A DLF Maximum or Citi Moment of Success: The Power of Brands this DLF IPL

Well when Chris Gayle hits a huge six over the boundary it is merely more than a six as it called a DLF Maximum.Whenever a catch is taken or there is a turning point in the match it is classified as the Citi Moment of success.To be honest these are really well ingrained with the nuances of an DLF IPL Match and soon people will get used to these interesting alliances in cricket be it Twenty 20 or One dayers or test matches.Orbit is playing safe and is the official chewing gum for all the 8 franchisees of the DLF IPL. If chewing gum was not enough Boomer is the official Bubble gum for all the franchisees.
Thats how sponsor publicity and the return of their investment of their advertisement spend is valued.Well television commentators are a part of this marketing glitz for the fact that they keep thanking the title sponsors of the DLF IPL which are DLF,Citi,Vodafone,Fly Kingfisher,Hero Honda,World Sports Group,Southern Sun and Microsoft.This apart you have the presenting sponsors who advertise during the telecast of these matches on SET Max or Multi-screen media the new name for SET MAX.
But with the DLF IPL shifting to South Africa there have been some interesting changes when it comes to advertisers and sponsors. Pepsico announced its association with two IPL teams, but on the flip side, has pulled out of a reported Rs 50 crore deal with the DLF IPL .

Kolkata Knight Riders:
As for the teams we have an interesting line up of new sponsors and some old ones who have pulled out.HDIL backed out of supporting Kolkata Knight Riders.They now have Nokia as their main sponsor on the front of their Jerseys,Star Plus is on the back of the jersey,Next Electronics retail store on the sleeves along with Sprite which is an interesting choice considering SRK has been a Pepsico loyalist and its after a long time that he or his team is associating with Coca Cola.Reebok is their jersey merchandixzing sponsor.Tag Hueur at the back of their caps and helmets is the best sponsor for any DLF IPL Franchisee and brand SRK has a lot to do with this.I wonder if they could have had a brand SRK or Red Chillies on their cap which would have been a marketing glitz for SRK’s genius.I am sure very soon we may have the Name of popular movies of these stars coming /allying with IPL Teams.Well My Names Is Khan on Kolkata Knight riders could have been unique.

Kings eleven Punjab:

Kings eleven Punjab aka Arsenal have Fly Emirates as their main sponsors. Other sponsors include Gulf Oil as official team partner, Nimbooz by 7 Up Official Beverage Sponsor, Netlinkblue Official Team Sponsor, Royal Challenge Official Games for Royal Challenge Partner, Springbok International Official sponsor, Reebok Official Apparel Partner, Dabur Glucose D Official Team Sponsor and Orbit as Official Chewing Gum Sponsor.

Rajasthan Royals:

Last years most underrated team and this years defending champions Rajasthan Royals had one of their major sponsors Bajaj Allianz Insurance backing out as the DLF IPL shifted to South Africa.So much so that they had to re-launch their team jerseys with new lead sponsors UltraTech Cement.Well 7-up is their Official Beverage Sponsor,Tata is their Official Team sponsor.With Bajaj Allianz going out we had HDFC Standard Life Insurance coming behind the back of their jerseys.The Tata Group and Kingfisher Premium on their left and right sleeves are their official team sponsors.Last but not the least and interestingly for this sector we have Tata Consultancy services advertising on their caps and helmets.Puma the third sporting shoe cum apparel and accessories maker makes an interesting mark with the Rajasthan Royals.

Delhi Daredevils:

Delhi Daredevils seem to be doing really well in this edition of the DLF IPL already along with the Deccan Chargers. GMR Holdings are the team owners and they welcomed Hero Honda as their main sponsors .Their suave yet cool blue and red jerseys are designed by Adidas distinctively marked with their trademark three stripes. Their official beverage is Coca Cola. Jet-King seems to be another unlikely sponsor on the back of their jersey which is an interesting combination.The new partners include Coke and Royal Challenge (both as Associate Sponsors), Wrigley's India (Official Gum Partner), Virgin Mobile (Official Mobile Partner), Fever 104 (Official Radio partner), Big Adda (Official Online Partner), GupShup.com (Mobile Fan Activation Partner), the Times of India and The Hindustan Times (both Official Media Partners).

