Airtel Champions League Review Contest

Champions League Review
Best players vs Best players!!! One Great Team vs Another!!! Champions vs Champions!!!
That just sums it up for the Champions League. It’s a defining tournament which has heralded the Club Cricket rivalries for years to come. Is cricket going the football way? Well only time will tell. As for the first edition of the CL-T20 it was one heck of a tourney which brought out spirited and compelling displays on the cricketing field.

It was no wonder that another Aussie team walked away with the trophy, the sophisticated machine overpowered the fearless flair of the Caribbean. The two sides which were the favorites making to the semis were New South Wales and Victoria, as they had the perfect balance, team togetherness and skill. The other two semi-finalists were a surprise package. The Trinidad and Tobago team was the one which won hearts over of all the fans with their brand of fearless, stylish and heart-on-sleeve type of cricket. Their celebrations after the victories were so passionate and showed how much this tourney meant to them. After all Sports is about Passion. The team from South Africa, Cape Cobras also displayed their efficient planning and execution to make it to the semis. In all a deserved line-up at the knock out phase of the tourney.
My team RCB fared mediocre during this tourney. I watched all their matches in the ground and was shattered as we weren’t able to make it through to the semis. I don’t know why one player decides to have his own when playing against RCB during the opening match  First it was Brendon McCullum during IPL-1 while this time it was JP Duminy.  If you look stat wise RCB were a better team than Cobras but one player’s genius took the game away from RCB. The second one against Otago Voltz was close to a perfect match with Kallis leading from the front from both bat and ball and Ross Taylor with his typical blitzkrieg at the end. Shift to the second round and whatever could go wrong in a match went wrong for RCB first Kallis pulled out, then the batting collapsed leaving the bowlers to do with too much on a flat track. But true to their spirit RCB fought back against the DD. A superb bowling performance paved way for Ross to show the world who the Boss was at Chinnaswamy. This though did little to hide the disappointment of not making to the next round. The vociferous support and cheering for the home team was seen to be believed at Chinnaswamy. The atmosphere created by the fans was scintillating and the way they (we in fact as I was there too) created a superb ambience even though the team was already out of reckoning for Semis, before the match started, was just funtabulous.

There were several valiant performances and, while some stars were born some others were reborn.  Keiron Pollard was the stand out and I hope Mr.Mallya was watching. No matter how many power hitters we have in RCB it won’t be too bad to add another Match winner. His savage innings against NSW in the group stages catapulted him to the big league. The amazing, powerful yet seemingly effortless style of his big hitting won him legions of fans in this part of the world. Then the other star was Ross Taylor, we at RCB don’t have enough words to praise him. RCB fans the way they showered their affections to him was seen to be believed. Every time he walked towards his fielding position near boundary the reception he received from the fans was deafening. I am sure the entire New Zeland together wouldn’t have given him a better applause. The two other star performers for RCB were Kallis and a rejuvenated Uttappa. Uttappa had played some good innings in KPL and carried forward the momentum to CL-T20. One hopes he carries forward the good work in Ranjis and returns to IPL a better player.
Champions League in all pitched some excellent teams against each other and drew many eyeballs from all over the world. It has set a very good trend of a truly international class tourney which brought the best from many teams and individuals. Inexperienced youngsters and season campaigners gave it all to this tourney and rose to the occasion. After all many of them have spent their entire careers playing in front of empty stadiums, this tourney gave them a chance to test themselves playing in front of thousands and challenge themselves more than anything. As for the young ones they may return to hear the sound of their own strokes in empty arenas but they now know the adrenaline flow, the sheer passion and the atmosphere that awaits them if they push on from here. Don’t tell these guys that Champions League is irrelevant.

Mr. Lalit Modi is a freaking dynamite. His brain is explosively brilliant. The game of cricket has reached a phase where enough doubts about its survival/future is being questioned. The CLT20 couldn't have come at a better time. It has definitely kept the tempo up and has increased the viewership across the globe. Kudos to to the herculean effort from all the cricket boards and people who have made this spectacular event possible. Not better place to start with than India. Everything about the event was special, the kick-off, the franchises, the players etc.

