Round 4 matches have been rescheduled, so I have to come up with my predictions earlier than usual. Message to the organizers - it is NOT a good idea to rush someone who controls the universe (yes, that's me).
This week sees some pretty tight matches. Here are the predictions -
1) Psychat's Merchants v/s Big Vindaloos Vindaloos
Some people are calling this a preview of the finals. While I don't think the Merchants deserve to get that far, this should still be interesting. Lalit Modi has already started the dirty mind-games (is anyone really surprised?), with a plug for the Merchants in his public broadcast. He has also been actively promoting the team at team meetings, lunch breaks, smoke breaks, and any other chance he gets. Seriously, am I the only one who sees a conflict of interest here?
As one of only two Vindaloos at the Village, Kaddoo has been trying to garner local support for his team, without much luck. Apparently, he's even gone so far as to threaten the two home umpires, who, let's just say, have been "lucky" for the home team. Clearly the Vindaloos are feeling some pressure.
With both teams assured of a spot in the semis, some people think there's not much to play for. I disagree. The winner of this one is likely to finish top of the table. That will give them an easy semi-final - either Blackbucks or Taliban. So the winner of this one is, in fact, pretty much through to the finals.
I call the Merchants to win, thanks to their numerous home advantages. The Vindaloos should be okay with that - better to lose now than in the knock-out stages. The biggest downside - yet another irritating email from Radio Bharati, with the dreaded overused phrase "yet another crushing defeat"!
2) Everyish's Blackbucks v/s Osama's Taliban
Both teams remain one win away from a semi-final spot. And that would be a major over-achievement for whichever team makes it. The one that loses can take heart - they wouldn't have been competitive in the semis anyway.
I call the Taliban to win, simply on account of their momentum. In their last match, they looked like they were finally understanding what T-10 cricket is all about, and will fancy their chances this week. The Blackbucks' body-language shows that they are still reeling from last week's massive defeat, and it will take something really special for them to bounce back in this one.
3) Craydit's Crayditors v/s Humpty Dumpty's Anda-Bondas
The Crayditors have shown remarkable consistency in this contest - if they are playing, their opponents will win. That's not likely to end here, so I'm going to call the Anda-Bondas to win. The only way they could lose is by being overly complacent - or by letting Betaal bowl.
I advise the Crayditors to wrap up the game quickly - let's not waste people's time over a foregone result.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
News From The Teams
We are fast approaching the business end of the ACL, so it's a good time to see what's going on in the individual camps -
The Anda-Bondas are in high spirits. As long as they have Super Supari on their side, no opposition is unbeatable. Not that their next 2 opponents - BlackBucks & Crayditors - are likely to cause much trouble anyway. Betaal is excited that his bowling is now considered legal (News flash for Betaal: It isn't). KaaliZabaan has learnt a valuable lesson - matches *can* be won by playing cricket too. Humpty Dumpty has demonstrated fantastic leadership (Psychat: Pay attention) - he over-positioned his team after the first round, but has learnt his lesson. After the Taliban game, I expected another broadcast from him, praising his decision to buy Supari at an extraordinary price. However, he was exceptionally muted - he showed off to only 20-25 people at the ground.
The Black-Bucks remain quiet as ever. They're one team that looks completely terrified of being featured in this blog. Everyish's body language shows that he is quite worried about life in general, and his team's performance hasn't helped. Something special is going to be required to bounce back after their almost-100 run loss last week. RRC has been following his owner's lead, and has also been pretty quiet. I guess he wants to let his bat do the talking. B-Shoe is the only one who continues to wear the look of a fighter - let's hope the other Blackbucks get there soon.
The Crayditors have pretty much given up on this edition of the ACL, and are already looking forward to season 2. Craydit desperately wants at least 1 win, but that's not likely to happen any time soon. Dushman has vowed not to turn up for any other matches, and is scheduling "leadership" meetings strategically. Peda wants to start his own football league, so that he too can enjoy the power to make random decisions, just like the ACL's Lalit Modi. What surprises me is that Craydit is surprised with his team's performance. I've been saying from day 1 that this is a top-heavy team. News from the Crayditors camp is that heads will start rolling shortly - the big question is who? With so much leadership in a team, who will "demonstrate accountability"?
