Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist, Shahid Afridi a team which can boast such a line-up should be putting up an emphatic batting display and not what happened at Hyderabad against Sehwag’s Daredevils.
So what is going wrong for the Deccan Charger’s and what is going right for the Daredevil’s?
The DareDevil’s bowling is managed by Glen Mcgrath and Mohammad Asif, probably the best in business when it comes to accuracy and the toughest to take to the cleaner’s.
Complementing this duo they have the likes of Maharoof and emerging quickies YO Mahesh, Pradeep Sangwan and the steady bowling of Delhi player Rajat Bhatia. The good news for the Daredevils fans does not stop here they also have one Mr Daniel Vettori in their armoury.
The Batting line-up is almost Indian with the exception being Shoaib Malik and this strategy could be a winner as the competition is being played on Indian pitches.
Though the Delhi batters have not been stretched, Shikhar Dhawan the Delhi left-hander has been most impressive and could become a player to watch and if he continues his good showing he could well be in the running for the opener’s slot in the national team which neither Jaffer or Gambhir or Uthappa have cemented.
The biggest let down for the Deccan Charger’s would be the batting.
Either Shahid Afridi or Rohit Sharma could partner Adam Gilchrist.
The bowling lacks teeth…barring Chaminda Vaas there is no else who is intimidating. RP Singh alternates between the brilliance and the mediocre and the back up is with the likes of Sanjay Bangar, Andrew Symonds, Pragyan Ojha and Afridi….not at all reassuring if you are a DC supporter.
It could be tough going for the Chargers……
- Mahesh Packiaraj (The Viper)
Showing posts with label Delhi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delhi. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Who will you put your money on for the semis?
Watching the Rajasthan Royals get the better of a star studded Punjab Kings I was reminded of a conversation with a fellow cricket aficionado. In any tournament predicting winners is an integral component. The IPL has 8 teams and most of them are well balanced at least on paper with the Rajasthan Royals appearing the weakest of the lot. So we looked at other factors which could differentiate the also-rans from the winners.
Our list for the semi is Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and Rajasthan. We picked these ahead of the rest on the basis of their leaders. To use an often abused cliché, its all about leadership, be it business or sports.
These 4 teams are headed by aggressive and street smart individuals and 2 of them have proved themselves at the international level and the other 2 were always touted as brilliant captaincy material but did not get an opportunity to prove their skills
Leadership in the IPL context is more of a challenge as the incumbent does not have the luxury of leading a set of people with a common denominator….same state or country. The IPL outfits are a heady mix of high caliber, high visibility international stars from different climes and unknown local players, getting them to work together as a unit is in itself a challenge in leadership.
Additionally both Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni are known for their ability to pick players with potential and give them the room to perform and deliver a key attribute which assumes added importance in the context of picking a local player over an international star.
The other two Sehwag and Warne are unknown’s in the realm of leadership at the international level but in the limited chances they have had have amply demonstrated they belong to this league.
So here’s to the semis and to the prediction and above all here’s to an exciting time ahead.
- Mahesh Packiaraj (The Viper)
Our list for the semi is Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and Rajasthan. We picked these ahead of the rest on the basis of their leaders. To use an often abused cliché, its all about leadership, be it business or sports.
These 4 teams are headed by aggressive and street smart individuals and 2 of them have proved themselves at the international level and the other 2 were always touted as brilliant captaincy material but did not get an opportunity to prove their skills
Leadership in the IPL context is more of a challenge as the incumbent does not have the luxury of leading a set of people with a common denominator….same state or country. The IPL outfits are a heady mix of high caliber, high visibility international stars from different climes and unknown local players, getting them to work together as a unit is in itself a challenge in leadership.
Additionally both Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni are known for their ability to pick players with potential and give them the room to perform and deliver a key attribute which assumes added importance in the context of picking a local player over an international star.
The other two Sehwag and Warne are unknown’s in the realm of leadership at the international level but in the limited chances they have had have amply demonstrated they belong to this league.
So here’s to the semis and to the prediction and above all here’s to an exciting time ahead.
- Mahesh Packiaraj (The Viper)
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