Mumbai Indians:

Mumbai Indians is another team with their light and dark cool blue jerseys designed for them by Adidas. Owned by Mukesh Ambani the owner of Reliance Industries tag comes along onto the Mumbai Indians.Master Card is the official sponsor of the Mumbai Indians on their jersey sleeves with cellular co Idea being their founding partner and the official team sponsor on the front of their jerseys. Zandu Balm is another sponsor on the caps/helmets of the Mumbai Indians.Pepsi,Kingfisher Premium,Royal Stag ,Red FM 93.5 ,Geetanjali and Alakh Advertising form the next list of their associate sponsors.

Chennai Super Kings:

Chennai Super Kings have India Cements behind their jerseys and are the owners of this behemoth from the South.Reebok is behind their team jersey and has chosen a slightly bright yellow colour which goes with the city.Aircel is the chief sponsor of the team on the front of their jersey and indeed is the biggest advertiser.Chennai Super Kings has been followed by brands like Cloud 9, Reebok and 7Up. Health companies are also associated with the CSK and it has been found that there is a relatively unknown local ayurveda company, Nivaran 90 that has shelled out almost Rs 5 crores to make it to the CSK T-shirt. Peter England the shirt maker owned by the Aditya Birla Group is another sponsor that is vying for the space on the CSK T-shirt.Among other brands that the franchisee of CSK has got for its players include, Band Aid, Nivea for men, Lays, Orbit and Boomer. The association is not relegated to the products category, but even media partners have aligned their fortune with the DLF IPL and sponsors for CSK include Star Vijay and radio station Hello 106 FM.Big Bazaar of the Pantaloon Group is another advertiser associated with the CSK and this could be owing to the fact that the captain of CSK, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a brand ambassador for the group; therefore the company may have decided to align their fortune with the Chennai Super Kings.Clearly CSK has the most number of sponsors and there is a lot of buzz going for them.

Deccan Chargers:

Deccan Chargers from Hyderabad is the second team for whom the jerseys and merchandize has been designed by Puma.With odyssey as their sponsors on their sleeves. Their main sponsors are their owners Deccan Chronicle ,KingfisherPremium , McDowell’s No 1, Big 92.7FM, Wrigley’s Orbit. Surprisingly their beverage partner is Pepsi which is underplaying its association with DLF IPL and the 8 teams.

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Royal Challengers Bangalore have used their sponsors very interestingly with Royal Challengers ingrained in the name of their team.This is the fourth team for whom Reebok has designed the team jersey and merchandize.Fly Kingfisher,McDowells No 1 would be natural sponsors coz of their owner Vijay Mallya also the proud owner of United Breweries and Kingfisher airlines.More on RCB Soon.

With a slugfest of advertisers from all genres this years DLF IPL is happening in times of recession.With MSM/Sony Max having sold 85 percent of their on air advertisements and 15 percent remaining to be sold at a premium we have a huge Blockbuster hit already.

