Who will win the IPL?

The IPL is getting towards the business end now, but who’s going to win it? Cast your vote below.

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England’s IPL ‘stars’

There was much excitment in some quarters when it was announced that English players would be available for the second season of the IPL, and Chennai and Bangalore alone spent $3m between them on Flintoff and Pietersen respectively, but how have England’s IPL stars got on so far?

• Andrew Flintoff showed his quality against Bangalore, but suffered against Delhi, going for 50 runs in his four overs. Injury, of course, has curtailed his IPL adventure for now, but Chennai certainly haven’t had their money’s worth yet.

• Kevin Pietersen has struggled too, getting out cheaply in nearly every innings. His famed aggression hasn’t always been on display for Bangalore (at least not until after he’s out), and the treatment he’s getting from the South African crowds can’t have helped. Having captained his side to four defeats in a row, the Royal Challengers might not be too upset to see the back of him when he returns to England.

• Dimitri Mascheranhas, the only English player with prior experience of the IPL, made an explosive start to his second season, taking 2 wickets in 2 balls, and batted well against Kolkatta. He seems to have graduated from last year’s bit-part at Rajasthan to the role of front-line bowler, and has taken the wickets of some very good players indeed.

• Owais Shah has apparently enjoyed practising his Hindi with his Delhi Daredevils team-mates, and has had plenty of time to, with little in the way of cricket to occupy himself with.

• Ravi Bopara blasted 84 from 59 balls against Bangalore, and claims that he has now learnt how to open in Twenty20 cricket, something that may bring cheer to England ahead of the World Twenty20 in June.

• Paul Collingwood has made it onto the field, but only as a substitute fielder (would it be cruel to suggest that Delhi signed him with that in mind?), and may not get a chance before England duty calls.

• Graham Napier may have been excited just to be involved in the competition, but he hasn’t yet featured for the Mumbai Indians.

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England’s delaying tactics

England have delayed naming their Test squad for the series against the West Indies, because the selectors “need more time to assess players who are returning after injury”.

This gives the likes of Ian Bell and Michael Vaughan an extra nine days to impress, an effect which may not be entirely coincidental. The poor showing for the MCC by Vaughan, Bell and Rob Key means that there are few real candidates for the number three spot who are in any sort of form. Although Bell recently made 172 for Warwickshire, it is perhaps felt too soon to bring him back (even if he would clearly disagree). An extra week-and-a-bit may provide an opportunity for someone to play themselves into a ‘selectable’ position.

Another factor involved in the delay may be concerns over players picking up injuries in the IPL. Andrew Flintoff is reportedly already feeling the strain on his ankle after a mere 4 overs for the Chennai Super Kings, and it’s not difficult to imagine something happening to Collingwood or Pietersen in South Africa either (even if, in the latter’s case, the main injury threat may come from angry Saffer spectators).

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IPL 2009 Preview: Part 1

The second season of the IPL (or the first season of the SAPL, if you prefer) gets underway this weekend, so here’s the lowdown on the teams taking part:

Bangalore Royal Challengers
Bangalore’s main pre-season activity was the purchase of Kevin Pietersen and KP will join a host of his fellow countrymen in Kallis, Steyn and Boucher. Last year the Royal Challengers finished seventh of eight teams, with only 4 wins, and Rahul Dravid didn’t look much of a Twenty20 batsman last time out, so it is to be hoped that the signing of Pietersen and the availability of Nathan Bracken following injury last year will improve things.

Zaheer Khan has departed to the Mumbai Indians in a swap deal for Robin Uthappa, but Steyn and Bracken – when available – should be enough to keep the bowling up to standard. Nevertheless, the Royal Challengers are unlikely to be amongst the favourites for the competition this year (although as Rajasthan showed last year, the odds may not be a fair indicator of each team’s relative chances).

Chennai Super Kings
Initial indications are that Chennai look strong again this year. Matthew Hayden’s retirement from international cricket means he is available for the whole competition, and new signing Andrew Flintoff, if fit, could potentially be the archetypal IPL all-rounder. In addition, MS Dhoni remains a potent threat.

Last season, the Super Kings lost out to Rajasthan in the final on the last ball, and the squad looks good enough to go one better this time around if fortune (and fitness) favours the Super Kings.

Delhi Daredevils
Dehli have been hit by the loss of Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Asif, but have added Australian master blaster David Warner and English duo Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah. Perhaps most important of their new additions is ‘Dirty’ Dirk Nannes, a Twenty20 specialist who has been part of successful Middlesex and Victoria teams in the shortest form of the game.

Dehli also have the likes of Sehwag, Gambhir, Vettori, de Villiers and McGrath at their disposal, so if the Daredevils can get the make-up of their side right, they have a strong chance of success. The fact that most of their overseas stars will be available throughout may lead to the odd selection problem, but they will be problems of the sort that other franchises would like to have.

Deccan Chargers
Last year’s wooden-spoon winners in dead last place, the Chargers suffered heavily in the batting department as Shahid Afridi, Scott Styris and even Herschelle Gibbs failed to live up to expectations. he has been recalled, and they have a preponderance of all-rounders having also added Dwayne Smith and Ryan Harris.

RP Singh is also under pressure after a disappointing season last year, as is Chaminda Vaas, and Fidel Edwards’s arrival should improve the effectiveness of the bowling unit. In all, there is some hope for a better performance this year, although it would be hard for the Chargers to do any worse.

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IPL Fixtures Announced

The IPL has announced the fixtures for its second season (or at least “the tentative Match Schedule”), with the main headline-grabber being the Chennai Super Kings vs Bangalore Royal Challengers match in Chennai, which may see the newest two marquee players, England lynchpins Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen making their IPL debuts on opposite sides, potentially with the latter captaining his new side.

Whether or not Flintoff will be fit (or allowed) to take part in that match, or any other in the IPL, is still open to question. The tone of the discussion around whether Flintoff should take part hasn’t been particularly balanced so far, but the amount of money involved (not just for the player himself – the IPL is struggling for sponsors and Flintoff is the sort of name that will draw in spectators) is likely to tilt things in favour of his participation.

UPDATE: The revised fixtures (now that the whole thing’s in South Africa) can be found here.

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Rajasthan win the IPL

The IPL’s first season is over. Rajasthan beat Chennai in the final by 3 wickets (from the last ball) to lift the diamond-encrusted trophy. For full details of the final, see here and here.

The franchise-based Twenty20 tournament seems to have been a huge success in India (although interest from the rest of the world has been more variable). By the time of next year’s tournament, the full impact of the IPL model on other countries’ domestic structure will be clearer, but plenty of other cricket boards are planning their own IPL-style tournaments, and there are whispers of a global network of leagues.

The future of cricket certainly looks IPL-shaped.

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Rajasthan through to IPL final

Rajasthan Royals annihilated Delhi in the first IPL semi-final, meaning that Warne and friends will take on either Chennai Super Kings or Kings XI Punjab in Sunday’s final.

Shane Watson was the outstanding performer, making 52 runs and then taking 3-10 from 3 overs.

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