Personally I was disappointed that there was no team from the T20 world champions, Pakistan. They were the ICC T20 winners recently and were runners up in the event before. Apparently, the Sailkot "SILKY" Stallions are the team to beat. I would urge the two governments to resolve their differences quickly so the event could be even more exciting.

NSW were crowned the champions in the inaugural event. Definitely, a fairy tale ending for the biggest under-dogs of the tournament. A Cinderella story if I must say. The biggest shock/surprise was that there was no real hero that came out of this tournament. There were some scintillating performances from JP Duminy, K Pollard, Ross Taylor but I couldn't pick a stand out. My opinion, NSW blues got lucky with an easy first round draw and capitalized on the advantage with some splendid bowling from their experienced bowling attack down the lane. Batting improved as the event progressed and they were always expected to hold their nerves in the grand finale.

The IPL2 champions, Deccan Chargers, failed to break the jinx and remained cursed at a beautiful home ground. The South Africans lived up to their, "CHOKERS", expectations. The English teams buried themselves with abysmal performances. The Wayambas & the Otagos just never showed up. The Delhi Daredevils, with such a high profile offense, were bogged down by a horrible home ground pitch. With all that being said, the Aussies remained intimidating and left the other teams wonder how are they so good in all forms of the game. Only the Royal Challengers came close to competing with the other world teams and showed why their such a well knit group with a perfect blend of aggression and experience. T&T were the only team that looked like winning it all the way, right from the start (KUDOS!).

In short, loved the event and I am already looking forward to the next year...

Well, let's talk about the Royal Challengers a little bit. Fantastic team and can't wait to see more from them.

Why din't we make it?
Time and again, how crucial have these opening matches been for all the teams now. In the opening game, RCB did not come to the party having posted a score that was way over their expectations. They were quickly exposed. The captaincy and the bowling became one-dimensional when Duminy was showing his class. RCB did not realize the importance of the match. I think RCB dug themselves real deep in the very first game and could never recover from that defeat. They should have capitalized with a home ground advantage and playing a rather tense unpopular side. They were not prepared for a win that day.

We did not use swing to our advantage. I would have opened the game with Steyn and Praveen turning it on. The aggression was missing. Fifth bowler was a definite weakling in the team and that was one other thing that proved costly for the team. In the opening game, times when Virat was giving the match away were too awful to watch.

Also, one other most important thing, even though we were picking up wickets I couldn’t fail to notice that RCB was giving boundaries away. An experienced bowler, even in a T20 game, should be able to hold of a tail-ender to singles or dots but I could see Kumble and many others give away fours/sixes after taking a wicket.

Last but not the least, the batters did not bat well the day when we had to win with a margin. The team selection never looked right for a day. We were relying on our batsmen to do the job, which they did very well but never spared a thought for our weak fifth bowler. The day when specialist bowlers were having an off day we were hammered. Don't you think that is why we lost games even when we put real high totals on the board?

RCB's performance: A MIXED BAG. There were many interesting performances across the board. Kallis, Uthappa, Virat, Dravid, Anil, Roelof, Ross & many others. But the captaincy looked one-dimensional in cruch games. I'm sure Anil will work on it and so will the other members of the team. This team is the only team that has a great blend of passion and poise and will definitely be the team to beat in the future.

Who our star players were?

Undoubtedly, Ross and Roelof were the pick. There were some good performances from Kallis, Dravid, Uthappa but these guys did not show up when it mattered. We definitely used spin bowling to our advantage with Anil and Roelof showing why they are the best. Especially the aggression from Roelof was too pleasing to ignore.

