The 3rd edition of IPL invokes the kind of expectations and thrill, which is reminiscent of the extravaganza that began couple of years back with pomp and glamour.
Frankly, IPL has never interested me. I belong to the authentic school of copybook cricket and sincerely vouch for tests and ODI’s. For me, test cricket would always remain the premier edition of the game and 50 over matches are certainly a part of folklore now. But 20-20, well, I tend to have my reservations about this format that has the taken the game to a new pinnacle by becoming one of the proverbial and biggest money spinners in the sporting fraternity. But nevertheless, the world and the cricket fraternity looks at it from the entertainment perspective and it definitely does pull the crowds in large numbers.
Even though I do not follow IPL with the usual zest, but as a hardcore cricket buff, I do keep track of the proceedings. I vehemently favor KKR and ‘Mumbai Indians’ (Those who are avid readers of my blog would realize the obvious reason behind it). Both these teams have not been very successful in their last 2 ventures here (KKR had a tumultuous tourney last year) and I am sure they would look forward to set this record straight. Honestly, I do not have a track of the 11 names in each of the teams, but would make sincere attempts to peek in. There is this huge element of uncertainty over the performance of the teams in this tournament. Some peak early and lose their way amidst chaos, pressure and expectation. Few pick up late and gradually become consistent. So it is imperative that we do not jump in to conclusions by looking at the results and the figures of the first 10 games. Even the tournament sort of settles down and gets in to the groove after the first few games have gone past. As I said, these are early days to decide upon a favorite, but we expect the defending champions to deliver and few others who have had the right combination to win the crucial ones and progress.
Let the IPL crusade begin.
@Lifeoholic 