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Beyond the Boundary: The final four
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
And then there were four. Mumbai Indians, imperious and conquering, made it to the semi finals first. Royal Challengers Bangalore got through the day they beat Rajasthan Royals. And on Sunday, April 18, two teams - Chennai Super Kings and the Deccan Chargers - made the finals in contrasting styles.
In a
match
played at high altitude, where the thin air helps the ball travel further, MS Dhoni produced a clutch of big shots, scoring 28 of the last 29 runs and powering Chennai Super Kings to an incredible victory over Kings XI Punjab. Needing 195 to win, Raina, Badrinath and then Dhoni combined to put together a match-winning performance.
The Deccan Chargers, on the other hand,
combined
well on the field as a team to defend a par total of 145 against the Delhi Daredevils. Andrew Symonds stroked a powerful 50 but none of the other batsmen did much. On the field though, the Chargers defended with enthusiasm to take the remaining spot.
Now to the sudden death stage. An inch here, a misfield there, could settle things. Performances in the league stage won’t matter anymore. All teams are now equal.
Posted by Sajith Sivanandan
(When not attempting to get selected for IPL in the year 2020, Sajith works at Google Singapore)
Beyond the Boundary: The business end of the tournament
Monday, 12 April 2010
For me, one of the best features of the IPL is it’s format. This is a tournament that rewards consistency; only the teams with the most consistent record make it to the finals. Most cricket tournaments split teams into groups with a couple of matches in the league stage, then feature knock out stages or in some cases the (rather grandly-named) Super League stage. Almost all these tournaments fail to reward the most consistent teams with more opportunities. In contrast, the format of the IPL ensures that the four most consistent teams get the opportunity to fight for the big prize. With each team playing the other teams at home and away (for a total of 14 matches for each team), only the teams that play well throughout can hope to make it to the finals.
Just 11 matches
remain
in league play. Incredibly, seven of the eight teams have a chance of making it to the semi finals. Every match causes a change in the table. Last Friday, when the Kings XI Punjab beat the Mumbai Indians, it meant that the top four were still undecided.
Royal Challengers Bangalore won against the Kolkata Knight Riders this past Saturday and gave themselves - along with the Mumbai Indians - a great chance of qualifying for the semi finals.
It’s possible every match now will see a new team enter or exit the top four. Net run rates could well enter the equation. It’s all set up for a final week of the league stage in IPL 3.
Posted by Sajith Sivanandan
(When not attempting to get selected for IPL in the year 2020, Sajith works at Google Singapore)
Beyond the Boundary: Old is gold
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Editor’s note: Each week, our resident cricketer (and former national Singapore player) Sajith Sivanandan will be recounting his experiences watching IPL on YouTube.
Saurabh Tiwary of the Mumbai Indians was only four months old when a certain
Anil Kumble
played his first one-day international for India. Fast forward 20 years, and Saurabh played Kumble in
Match 14 of IPL 2010
. The stage was set for young Saurabh to announce himself on the big stage; to show that he was not overawed by this colossus of Indian cricket. On came Kumble for his second over. Young Saurabh was determined to prevail. He jumped out with the confidence that comes with youth, his backlift all of 20 years old. Kumble though had one trick more. He threw in the googly, held back the ball, beat Saurabh in flight and before that ambitious backlift could adjust, had broken down the stumps. The sage Kumble jumped up and down as if he were in his teens again. Young Saurabh could only walk back and wonder. Experience, age and legend prevailed in this battle between young and old.
This past week in IPL matches was about the old stagers - the names that most players in the IPL grew up hearing about, watching on television, probably even chasing for an autograph at one point.
Adam Gilchrist
is the top scorer for the Deccan Chargers, demolishing attacks as if this were the IPL being played in the year 2000 and not 2010. Chaminda Vaas, all 36 years of him, is the top wicket taker in the tournament.
Tendulkar continues to be a draw not just in the stadium or on TV but on YouTube as well. Matches between the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Daredevils, and the Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, were among the most viewed on YouTube for the week.
IPL on YouTube this week was about legendary players already made. Will the coming week be about legends in the making?
Posted by Sajith Sivanandan
(When not attempting to get selected for IPL in the year 2020, Sajith works at Google Singapore)
Beyond the Boundary: a cricket insider’s look at IPL on YouTube
Thursday, 18 March 2010
It's here! Like many of you, I’ve been counting the days to the start of IPL matches. Five days into the tournament, the cricket in IPL 2010 has already begun to live up to all that it promised. In it’s third season, IPL is an event that brings together sport and entertainment, with international cricket stars on the field and Bollywood actresses in the stand. This year for the first time, fans around the world can tune in to IPL’s
YouTube Channel
to catch all 60 matches and 43 days of play. Now, no matter where you live in the world, you can get
front row seats
to the hottest cricket action.
Over the next weeks of the tournament, I’ll be joining you in YouTube’s virtual grandstand - cheering for my favorite players, watching the flippers and outswingers, and analyzing each wicket. I’ll be blogging about my experience of watching cricket on YouTube as well as sharing my favorite matches, highlights clips, and more. You can also expect a few insights into what’s been popular around the world.
How’d I become such a cricket fan? Well, like many of you, I’ve had some experience on the field. I’ve played school, college and league cricket in Delhi, played for the Singapore national team for over five years, and today am a member of the committee that selects the national cricket team for Singapore.
For your entertainment, I’ve included a picture below of me in my cricket whites.
As I blog about my IPL highlights, I want to hear yours! Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Posted by Sajith Sivanandan
(When not attempting to get selected for IPL in the year 2020, Sajith works at Google Singapore)
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