With that, I rest my case...A fantastic end to a splendid event is now A NEW BEGINNING to the game of cricket.

draidus a.k.a zzyxx

Dear RCB Fans : A Royal Kingfisher cheer to all you FANatic fans of the FANtastic RCB - the brightest star of the IPL kingdom. The Airtel Champions League came & went by without causing much of a ripple - the reason being the failure of any Indian team to advance, let alone win the tournament. No doubt there was abundance of talent on display, not in the least the foreign stars. But when the crunch moment came, most Indian stars blinked and dunked. The CL could do better to level matters by having a double-leg headers like in the UEFA Chamions League football in Europe. Strategies & skills would then be better tested & manifested. CL should consider as a Finale, a `Winner vs All-Star\' team play-off as a real explosive exhibition of what T20 stands for - sheer entertainment ! Being a RCB fan, the early exit was pretty saddening, although the win over Delhi Daredevils was heartening at the end. My thoughts on `what could have been\' are purely based on hope & gut feelings. The Giants of the game are within the RCB fold, and would surely have planned well for their contests. But obviously, the rivals out thought us. Ideally, I would have liked to see Mark Boucher open the innings with Uthappa, followed by Kallis at one drop. The best man to be in next has to be Dravid, to be followed by R. Taylor and then M. Pandey. Of course, the dynamics of the situation would dictate the variant in theis strategy. On the bowling front, a shock opening spell by Anil Kumble would dent any team\'s plan, not just with his pace & accuracy, but also the uncertainty in the batsman\'s mind as to how to approach his bowling. In tandem would best suited be Dale Steyn. I would also like to see Uthappa being employed as a shock option regularly, considering his unconventional style but uncanny accuracy as was evident in the Bowl out in S.Africa last year. The stars for RCB were undoubtedly Robin Uthappa, R.Taylor, J.Kallis, Anil Kumble, R.Dravid, Praveen Kumar. More of the RCB\'ians need to put their hnds up if their team is to perform well in the IPL-3. Focus on some basic but vital skills like sharp singles, running between wickets, tight fielding and hitting the stumps need to be top of the agenda for the coming season. I am sure the new season will see RCB take the last step and cross the final frontier to perch themselves atop the throne. They are worthy of the mantle, and nothing less can soothe the nerves of the Fanatic Fans. Say Cheers, say Kingfisher !

