owner of the team, who would positively reward her players with a hug if they manage to cut a good show at the crease. “Well, look who wants to be the Man of the Match today! He’s really excited,” a comment such as this is sure to get the target where it is meant to and that after all is the goal of the opposite side.
It is mainly the younger players who are making the good target of sledging tactics of the opponents. Young Parthiv Patel for instance has been advised a number of times to give up his hope of doing it for Indian cricket team as he is making a fortune out of IPL. For Dirk Nannes it is even worse; every time he tries to concentrate, he is reminded by the opponents that he is actually playing at the cost of Glenn McGrath.
However, for Indian Premier League, there is a tacit code of sledging; no sledging for the senior and well respected cricketers. And as such, the likes of Tendulkar or McGrath or Jayasuriya remain largely deprived of such disconcerting experiences that go by the name of sledging.
Of course not all the senior cricket personalities are immune from sledging. As KKR keeper Brendon McCullum started walking toward pavilion after being dismissed, a senior wicketkeeper yelled from behind the stump, “Hey, send the laptop in next!” It is too obvious, to whom the slur was actually directed (Mr. Buchanan, the genius coach of the team, in case you are too bad at guessing).
Well, I find this article quite funny. I didn't know this kind of thing happens regularly on the field. I know about the slapping incident that barred Harbhajan for 11 matches in last year's edition of IPL but I didn't know it's an accepted and even an expected thing in cricket.
I hate the fact that KR is becoming the butt of everyone's joke now, but hey... supporting a team that has consistently been losing every match except 2 (and even those wins were said to be due to divine intervention) and being vocal about your support for it to people who're ridiculing it right and left requires you to have a sense of humour. When they lose, we say "tough luck, try harder next time" and when they win, we say "that's it, now do it like that again for the next one". Although, we didn't get to say the latter as often as we want to this year.
I got into it because of Shah Rukh of course, but no way am I going to defend the losses by spouting about his goodness, hotness, and whatness. He's not one of the players on the field and he's not involved in the cricketing decisions (except when Mr B tries to get some veto power in support of his brilliant suggestions, I guess).
I don't find any point in bringing to the table Shah Rukh's achievements in promoting the team as a valid argument against KR's detractors for the same reason I think there's no point in getting him chopped off body part by body part with a guillotine blade for KR's poor performance. Losers are always getting kicked around anyway, at a school playground or a widely broadcasted IPL playing field. And even when you're a winner in almost all your previous ventures, if you find yourself currently saddled with a losing team... you just have to accept the brunt and move on.
In this last week though, I feel as if us KR supporters are cheering for a game that's separate from everyone else's. While their eyes are trained on the finish line, ours are trained firmly on one direction... the faltering horse at the back (hey, I like that Derby analogy, okay). You can do it, kiddo! Just a coupla feet more! Yes, I'm inwardly slapping myself. Happy?
Source
If you have thought sledging is a lost art reserved for special applications during the test matches, you seem to be in dire need of revamping your cricket knowledge. The international cricket stars playing in the IPL are not only resorting to sledging in a big way, they have actually elevated it to the level of an art form. From Shane Warne to senior Indian cricketers, all are brushing up on their sledging prowess, while a few formidable veterans stay immune from the sledging. Read this cricket funny news to learn about which IPL player is up to what kinds of banters.
Sledging has always been a part of international cricket. This is what adds spice to the game. Though employed with the prime objective of diverting opponent’s focus from the game, sledging is basically funny and at some points of time it even becomes hilarious. After the Harbhajan-Symonds incident during India’s tour to Australia, the ICC called for banning sledging in cricket. While the malicious remarks are rarely reported, the funny ones still making their rounds in the cricket pitches and it is the Indian Premier League, which is reviving this lost art in a big way.
How do you feel when your worth is questioned after you fare poorly for the organizations/ teams that have been paying you! Well, it plain hurts us to the hilt and that is the purpose of the sledger who asks you bluntly “So, how much did you cost your owners? Man, look at him, he’s our million dollar wicket, no?”
No matter whether you have made your owner poorer by millions or gave a pocket pinch of few thousand dollars - you will be attacked by a volley of queries by your opponents about your pay package in the ongoing tournament. Yes! This is the latest IPL trick that every team has been employing in vogue to disarm his opponents.