KKR Reloaded or Sourav Ganguly Reloaded

The new KKR Reloaded ad is more abt Ganguly and about KKR:
You can love him,you can hate him but you cannot ignore him : For me he shall always be the eternal prince of Calcutta Sourav Ganguly.SRK and Coach Buchannan were aware of the backlash in Kolkata that would arise if Sourav Ganguly were to be replaced for the Kolkata Knight Riders by a new captain like Rahul Dravid was by Kevin Peterson for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Being Indias best former captain and the only celebrated player from Bengal for close to a decade,the repercussions were more than just expected.Bengalis being so passionate and cricket loving,removing Ganguly from KKR’s captaincy was like removing Bengali Rosogulla from a Bengali thali.
So SRK the marketing genius and shrewd coach John Buchanan announced that they would have multiple captains to create a different kind of flurry within the Indian media and basically I knew what was coming cos the multiple captaincy formula was never going to work any which ways.
Days before the DLF IPL officially began on 18 April,KKR then announced Brendon McCullum would replace Sourav Ganguly as their captain.After creating the hype around the multiple captains this announced was delivered effectively from a media stand point.The decision to replace Ganguly sunk in slowly and the aftershocks were more subtle.
Blog protests and effigies of SRK burnt in Kolkata are still happening but the decision was taken way before to remove him from the total control of KKR.The roots lay in the last years edition of DLF IPL.Umar Gul dint really get along well with Ganguly.KKR’s performance was a huge setback after their huge expectations. Reportedly SRK and Ganguly did have a few arguments over selecting a few players.
KKR has a good mix of International players but what they lack are a good bunch of Domestic players from Bengal compared to the other teams,the swapnil ashnodkars,Karan Goel,Manpreet Gony .Randadeb Bose was outsed who joined the Kings eleven Punjab and is rumoured to be the Fake IPL Player who is blogging giving away dressing room strategies of the KKR.
Ganguly for all matter played some swashbuckling innings last year when they won chasing against Kings eleven Punjab.Count Ganguly out and he gets back more stronger in character and wiser by his dedication. After the captaincy debacle ,and his poor performance in the first match versus the Deccan Chargers where he was found wanting for the short pitched deliveries,he came back once again.
The 2 for 24 againts the Kings eleven Punjab in 4 overs with the momentum breaking wicket of Irfan Pathan was all about immense passion.His 46 of 27 balls in the tied game vs Rajasthan Royals was an astute example what dedication ,passion and talent for a dedicated servent of the game could do when written off.His urge to fight gets sweeter like wine as he ages.
I agree technically he may not be sound,his short ball play may be severely challenged and running between the wickets and fielding could well do a makeover.But for sheer passion,dedication and the hunger to play makes this man a cricketing legend who should be revered and respected like anyone else from the cricketing fraternity.
The man who took India to the 2003 world cup final who breathed life into the Indian team when he took over after the match fixing debacle.The main man who nurtured youngsters like Virendra Sehwag,Yuvraj Singh,Harbhajan Singh ,Zaheer Khan and the captain who stepped down for Virendra Sehwag to open for the benefits of the team is no ordinary man. These four are the players who form the crux of Mahendra Singh Dhonis new India.
More than KKR ,being beaten and dismissed yet coming back strongly in the advertisements with the theme KKR Reloaded where a young boy throws a dart at a body-builder thus getting beaten up and yet gets up and throws back the dart at that guy, applies aptly to the career of Sourav Ganguly.For me and Rahul Dravid he shall always be the king of Offside and a passionate captain who deserved more.

Match 8 :Charge of the Deccan Hyderabadi brigade(Gibbs is their fielding captain)

Match 8: Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Deccan Chargers. The charge of the Hyderabadi Brigade
It was a start to end clinical performance by the Deccan Chargers as they ascend to the top of the table with another comprehensive performance where they beat the Royal Challengers in match of the DLF IPL at Cape town hands down by 24 runs.
A capacity full house was treated to run feast by the deccan chargers.I feel the IPL is catching up with the South Africans to such an extent that it was the general elections day there on a weekday and still we had a full house.
It was the excellent start by Deccan Chargers Openers Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs who set them off to a roller coaster. Adam Gilchrist the new skipper for Deccan Chargers and Matthew Hayden for Chennai Super Kings are playing as if they are at the peak of their one day international careers.
As acknowledged by Kevin Peterson in the post match presentation it was the first six overs in both the innings that is the key match turning point of this game. Deccan Chargers simply came all guns blazing and the Royal Challengers were held back to below a run a ball within the first six overs and from that point in time it was always going to be difficult.
Rahul Dravid gets the orange cap again for being the highest scorer of this year’s DLF IPL. He was brilliant again in this innings but the charge came a little too late.So was Virat Kohli who got a swashbuckling half century.But after scoring just 57 runs in the first 10 overs after losing 4 key top order batsmen it was always going to be difficult.
But the bowling of Rudra Pratap Singh has been a revelation and deservingly has got him the purple cap taking 6 wickets in two matches and average run rate of 5.7 per over. South Africa has always been a happy hunting place for him with his match winning 5 wicket haul against England in the 2003 world cup.Royal Challengers are not playing as bad as their two consecutive losses,however if they are to win this years DLF IPL they have to pick their game higher.
Deccan Chargers simply look totally rejuvenated and seem the most likely to reach the finals of this years of DLF IPL,though its early days and anything can happen once the teams settle down into a groove.They have a unique fielding captain in the form of Herschelle Gibbs and the fields he sets have been incredible and even more ably supported by some excellent fielding led by Rohit Sharma and an incredible catch by Ravi Teja of Robin Utthapa at the boundary.Their bowling with led by RP Singh,Fidel Edwards who bowled an incredible Yorker the very first bowl to get Jesse Ryder clean bowled for a second duck.Pragyan Ojha has been another underrated yet over performing bowler who had Kevin Peterson stumped after two stumpings in the match vs Kolkatta.
All in all it seems that the charge of the hyderabadi brigade will continue until someone can come up with an even better performance.If that were to happen the eventual beneficiary would be the T20 cricket fan.

