The IPL Athletic Supporter's Note - X

Both the May Day matches were opportunities for redemption. One team tried and failed, while the other succeeded.

The KKR – Mumbai Indians encounter was expected to be a one-sided affair, though I was secretly hoping that the Kolkata team would pull off a miracle. I am neither a Bong nor a fan of the KKR team-owner, but I definitely like my Ganguly, quirks and all.

As it happened, KKR bowled quite well to hold the Mumbai team down to 148. Almost every bowler did his job and while the fielding was not up there, one could see a team wanting to fight. I quite liked Murali Kartik’s send-off to Harbhajan. Just for the fact that it’s time the offie got some of his own medicine forced down his throat.

Duminy again batted beautifully. The funny thing is that as a viewer, one doesn’t notice him. No fanfare, no massive hits. Just a series of crisp, cricketing shots and he is suddenly on fifty.

Why Rahane was sent so low down is something that I will never understand. The lad is a destructive player and a real talent. Agarkar got Tendulkar with a full toss. One marvels at the talent of Agarkar, who manages to get a wicket with almost any kind of delivery. This time, instead of the longhop, it was a full toss.

The KKR reply started off in ominous fashion with Ganguly getting a first-baller – dragging a wide delivery on to his stumps. Zaheer Khan cleaned up Gayle, and all of us watching started exchanging ‘How d’you solve a problem like KKR?’ expressions.

But we were led to hope. By a gritty partnership between Hodge and van Wyk, before the old ending was added to this new plot. Why is Saha being played so low down? He can open, which gives KKR the option of sending Ganguly in at three. But then, Hungry Bread always has other ideas.

KKR lost, but I sincerely hope they bounce back. Locking the coach and his theories up in a bathroom two days before the match is a good idea. When every brilliant theory has failed, what’s the harm in eleven players going out and just trying to … err, play cricket?

The second match saw Kumble taking over from KP, the sex symbol. And with it must have come a different work ethic. None of it was in evidence when the RC batted, losing Ryder, Goswami and Bishnoi in reasonably quick succession.

A line about Bishnoi. Back in the glory days of Nebuchadnezzar, when I played most of my cricket, we had a term to describe this kind of player – Oom-faa. ‘Oom’ referred to the wind-up and ‘faa’ to the swing of the bat. Back to the game.

Kallis, Uthappa and van der Merwe all chipped in, but the thunder was stolen by Yuvraj Singh, who in the course of three successive balls took a hat-trick and brought his own brand of mayhem to approved celebration styles.

145 seemed a gettable target as long as Yuvraj was there for the Kings XI. The team has a big problem in the fact that Jayawardene is just not firing, given the fact that he is a genuine class act. Some good bowling by the spin trio of Kumble, van der Merwe and Appanna dried up the runs for the Kings XI.