1. Yesterday, the team watched the match between Cape Cobra & Otago Volts. Immediately after that, we had a team meeting to reflect on where we went wrong and to plan for the next practice sessions. The team is eagerly waiting for the big match on 12th. Go RCB go.

2. While watching the match, Rahul Dravid walked up to us to have a look at Siva’s photos. He really liked them. He then a chatted about our professions and other such stuff. I told him that I stay at a walking distance from his house and that I am from Indore. He joked that we would lose our jobs in this market if we take such long leaves. We assured him that it wouldn’t be a major worry if we can have his autographs for our bosses.

3. Anil Kumble is very passionate about wild-life photography. He might go with Siva on a wild-life trek by the year-end. How awesome is that? We would have a section very soon on the website in which we can showcase his talent with camera.

4. We are finding that the many in the RCB team are multitalented. Not only the players, but the support staff that RCB has is astoundingly gifted. Expect a few posts on the non-playing members of RCB team soon. Take this for a sample: RCB has an sports-analyst whose help was sought by Nadal to defeat Federer.

I just saw the news about Roelof Van Der Merwe getting injured during the practice session. The news read that he got hit on his head off a ball that bounced off the bowling machine.

First of all, let us assure the fans that Roelof is perfectly fine and raring to go at Otago Volts. You should have blamed Manish Pandey if the injury would have been severe.

During the nets, Manish hit a mighty shot high in the air. Robin Uthappa shouted “watch-out”. I wasn’t sure whether to look up to check where the ball is going to drop or whether to curl up to brace for the impact. The next instant, I risked Siva’s hundred thousand Rupees worth of camera to cover my head which I fancy to be of a higher price despite the medical insurances.

Meanwhile, Roelof was on his run up to bowl to Ross Taylor who was in superb touch yesterday. The ball bounced three meters away from me and before tasting the grass for the second time, it met with the left arm spinner’s head. Roelof took a few steps away from the nets and lay down. I think the impact was more due to the surprise-factor than the intensity of the hit.



They took him to hospital just to be on the safer side. Head injuries are never taken lightly in any stream of business. After that there were a couple of more balls in the air and I was tempted to wear one of the golden RCB helmets lying on the ground. Since none of the other players were keen on doing that, I chose to take it in the spirit with which one takes these occupational hazards.

The team practiced hard for over three hours. Our photographer Siva was busy clicking the players who were later very pleased with his work. As you can see below, I was sincerely observing the proceedings and making mental notes. Thanks Sid for this photo, which highlights the hard work and danger we are going through on this assignment.

We all have a long list of questions to ask God even though we haven’t seen any show of intent on His part to answer them. While you might die wondering why you are not the de-facto ruler of the planet or why all the stray dogs born and brought up in Bangalore choose to pee on my car, a much better opportunity reckons to satisfy your curiosities.

Anil Kumble, the great wizard himself, would be glad to answer your questions about himself, RCB and cricket. Yes folks, it’s a unique chance to get to know our hero and his views better.

Please post your questions in comments section and I would take them to Anil. Once he answers them, the replies would be posted on the website.

So guys, without wasting a moment, dazzle Anil with your cricket knowledge and insight and stay prepared to be served with his views.

And God, you dare not post any questions; I would ensure that you get royally snubbed.

Royal Challenge has been running the “Face of Challenge” contest for about a month now. Today there was the felicitation ceremony for the same at the Team-hotel. At 3 PM today, the moment finally arrived for thirty odd fans to meet their favorite cricketers and to know who would be the three winners to stay with the team for the next 4 days.



The three lucky winners are:
1. Sanjay from Hyderabad. East Zone Winner. 150 points
2. Umesh from Mumbai. West Zone Winner. 165 points.
3. Ram Shetty from Bangalore. South Zone Winner. 204 points.

The other fans were invited on stage to get posters signed by Anil Kumble, Dale Steyn & Balchandra Akhil. Emotions ran high. A fan was in tears. Other came and hugged Anil. All the fans had a group photo with their favorite players. The three cricketers also answered some of the fan’s questions.



Question to Anil: Please tell us about how RCB did the turnaround in last IPL?
Anil: It was the same team that played in IPL 2008. But the mindset changed. We were very hurt in the previous season and were playing for pride. We took the challenge to fight back and did well.

Question to Akhil: How different is playing for international T20 & KPL T20?
Akhil: Even if the standard at international level is high, it is all in the mind. International players are more consistent. You get 4 out of 6 good balls in IPL while in KPL you get 2 good balls in an over. But you still need to play those two good balls.

Question to Dale: What do you do to stay away from injuries, especially being a fast bowler?
Dale: Yes, fitness remains a concern with so much international cricket being played. To remain healthy, I maintain a good relationship my physio, coach and physical-trainer. The coach ensures that I don’t bowl in excess; the trainer ensures that I spend enough time on bench and the physio takes care of minor injuries immediately.

Thank you RC for this wonderfully successful event which brought joys to so many fans.

1. RCB had a brief team meeting just before the first match. As the team was making its way out of the conference room, we found that the entire hotel staff was lined up in the lobby. They began the rhythm “Clap Clap Pause Clap Clap Clap” and it just went on and on with growing intensity. I still get the goose-bumps whenever I remember the echoing sound.

After the match, we found a huge cake with a chocolate bat in the lobby, waiting to be cut by the winning team. I told Sid “Haath ko aaya, muh na lagaya”.

2. During the match, I was seating in the corporate box as I had to chat with fans and Dale Steyn. This also meant that I had excellent food and unlimited booze at my disposal. Sid & Siva were in the Pavilion stand, which meant that they ordered food only after we were back in hotel-room. When Sid called the hotel-staff to clear the dishes at 2AM, I was lying asleep with face stuffed in the pillow.