Match 5 of the DLF IPL2.Chennai beat Royal Challengers comprehensively despite their lull after the strategy break.

Match 5 of the DLF IPL2:
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs the Chennai Super Kings:
Royal Challengers got off to a decent start with Jacques Kallis looking in good form.But from 40/1 in 5.1 overs things were all set for an interesting run feast and a humdinger of a match.
But in a span of 11 runs they lost 5 wickets and from that stage on with Freddie Flintoff bowling just short of a length ,perfect for the conditions the match was heading only one way,the chennai way.
The defeat margin could have been higher if not for the strategy break

Chennai Innings:
Like written before the Strategy Break seems to have halted the momentum of Chennai Super Kings with Kevin Peterson clean bowling Parthiv Patel.Mathew Hayden being run out brilliantly by Rahul Dravid for 65 of 37 balls.

After the initial 10 overs going for 106/0 Chennai have ended with 179/5 only 73 runs for 5 wickets of the last 10 overs.Overall its a good score with it being the highest T20 score at St Georges ,Port Elizabeth.It was kevin peterson who bowled 2 overs for 7 runs and the important opening wicket of Parthiv Patel.

Freddie Flintoff remained unbeated and hit an awesome flatbatted six of Daryl Sten in the last over.Daryl steyn also dropped a skier of Suresh Raina of Kumble who evetually holed out to a good catch by Virat Kohli of Praveen Kumar scoring 28 of 29 balls.

Mahendra singh dhoni trying to up the scoring was caught by Bishnoi of Kumar scoring 16 of 14 balls.

.Chennai has won the toss and raced to 106/0 in 10 Overs with Hayden racing to 53 of 22 balls.Bangalore seemed to have very little options with everyone from Kumble to Kumar being belted for runs.At the strategy break Bangalore and Kevin Peterson seems to be having their hands full and needed to make serious inroads.

Earlier Mahendra Singh dhoni has won the toss and has elected to bat.Chennai have two changes with Murlitharan and Albie Morkel coming in. Also Bangalore has Jacques Kallis in the team in place of Jess Ryder.All the decisions seem to be good and makes an interesting prospect.
With another important aspect being the Red Cap being handed over to Rahul Dravid as the highest run getter and the Blue Cap being handed over to Anil Kumble as the highest wicket taker of the tournament so far, it augurs well for the Royal Challengers after their last years debacle.
Well the weather Gods seem to be angry again and it slightly overcast.As per Kris Shrikanth the pitch should turn for Muralitharan later in the day and a good score would be 135-140.The average score here has been close to 125.All in all an exciting prospect coming up.

The conditions are overcast and surprisingly both captains wanted to bat first after winning the toss.I feel it going to be a series where the older much more experienced players like Dravid,Kumble and Kallis will have a much bigger say compared to the flat wickets of last year.