Fantastic cricket, The Airtel Champions League has been a wonderful platform for a lot of cricketers but with no Indian teams in contention for the title, the tournament has not gone down well with the Indian masses. So has the Champions League been good? If you asked the cricketers, they would say yes pretty resoundingly; especially those from overseas for whom this is a great, and lucrative, stage. Also the idea of franchise-driven teams is refreshing because it allows more players a shot on the big stage. If, eventually, the game has to grow, I think it needs to follow the football model for part of the way and from that point of view the Champions League makes a lot of sense. But the top four teams were eminently watchable; they showed enthusiasm which was fantastic to watch and reminded us of the value of homogeneous, well-bonded teams. The surprise package of the league was TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, they have really played some exciting and watchable cricket with powerful hitting by Pollard, Darren Ganga and co...................... For us-RCB; It was a mixed bag in this Champions League T20, though there was no strategic error from the team management. I thought we lacked little bit of consistency though we played smart cricket. We started with a loss against the Cape Cobras in the opening match;unable to defend the match winning score of 180 runs by displaying some sloppy fielding and lost couple of run out chances as well, but we bounced back with a bang by displaying some quality cricket against Otago Volts; won by a solid margin of 80 runs and outsmarted Delhi DareDevils; won by 8 wickets. However the TURNING POINT of the tournament for us was the loss against Victorian Bushrangers which proved very costly and sealed the fate of our chances to advance to semi-finals. Our batsmen failed to negotiate the quality bowling from Peter Siddle and Mc Donald of Victorian Bushrangers and much to the disappointment we missed out the in form Jacques Kallis for this crucial match against Bushrangers. ..... Our bowling department needs little bit of improvement and adjustment to the T20 environment, not a major issue though. The positives from this tourney was that our upcoming players like Manish Pandey, Balachandra Akhil, Bhuvanesh Kumar..... got good exposure on a bigger stage against much superior first class players from Australia, South Africa etc; hopefully they will perform even better in the forthcoming T20 matches...................................... For me-The stars of the tournament are Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Robin Uthappa, Praveen Kumar and Roelof Van Der Merwe and as usual we cannot discount the contributions from the captain-Jumbo and Jammy, who showed real class, maturity and experience. Finally, T20 is kind of game not even overs only few balls can change the entire complexion of the game, so naturally luck is one of the major factors and we expect better luck next time. Best of Luck RCB...................... LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST I NEED TO ADMIT THAT ALL OUR FANATIC FANS HAVE DONE GREAT JOB PARTICULARLY SID/PRASANTH AND SIVAN BY UPDATING ON ALL THE LATEST HAPPENINGS OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WITH SOME KNOWLEDGEABLE INFORMATION AND OF COURSE PHOTOS FROM SIVAN ARE WORLD CLASS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow what an amazing tournament. I will definitely remember it for a long time. Airtel Champions league has given a new dimension to the domestic cricket throughout the world. When I was young I always fancied what if the best domestic teams play against each other and I must say Airtel Champions league has made my dream come true. During the 15 days event it shows us how competitive these teams can become if given a chance to play in the international arena. Domestic players do not get much recognition for their efforts and most of them remained unnoticed throughout their career. But now on they will strive to do more hard work because there is a platform for them to excel in the international arena and become famous as like their international counterpart. This is an exciting time in the history of cricket and 20/20 is making the cricketing world more excited and united. We have already seen that cricket is playing in many countries and they are trying very hard to compete in the international level and this tournament will surely encourage their players to work hard. I think this tournament will help in making cricket a truly global sport like football in the years to come. I am hoping that cricket will be played more competitively I the years to come. For the players this is a life time opportunity to showcase their skills and to represent their country and I must admit they did not disappoint us by playing some exciting cricket in the tournament. The Airtel Champions league was a fitting reward to the continuous efforts made by these teams throughout the year and a way of recognition to their cricket. Champions League is a tournament based upon the UEFA Champions League in football where the best football clubs of Europe fight for the title in a home or away league basis, so I will be very happy if in the following years to come, we can see more clubs from different continents participate in this mega event. The prize money for this competition was the highest ever seen in the cricket history so it certainly attracted the attention of the players and the viewers which is a good start for this competition because now onwards the clubs will approach the game more seriously and professionally because the performances will count a lot both for the players and for the clubs like we seen afterwards that Pollard becomes a hot property and eventually landed a contract with the South Australia team for the big bash. I think some of the performances were amazing and they are no less competitive than the performances seen in the international matches. The format of the tournament was a very challenging one for the teams because even a single loss proves to be detrimental for their success in the tournament which allows only the toughest teams to excel. Coming to the teams in the Airtel Champions League, I am really impressed by the spirited performance of the Trinidad & Tobago (T&T). They are much unknown unit at the start of the league but as the tournament progressed they show us their class by excelling in all the departments of the game. What I really liked about this team is their flair for attractive cricket. No one can forget the innings of Pollard against New South Wales Blues (NSW). Lead by an impressive Darren Ganga they done very well by remained unbeaten till the final of the Champions League but eventually they lost to the more professional NSW side. Hats off to them they really stole our hearts by their amazing performance. I like to see same flair in the West Indies team in the years to come. Coming to the Australian Teams (Victoria Bushrangers and NSW Blues) in the tournament, I believe they were the most professional sides especially NSW Blues having a good mix of experienced as well as new players. The likes of Brett lee, Stuart Clark, Nathan Hauritz & Simon Katich provides them the much needed experience alongside the enthusiasm and talent of David Warner, Phil Hughes, Doug Bollinger, and Mosies Henrique’s to win the inaugural Champions League. South African sides (Diamond Eagles & Cape Cobras) also managed to do well in the competition especially Cape Cobras reaching the semi-finals by playing competitive cricket throughout the tournament. Even Eagles were good side by showing cool temperament in the tense game against Somerset. The other teams (other than IPL teams) in the fray did not bring much excitement in the tournament. English teams (Somerset & Sussex) looks quite ordinary so as Wayamba from Sri Lanka as well as Otago from New Zealand. There are three IPL teams in the competition but none of them played as per the expectations of the home crowd. It is sad to see no IPL teams in the semi-finals. There were some brilliant individual performances which scintillate the scenes but there was clearly a lack of consolidated team effort. Deccan chargers looked quite out of sorts in the tournament and couldn’t manage to win even a single match. Delhi Daredevils played well in patches but lack the necessary punch to go the ultimate distance. For me the Bangalore Royal Challengers were the best of the IPL teams especially the performances of Ross Taylor, Kallis, and Kumble but they were undone by some brilliant individual performances of opposition teams especially the innings of Duminy in the inaugural match of the competition. The format made the task difficult for the RCB because the other teams had advantage of two points in the Super 8 by virtue of their win in the group matches. I think Manish Pandey and Uthappa played well amongst the domestic players. Overall RCB is a well balanced side and we can surely look forward to some exciting performances in the 3rd IPL championship. I think Indian domestic teams should take some lessons from the Australian and South African domestic sides about how to approach the game more professionally. They showed us why they are best in the business. Their teams looked fitter, hungrier compared to other teams (T&T was the sole exception) and played hard as well as smart cricket throughout the championship. To sum up I think it’s a fantastic start for the Champions League and it will grow more and more stronger in the years to come.