Even the senior cricketer like Shane Warne can’t help bantering about the price tags when it comes to pulling the leg of his opponents! Every time a batsman on the other end of the crease makes a six or four, he makes matter of fact queries as to how much he is billing his team for each four or six! A leading Indian batsman, unable to bear the brunt of the spinners’ unending queries anymore, retorted back, “You still don’t seem to be earning much anyway. You were the cheapest team last year and the cheapest this time again.”
Shah Rukh’s Knights are however the ones to suffer the worst kinds of sledging. Every time a Knight Rider batsman is packed off to pavilion, the inevitable comment that hurls upon him is: “He’s decided to put you all on sale? Is it true? But who’s going to buy you?” The sledgers seemingly picked up their cues from the rumors about Shah Rukh’s possible sale off of the team, as well as his practice of sacking the under performing cricketers!
For Kings XI Punjab players, it is even more unsettling. As a batsman starts taking a few big shots, the players from the opposite camp start yelling at each other hinting at the player’s attempt to impress the beautiful owner of the team, who would positively reward her players with a hug if they manage to cut a good show at the crease. “Well, look who wants to be the Man of the Match today! He’s really excited,” a comment such as this is sure to get the target where it is meant to and that after all is the goal of the opposite side.
It is mainly the younger players who are making the good target of sledging tactics of the opponents. Young Parthiv Patel for instance has been advised a number of times to give up his hope of doing it for Indian cricket team as he is making a fortune out of IPL. For Dirk Nannes it is even worse; every time he tries to concentrate, he is reminded by the opponents that he is actually playing at the cost of Glenn McGrath.
However, for Indian Premier League, there is a tacit code of sledging; no sledging for the senior and well respected cricketers. And as such, the likes of Tendulkar or McGrath or Jayasuriya remain largely deprived of such disconcerting experiences that go by the name of sledging.
Of course not all the senior cricket personalities are immune from sledging. As KKR keeper Brendon McCullum started walking toward pavilion after being dismissed, a senior wicketkeeper yelled from behind the stump, “Hey, send the laptop in next!” It is too obvious, to whom the slur was actually directed (Mr. Buchanan, the genius coach of the team, in case you are too bad at guessing).
Some IPL/Cricket headlines
No one can accuse the Kolkata Knight Riders management of only being fanciful. Over the past few days, team owner Shah Rukh Khan has shown an admirable sense of humour even after the cause was lost, and John Buchanan has shown remarkable candour in expressing a fresh idea that would seem like it is negating his original, controversial one.
While the long sms to his team members after the Knight Riders had lost to Delhi earlier this week was replete with exhortations to do better, Shah Rukh ends the missive with a pointed post-script: "and stop dropping catches," he writes, "that will help." This reflects the ability to laugh at oneself (after all, he owns the team), but is also tinged with some regret at what might have been given a little luck and greater discipline.
The greatest quality about sport is that it teaches you how to cope with defeat, which is impossible without a sense of humour, and builds up fortitude for future endeavour. Irony, of course, is part of the human condition. If everything went clockwork, where remains the charm of life?
I have not been a subscriber to the multiple captains theory (that was ultimately scuttled) which several analysts argue started the turmoil in the Knight Riders camp. But it must be accepted that the team's travails are not only due to that controversy alone. True, the players would have been uneasy with so much going on around them over which they had little control, but the team had also been hit the most with absenteeism, and has also lacked any luck.
You may also want to see
Ricky Ponting, David Hussey and Shoaib Akhtar are the three players missing this season, and while there can be some compunctions about the last-named, this is as splendid a trio of players as in any team in the IPL. To overcome their absence, the KKR needed extraordinary motivation, and some luck.
Unfortunately, they had neither.
If the performances of all the teams in the first half of the tournament had to be benchmarked, KKR are obviously the worst -- but not by that much. Some other sides like Mumbai, Bangalore and Punjab have swung violently from one side to the other, but they are still in contention for a place in the semis. Though by the end of the tournament, some could finish lower than KKR. That's how the cookie crumbles -- in sport as in life.
Perhaps even more interesting -- given the background -- was Buchanan's statement that Shane Warne or Adam Gilchrist should captain Australia in the Twenty20 World Championships. The two players are long retired, and it is too late in any case to make changes now, but his argument in this instance also scuttles his own theory about multiple captains being more efficient in Twenty20. And supporting Warne, so long his critic!
