KNOW YOUR IPL TEAM

DISCLAMER: This blog post was to be posted before the match today but the writer himself was too excited and busy for the inaugural match.

The great Indian Premier League begins today. Make no mistake, its image might have been dented due to the current controversies but once the IPL kicks off, it's going to be the one of the hottest topics discussed amongst all age groups and cricket will take the center stage. It’ll keep the cricket lovers hooked and booked for the next 45 days. It’s an absolute treat for cricket lovers.  Eight teams having players from all nationalities will battle it out in the world’s biggest T20 league. The different thing about this IPL from last year’s edition is that the teams will have a different look & combination compared to previous years. Well, you probably know everything about IPL, so let me cut to the chase and give an overview of all the teams.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS:

Led by MS Dhoni, the team is not as strong as it once was. A very strong batting line up in McCullum, Smith, Du Plessis, Raina and Dhoni. The team has world class all rounders with Jadeja, Ashwin and Bravo leading the front. Ashwin and Bravo were in great form during the world T20 which augurs well for the team. The bowling can be taken apart as Nehra and Mohit Sharma have never been consistent, so it’s imperative that the team finds a place for Hilfenaus/Badree. They can’t be very flexible with the playing XI this time.

Probable XI: 

McCullum/Smith, Raina, Du Plessis, Dhoni, Bravo, Jadeja, Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, Nehra, Badree/Hilfenhaus, Baba Aparijith/Ishwar Pandey

If both McCullum and Smith play, Ishwar Pandey will also play but both Badree and Hilfenhuas will have to sit out. If Badree/Hilfenhaus play, Baba Aoarijith comes in.

DELHI DAREDEVILS: 

This is the only team to not have retained any player before the auction. Kevin Pietersen will be eager to show why he was wrongly sacked by the ECB. This team probably has the best lot of Indian domestic batsmen available with Murali Vijay, Manoj Tiwary, Saurabh Tiwary and Kedhar Jadhav in the lineup. The team boasts of a very strong middle order in KP, Taylor, Karthik and Duminy. The Indian bowlers in the team are slightly inexperienced; hence it’s imperative that Parnell plays.

Probable XI:

Vijay, Manoj Tiwary/De Cock, KP, Taylor, Karthik, Duminy/Saurabh Tiwary/Kedhar Jadhav, Parnell/Neesham, Rahul Sharma, Unadkat, Shami, Shabaz Nadeem.

If Duminy goes out, it makes way for De Cock and either Saurabh Tiwary/Jadhav will play. Tiwary can open if De Cock is left out as Karthik as a keeper is available.

KINGS XI PUNJAB: 

A great batting line up again with pujara at the top, providing solidity. Also, the team has impressive youngsters like Manan Vohra & Mandeep Singh to take the attack to the opposition. Sehwag, Miller, Maxwell, Bailey can send shivers down the spine of any bowling attack. Johnson heads a talented but inexperienced pace attack. The spin department looks very shaky with Murali Karthik as the front line spinner. If Sehwag fires, the team will be oozing with confidence.

Probable XI:

Sehwag, Pujara/Mandeep, Manan Vohra, Maxwell, Bailey, Miller, Wriddhimann Saha, Johnson, Awana/Rishi Dhawan/Balaji (any two), Murali Karthik

Miller could make way for Thisara Perera if the bowling doesn’t click.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS: 

A very young team as always but with not many big names. The largest pool of players to chose from. Batting looks decent. They will have to fit in a quality player like Steve Smith somehow. Indian players in the team are low on experience and that is the case with some foreigners as well. Have good all rounders in Kevon Cooper, Watson, Faulkner and Stuart Binny. A big factor that might affect their performance is that they won’t be playing at their fortress Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur.

Probable XI: 

Rahane, Unmukt Chand, Samson, Watson, Hodge/Steve Smith, Abhishek Nayar, Binny, Faulkner/Kevon Cooper, Southee/Richardson, Vikramjeet Malik/Dhawal Kulkarni, Praveen tambe

As I said, the team has great variety and great balance. 

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD: 

The best bowling lineup in the whole tournament. Steyn, Mishra, B Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Karan Sharma, Irfan Pathan & Darren Sammy. A very explosive top order in Dhawan, Warner and Finch buts it’s imperative one of them bats through since not much experience is available in the middle order. Captaincy may affect Dhawan's performance.