IPL2 Schedule 2009 South Africa

2009 IPL League Matches Schedule:
Monday, 20th April, 2009
Chennai Super Kings vs Bangalore Royal ChallengersVenue: Port ElizabethTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Tuesday, 21st April, 2009
Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight RidersVenue: DurbanTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai IndiansVenue: DurbanTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Wednesday, 22nd April, 2009
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Deccan Chargers Venue: Cape TownTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Thursday, 23rd April, 2009
Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi DaredevilsVenue: DurbanTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan RoyalsVenue: Cape TownTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Friday, 24th April, 2009
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kings XI PunjabVenue: DurbanTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Saturday, 25th April, 2009
Mumbai Indians vs Deccan ChargersVenue: DurbanTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight RidersVenue: Cape TownTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Sunday, 26th April, 2009
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Delhi DaredevilsVenue: Port ElizabethTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI PunjabVenue: Cape TownTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Monday, 27th April, 2009
Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super KingsVenue: DurbanTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight RidersVenue: Port ElizabethTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Tuesday, 28th April, 2009
Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi DaredevilsVenue: Pretoria (Centurion)Timing - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Wednesday, 29th April, 2009
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kolkata Knight RidersVenue: DurbanTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai IndiansVenue: DurbanTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Thursday, 30th April, 2009
Deccan Chargers vs Delhi DaredevilsVenue: Pretoria (Centurion)Timing - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan RoyalsVenue: Pretoria (Centurion)Timing - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Friday, 1st May, 2009
Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight RidersVenue: East LondonTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST Kings XI Punjab vs Bangalore Royal ChallengersVenue: DurbanTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Saturday, 2nd May, 2009
Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan RoyalsVenue: Port ElizabethTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Super KingsVenue: JohannesburgTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Sunday, 3rd May, 2009
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI PunjabVenue: Port ElizabethTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Mumbai IndiansVenue: JohannesburgTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Monday, 4th May, 2009
Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super KingsVenue: East LondonTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Tuesday, 5th May, 2009
Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight RidersVenue: DurbanTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Wednesday, 6th May, 2009
Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai IndiansVenue: Pretoria (Centurion)Timing - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Thursday, 7th May, 2009
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Rajasthan RoyalsVenue: Pretoria (Centurion)Timing - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super KingsVenue: Pretoria (Centurion)Timing - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Friday, 8th May, 2009
Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai IndiansVenue: East LondonTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Saturday, 9th May, 2009
Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI PunjabVenue: KimberleyTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan RoyalsVenue: KimberleyTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Sunday, 10th May, 2009
Mumbai Indians vs Bangalore Royal ChallengersVenue: Port ElizabethTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight RidersVenue: JohannesburgTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Monday, 11th May, 2009
Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan RoyalsVenue: KimberleyTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Tuesday, 12th May, 2009
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kolkata Knight RidersVenue: Pretoria (Centurion)Timing - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI PunjabVenue: Pretoria (Centurion)Timing - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Wednesday, 13th May, 2009
Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan ChargersVenue: Cape TownTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Thursday, 14th May, 2009
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Chennai Super KingsVenue: DurbanTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan RoyalsVenue: DurbanTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Friday, 15th May, 2009
Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi DaredevilsVenue: BloemfonteinTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Saturday, 16th May, 2009
Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai IndiansVenue: Port ElizabethTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight RidersVenue: JohannesburgTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Sunday, 17th May, 2009
Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan ChargersVenue: JohannesburgTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi DaredevilsVenue: BloemfonteinTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Monday, 18th May, 2009
Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight RidersVenue: Pretoria (Centurion)Timing - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Tuesday, 19th May, 2009
Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Delhi DaredevilsVenue: JohannesburgTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Wednesday, 29th May, 2009
Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight RidersVenue: DurbanTiming - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI PunjabVenue: DurbanTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Thursday, 21st May, 2009
Mumbai Indians vs Delhi DaredevilsVenue: Pretoria (Centurion)Timing - 4.00 PM to 7.00 PM IST
Deccan Chargers vs Bangalore Royal ChallengersVenue: Pretoria (Centurion)Timing - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
2009 IPL Semi-Finals Schedule
Friday, 22nd May, 2009
1st Semi-FinalTBC vs TBCVenue: Pretoria (Centurion)Timing - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST
Saturday, 23nd May, 2009
2nd Semi-Final
TBC vs TBCVenue: JohannesburgTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST

2009 IPL Final
Sunday, 24th May, 2009
Winner of 1st SF vs Winner of 2nd SFVenue: JohannesburgTiming - 8.00 PM to 11.00 PM IST