Buchanan also argues, and I think quite correctly again, that key players of any team should be kept fit and available for Test matches, which means that retired players who are still fit could be considered for T20. For Buchanan (I presume), T20 is good, rewarding sportstainment, but Test matches are the 'real thing', which old-timer cricket lovers and some current players and administrators would readily agree too.
Already, there is a brouhaha about the delay in Chris Gayle joining the West Indies team in England. The defeat in the first Test will undoubtedly accentuate the criticism against the West Indies skipper to extend his stay in the IPL because he had no time to acclimatise. But then, this argument collapses against Ravi Bopara's splendid hundred, and Fidel Edwards' superb bowling in the first innings.
I reckon unless this contradiction is bridged early, there will be a tug-of-war between players and administrators over it in the near future.
"We get our batting going well and our bowling and fielding let us down. We get our bowling going well and our batting lets us down. We are not consistent across all the areas of the game," he said.
While the long sms to his team members after the Knight Riders had lost to Delhi earlier this week was replete with exhortations to do better, Shah Rukh ends the missive with a pointed post-script: "and stop dropping catches," he writes, "that will help." This reflects the ability to laugh at oneself (after all, he owns the team), but is also tinged with some regret at what might have been given a little luck and greater discipline.
The greatest quality about sport is that it teaches you how to cope with defeat, which is impossible without a sense of humour, and builds up fortitude for future endeavour. Irony, of course, is part of the human condition. If everything went clockwork, where remains the charm of life?
I have not been a subscriber to the multiple captains theory (that was ultimately scuttled) which several analysts argue started the turmoil in the Knight Riders camp. But it must be accepted that the team's travails are not only due to that controversy alone. True, the players would have been uneasy with so much going on around them over which they had little control, but the team had also been hit the most with absenteeism, and has also lacked any luck.
You may also want to see
Ricky Ponting, David Hussey and Shoaib Akhtar are the three players missing this season, and while there can be some compunctions about the last-named, this is as splendid a trio of players as in any team in the IPL. To overcome their absence, the KKR needed extraordinary motivation, and some luck.
Unfortunately, they had neither.
If the performances of all the teams in the first half of the tournament had to be benchmarked, KKR are obviously the worst -- but not by that much. Some other sides like Mumbai, Bangalore and Punjab have swung violently from one side to the other, but they are still in contention for a place in the semis. Though by the end of the tournament, some could finish lower than KKR. That's how the cookie crumbles -- in sport as in life.
Perhaps even more interesting -- given the background -- was Buchanan's statement that Shane Warne or Adam Gilchrist should captain Australia in the Twenty20 World Championships. The two players are long retired, and it is too late in any case to make changes now, but his argument in this instance also scuttles his own theory about multiple captains being more efficient in Twenty20. And supporting Warne, so long his critic!
Buchanan also argues, and I think quite correctly again, that key players of any team should be kept fit and available for Test matches, which means that retired players who are still fit could be considered for T20. For Buchanan (I presume), T20 is good, rewarding sportstainment, but Test matches are the 'real thing', which old-timer cricket lovers and some current players and administrators would readily agree too.
Already, there is a brouhaha about the delay in Chris Gayle joining the West Indies team in England. The defeat in the first Test will undoubtedly accentuate the criticism against the West Indies skipper to extend his stay in the IPL because he had no time to acclimatise. But then, this argument collapses against Ravi Bopara's splendid hundred, and Fidel Edwards' superb bowling in the first innings.
I reckon unless this contradiction is bridged early, there will be a tug-of-war between players and administrators over it in the near future.
- McCullum mum on quiting captaincy (interview after the 39th match)
"We get our batting going well and our bowling and fielding let us down. We get our bowling going well and our batting lets us down. We are not consistent across all the areas of the game," he said.
McCullum, however, had no complain against any individual.
"This is certainly not because of lack of trying, guys out there are trying as hard as we possibly can. Unfortunately things aren't going our way," he said.
"The way we played tonight, that makes me very proud to be a captain. You walk off with smile on your face and positive body language because you know that you have had a team that had given everything that they possibly had," he added.
"Sandesh, who was pursuing computer repairing course, was watching the IPL match at his house when his father Meghnath arrived home at around 10.30pm yesterday, winding up his job," a senior police officer said."Meghnath asked his son to switch off the television as he was tired and wanted to take some rest. But Sandesh refused to do so following which Meghnath shouted at him and warned him," the officer said.
