My team is the Deccan Chargers. Why? B'cos with the kind of batting line up they had in the previous season, it looked promising to walk away with all the glory. 'Cept it wasn’t to be. In fact it finished last with the batting never really clicking and the limitations in the bowling department stood exposed far too clearly.
I am a fan of VVS and regard him one of the most stylish batsman to ever have graced the game. But as a captain he failed to gel his team into a cohesive unit. After the poor first season it made good sense to switch my allegiance to Chennai or some other team. Belonging to Kerala, I don't have a natural and obvious preferred team. I dream of a team in the future from Kochi called Island Warriors or something but it’s highly unlikely unless the game is football. Cricket comes a distant second after soccer when it comes to popularity, also helped by the fact that there haven’t been too many players from the state who have done consistently well playing for India. Much is expected of Sreeshanth and let us hope he comes thru’ good. And so I had a ‘Down South’ choice of Bangalore Chennai and Hyderabad to be bestowed the status of "my team". No one will disagree that it’s more fun when you have a team that you support. There is a sense of competition that makes viewing more pleasurable. For instance, ManU in EPL or Brazil in the Football world cup soccer or even Federer in Men's tennis. Season one of IPL was disappointing on a personal note albeit I enjoyed all the matches. And while other teams made merry and the Royals from Rajasthan, incidentally, the team least expected to win, walked away with the cup, I sulked in an embarrassing silence. Come season two and the temptation to switch sides was real and growing. We all like to support winners deriving vicarious pleasure in their success to vitiate the banality of our life. But I didn’t. I decided to stick with my choice thru’ thick and thin. And so "Till Death do us part", even if it meant another disappointing season or seasons, as the case might be. I had made my choice for life.
The South African pitches are said to suit the bowlers. So may be the Chargers might just do well. The pitch will help their bowling which isn’t the greatest and they have wonderful batsman to chase down a challenging total. Prospects look good. And to help things along, they convincingly won their first match against Kolkota Knight Riders... RP seems to have come to his own after a not too convincing performance that saw him left out of the Indian squad. The fielding was refreshing. Every one seemed perked up and purposeful under Gilly's command. There was seasoned camaraderie and positive vibes resonating through the team, crossing the barriers of nationality and language. The momentum will be with them as they seek their next opponents. Winning is a habit they say. The new jersey looks cooler then the last season and in all everything seems to be falling in its place. And it all spells good news for the proprietors! Here’s wishing them the very best for the tournament.