Probable XI:

Dhawan, Warner, Finch, Venugopal Rao/Anirudh Srikkant, Naman Ojha, Sammy, Pathan, Karan Sharma, Amit Mishra, Dale Steyn, Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Ishant Sharma

Finding the right bowling combination according to the conditions will be the key to their success.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE:

Best batting lineup in the whole tournament consisting of Gayle, Kohli, De Villiers, Yuvraj. Bowling can be erratic as both Aaron and Dinda can be expensive. It’s important that Starc/Rampaul plays. Albie Morkel provides the much needed balance. Should chase if they win the toss.

Probable XI: 

Gayle, Parthiv Patel, Kohli, Yuvraj, De Villiers, Vijay Zol, Albie Morkel, Starc/Rampaul, Dinda, Varun Aaron, Shadab Jakati/Yuzwendra Chahal

Muralidharan could come in for Morkel to strengthen the bowling.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS:

They have the most perfect balance among all the teams. Morkel, Umesh, Vinay Kumar in the pace bowling department, Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla the spinners and Gambhir, Uthappa and Pandey complete the top order. Kallis, Shakib and Doeschate give the ideal balance required to the team. Only weakness could be that Kallis doesn’t get a move on and takes up deliveries to put pressure on others.

Probable XI:

Gambhir, Uthappa/Bisla/Manish Pandey(any two), Kallis, Shakib/Doeschate, Yusuf, Chawla, M Morkel, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Sunil Narine

MUMBAI INDIANS:

The former champions might not have done the right thing by not retaining Maxwell and Johnson. It’s very important that Mike Hussey bats through. Need Harbhajan to perform consistently or else there'll be huge pressure on Malinga & Zaheer. Corey Anderson and Pollard can be partners in crime and finish off the innings. The team doesn’t have much flexibility.

Probable XI:

Hussey, Tare, Rohit, Rayudu, Pollard, Anderson, Jalaj Saxena, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Ojha, Malinga

Ojha is the key here as if he's in good form, it'll be easier for MI to put breaks on the opposition. CM Gautam can come in for jalaj Saxena.

The team which stands out from the others is Kolkata Knight Riders purely based on the balance of the side. But hold on, it’s the IPL. Almost everything is uncertain. You never know which team may spring up a surprise and emerge champions. So just sit back and ride this IPL Bandwagon. 

You now know the teams, so go ahead and pick your favourites and share your views about what you think can be the deciding factor this IPL or who could be the players to watch out for!

MIND YOUR TONGUE NETAJI !!

 

With the race for forming the government at the center getting hotter, there's one other thing that's degrading day by day. 

Any guesses? 

 

Yes, you guessed right. It's our politicians' poisonous tongues.  Our politicians are so logical that they somehow manage to find a relation between 'a woman having sex outside of marriage' and elections. God bless such brilliant minds. Not only that, there's a huge furore over a PM Candidate's marital status which has absolutely nothing to do with how he runs the government. Then there is a statement about how it was not the army which won the Kargil wars but the Muslims. Then there's Mulayam Singh Yadav's sexist 'boys make mistakes' remark. Don't worry guys, this statement is testimony to the fact that he's still a boy himself. Make no mistake, the general election campaign has all the elements of a Bollywood Masala movie, with drama at every turn. And results are the perfect end to this drama. Some candidates expected to win lose badly, some parties surprise by performing really well or really bad  and the old war horses are vary of the newbies (courtesy AAP).

 

What I fail to understand is how one can stoop to such a low level in their rallies. Politicians should try and integrate the nation beyond the differences of religion, caste, gender etc but here's a guy who's trying to divide the army itself. The army is an institution where every Indian vows to protect his fellow citizens irrespective of his or her religion. The soldiers only have the motherland in their hearts and minds when they're fighting the enemy, not their respective religions. Someone who tries to divide the army by making such statements should face heavy punishment.

 

How can you term a gruesome crime like rape as a 'mistake by boys' and call for punishment of victims as well? The harshest of punishments must be given to those who sexually assault women. Also, our society needs to change its view of rape victims. Why is it that we look at them differently? When will we ever stop questioning their clothes? 