"Furious Meghnath went to the kitchen and returned with a knife. He then stabbed his son on his chest with the knife, injuring him seriously. When the incident occurred, the victim and the accused were present inside the home," police said.
"The team has taken me by surprise. The Chinese are no nonsense people and they mean business," she said. "It is only a matter of five to 10 years before they bridge the gap with teams like Australia and England."
Unlike India, where cricket is a religion, the sport is alien to most Chinese and is being developed from scratch in that country.
Maben says the women's team has proved that it is not necessary to watch a sport on television to understand it. "The girls didn't know anything about it. Cricket is not popular in China and they don't watch it on TV. But by just watching me demonstrate a few skills, they have been able to learn and are slowly improvising on the strokes.
Johannesburg: Delhi Daredevils followed up their disciplined bowling with a clinical chase to thump Indian Premier League's favourite punching bag Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets and reach the top of the points table here on Sunday. Chasing a modest 124, the Daredevils cruised to 125 for three in 17.1 overs with David Warner (36) and AB de Villiers (40 not out) shining with the bat to fashion a win that helped the Delhi outfit (14) replace Chennai Super Kings (13) at the top of the points' chart.
Asked to take first strike on the Wanderers pitch, Sourav Ganguly (44) and Ajit Agarkar (39) waged grim battle as the Knight Riders fumbled and faltered their way to an unflattering 123 for eight in their allotted 20 overs.
Hmm...
KR lost again last night by 7 wickets. I dunno why, but suddenly I'm feeling as if KR players are starting to enjoy their game. I must be crazy XD.
But even if I were crazy, I'd like it to be true though. I want them to be able to enjoy their game, whether they're losing or winning. I really hate it if people I care about don't enjoy what they're doing. I always feel this urge to scream at them, "Do you know you might die tomorrow?? What the hell are you doing wasting your life doing something you're unhappy about?"
I'm just here supporting my team as I've been doing from the start of the tournament. I'm determined not to change allegiance because I like the spirit of KR. I don't understand why the other teams are playing, but I like why KR is playing. They may not be winning their games on their high principles, but who am I to say that what they're doing is wrong?
This is the first time in my life I have dared to support a losing team, and a continuously losing one at that. It's a novel feeling.
But even if I were crazy, I'd like it to be true though. I want them to be able to enjoy their game, whether they're losing or winning. I really hate it if people I care about don't enjoy what they're doing. I always feel this urge to scream at them, "Do you know you might die tomorrow?? What the hell are you doing wasting your life doing something you're unhappy about?"
I'm just here supporting my team as I've been doing from the start of the tournament. I'm determined not to change allegiance because I like the spirit of KR. I don't understand why the other teams are playing, but I like why KR is playing. They may not be winning their games on their high principles, but who am I to say that what they're doing is wrong?
This is the first time in my life I have dared to support a losing team, and a continuously losing one at that. It's a novel feeling.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
I've started praying for a miracle...
It happened again this morning. The first clear sentence that formed in my head as soon as I woke up was: "Please let KR win the match"
My current prayer goes like this: Even if they suck, please let a miracle happen so they can win the next match. Whatever happens, please let them win it.
Yeah, I'm a desperate fan. Also, they're playing against Delhi. Again. Arrrrrgh! If I had been able to watch the game, I'd be biting my nails with a pillow covering half of my face the entire time. Just like when I'm watching a horror movie. I hate horror movies.
I would have been more hopeful had it not been for Mr B and his wonderful 'go-getter' attitude. The more I hope for a win, the more I'm reminded that Mr B is still director of operation, and then the more I get depressed about it. Shah Rukh has already moved on (this guy's truly made of teflon). Maybe I should too.
My current prayer goes like this: Even if they suck, please let a miracle happen so they can win the next match. Whatever happens, please let them win it.
Yeah, I'm a desperate fan. Also, they're playing against Delhi. Again. Arrrrrgh! If I had been able to watch the game, I'd be biting my nails with a pillow covering half of my face the entire time. Just like when I'm watching a horror movie. I hate horror movies.
I would have been more hopeful had it not been for Mr B and his wonderful 'go-getter' attitude. The more I hope for a win, the more I'm reminded that Mr B is still director of operation, and then the more I get depressed about it. Shah Rukh has already moved on (this guy's truly made of teflon). Maybe I should too.
Friday, May 8, 2009
What a long SMS!
This guy writes me more eloquently than I ever could. I like his analogy to a Derby horse. It feels apt.