Post Mortem- Champions League T20 T20 cricket has been symbolized as a doze of cricket and entertainment with a blend of music, dance, and the game reaching a crescendo a zillion times in the abridged format. All this put together has resulted in what we call cricketainment, which was first witnessed in the inaugural T20 world cup , gained serious momentum in the IPL and CLT20 was an experiment to expand its horizon. CLT20 was also an attempt to take club cricket international with the top teams in the T20 format from 6 countries, Australia, Newzealand, South Africa, India, West Indies, Sri lanka gathered to fight it out and see who is real the champion of champions. The road to discovery of the champions of champions led to reminisce of the past with the Trinidad & Tobago (T&T ) team exhibiting the true West Indian style of cricket which has been become a chapter preserved in cricketing history until now. T&T brand of cricket was a revelation not only for the cricketing fraternity but it won a lot Indian hearts where fans came in numbers in Hyderabad and cheered for them just like the West Indies team of the 70s and 80s. The captain of T&T team summed it quite well when he said that they were playing for their country while the others were playing for their states while commenting on their emotional behavior on the pitch. All this amidst the turmoil in the west indies cricket administration. They wanted to prove a point and they dam well did ! The New South Wales team from Australia did manage to clinch the cup with a clinical performance in the final. Cricket was a winner in the tournament. The IPL teams disappointed one and all by failing to qualify for the semi-finals. The cricket pundits illustrated that the IPL sides hardly play together as compared to their counterparts in the tournament who have been playing together since weeks, months and seasons to form teams that reinforce unity and spirit. While the IPL sides comprise of dashers, international stars and some local talent that promised a lot due to their exhibition of showmanship in the IPL but failed to deliver it in the CLT20. RCB were pick of the IPL teams , with a more inspired and consistent bowling and fielding performance they could have gone much further into the tournament. Their star performers were Ross Taylor who tailored his batting abilities perfectly with exquisite stroke play to become one of the crowd favourites , Robin Uttapa too hit some lusty blows to notch useful runs in the tournament and the old wily fox Anil Kumble manifested once again why he is the one of the most respected cricketers in the world What was the final verdict on the inaugural Champions League T20 ? Verdict for CLT20 in cricketing terms: 4 stars Verdict for CLT20 commercially: 2 stars Verdict for RCB: 3 stars In cricketing terms the tournament was a success with a display of passion and earnest desire to win among the teams that were competing for the first time against unknown opponents and in unknown conditions making the contest more challenging and endearing for them. In todays times where too much cricket has resulted in many matches being predictable and tournaments being familiar and blunt, this one witnessed the flair of the windies, clinical performance from aussies and honest cricket from the south Africans. If not anything the teams manifested a hunger to win which was clearly evident in the manner which they played on the field. They fought tooth and nail making the tournament alive and full of twists and turns with the brand of cricket on display. But the questions is did the crowds come in ? did the advertisers get what they wanted? Did the tournament justify the $975 billion investment on part of the broadcaster. Its time for some hard numbers : The tournament managed to garner average TVRs of 1-1.5 leaving most advertisers aggrieved and unsure about this property. The crowds were sparse to say the least especially in Delhi where most matches were played with empty stadiums. And with no Indian teams advancing to the semi-finals did not help the cause much. A true optimist would still say the Champions T20 league is an exciting concept which is new and would take some time to evolve and mature. Comparisons to the much more successful IPL has played a spoiler and had risen expectations on all fronts leading to overshooting valuations of high acquisition costs and subsequent high ad rates which would definitely see some serious correction next time round.