While clearing the dishes, the waiter said pointing towards a horizontal me, “He must have been tired after playing the tough match”.

3. Siva’s room is on the fourth floor where the RCB team is staying, while Sid’s and my room is on the third floor. We have other teams and umpire as the neighbors. Security is tighter on fourth floor with 4 security guards sitting by the lift. Siva called me to his room to show some of the snaps. I wasn’t wearing the team jersey at that time and was stopped by the security guard for screening. Just when the security guard’s hands were probing my torso, Praveen Kumar passed by.

I said “Hi PK!”
Praveen said “ Kya haal hain bhai?”

The security guard didn’t check my legs for any explosives and let me off immediately.

4. Right now, if you go in Siva’s room, you’ll find a red RCB shorts on his bed. It belongs to a prominent RCB player. Siva has some explanations, but Sid and I see many chinks in the innocent plot.

RCB never fails to treat its fans. During every RCB match, one of the RCB players would be chatting live with you on RCB Homepage as the match unfolds before our eyes. It’s a rare opportunity to know one of the team-players’ assessments of the match situations. Besides, you can come up with fun and interesting questions to know your favorite players better.

Last night, we had Dale Steyn with us. Here are some of his responses from the chat:

Question: On this pitch, what should a pace bowler like you bowl: Pace or Swing?
Dale: I would say it’s 50-50. In T20, you just have four overs to bowl. I would assess in the first over what is working for me on the day and then stick to it.

Question: Are you working on your batting skills?
Dale: Definitely. I have hired a private trainer for the purpose. It’s very valuable to come down the order and make an impact for the team.

Question: Are you a Royal Challenger first or a South African first?
Dale: (Chuckles) I am a Royal Challenger today. I would be a South African when I get back to my country.

Question: Do you plan on taking the Indian citizenship?
Dale: No. But the women here are very pretty (Laughs).

Question: Do you know any Indian languages?
Dale: I know “Sundar Ladki” and I know “Dhanyawaad”. I have good manners.(Grins)

Question: What do you think of Champions Trophy as a concept?
Dale: Fantastic. It’s giving opportunities to domestic players from different countries to play at the international level.

Question: Which Indian in the RCB team has the potential to be a future Shaun Pollock or Allan Donald?
Dale: Vinay Kumar is good. He can be a future Shaun Pollock. He lacks the pace of Donald, but has Shaun’s discipline.

Question: What do you prefer: Test, ODI or T20?
Dale: Test is perfect.

Question: Do you sledge?
Dale: You don’t have enough time to sledge in a T20 match.

Question: What do you think is the ideal score for this match?
Dale: I think 160 looks good in these conditions. Especially the crowd here can be intimidating. That explains why Cobras have been dropping the catches.

Question: Do you think you would bowl the fastest ball of the tournament?
Dale: Yes, Please

When RCB was 114/3 in 15 overs, Dale predicted score of 165. When we reached 165 at the end of 19th over, he claimed he was spot on and had simply miscalculated the remaining overs earlier.

Dale is of Irish descent. He is also into photography. He clicked the below photo when we were going for practice session today.

I see some excellent analysis coming in the comment-section of the previous post. Even the chat box is buzzing with wise words. We have seen the team management doing their introspection. They have state-of-art software which shows you all critical points in a intuitive way and allows you to get the statistics which speaks for itself. Take for instance, the fact that on over-on-over basis, Cape Cobra was leading RCB in terms of run right from the first over. Also they were ahead in scoring singles off the balls in the overs which gave away at least one boundary. We would bring in some more insights that the software throws.

Talking of mindset, which can’t be measured by numbers, many fans feel that we were very over-confident after the first innings, especially after we had Gibbs for a duck. I feel that we were not prepared to defend 180. If the score would have been 150-160, our bowling changes and fielding would have been different. The score 180 leaves you feeling invincible and at this level, complacency is not an affordable indulgence.

We can take heart in the fact that the victory margin was quite narrow. Our best bet now is that Otago Volts beat Cape Cobras handsomely and then we beat Otago Volts by a margin which doesn’t push Otago Volts below the Cobras. This way, we would still be able to carry two points into the next round and would have both of our league matches in Bangalore.

A more likely scenario is that Cobras would beat the Volts and then we must do the same. Nothing short of a victory in our next match would do (assuming that rain wouldn’t play the spoilsport in our match with Volts.)

Well, we have been here before, haven't we ? And the title is deliberately chosen to mock the sarcasm associated with it. We stand here, defiant and positive.

Before we begin the dissection and plunge into a couple of hourse of disappointment, let's acknowledge the brilliance of JP Duminy. He played his best innings ever in a T20. That must have been the sweetest 99 ever scored.

I am taking the liberty to focus on some personal positives. We , the chiefs, had the time of our life today evening. Our journey to the stadium was with the team in the RCB official bus. People were waving at the bus through-out the journey. I waved back at a couple of babes, who I am sure couldn't tell the difference between a software engineer and a cricketer. There would be a special post about the bus-journey with snaps and other fun facts.

Then folks, was the show time; the grand opening ceremony was nothing less than a magical experience. Take my word friends, even a million inch television can't do justice to the magnificence of reality, the overwhelming waves that encompassed those on the ground.

I won't talk about the match right now, but would love to hear your analysis in the comments section. I had a wonderful time interviewing Dale Steyn for you guys. He is a fun person to be with. I would be posting the excerpts of the chat with him for those who missed out last night. We would have a similiar chat session in the next match as well. You guys better not miss the opportunity. Here's a snap of the good times we both were having while answering your interesting questions.