I always wonder whether SRK types the messages on his handphone or does he send them over the internet using one of those direct-to-handphone services. I'm not pasting it here as you can read the whole schbang over at SRK the Don (article: Don't drop catches: SRK). I had a strange experience this morning. I woke up and the first line that went round and round in my head like one of those circular neon signs you can see outside some shops somewhere was something like this: Please let KR win the match. It was like a litany or chant. I couldn't get up for some minutes while sentences to that effect repeat themselves in my brain like a desperate prayer.
Their next match is this Sunday. I'm scared to look up the result on Monday *sweat*
I don't understand why people are already looking away, saying that they'll succeed in IPL 3. Of course that's my wish too, but are they forgetting that we still have 5 matches left? Have they totally given up on the team? Is this how weak cricket teams and losing cricketers are looked upon in India? In Malaysia, our football teams are weak (again, I suspect it's due to the management), but the loyal supporters give their unflagging support come every football season.
Maybe this is the main reason why I didn't want to cheer for a team before, until my obsession with Shah Rukh pulled me into the world of IPL cricket. I was more comfortable supporting individual athletes. Team sports are filled with over-emotional supporters and officials. I read how the Norwegian referee (Tom Henning Ovrebo) had to be smuggled out of Britain yesterday by the police who feared for his safety at the hands of the Chelsea/English fans after committing some serious errors that caused Chelsea to exit from the Champions League at the hand of Barcelona. To some thousands of people out there, sports is life itself. They don't appreciate it if they think you were frelling around with their team, and in KR's case, not even when you're one of the team owners yourself.
(I want to hi-5 anyone who knows what 'frell' means in human language!)
I empathize with the fans who spam Shah Rukh's blog with crazy, angry, hate-filled messages. Everyone is frustrated and he is easy target. I find no need to defend him against any of the verbal or literary attack from the fans. He's a very aware guy and he knows what's happening as it's unfolding. He did say he wish he could absorb all the sadness the team is experiencing unto himself. Maybe that's what he's doing by giving the recent interviews and this gigantically long SMS. Direct the attention away from the team towards himself so the boys can play in peace. Or maybe he thinks that he needs to say something to show that he hasn't given up on them. Although, if you ask me, the mood I feel is, everytime he writes something about or talk to the media about KR, there's always gonna be a backlash later. I'd rather read a press statement by RC Ent than an SRK interview on anything KR-related at a time like this.
This thing with Sourav has also divided the fans. Those who support Shah Rukh even went so far as to jeer at Dada's inability to prove to everyone that he was deserving of the captaincy. You know what? He didn't have to prove anything to anyone. All he needs to do is play his own game and help the team, along with the other players, to win the match... and no matter what you say, that's what he's doing/trying to do. In fact, do you think Shah Rukh appreciates you insulting the cricketer he loves so much? One of the reasons why he wanted to acquire the Kolkata team is because he wants Dada to be in his team.
Why do we have to take sides? SRK, Dada, Mr B, McCullum, Ishant... aren't they all KR people? This is not the same case as a referee like Ovrebo turning down four strong penalty appeals by Chelsea. No matter how much I, and thousands of other fans, want Mr B to get off our faces, for the time being we're stuck with him. We're all in the same boat, and we'll get to the shore, or sink, together.
What I did was to try to defend the team in my KR blog post. I don't think I made any impact though, being female and ignorant of the game. I used to be so irritated and angry when I read the derogatory spams given to Shah Rukh, especially in his own blog. But now, it's come to a point where reading the negative messages is boring me to tears. The words are becoming repetitive, the insults are no longer original, and even the angry tantrum is beginning to have a dull edge to it. Some interesting writers still manage to piss me off LOL ...I wish there were more creative people like them. If you wanted to annoy Shah Rukh so much, at least do it amusingly so other readers can be entertained too. Otherwise, what's the point?
One more thing, haven't you ever wondered why Shah Rukh's comment section is so accessible, i.e. he does not publish your comments only after he's reviewed and approved them? He's collecting everything, you idiots. This is a guy who can still remember vividly the headlines and the bylines that tore him apart and fed him to the dogs 10 years ago. You say you're anonymous, so you can say anything you like. And then you accuse him of cowardice? If you want to accuse someone of being a coward, go find a mirror.
