It's like he wants to be GIF'd.
Couch Talk 196 with Simon Taufel
6 years ago
Showing posts with label royal challengers bangalore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label royal challengers bangalore. Show all posts
The IPL so far (part 2)
We're heading into the latter stages of the IPL - and by that I mean there are only 20ish games to go and just over two weeks left! In other words, it's the perfect time to speculate on things such as whether Ganguly's imminent retirement to the bench is temporary, or if Shane Watson thinks he is competing with Dale Steyn as a bowler, or if James Franklin holds the secret recipe to the best vada pav ever. I'd pick him for every game too, if he possessed such secrets.
Or, you know, who is likely to make the - er - playoffs. I didn't pay much attention last year, but from what I understand, the top two sides will play a warped game that will turn out to be a virtual semifinal for its winner (let's call them D for neutrality) and a virtual quarterfinal for its loser (K). The sides placed third and fourth will play a virtual quarterfinal - the winner gets to play another virtual semifinal against K, and the loser is out for good. The winner of this game goes through to the final to face D. Simple, really. This is the table as I write this:
So, who's going to the playoffs?
If these two sides mess up from here, they deserve to be surrounded by bowling machines and be bombarded. Without protection. (Why isn't this a recognized punishment? I'll have to become a coach one day just to try this method.)
Or, you know, who is likely to make the - er - playoffs. I didn't pay much attention last year, but from what I understand, the top two sides will play a warped game that will turn out to be a virtual semifinal for its winner (let's call them D for neutrality) and a virtual quarterfinal for its loser (K). The sides placed third and fourth will play a virtual quarterfinal - the winner gets to play another virtual semifinal against K, and the loser is out for good. The winner of this game goes through to the final to face D. Simple, really. This is the table as I write this:
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | Pts | NRR |
| Delhi | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | +0.977 |
| Kolkata | 12 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 17 | +0.6 |
| Bangalore | 13 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | -0.058 |
| Mumbai | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 14 | -0.198 |
| Chennai | 13 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 13 | +0.081 |
| Rajasthan | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +0.184 |
| Mohali | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 | -0.309 |
| Pune | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -0.348 |
| Hyderabad | 13 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 5 | -0.717 |
So, who's going to the playoffs?
The Certain
If these two sides mess up from here, they deserve to be surrounded by bowling machines and be bombarded. Without protection. (Why isn't this a recognized punishment? I'll have to become a coach one day just to try this method.)
The IPL so far
Nearly 30 matches in, and we're finally a third into the IPL. It's great to see that, for once, one or two teams aren't running away with it. How often do we have a six-way tie for anything? Usually, if there are six incompetent teams sharing points, it's the bottom 6. All the better to slate the Deccan Chargers - they really must love that basement. Here are the standings, as I write this. In 15 hours or so, two out of the current top three will share the lead with 10 points.
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Pts | Net RR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi Daredevils | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | +0.681 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | +0.432 |
| Pune Warriors | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | +0.290 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | +0.190 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | +0.033 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -0.192 |
| Mumbai Indians | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.117 |
| Kings XI Punjab | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.467 |
| Deccan Chargers | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.032 |
Surprise packages
By "surprise packages", I don't mean an unexpected parcel delivered to your door, with a clearly audible ticking noise coming from it. Or maybe I do. I'm not sure.
Anyway, the teams that have done better than expected are the Pune Warriors (India) and the Delhi Daredevils (also India, but they aren't all smug and in-your-face about it).
IPL team previews
An excellent one for each team, all at Alternative Cricket.
The ones for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab are particularly good, but I say that only because I wrote them and I'm slightly biased towards myself.