The Merchants have been without Psychat for a few days now. Impact? Zero. Nil. Null. Zilch. Not one bit. Not surprising, given that his only contribution to the team has been making arbitrary statements on this blog. He will be back soon, and that will not have much impact either. Kudos to him on his strategy though - buy overpriced players (including 2 organisers), get Lalit Modi to make rules in your favor, add home umpires and poor sportsmanship, and voila!, a winning team! So they're through to the semis, to no one's surprise. No one's scared of them in the semis though - take the lion out of his den, and you'll find he's just an overgrown cat. KaaliZabaan needs to share his learnings (see above) with the Merchants. On a side note, Radio Bharati continues to inflict her painful broadcasts on people after every Merchant win. Quite a few people have said that they wouldn't mind seeing her "crushed" (please see her emails for context).
The Taliban surprised everyone with their performance in the last game, even themselves. The batting finally clicked (okay, I'm exaggerating - 1 batsman finally clicked), although the bowling and fielding remained pretty much non-existent. If it weren't for the Crayditors, this would be the team that everyone would want to play against. Morale in the camp is strangely okayish - everyone is seeing the 30-run loss to the Anda-Bondas as a positive. When a team starts being okay about losing, that says something. Fortunately, their next game is against the BlackBucks, who are equally poor. This should be a good one - maybe even another tie, like the Taliban-Crayditors match. Like Everyish, Osama has also been pretty muted off late. Surprising for a team that is, incredibly, still on the verge of making the semis.
The Vindaloos are desperately trying to avoid the "favorites" tag. Big Vindaloo has been telling anyone who will listen to him (mostly his own team - no one else pays much attention to him) that "the best team never wins". Pretty much everyone thinks that's a load of $%&@. No one has told him that though - after all, he *is* bigger than most people. Frustoo Madrasi continues to claim that he is the real brain behind the team. Not sure how true that is, but running this team is hardly difficult - just let AnotherBun and Daffy bat, bowl and set the field, and they'll win the game for you. I wonder what Big V's contribution has been so far, besides setting up weekly team meetings?
The Anda-Bondas are in high spirits. As long as they have Super Supari on their side, no opposition is unbeatable. Not that their next 2 opponents - BlackBucks & Crayditors - are likely to cause much trouble anyway. Betaal is excited that his bowling is now considered legal (News flash for Betaal: It isn't). KaaliZabaan has learnt a valuable lesson - matches *can* be won by playing cricket too. Humpty Dumpty has demonstrated fantastic leadership (Psychat: Pay attention) - he over-positioned his team after the first round, but has learnt his lesson. After the Taliban game, I expected another broadcast from him, praising his decision to buy Supari at an extraordinary price. However, he was exceptionally muted - he showed off to only 20-25 people at the ground.
The Black-Bucks remain quiet as ever. They're one team that looks completely terrified of being featured in this blog. Everyish's body language shows that he is quite worried about life in general, and his team's performance hasn't helped. Something special is going to be required to bounce back after their almost-100 run loss last week. RRC has been following his owner's lead, and has also been pretty quiet. I guess he wants to let his bat do the talking. B-Shoe is the only one who continues to wear the look of a fighter - let's hope the other Blackbucks get there soon.
The Crayditors have pretty much given up on this edition of the ACL, and are already looking forward to season 2. Craydit desperately wants at least 1 win, but that's not likely to happen any time soon. Dushman has vowed not to turn up for any other matches, and is scheduling "leadership" meetings strategically. Peda wants to start his own football league, so that he too can enjoy the power to make random decisions, just like the ACL's Lalit Modi. What surprises me is that Craydit is surprised with his team's performance. I've been saying from day 1 that this is a top-heavy team. News from the Crayditors camp is that heads will start rolling shortly - the big question is who? With so much leadership in a team, who will "demonstrate accountability"?
The Merchants have been without Psychat for a few days now. Impact? Zero. Nil. Null. Zilch. Not one bit. Not surprising, given that his only contribution to the team has been making arbitrary statements on this blog. He will be back soon, and that will not have much impact either. Kudos to him on his strategy though - buy overpriced players (including 2 organisers), get Lalit Modi to make rules in your favor, add home umpires and poor sportsmanship, and voila!, a winning team! So they're through to the semis, to no one's surprise. No one's scared of them in the semis though - take the lion out of his den, and you'll find he's just an overgrown cat. KaaliZabaan needs to share his learnings (see above) with the Merchants. On a side note, Radio Bharati continues to inflict her painful broadcasts on people after every Merchant win. Quite a few people have said that they wouldn't mind seeing her "crushed" (please see her emails for context).
The Taliban surprised everyone with their performance in the last game, even themselves. The batting finally clicked (okay, I'm exaggerating - 1 batsman finally clicked), although the bowling and fielding remained pretty much non-existent. If it weren't for the Crayditors, this would be the team that everyone would want to play against. Morale in the camp is strangely okayish - everyone is seeing the 30-run loss to the Anda-Bondas as a positive. When a team starts being okay about losing, that says something. Fortunately, their next game is against the BlackBucks, who are equally poor. This should be a good one - maybe even another tie, like the Taliban-Crayditors match. Like Everyish, Osama has also been pretty muted off late. Surprising for a team that is, incredibly, still on the verge of making the semis.
