Notes from the IPL

I must confess I have been able to get an hour's worth of entertainment everyday in spite of a rigorous schedule otherwise. Heck, I have enjoyed watching the games in the Indian Premier League (something, I could have anyways managed). I had my initial doubts over the format succeeding but its been phenomenal. The quality of cricket has kept the spirit up all the while.

Here are some of the noteworthy points for me -

• The return of Shane Warne: We all know how he can mesmerise you with his bowling but we have also witnessed a tactical genius inspire a bunch of talented lads.
• Sanath-Sachin pair: We had to wait almost half the tournament but we finally got to see what all fantasy cricket players have wished for almost a decade.
• 'Other' Indian talent: The likes of Gony, Dinda, Saha, Badrinath, Nayar and many others have used it as a perfect platform to show their mettle.
• T20 champions: We now know why the Indian Team won the T20 championship in South Africa. Players like Gambhir, Sehwag, Sharma, Dhoni, Pathan, RP Singh and Sreesanth (off-field as well??) have proved their antics.
• Full houses: The crowd support and the growing fan following suggests this league is here to stay. It will take time for soccer-like fanaticism to develop towards the franchises.
• Cricket has been good: Entertainment aside, quality of cricket has been good. Players have applied themselves and cricket has overshadowed other stuff.
• Knowledge transfer: I think lot of younger players have already benefited from intermingling with the senior/international pros. This will help Indian Cricket in the long run.

Any takers for a Rajasthan-Punjab final?