The Airtel Champions League T20 was the perfect stage for Royal Challengers Bangalore to set themselves apart from others by performance as the best IPL franchise, but sadly they failed to qualify for the semis. This was a huge blow considering that they were favourites and also had the local knowledge of the playing conditions. Bangalore has found an outstanding opening pair in Jaques Kallis and Robin Uthappa. Kallis has been more of the anchor role player and Uthappa the aggressor, which has helped RCB greatly as they didn’t lose many wickets in the pursuit of runs in the first six overs. But I do feel that Bangalore failed to capitalize heavily on the powerplays. They did a decent job in the powerplays choosing conventional methods and taking the calculated risks, as opposed to the Trinidad and Tobago team that attacked the bowlers ruthlessly disregarding their reputations. Trinidad and Tobago was the only team in CLT20 that adopted a really aggressive tactic for the powerplays that paid rich dividends. Perhaps other teams should follow suit. RCB were more circumspect in the Powerplays choosing caution over aggression. I think this has to be revised. I do hope in the future we may see RCB playing mixing caution and aggression. RCB have perhaps the one of the best finishers in Ross Taylor. Taylor has been an outstanding gem in the RCB’s batting line-up. It is no surprise that Taylor averages the most when compared to his teammates with an outstanding average of 76.00 from 4 matches. His big hitting gave the late flourish that RCB needed and Taylor with his strike rate of 190.00 is surely RCB’s top batting performer. The only lack of Taylor is consistency, but this is understandable, because when a player looks to score fast, huge risks are taken that sometimes don’t pay off. RCB under Kumble have a great leader, but Kumble the bowler looked out of sorts in this tournament. Kumble bowled at a very expensive economy rate of 9.71, which I feel was a major let down as he was RCB’s main bowler. Nevertheless he managed to bag 5 of the 24 wickets that the Royal Challengers took in the tournament being Challenger’s highest wicket taker for the tournament. RCB’s batting is strong, but the bowling looks a little weak. The spin compartment is RCB’s greatest strength. Kumble is world class and he has proven that at the highest level, while Roelof van der Merwe is specially made for T20. Van der Merwe is a miserly bowler, and his economy in CLT20 shows just that. He managed to scalp 4 wickets with an incredible economy rate of just a little above 6 (6.20). Kumble and Van der Merwe can strangle the opposition in the middle overs. RCB’s main weakness is their pace bowling department. Praveen Kumar is good with the new ball, but he lacks support from the other end. Kallis is a good bowler, but I strongly feel that he fails to use the advantage of the new ball. Dale Steyn looks out of sorts in the T20 game, and the other Indian domestic pacers lack experience, and have been expensive. RCB needs to find an ideal new ball partner for Praveen Kumar. Also bowling at the death needs to be a skill that needs fine tuning among the bowlers. Another main reason of RCB’s failure to qualify for the semis I feel was due to the injuries sustained by Kallis and Manish Pandey. This hampered the team composition. I also feel that RCB’s team composition was not always right. The playing 11 consisted of Mark Boucher. Mark Boucher is a dangerous player and an even more dangerous player in T20’s, but I feel that he was wasted by sending him at 6 and 7. Boucher got only one innings to bat in the entire tournament and faced only 12 balls. An extraordinary player like Boucher is wasted so down the order. If he is being sent in at 6 and 7, then I believe that he should be dropped as his talent would not be put to full use. Instead of Boucher, another foreign (overseas) player could have been chosen bolstering the bowling. In this scenario Robin Uthappa would have to have kept the wickets. In fielding, RCB is exceptional when compared to other teams. Still catches are being dropped. Catches win matches and this must be rectified. The fielding standards can still improve, I feel. Royal Bangalore was one of the better balanced sides and definitely one of the more powerful sides, but sadly CLT20 didn’t prove to be a happy hunting ground for them. There’s no honour in losing, but there is always pride in playing for your team and representing them.

