Mumbai v Kolkata Preview

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Venue: Wankede Stadium Mumbai.

This crucial match in the IPL throws up some interesting battles. Firstly it is the new ball pace pair Ishant Sharma and Pakistan talisman Shoaib Ahktar bowling against opening pair Sanath Jayasuriya and legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Jayasuriya recently scored a century against Chennai (the only hundred scored so far in May) and will be looking to add to that here. Ahktar on the other hand bowled fantastically in the win over the Delhi Daredevils on his debut game.

Both sides will be looking for a win to boost there semi final credentials. So this will be a close game. However I can’t help thinking that Mumbai will make it six wins on the bounce because of Kolkata’s weakness with their batting. Only David Hussey and captain Sourav Ganguly seem to have the experience and guise to hold up a fairly strong Mumbai attack. Mumbai struggled at the beginning especially with Tendulkar out but have come back strong as I predicted before the tournament began.

My predicted result: Mumbai Indians to win. 

 

 

Opening Ceremony Draws Near

An Olympic style opening ceremony will mark the start of the IPL at the Chinnaswamy Stadiumin Bangalore tomorrow. The ceremony will take place before the opening match between Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Kolkata Knight Riders. Fellow Indian captains Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly will make the toss to start what has been billed as a turning point in International cricket – The IPL.

The ceremony will include stilt walkers, fireworks, cheerleaders and some speeches by Lalit Modi and Ray Mali. The toss will be held under floodlights and a pledge will be read out by the captains, reaffirming the IPL’s faith in the spirit of cricket.

This is an example of how far cricket has come since the days of W.G.Grace and top hatted gentlemen bowling underarm. Whether this Twenty20 is a good thing for the game or not, only time will tell.

Do you think glamorising cricket is a good idea? let us know your thoughts by making your comments.

 

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