I think it's very unfair to attack the cricketers and create so many controversies around them. However professional they are, they're only human. At the start of the tournament, none of the other teams' losses were highlighted as much as KR's were. Maybe it's coz the team was the most glamorous, the most preferred by the sponsors, and the most popular among the fans... that's why when they went down, everyone from the media to the fans caused such an unbearable din that the effect of the noise started to show in the way they play. Everyone wanted to be the first to say, "I TOLD YOU SO!"
I'm not worried that they won't win. I'm worried that they don't think they can. I'll continue to pray for their win (even though reading this article is making me feel depressed again). There are 5 more matches, people. Let's look out for our team and give them our support to the very last.
I always wonder whether SRK types the messages on his handphone or does he send them over the internet using one of those direct-to-handphone services. I'm not pasting it here as you can read the whole schbang over at SRK the Don (article: Don't drop catches: SRK). I had a strange experience this morning. I woke up and the first line that went round and round in my head like one of those circular neon signs you can see outside some shops somewhere was something like this: Please let KR win the match. It was like a litany or chant. I couldn't get up for some minutes while sentences to that effect repeat themselves in my brain like a desperate prayer.
Their next match is this Sunday. I'm scared to look up the result on Monday *sweat*
I don't understand why people are already looking away, saying that they'll succeed in IPL 3. Of course that's my wish too, but are they forgetting that we still have 5 matches left? Have they totally given up on the team? Is this how weak cricket teams and losing cricketers are looked upon in India? In Malaysia, our football teams are weak (again, I suspect it's due to the management), but the loyal supporters give their unflagging support come every football season.
Maybe this is the main reason why I didn't want to cheer for a team before, until my obsession with Shah Rukh pulled me into the world of IPL cricket. I was more comfortable supporting individual athletes. Team sports are filled with over-emotional supporters and officials. I read how the Norwegian referee (Tom Henning Ovrebo) had to be smuggled out of Britain yesterday by the police who feared for his safety at the hands of the Chelsea/English fans after committing some serious errors that caused Chelsea to exit from the Champions League at the hand of Barcelona. To some thousands of people out there, sports is life itself. They don't appreciate it if they think you were frelling around with their team, and in KR's case, not even when you're one of the team owners yourself.
(I want to hi-5 anyone who knows what 'frell' means in human language!)
I empathize with the fans who spam Shah Rukh's blog with crazy, angry, hate-filled messages. Everyone is frustrated and he is easy target. I find no need to defend him against any of the verbal or literary attack from the fans. He's a very aware guy and he knows what's happening as it's unfolding. He did say he wish he could absorb all the sadness the team is experiencing unto himself. Maybe that's what he's doing by giving the recent interviews and this gigantically long SMS. Direct the attention away from the team towards himself so the boys can play in peace. Or maybe he thinks that he needs to say something to show that he hasn't given up on them. Although, if you ask me, the mood I feel is, everytime he writes something about or talk to the media about KR, there's always gonna be a backlash later. I'd rather read a press statement by RC Ent than an SRK interview on anything KR-related at a time like this.
This thing with Sourav has also divided the fans. Those who support Shah Rukh even went so far as to jeer at Dada's inability to prove to everyone that he was deserving of the captaincy. You know what? He didn't have to prove anything to anyone. All he needs to do is play his own game and help the team, along with the other players, to win the match... and no matter what you say, that's what he's doing/trying to do. In fact, do you think Shah Rukh appreciates you insulting the cricketer he loves so much? One of the reasons why he wanted to acquire the Kolkata team is because he wants Dada to be in his team.
Why do we have to take sides? SRK, Dada, Mr B, McCullum, Ishant... aren't they all KR people? This is not the same case as a referee like Ovrebo turning down four strong penalty appeals by Chelsea. No matter how much I, and thousands of other fans, want Mr B to get off our faces, for the time being we're stuck with him. We're all in the same boat, and we'll get to the shore, or sink, together.
What I did was to try to defend the team in my KR blog post. I don't think I made any impact though, being female and ignorant of the game. I used to be so irritated and angry when I read the derogatory spams given to Shah Rukh, especially in his own blog. But now, it's come to a point where reading the negative messages is boring me to tears. The words are becoming repetitive, the insults are no longer original, and even the angry tantrum is beginning to have a dull edge to it. Some interesting writers still manage to piss me off LOL ...I wish there were more creative people like them. If you wanted to annoy Shah Rukh so much, at least do it amusingly so other readers can be entertained too. Otherwise, what's the point?