IPL2: Day 1,Of Shilpa Shetty,Geoffrey Boycott and the dog on the field

The first day of the IPL2 flagged of with Mumbai Indians Vs the Chennai Super Kings.It was an euphoric setting ,almost seemed like a dream with so much of confusion about where and when the IPL2 would be played. Full credit to Cricket South Africa,South African government for such a warm welcome and an impressive turnaround time for this beautiful feast of cricket.
Also the genius of Lalit Modi ( a tad emotional at the opening ceremony and we know how busy he has been when he thanked his family for supporting him for being out )and his team at IMG Sports group have worked really hard to make this event a reality. Whats Ironical is that the president of South Africa quipped at the opening ceremony and urged all South Africans to take a break from cricket on 22 nd April and go and cast a vote. Wonder what the Indian politicians have to say about this and the outflux of revenues which would make South Africa richer by 1 billion Rand. Indian restaurants ,hotels are set to loose close to 50-60 crores and so is the airline industry with so much of travel. Official tour packages offered by Kingfisher Airlines starts at Rs 49,999 and seems a great deal with interest picking up.
On the upside ,IPL2 is set to be huge money spinner during times of recession in South Africa and is the perfect example of New Age entertainment that has almost everything from the glamour and high profile personalities of near demi-God Indian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar ,Mahendra Dhoni to the Bollywood spice of Shahrukh Khan,Priety Zinta and Shilpa Shetty.
The IPL2 is all set to earn close to 1000 crores with Media rights from MSM(Multi screen Media) or Sony Entertainment Television or Max having sold 85 percent of add space to 7 main sponsors.
Now about the matches:
To be honest at 2pm IST, the overlooming dark clouds dint augur well. It almost looked to be a dark gloomy day.
Mumbai Indians v Chennai Superkings
I think Mahindra Singh Dhoni the fortuitous Indian Captain got his team selection absolutely wrong.Mutthiah Murlitharan an off-spinner would have been extremely difficult to hit for Abhishek Nayar whose 22 run over of the 1.44 million worth Andrew Flintoff and was the turning point of the match for me.Also Albie Morkel the all-rounder from South Africa fresh from the series with the Aussies would have been an ideal bowler and batsmen when he required to accelerate the scoring while chasing down Mumbai Indians total.Lasith Malinga bowled really well and his Yorkers and control at the death augurs really well for Mumbai Indians.
But great credit to the greatest Batsmen of all time Sachin Tendulkar to create the leveraging space for Abhishek Nayar to score the way he did and it was Sachins calming yet Godly influence that Abhishek could play the way he could.
It was literally the dogs day out at the match as another highlight where in everyone from the cricketers like the dog crazy Dhoni and ruffled security guards had a tough time driving him out of the ground.It also seemed like watching the match in Mumbai with Shahrukh Khan sitting right in between Neeta and Mukesh Ambani and more than anything they seemed cheering the fact that IPL2 was more than underway.
Bangalore Royal Challengers V Rajasthan Royals:
The highlight of the day was Shilpa Shetty with Mr Geoffrey Boycott who were cheering for Rajasthan Royals. I feel Kevin Peterson got it wrong by leaving Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher out, looking at the fact that the bowl would swing and seam and those two had been playing the aussies in South Africa compared to say a Ross Taylor whose a pure batsmen and he yet to be acclimatized to the conditions.
Rahul Dravid just showed what a class act he is and his humbleness at the post match presentation when asked by Ravi Shashtri about waving his bat in a peculiar way on reaching 50 if that was to prove a point.His answer really humbles me as a cricket fan of the legend.
Shane Warne will go down the as the best undisputed captain who never led the Australian side.I am sure his pro-activeness and his cricketing ability is of sheer genius that words can describe.Even Graeme smith ,South africas intelligent captain could learn a trick or two.His control and accurate bowling after he resumed bowling only in a practice match ,a week before ,right after last years IPL was immaculate and his two dismissals leg-spinners ultimate fantasies.Brilliant.
Kevin Peterson seemed buoyed by the South African crowd and the more they booed him the more swankier and classier are his shots.But the ultimate highlight was Pravin Kumars quick inroads and the legend of a well oiled clinical Jumbo Anil Kumle whose figures 3.1 over 5 wickets for 5 runs was simply his charismatic best.
Bowling straight,with flippers and the lately developed wrong one on south African wickets with bounce Anil Kumble is the most under-rated Spin Legend and match winner the world has ever revered.