The politicians need to understand their responsibility and make people aware about it rather than giving regressive statements about rape. We should EMPATHISE with them, not SYMPATHISE . 

 

The only solution to stop immature statements from politicians is for the Election Commission to straightaway cancel the tickets of these candidates. Only then will these politicians stop dividing the nation.

It's a matter of concern for us, the citizens of India. 

I'd like you to share your views regarding this issue and how can the EC punish such politicians for uttering shit like this.

THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT THIS WT20

This T20 World Cup has been different in more ways than one. The fixture format was one reason. But what stood out was how this tournament has not been about the slam-bang of the cricket ball, the big sixes or the huge scores but a tournament about the bowlers.

The bowlers, who have most rules and regulations against them, evolved in such a way that they affected the course of the match much more than the batsmen. Never did a T20 World Cup before see 5 scores below 100. 
Apart from that, there were small but viewer enriching innovations in the equipment department like the LED stumps which lit up each time the ball hit them.
A few performances lit up this T20 World Cup like nothing else and they should be remembered for long -

1. Virat Kohli - This player continues to give more proof of his batting genius by each passing day. By his own admission, he was not batting his best but still the way he won the semifinal for India was sheer class. He never looked out of control.
 
2. Netherlands - It was a far improved side in this World T20 and made for an interesting watching. Be it chasing 193 in 13.5 overs against Ireland, losing narrowly to SA by 6 runs or beating England by 46 runs, there were always signs of them improving. But not to forget, they also made the record for the lowest score against SL. Also, there was another upset when HONG KONG defeated BANGLADESH by 2 wickets. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Bangladeshi fans following the loss to Afghanistan in the Asia Cup.
 
3. Dale Steyn - Need 7 to get off the last over with 5 wickets in hand. Seems easy for the batting side, doesn't it? But it was not to be. Dale Steyn's performance against NZ, especially the last over, was simply brilliant. Just conceding a 4 in the last over and defending 6 runs without bowling a yorker was something unheard of but Steyn made it possible.
 
4. Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra - After a very long time the Indian spinners dominated the proceedings this way. The opposition batsmen had no answer to Ashwin's carrom ball and Mishra's googly. The ball to dismiss Hashim Amla by Ashwin would have made even Shane Warne proud.
 
5. Bravo and Sammy finishing off the innings - Whether it was against Pak or Aus, WI looked down and out in the match only to be saved by Bravo and Sammy both times. The celebration after beating Australia will be remembered for quite a long time in the minds of cricket lovers.
 
6. Alex Hales' 116 v SL - Alex Hales almost single handedly won the match for Eng. Chasing 190, England were 2 down for nothing. His knock was testimony to the fact why he's rated so highly in this format.
 
7. Imran Tahir - The highest wicket taker of the tournament came from a land which has been known for it's fast bowlers. But it was SA's Imran Tahir who made a difference to their bowling and was instrumental in the match against the Dutch.

I think the above things made this tournament a memorable one and will be etched in the memories of fans for long.

FOOD: AN ETERNAL LOVE STORY

What food does to me?

