INDIAN PREMIER League cricket, which was introduced by its commissioner, Lalit Modi in 2008, started off with a huge bang in India. But the IPL season -2 was shifted to South Africa due to security reasons and elections because the Board of Control for Cricket in India could not take any chances.
The teams in the IPL are the Deccan Chargers , Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders .
The T20 is a very unpredictable game. While at one moment one sees a team’s winning streak, but at another its losing streak, too.
The Deccan Chargers have players like Adam Gilchrist and Gibbs, who are currently in good form and the bowling attack has RP Singh and Prgayan Ojha. Both these players have performed well and have proven to be real bowling backbone of the team. In fact, they are the real chargers.
Kings XI Punjab is playing good cricket as it has won its five matches with elan and style. Players like Yuvraj Singh, Sangakkara, Yusuf Abdullah and all-rounder Irfan Pathan have clicked together to take the team to the top position. Last year, they managed to reach the semi-finals.
Delhi Daredevils have promising players like Gautam Gambhir, Virendra Sehwag, De Villiers, and Dinesh Kartik and spin master Daniel Vettori and speedster Pradeep Sangwan. Daredevils are presently at the top after winning seven matches and having 14 points in the kitty.
Royal Challengers Bangalore spent a huge amount to get Kevin Pietersen, who has not shown much worth to the team. But spin master Anil Kumble has shown his magic. Dravid, Robin Utthapa and Virat Kholi have proved their mettle for their team.
Chennai Super Kings is a team led by T20 mastermind MS Dhoni. Matthew Hayden and Suresh Raina have created a strong batting line up. Nitni, the South African star, the smiling assassin Murlitharan and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff have shown great flair in the IPL.
The Mumbai Indians are the masters who have players like the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar, old star Jayasuriya and bowlers like Zaheer Khan, and Harbhajan Singh. The bowling attack of the Mumbai Indians is one of the best.
Last years cup winners, the Rajasthan Royals, have shown great team spirit this year too. Shane Warne has shown that he has few tricks his sleeves while all-rounder Yusuf Pathan has shown his worth with the bat and even with the ball. New kid on the block, Kamran Khan also proved himself but had to be rested after being called for chucking.
This year’s total disappointment is the Kolkata Knight Riders. The team has removed Dada (Sourav Ganguly) from captaincy and McCullum has not shown his worth. Ishant Sharma has shown his skills in the bowling department but they have failed this year again.
So, the question still arises in our mind “Who Will Win the IPL – 2?” Let’s watch the matches and hope for the best.