One more thing, haven't you ever wondered why Shah Rukh's comment section is so accessible, i.e. he does not publish your comments only after he's reviewed and approved them? He's collecting everything, you idiots. This is a guy who can still remember vividly the headlines and the bylines that tore him apart and fed him to the dogs 10 years ago. You say you're anonymous, so you can say anything you like. And then you accuse him of cowardice? If you want to accuse someone of being a coward, go find a mirror.
I think it's very unfair to attack the cricketers and create so many controversies around them. However professional they are, they're only human. At the start of the tournament, none of the other teams' losses were highlighted as much as KR's were. Maybe it's coz the team was the most glamorous, the most preferred by the sponsors, and the most popular among the fans... that's why when they went down, everyone from the media to the fans caused such an unbearable din that the effect of the noise started to show in the way they play. Everyone wanted to be the first to say, "I TOLD YOU SO!"
I'm not worried that they won't win. I'm worried that they don't think they can. I'll continue to pray for their win (even though reading this article is making me feel depressed again). There are 5 more matches, people. Let's look out for our team and give them our support to the very last.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
No sacking of players or support staff: KKR
Like I said, obvious decisions to fans and critics are not necessarily easy for the outfit to take. Shah Rukh is soft-hearted in his dealings anyway, be it business or personal... something his fans have known for quite sometime and his close friends have confirmed in previous interviews. Having said that, I'm also not sure whether sacking staff and players when it's nearing the end of the tournament is the right thing to do, what with the morale of the team at an all-time low.
I got into IPL and cricket to follow Shah Rukh, but a few weeks into this new-found obsession, I'm worrying about the team more than I'm worrying about him, which is amazing ...really. I just want the players to play the next matches in peace without worrying about who's gonna be axed next, so I'm okay with this decision. The rest of you guys (they're always males) who want to be up in arms or cause an uproar over it, be as juvenile as you want. There're only 5 matches left. I'm just gonna follow it through and hope for the best.
Source
Mumbai, May 6 Intending to set at rest media speculation, the beleaguered Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise outfit today said neither the playing squad nor its support staff will be sacked.
"Director Cricket Operations, John Buchanan continues to make all decisions in terms of cricket management and KKR does not intend changing squads or support staff," said the media statement from the Shah Rukh Khan-owned team that's all set to create a dubious record for the number of losses in the IPL.
KKR have won just one match out of the nine they have played so far and are hugging the bottom of the eight-team table with only three points to their credit.The statement said the team's management, owners as well as the players still "remain resolute in their commitment to the Kolkata Knight Riders and are working hard as a team to overcome challenges they presently face".
KKR were looking forward to do better in the remainder of the tournament in South Africa, it said."We look forward to improved results in the tournament's remaining matches. The recent slump in form is temporary and is experienced by all professionals at times."The individuals involved are aware of this and are committed to persevering, because Kolkata Knight Riders is a great team and will continue to be that despite recent disappointing results," the statement added.
I got into IPL and cricket to follow Shah Rukh, but a few weeks into this new-found obsession, I'm worrying about the team more than I'm worrying about him, which is amazing ...really. I just want the players to play the next matches in peace without worrying about who's gonna be axed next, so I'm okay with this decision. The rest of you guys (they're always males) who want to be up in arms or cause an uproar over it, be as juvenile as you want. There're only 5 matches left. I'm just gonna follow it through and hope for the best.
Source
Mumbai, May 6 Intending to set at rest media speculation, the beleaguered Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise outfit today said neither the playing squad nor its support staff will be sacked.
"Director Cricket Operations, John Buchanan continues to make all decisions in terms of cricket management and KKR does not intend changing squads or support staff," said the media statement from the Shah Rukh Khan-owned team that's all set to create a dubious record for the number of losses in the IPL.
KKR have won just one match out of the nine they have played so far and are hugging the bottom of the eight-team table with only three points to their credit.The statement said the team's management, owners as well as the players still "remain resolute in their commitment to the Kolkata Knight Riders and are working hard as a team to overcome challenges they presently face".
KKR were looking forward to do better in the remainder of the tournament in South Africa, it said."We look forward to improved results in the tournament's remaining matches. The recent slump in form is temporary and is experienced by all professionals at times."The individuals involved are aware of this and are committed to persevering, because Kolkata Knight Riders is a great team and will continue to be that despite recent disappointing results," the statement added.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)