IPL is too perfect to be True; Is it Fixed?

Let me start here with no fancy words, no round about introduction and not the perfectly created sentences. Let me cut it short and come to the point directly. IPL is too good to be true. It is too competitive, matches ending in perfect finishes and points table shuffling till the 14th round to give us the complete four slots for semi-finals. It has been the trend since its inception. It is too good...too perfect to drag my cautious (or wicked) mind to something that may be happening behind those boardroom doors and Modi’s twitter updates. Fake IPL player gave us a hint of that last year, this year Kochi team’s rendezvous with Lalit Modi promises an interesting coming week. If actually ‘All izz not so well’ behind the doors, how can the finishes be so tight and tables so compact? Punjab suddenly starts winning, spoiling other’s party. Bangalore intermittently keeps losing. Mediocre Mumbai is leader of the table and 6 of the teams end up on the same point after every round, still not clear which of them will make to the semi-final. IPL is too perfect to be true. Is someone playing off the field as well? I can’t even imagine players like Sachin, Kumble, Rahul and Sourav to be part of any such activities. But a crooked and manipulative person like Modi can do anything. Team selection, some time, is unexplainable. Does Modi guide owners to dictate captains whom to play and whom not to? Do owners kneel to Modi, knowing well that next year it would be their turn to do good in the tournament? Modi knows very well that predictability will kill IPL and hence he is trying everything to keep results and points table fluctuating. I am happy that I am entertained; but also worried that someone might be selling me something which actually is not it. Is IPL too perfect to be true, or is it my mind which is unable to embrace something which could just be as perfect?

IPL is Back, so are Memories

IPL3 starts today. Personally, first two has been very memorable, specially the first one. I vividly remember our own battles in Ojas Flat in Pune. Me, Mithun, Ravi and Rohan fought hard, maybe harder than our teams. Me and Rohan were supporting Bangalore Royal Challengers(RCB) all because of Rahul Dravid, Mithun was for Mumbai Indians (I am afraid Tharkeys will force them to change the name to Mumbai Marathis ) and Ravi was supporting Hyderabad Deccan Chargers(DC). I used to send outlook invites to everyone before every RCB match, predicting huge win for RCB and the murder of opposition. But it, usually, happened the opposite in real. We had pasted the full schedule on wall and kept on updating it with every match’s result. By the middle of the tournament, all our team, RCB, MI and DC, we out of the tournament. We left updating the schedule chart. But the enthusiasm of Rohan was praise worthy, he kept calculating all the permutations and combinations for probable entry of RCB to semi-final. Such was he, a way ahead of us, a man different from us.

2nd season was not that much memorable. I had shifted with Mayank and Tapas. Ojas flat was gone. Rohan and Ravi were at onsite and Mithun had shifted to Mumbai. Mayank is not a very ardent supporter of cricket and Tapas was pre-occupied. But the less I was interested, RCB played better. Last few matches were just mind boggling. Narrow wins, impressive batting and killing bowling, add Kumble’s focused leadership to it and what else you want. Above that the occasional steely glances of him along with Mallya’s partying and Katrina’s presence. It could not have got better. RCB reached final and lost (else gifted) it to DC. Whatever RCB was a winner.

This year……..its worse. I am leaving alone, started reading and am more homely now. Hope RCB brings some cheers….cheers……….anyone there with beer mug……..don’t put it down without a sip ………..RCB is out for kill this time 