One week of IPL

IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket is off to a promising start. Eight teams from eight Indian cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Chandigarh); multi-million dollar franchise; million dollar player contracts; add Bollywood to the mix, you have a recipe for success. (Dont forget the cheerleaders). Being the conservative that I am, I must still admit that I am actually enjoying this kind of cricket. I enjoy watching Test cricket and I am enjoying this T20 even more. My biggest attraction is the speed of the game and how much more this format needs the leadership of the captain; good thinking as well as team work. Ricky Ponting amazed me with the leadership he showed on the field as he run up and down cheering the Kolkata KnightRider bowlers. Add that to the already aggressive leadership that Sourav Ganguly was showing, you get a team that is all charged up. It is also giving exposure so much young talent and giving them an opportunity to play international standard cricket with the best players of the world. It is going to be an interesting month. My driver Akbar, however is really unhappy these days: three straight losses for the Hyderabad team. I am supporting the Knightriders.