The Champions league was a highly anticipated event as it propounded the globalisation of club cricket; till now an unchartered territory. To add to the excitement and usher in the patritotism, it had 3 IPL teams coveting for the world's best T20 team title. Also, having been cancelled the first time around owing to the tragic terror attack in Mumbai, the cauldron was hotter than expected this year. And how well did it live up to the hype!!! We saw some of the hardest hitting; such that each ball bowled was literally a crowd-alert. We saw some of the tensest finishes, more tense than an erupting volcano. Also, there was an 'a la carte' of entertainment - from the flamboyance of "Trinidad and Tobago" to the guile of the "RCB" and lest we forget, the clinical fulfillment of the "NSW Blues". All in all, it was a treat to the true cricket fan, a little glimpse of what the next generation of the sport will be, a world of cricket played with gay abandon!!! Cricket's youngest child has truly come of age now! It was definitely a disappointment that my favourite team - RCB didn't win the trophy. We had a great team filled with the nascent brilliances of Manish Pandey and Virat Kohli to the thundering Bazookas of Ross Taylor and down to the level headed genius of Kallis, Dravid and Kumble. Somehow, this mixture wasn't strong enough to remain in the funnel, it poured down dashing innumerable heart beats. Though it was a disappointment, i really enjoyed the team's display in the tournament. The batting was brimming with confidence and it was a pity that they lost the first match even after setting up a challenging total. The Cape's Cobras had the final say with JP Duminy's bite being too venomous for the RCBians. Having a do-die match against the Ottavo Volts, the team regrouped to "DO" instead of "DIE" by which they crept into the second round where each match was almost a must-win. After a poor display in the match against Victoria Bushrangers, much was left in the hands of the mathematicians than in those of the players. The death-knell was finally sounded when Cape Cobras overcame the Victoria Bushrangers signalling the end of RCB's short but exciting journey. With pride at stake against the Delhi Daredevils, they rode on the heroics of Taylor, Dravid and Kumble to win the battle even though the war was lost. And definitely, it was a glorious exit. A post mortem most of the time reveals the plausible causes of death. My autopsy reveals that the real high for the team was the much improved batting line-up. Kallis and Uthappa have become a formidable pair to bank upon for a sturdy start. The middle-order is strong and explosive at the same time with the likes of Dravid, Taylor, Kohli and Pandey. A late flourish can be expected from the surprising and exciting Merwe alongwith Praveen Kumar. However,this batting wound up when the Victorian Bushrangers came hunting and meekly surrenderd the game and with it the rest of the tournament. The other 2 main areas of the game still needs to be honed, particularly fielding. The lapses on the field was like a hidden dagger in the pocket, continuously hurting the team when least expected. Crucial misses, i believe, led to the debacle in the opening game. The frailities in bowling were exposed too, particularly the ones in the death overs. Apart from the spinners, the rest of them need to get their act together if they need to seriously contest for the title. The medium pace of the team is sometimes a sitting duck; waiting to be plundered. This gap needs to be plugged quickly as we know no matter how good the batting is, the bowling needs to complement it. All in all, the team's morale was high which matters in thick times. The guidance of Kumble definitely has instilled the belief in the team that they can take on the best in the world and also come up trumps. The RCB team is evolving and this augurs well for the upcoming tournaments. Nonetheless, this tournament was definitely lightened up by the pyro techniques of the explosive TNT (Trinidad and Tobago) team and in particular, the man of the hour - Kieron Pollard. The tournament also showed some of the brightest stars to look forward in world cricket. The crowd attendance was great and so was the support. The conduct was brilliant and the execution of the tournament clinical to the 'T'. It can be safely said that in the world of T20, the Champions League is the king!

