MANPREET GONY of the Chennai Super Kings must have once dreamt that a day will come when his name will be written in golden letters in cricket’s history. But it has happened so early that it is a surprise even for him. After some years, a question will surely be asked in cricket quiz competitions – “Who bowled the first delivery of IPL-2?” Whatever be the reason, his name will be taken with respect in the future.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2 kicked off on Saturday, April 18, with Cape Town’s climate being the first spectator. For a moment, the organizers thought the rain would play spoilsport. I must say that the IPL commissioner Lalit Modi must have cursed himself that he opted to host the event in South Africa and not in England.
With God’s blessings, the event titled as ‘Manoranjan ka baap’ by the Set Max channel began as planned. The stadium packed up. The spectators looked relaxed with a glass of beer in their hands. It looked more of a picnic spot rather a cricketing event. Neither Modi nor Cricket South Africa (CSA) would mind it.
The opening match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings kicked off with Dhoni winning the toss and deciding to field first. Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya opened the Mumbai innings. As expected, the duo gave the team a good start with the southpaw dominating the pair.
After Jayasuriya got out scoring 26 runs of 20 balls, it seemed as if the team would not be able to put up a big total but the Little Master came to the team’s rescue. He continued his good form and scored an unbeaten 59 in just 49 balls with seven boundaries. At the end of the first innings, Mumbai had scored a competitive total of 165.
Cricket experts thought that 166 runs was a chaseable target as Chennai Super Kings, last year’s runner up, had a superb batting line up. With players like Dhoni, Flintoff, Hayden, Raina and Oram, it never looked that they might have to face too many problems. But as the gentleman game’s shorter format is said to be unpredictable. It turned out to be true. Chennai, in reply, just managed to score 146 runs. The big guns failed to deliver that required knock.
The next game was played between Rajasthan Royals and Bangalore Royal Challengers was played at the same venue. Last year’s winner and bookies favourite stepped into the ground. The Royal Challengers, with Kevin Pietersen leading the side, kicked off on the wrong note. Its first two wickets fell down with no score on the board. But at last, India’s Wall Rahul Dravid came to the team’s rescue and scored 66 of 48 balls with eight fours and a six.
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If God allowed Vijay Mallaya, the owner of the Bangalore franchise owner, to ask Him one question, Mallya might have asked, “Why do I invest in any kind of sports?” His cricket team’s performance is the same as that of his Formula One team Force India. Bangalore, at last, managed to put up 133 on the board.
Later, the most exciting part of the game was not Rajasthan’s performance with the bat, but Shilpa Shetty’s (co-owner of Rajasthan Royals) comments, “I am very happy with my team’s performance,” said Shetty.
But it was never expected that Rajasthan’s team would crumble down like a pack of cards. The players, and finally, the gorgeous co-owner must be in a state of shock. Shetty must be in a state of wonder as it was the same team she talked about half an hour ago. The Rajasthan team just managed to score a mere 58 runs, the lowest in IPL’s short history.
The first day’s show is over. Many more still to go. The opening response has proved that cricket could become a global sport, provided there are the right people and there is environment.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2 kicked off on Saturday, April 18, with Cape Town’s climate being the first spectator. For a moment, the organizers thought the rain would play spoilsport. I must say that the IPL commissioner Lalit Modi must have cursed himself that he opted to host the event in South Africa and not in England.
With God’s blessings, the event titled as ‘Manoranjan ka baap’ by the Set Max channel began as planned. The stadium packed up. The spectators looked relaxed with a glass of beer in their hands. It looked more of a picnic spot rather a cricketing event. Neither Modi nor Cricket South Africa (CSA) would mind it.
The opening match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings kicked off with Dhoni winning the toss and deciding to field first. Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya opened the Mumbai innings. As expected, the duo gave the team a good start with the southpaw dominating the pair.
After Jayasuriya got out scoring 26 runs of 20 balls, it seemed as if the team would not be able to put up a big total but the Little Master came to the team’s rescue. He continued his good form and scored an unbeaten 59 in just 49 balls with seven boundaries. At the end of the first innings, Mumbai had scored a competitive total of 165.
Cricket experts thought that 166 runs was a chaseable target as Chennai Super Kings, last year’s runner up, had a superb batting line up. With players like Dhoni, Flintoff, Hayden, Raina and Oram, it never looked that they might have to face too many problems. But as the gentleman game’s shorter format is said to be unpredictable. It turned out to be true. Chennai, in reply, just managed to score 146 runs. The big guns failed to deliver that required knock.
The next game was played between Rajasthan Royals and Bangalore Royal Challengers was played at the same venue. Last year’s winner and bookies favourite stepped into the ground. The Royal Challengers, with Kevin Pietersen leading the side, kicked off on the wrong note. Its first two wickets fell down with no score on the board. But at last, India’s Wall Rahul Dravid came to the team’s rescue and scored 66 of 48 balls with eight fours and a six.
Other Articles by School Boy
* Why teams need a good start
* Cricket is a funny game
* What GenNext really wants?
* Kings XI Punjab: Is Rain God following it?
* KKR: Short of ideas!
more >>
If God allowed Vijay Mallaya, the owner of the Bangalore franchise owner, to ask Him one question, Mallya might have asked, “Why do I invest in any kind of sports?” His cricket team’s performance is the same as that of his Formula One team Force India. Bangalore, at last, managed to put up 133 on the board.
Later, the most exciting part of the game was not Rajasthan’s performance with the bat, but Shilpa Shetty’s (co-owner of Rajasthan Royals) comments, “I am very happy with my team’s performance,” said Shetty.
But it was never expected that Rajasthan’s team would crumble down like a pack of cards. The players, and finally, the gorgeous co-owner must be in a state of shock. Shetty must be in a state of wonder as it was the same team she talked about half an hour ago. The Rajasthan team just managed to score a mere 58 runs, the lowest in IPL’s short history.
The first day’s show is over. Many more still to go. The opening response has proved that cricket could become a global sport, provided there are the right people and there is environment.
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