Thrillers...

Since my last post, some matches have gone right down to the wire. Picture this:

14th match: Royal Challengers Bangalore v Delhi Daredevils at Port Elizabeth - Apr 26, 2009
Delhi Daredevils won by 6 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)
Royal Challengers Bangalore 149/7 (20/20 ov); Delhi Daredevils 150/4 (19.2/20 ov)

16th match: Chennai Super Kings v Deccan Chargers at Durban - Apr 27, 2009
Deccan Chargers won by 6 wickets (with 3 balls remaining)
Chennai Super Kings 165/6 (20/20 ov); Deccan Chargers 169/4 (19.3/20 ov)

19th match: Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders at Durban - Apr 29, 2009
Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 5 wickets (with 1 ball remaining)
Kolkata Knight Riders 139/6 (20/20 ov); Royal Challengers Bangalore 143/5 (19.5/20 ov)

20th match: Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians at Durban - Apr 29, 2009
Kings XI Punjab won by 3 runs
Kings XI Punjab 119/8 (20/20 ov); Mumbai Indians 116/7 (20/20 ov)

23rd match: Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians at East London - May 1, 2009
Mumbai Indians won by 9 runs
Mumbai Indians 148/6 (20/20 ov); Kolkata Knight Riders 139/6 (20/20 ov)

24th match: Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kings XI Punjab at Durban - May 1, 2009
Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 8 runs
Royal Challengers Bangalore 145/9 (20/20 ov); Kings XI Punjab 137/7 (20/20 ov)

As you can see above, (and also from the table on the left), IPL 2009 is a more open affair than its predecessor. With the exception of the clueless KKR, the rest of the teams must fancy themselves in matches, given the close nature of finishes. The premium focus is now on nerves, not skill. That matters, of course, but as van der Merwe would admit, skill would only get you to a reasonable winning stage. It's your nerves that will help you cross the line, as demonstrated by the courageous Praveen Kumar who bowled a fantastic last over to prevent Punjab from getting 13 off 6 in the 20th over. 

Bangalore must be cock-a-hoop after this win, given that they have now lost KP's services (the fact that he was hardly contributing is another matter), while Punjab will feel they have done a Bangalore - snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. When Yuvraj departed, the equation was a very gettable 77 off 61 and a batting order that boasted of Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Katich and Pathan would have definitely put the odds in their favor. 

However, a few things need ironing out for both teams. Bangalore (especially Ryder) still suffer from first-over-bogeys while Punjab's middle order performance will need a closer look, batting and bowling alike. Come to think of that, did anyone notice that no less than 7 of their total 9 batters who came out to the middle today were left handers (Yuvraj, Goel, Sangakkara, Katich, Pathan, Chawla and Shrivastav) ? And that is discounting Abdulla, whose player profile reads batting style as left-hand. Maybe, they ought to rename themselves as Left Handers XI Punjab!

The earlier match of today saw Mumbai take on KKR. Mumbai must have been badly hurting after that last-gasp loss against Punjab the other day and turned in a performance that will have pleased their owners a lot. Tendulkar departed just when the innings needed a shift of gears, but he need not have worried as that was provided by the ever-improving JP Duminy. And when the time came for defense, Zaheer chipped in with 3 crucial wickets and despite Hodge's stubborn resistance, it was too little too late for KKR. They have now lost their last 3 games and His Highness Lord of Many Brains Better Than One John Buchanan must now have a lot in his plate. 

It's now close to halfway stage of IPL 2 and though Delhi and Deccan have now lost their perfect record, they remain the teams to beat. The mid-table scramble is hotting up and with a host of interesting clashes in store, expect teams to move up (and drop down) in the table. The competition is only beginning!