One thing RCB should realize is that they cannot afford to lose any of its initial matches. Now you would say no team goes to play, not wanting to win. But let’s face it- Our defeat against Cape Cobras cost us dearly. A win there would have meant additional points being carried to the next round. Now add two points extra to the RCB’s tally in second round, and the whole equation changes! Now, you might say it was just a one-off incident. No!!!...It’s not! Take IPL-1, take IPL-2 and now take CLT, RCB has not performed too well in the initial stages of the tournament. This was about the team as a whole. Now let us consider individual player’s performance. Praveen Kumar is lethal when he swings the ball and the ball swings more at the start of the innings. Hence Anil should complete Praveen’s quota at the start of the innings- 4 overs at the stretch, unless he takes a severe beating! During death overs Praveen’s pace is an ideal one for the batsmen to smash all over! With batting looking so strong, I am tempted to strengthen up the bowling a bit, maybe by playing Dale Steyn more often. Here the issue of 4 foreigners comes into picture. Ross has to play no matter what! Kallis is a must because of his all-round ability. Roelof Merwe is a must because of his superb bowling and ability to use the long handle to a good effect. Now the choice is between Boucher and Steyn. I am tempted to play Steyn, with Uthappa doing the wicket-keeping duty. I know it’s a tough decision, but really can’t help! And Manish Pandey is to be included in every game. He is a real bright prospect not just for RCB, but also for India! Jennings should decide who’s better between Vinay kumar, B. Akhil and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. I think Vinay and Akhil have got lot of opportunities and they haven’t impressed me a much! I think Jennings should really think about Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. Batting looks pretty organized and no need to change many things. Anil is doing a excellent job and let him continue to lead the team without much interference. All the best for IPL-3!

I didn't know what to expect from the Champions League 2 weeks before it kicked off. A stray look into another man's newspaper at a traffic signal and the sight of the RCB symbol in it,got me going! The tournament was always going to be a big one and with RCB in it and ranked BIG,there was just no end to the excitement..not for me at least,having watched the "Indian" and "youth" section of the team being developed better than any other side I've seen. THIS HAD GLORY WRITTEN ALL OVER IT. And so the tournament kicked off..the cheerleaders were up and bouncing..the supporters were roaring..adrenaline emergencies began..RCB batted like champions. Unfortunately though,the end to that sequence had one name- Jean-Paul Duminy. Enough said. Bowling to left-handed batsmen has always been a problem for bowlers in India; especially to those who are looking for form. They invariably find it,and that first night was JP Duminy's night. Nevertheless,the way our players played that night,told me that we're not going down without a fight.RCB obliged. The word "comprehensive" was crafted for the way we won over the Otago Volts.But what followed that performance left everyone shocked.Being overpowered by Bushrangers- the way we were- wasn't completely unexpected..they always looked like champions on paper. The game against Daredevils was where I felt proud to be part of the RCB fan base a.k.a family.Despite being out of the championship,the team played as one unit and showed their emotions- EVERY BALL! If there was a "team-spirit" extension to the rules of the tournament -or any other tournament- RCB would've conquered it. Without a fraction of a doubt. Somewhere within the cauldron of defeat though,a few bubbles popped up. JACQUES KALLIS,ROSS TAYLOR,PRAVEEN KUMAR.If ever anyone forgets about the result of this tournament,it is thanks to these 3 gentlemen.They came out with the best they had and cemented the rest of the squad together through their invaluable contributions. Rosco earned a reputation that can only be second to Anil Kumble's! Kallis lived up to his name and Praveen Kumar showed his free-flowing,casual cricketing skills.And so did the others.But in the end,it just wasn't meant to be. Why,you ask? There's not much of an answer to that question.You could say "bad tracks",you can blame it on the weather conditions,you can say "poor captaincy"..you can even spark off something about a bad team bus.But to me,it was just a matter of lost opportunities and little unfortunate moments.The T20 game allows no space for a slow thought,and the RCB team had one too many of those..like the dropped catches.But besides that,there isn't really much to ponder upon. It was just a matter of the opposition winning those little periods in the middle of the innings. THAT,made the difference. We didn't play bad cricket and there's absolutely no problem with any other technical aspect of the game.We were undone by destiny. The team still is the best and will be back fighting again and hopefully,this time,fortune will be on our side. "Fortune favors the brave."