KKR Still In With a Shout

The IPL, it’s been going on for ever, it’s still got about ten days of group stage still to go.  So over half way and my selected team Kolkata is still hanging on in there,  admittedly tenuously.

But they did put in some rather dapper fielding today at Eden Gardens, against the rather fierce Delhi Daredevils and the lovely Colly and Warner were both sent packing with few runs.  Interesting times.

Even the ITV 4 studio seems to have matured.  Gosh, who’d have thought!

I Missed Gunther, Oh No!

The time I decide not to watch an IPL match because I’m not that interested now in Deccan or Rajasthan, I find out that Andre Nel has been in the ITV 4 studio, damn!

But lots of people are tuning in, ITV 4 has a bit of a viewership coup on it’s hands.  It is now topping half a million on a Sunday afternoon.

Remind me again – just why is our domestic competition not available even as a highlights package on free to air?

Colly strutting his IPL stuff

Yes, it’s nice to see Paul Collingwood doing well in the crazy world of the IPL, and it’s really nice to see him doing it on TV too.  Sixes are ten a penny in this form of the game – but there is something particularly nice when the bloke who is hitting them is Colly.  So top scoring for the Delhi Daredevils; 75 not out – nice, or as they said on the IPL strap line – pure magic.

IPL v England; Head to Head TV ratings.

The lure of fee to air TV!  As many people in Britain are watching the IPL as watched the Bangladesh v England tests.

Durham Chennai Liaison

As posted yesterday;  TMS them no lie.   Durham County Cricket Club Chief Executive, David Harker, and Chairman, Clive W Leach CBE, have just returned from a business trip to India where they had been invited by Chennai based Durham sponsors, 5G.   Where will it go from here….?

The IPL Reaches for the Infinite

So no football teams then, as was suspected.  Modi finally got around to announcing the two new franchises for the IPL.  They will be based at  The southern city of Kochi and Pune near Mumbai.

Next season onwards the IPL will feature 10 teams – which means a total of 94 games, up from the current 60, in a home-and-away format.  There will be no escaping the IPL; it is going to be truly never ending!  Let’s hope climate change does not alter India’s monsoon season or it will be all year round soon.  But perhaps that is where the USA will come to the fore in Modi’s future cunning plans?

IPL Gems

Vegetation commentary gem – “Grass grows by process of osmosis”.

From yesterday’s Deccan Chargers v Kings XI Punjab clash at Cuttack.  I know it’s often refed to as the hallowed turf, but I always thought the grass itself was pretty bog standard.  Stick to the cricket, and mentioning the sponsors as many times as possible, eh lads.

Gotta love the IPL commentary.

My IPL team in shock win!

I’m feeling all rose tinted from tonight’s KKR performance – so here is a picture of a rose tinted Murali, playing for Middlesex.

It seems that the Kolkata Knight Riders are the but of many a joke in IPL circles – but not today.  From a dreadful start, and some poor fielding they salvaged quite an entertaining win.

ITV 4 were quite neutral – as in non annoying in their coverage.  So I will give this IPL another go.

It is such a shame that our domestic completion is not available in the same way.  Bizarre even!

IPL; NE India, That Would be Kolkata.

Now that a form of cricket is on real TV I feel duty bound to watch, Bollywood pompom fluff or not.  I have never seen any IPL action to date but decided on Kolkata before the first year started – hence not being able to support wor Colly n the Devils, which I probably would have done if he had played in that first year, although I also like the look of Mumbai this year.

I chose Kolkata for non team reasons mainly because I really like Kolkata as a city.  In fact I really like Bengal and the NE Indian states.  So no Durham players but fits in the the NE thing – so there is tenuous for you.  I quite like Kartik and he has been with them from the start

We have the important stuff covered: the good name – Ganguly, the weird spinner – Mendis, the luxuriant hair-do that is Ishant Sharma, the too laid back for his own good Gayle and the ‘if he ever gets to bowl I will be gob-smacked and faint’ – Bond.  [he is not listed on their website strangely as he seemed to be quite an expensive buy – the invisible man even!]

So onward until the County season starts – then I’ll be hoping that young Stokes decides it’s his ambition to play in the big time, and bats like he’s on an Indian flat track all season [hopefully dismissing all bowling as easily], now that would be something to look forward to.

IPL; New Franchises, UK Football Clubs? What?!

All pre auction hype you would hope.  What is a top football club in Modi speak, given that ITV 4 is a top rated TV channel?  Lalit was hinting that a top Premier League football club was interested in buying an IPL franchise.   Top – in position in the league,  top – in finance terms?  Mr Modi likes lots of money.  From the way he was speaking plenty took it to mean Premiership anyway.

But football clubs don’t buy anything.  They may have links with other clubs – I’m told Arsenal has links with Middlesex, but not financial ones.  So is this meant to be a British based city franchise?  The owners of a certain premiership club may be interested in adding an IPL franchise to their portfolio?  Or an investor based franchise?  Could it mean Manchester City’s Dubai, or Manchester United’s American owners are interested in a Dubai or US based franchises to cash in on expat interest and advertising marketing possibilities?

None of the above I should imagine.   Getting attention is what Modi is excellent at.  Even the MCC were in the running for a bit, could not resist the hype, want to be seen as ‘out there’, got a bit of press attention.

We will find out on March the 8^th *2010.  This will probably be quite dull in comparison to the speculation.

Watching Durham warming up is much more interesting.

*Cricinfo puts it as Sunday