 So the other day I was attending a competition which I had looked forward to since long. I had cleared the initial prelims after a full day’s struggle which brought me here, to this auditorium, in anticipation of winning and taking away the cash prize.  The day consisted of three rounds. First round went well, it was a group discussion. I simply rocked it. The second round was a group presentation which we as a group excelled in. The day was boring, I had expected much more interesting and stimulating rounds but then came the third round. The organizers would argue that it was a fair round but they also know, deep down, that auction bidding was a luck based round. Nevertheless, the round started and there were 69 states to be auctioned off and the heat soon turned up along with the prices. It ultimately came down to the last city. I had $9700 remaining in my kitty and my sole competitor for this last city had $9500 in her kitty (I had been keeping track). The bidding started at $ 5000 and escalated in +$200. The bid came to $9600. My placard was still up and so was my competitor’s who unfortunately didn’t have that money. Still he raised it. The bid came to $9800. We both put our placards down. Now the rule was that in such a case where all the bidders put their placards down, the person according to the auctioneer who put his placard down at last was allotted the city. Unfortunately, it was me this time and as I overshot my budget, I was disqualified. All my efforts went in vain. Even the guy didn’t go ahead as cash had no value points. He wasn’t even aware that he caused my disqualification. Hate to say this, but he was dumb. Just because of his stupidity, a split second stupidity, I lost it. I could’ve won it, I had the potential. A tide swept over me, I was sad and then an unknown anger took over me. I tried to control it. I tore away the folder, crushed the badge and kicked it repeatedly, punched my friend twice in the shoulder (Mind you I am a big man and a single punch of mine is enough to knock anyone down), sweared the guy openly in front of others and the organizing committee. The friends came along, calmed me down but I was still angry. It was a long day and everyone was hungry. So we all decided to go to a local famous food joint.  Now friends will not stop pulling your leg and this case was no different. I became their joker for the day. Giggling, laughing, and teasing. We ordered food and the first thing to arrive was cheese nachos. Oh GOD save me, I gorged on them, literally gorged on them. They were lip smacking. Then came along the juicy Lebanese burger, the kit kat shake and the pasta. My oh my, I was happy beyond measure. I don’t know where the anger went, I was the happiest man ever, relishing every bite of the food. It just amazes me what magic food has on me, It’s a drug to me, overpowers me, it’s more of an emotion to me. “I’m feeling foody today”. It literally made my day, happiness all round, everything seemed perfect, no anger, no remorse. To top it all, I don’t know how my friends divided the bill but I just had to pay Rs 150..!!! There is only one thing better than food- Free Food or cheap, delicious food. My oh my, I wonder if I could get slim some day or love a girl more than I love food and it’s a serious thought. Happy eating to all.  

People say, “We should eat to live and not live to eat”. Dafaq we should live to eat. Personally speaking, food has always been my first love and it will always be. It has been eternal. People get into relationships, the love, they fight, they quarrel, they separate, they end up heartbroken /lost and what not. The relation with food is so simple- It is eternal, it has such variety, you can be into multiple relations, it satisfies you every time you have it, it doesn’t bicker, it doesn’t complain.

Food DISCLAIMER: This article doesn’t promote binging or not exercising in any way.

THE ART OF BEING REPUBLIC

(Nitisha Thakwani)

Many of us still consider 26th January a mere holiday. Folks, put your hands on your heart and ask yourself did you regret that 26^th January was a Sunday? Even the CM of Delhi considers the republic Day celebrations for some 200 VVIPs. Why do we systematically try to under carpet the fact that people in rural areas still collect in large numbers to get a glimpse of these celebrations in their tin sized televisions.

This time, I had the privilege to witness the Republic day Parade live. During the course of the celebration, I was virtually transported to the period of 1950’s. I lived each and every moment and was gripped by the feeling of patriotism. People of all age groups, ostensibly from humble background wearing smiles on their face, walked tirelessly just to witness this two hour celebrations. They possessed indomitable spirits.

Finally the much awaited celebrations began. It seemed as if I was watching the parade with my brothers and sisters. All the unknown faces around me seemed to be my long lost family! Even a toddler stood in rapt attention during the national anthem. People thoroughly cheered and seemed to motivate the participants. It was a great event indeed.

Friends as our country is heading towards a bleak future, thanks to the policymakers, everything is still not wrong. I spotted a spark today among the people at the Republic day celebrations. A unique sense of bonding prevailed among them. A desire to change the politics was what I sensed. Arnab Goswami, editor in chief of Times Now has rightly said ‘The loopholes in the existing system are so big that even a truck can pass through it.’ A desire to repair these loopholes was what the public seemed to achieve. Such was the mood today. The policymakers are systematically playing with the mood of the public, in order to retain power. They are indulging in vote bank politics. An ’aam aadmi’ would be quite apprehensive to be governed by ‘self confessed anarchists’.

Seeing this feeling of frustration and despair in the people, I would like to appeal to the people of India that we all should rise above from the boundaries of caste, religion, region, gender etc. And join hands for better India in the future. I would like to quote Shah Rukh Khan’s epic dialogue from Chak de! India ‘mujhe naa kisi state ka naam sunai deta hai naa kisi region ka, sirf ek naam sunai deta hai I-N-D-I-A’. This is the feeling which we need to evoke in ourselves only then we can go from strength to strength. As an optimist citizen of this country, I feel that a ray of hope lies at the end of tunnel. When winter has come, spring cannot be far off.’

