The Sports-India Community

With IPL just few weeks away, the excitement levels are gradually going up in India. In this context, just wanted to start a poll in our forum and see which member supports which team.

I am from Hyderabad and I root for Deccan Chargers. Go Chargers

I have a problem -- I support Hyderabad and Chennai -- two cities I have spent large portions of my life in. So I have not voted.

I am going for Mumbai Indians.

I supports only Delhi Dare Devills

i am supporting Rajasthan Royals .

Damn. "None of the above" is not an option? .. OK, I am not voting then. Jay

A few more teams may be added for the next season, which should be played in India. So, you might get a chance to vote for a Kochi Cruisers (probably with Daridravaasi as the icon player) next year. If ever a Kerala franchise opens up, would it start off with Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram?

Looks like not a big turnout for this poll but 4 votes for the DC and they seem to be doing great. Go DC...!!

The likely new MP from Thiruvananthapuram is a big cricket fan, and writes elegantly about the game (though not necessarily about the IPL, about which he sounded ambivalent when I chatted with him the one time we met...). He could be instrumental in getting a Trivandrum Terriers team organized!

Looking ahead at IPL 2010. I support the worst team (overall) in the first two years: KKR. This year maybe there is hope primarily because they have got two good young bats in Pujara and Tiwari. Hence, the lineup should be: Gayle, MacCallum, Hodge, Ganguly, Tiwari, Pujara, Saha. That allows KKR to play Bond, Shukla, Iqbal-Abdullah/Murali-Karthik, and Ishant/Dinda. Since Indian bowlers get hit anyway, I like playing Shukla who can be a handy bat at #8. When Bond is unavailable Langeveldt can come in. The key is to have quality bats right down the order.

In the first few games, McCullum isn't available. So I think the team for the first match will be Gayle, Hodge, Ganguly, Tiwary, Pujara, Saha, Angelo Matthews, Shukla/Agarkar, Ajantha Mendis, Murali Karthik, Dinda (or Ishant). This does look like a solid team. In Indian conditions I would prefer Angelo Matthews to Langeveldt.

Lots of bowling options there, with Gayle and Ganguly (and, at a pinch, Hodge) available to bowl as well. With the new ball in the hands of Angelo Matthews and Dinda/Ishant, plus Agarkar/Shukla (with an over or two from Ganguly), plus Gayle and Kartik/Abdulla to provide the spin (perhaps one over from Hodge if necessary), this looks like a proper team. But is Gayle available for the first game? Perhaps not, in which case there is a problem...David Hussey isn't in the squad any longer. So in Gayle's absence I suppose Ganguly would open, Owais Shah take Ganguly's place in the middle order -- and, I would think that Vignesh would play instead of Agarkar/Shukla to strengthen the batting.

Oais Shah is a competent ODI player, perhaps as decent as Hussey. So, I am not worried. But why the heck is Hussey not in the team? The Telegraph says that he is arriving but as PKB said, he was indeed left off the team. Another website says that Hussey can be included in a revised squad upto 48 hours before the first match.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100311/j ... 203350.jsp
http://www.thesportscampus.com/20100303 ... ght-riders

Hussey is not in the Aussie team. Why is he arriving late? Maybe they decided to put him back in the squad at the last minute? Something does not add up. I would prefer the more penetrative and experienced Langeveldt instead of Angelo Matthews. It seems in the first match both will play along with Hodge and Oais.

None. Twenty20 is the most boring form of Cricket, if it can be called Cricket. Just my personal opinion.

shibi wrote:None. Twenty20 is the most boring form of Cricket, if it can be called Cricket. Just my personal opinion.

Tell that to my eleven-year old son who is a big fan of Chennai Superkings

Shibi, I agree entirely. But there'll be very little real cricket for the next 2 months, so we'll have to put up with the T20 (a)version.