(The writer is the blogger's friend who watched the Republic Day Parade live, edited by the blogger itself)

END OF AN ERA?

As the world gears up for the first grand slam of the year commencing in Melbourne on 13^th January, a big question is abuzz in the tennis world. ‘Is this year going to be ROGER FEDERER’s last on the tennis court? Especially in Singles?’

The question being raised is not surprising at all. It’s no secret that his game has gone down, his ATP ranking is 6 (out of the top 4 for the first time since 2003), he last one won a grand almost 18 months ago( Wimbledon 2012),he has had shock defeats to unseeded players(second round defeat against Sergiy Stakhovsky), had back problems and what not. But the fact remains he still remains a crowd favourite. Like Sachin was to cricket, Muhammad Ali to boxing, Pele to football, Federer is to Tennis. I would go miles to see him play and his one handed backhand is one of the best in the game which is very pleasing to the eye. He has been a true gentleman for the game and that is why people love and respect him so much.

My favourite Roger Federer memory will be of the year 2009, though it’ll be difficult to choose between the French Open victory or The Wimbledon victory. In 2009, he won his first French Open Title by defeating Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-4. It was the first time that Nadal had lost a match at Roland Garros. The emotions after that match were very high, after losing year after at Roland Garros he had finally won it. It was as if a kid had convinced his parents to buy a particular toy. I remember Federer collapsing to the court and crying uncontrollably. It was a huge moment for him, one which he would most likely cherish throughout his lifetime. But I think the moment that will trump that memory would be that of winning the record 15^th slam and breaking his Idol Pete Sampras’s record of 14 slams. I remember that match very clearly. It was a 5 setter and the 5^th set ended at 16-14 in favour of Federer. Luck was also on Federer’s side that day. I think no matter what, he was destined to win that day. Andy Roddick's serve was only broken once in the whole match. And once when it was broken, he lost the match. . Federer won 5–7, 7–6^(8-6), 7–6^(7-5), 3–6, 16–14. The celebration after winning that match were huge and it was even more so because this final was a more hard fought one than the one at Roland Garros. Roddick was playing at his peak in the entire tournament, and defeating him required some luck which he had. That day in London probably lay to rest the debate of the greatest tennis player ever.

No one can deny the fact that he has to go, but everyone wants him to go out on a high and winning all the four slams in the year would be fairytale ending but it’s not necessary that it’ll happen. He has to make sure that he at least reaches the semi-final stages of all the majors and then see what happens. Having said that, Federer seems to be in no mood to bid goodbye to the love of his life, he has made it amply clear that he’ll call it day when he feels he no longer enjoys the game. He’s trying to make amends in his game by now using 98inch Wilson which gives him more power and more forgiving on mishits. He has also roped in former world no. 1 Stefan Edberg into his coaching team. He also made a statement that he’s still good enough to take down Djokovic, Nadal and all other contenders. This makes it very clear that he’s up for a fight and it is good for the tennis world. But his job of winning the slam is going to be very tough considering his draw. He has been placed in a tough draw in which faces Duckworth, Stepanek, Verdasco, Tsonga, Murray, Nadal/Del Potro, Djokovic courtesy him being the sixth seed.

My favourite to win the tournament is going to Britain’s No.1 Andy Murray. He now has got the monkey of his back by winning the Wimbledon(2013) and The US open (2012) and is under less pressure as opposed to say 2-3 years ago. He just seems to mentally strong and for this the credit should go to his coach Ivan Lendyl. He now looks a stronger player physically as well with all the shots coming off.

My second favourite on form will be Rafael Nadal. He has had one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of sports by winning the The US Open last year. He looked a shadow of himself in between 2012 and 2013 and had suffered from a serious knee injury but the way he played the US Open seems he’s back in business.

But as I am an Indian (and a huge Federer fan), and for us Indians emotions do mean something. So for emotional reasons I would like Federer to win all the 4 majors this year and especially defeat Nadal at Roland Garros.