The Vindaloos are desperately trying to avoid the "favorites" tag. Big Vindaloo has been telling anyone who will listen to him (mostly his own team - no one else pays much attention to him) that "the best team never wins". Pretty much everyone thinks that's a load of $%&@. No one has told him that though - after all, he *is* bigger than most people. Frustoo Madrasi continues to claim that he is the real brain behind the team. Not sure how true that is, but running this team is hardly difficult - just let AnotherBun and Daffy bat, bowl and set the field, and they'll win the game for you. I wonder what Big V's contribution has been so far, besides setting up weekly team meetings?
Monday, July 27, 2009
Merchants Create Accuracy Issues Again
2 out of 3 correct predictions again. That brings me to 7 our of 9 for the tournament so far. Interestingly, both my incorrect predictions have involved the Merchants. Hmmm ... I smell a conspiracy.
Anyway, to the debrief now -
Merchants defeated Blackbucks
The Merchants are truly maximizing their home-ground advantage. Once again, they turned up with their own umpires and sledging band. Once again, it wasn't required. The Blackbucks suffered (and I truly mean that word) the worst defeat of the entire ACL, eclipsing even the thumping that the Taliban got last week. HeyRam was unavailable for this one, but HeyRam2 made sure that the Blackbucks never really got into this contest.
So the Merchants are now through to the semis. It'll be interesting to watch what happens when they have to play away from their ground. I expect Lalit Modi will justify his over-rated purchase price by introducing a few "special" rules as required ...
Anda-Bondas defeated Taliban
The most exciting game of the day, and the highest-scoring game of the entire tournament. This one was eventually decided by the sheer brilliance of one man - Super Supari. To their credit, the Taliban put up a good fight and were significantly more competitive than they were against the Merchants.
This win takes the Anda-Bondas through to the semis. Interestingly, the Taliban are starting to turn around as well. Watch out for them!
Vindaloos defeated Crayditors
No surprises - the Crayditors remain winless, and now need to win both their remaining games to reach the semis. Given that they will be facing the Anda-Bondas and the Merchants, that's looking as likely as Force India winning a Formula 1 race.
The Vindaloos remain top of the table, and are already looking good to reach the finals.
Anyway, to the debrief now -
Merchants defeated Blackbucks
The Merchants are truly maximizing their home-ground advantage. Once again, they turned up with their own umpires and sledging band. Once again, it wasn't required. The Blackbucks suffered (and I truly mean that word) the worst defeat of the entire ACL, eclipsing even the thumping that the Taliban got last week. HeyRam was unavailable for this one, but HeyRam2 made sure that the Blackbucks never really got into this contest.
So the Merchants are now through to the semis. It'll be interesting to watch what happens when they have to play away from their ground. I expect Lalit Modi will justify his over-rated purchase price by introducing a few "special" rules as required ...
Anda-Bondas defeated Taliban
The most exciting game of the day, and the highest-scoring game of the entire tournament. This one was eventually decided by the sheer brilliance of one man - Super Supari. To their credit, the Taliban put up a good fight and were significantly more competitive than they were against the Merchants.
This win takes the Anda-Bondas through to the semis. Interestingly, the Taliban are starting to turn around as well. Watch out for them!
Vindaloos defeated Crayditors
No surprises - the Crayditors remain winless, and now need to win both their remaining games to reach the semis. Given that they will be facing the Anda-Bondas and the Merchants, that's looking as likely as Force India winning a Formula 1 race.
The Vindaloos remain top of the table, and are already looking good to reach the finals.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Round 3 Predictions
Predictions for round 3 of the ACL are -
1) Everyish's Blackbucks v/s Psychat's Merchants
On their day, the Merchants are unstoppable - even when their batting and bowling falters, their home umpires can be counted on to step in and do the "right" thing. Add that to the fact that the Blackbucks are one of the few teams that play in the true spirit of the game, and this game should be easy going for the Merchants.
I, however, am predicting a close contest, with the Blackbucks winning this one, led from the front by B-Shoe and RRC. Whoever wins is pretty much assured of a semi-final spot.
2) Humpty Dumpty's Anda-Bondas v/s Osama's Taliban
Both teams will be smarting from their contrasting losses last week, and will want to get back to winning ways. Like the first game, the winners of this one are also pretty much through to the semis.
I pick the Anda-Bondas to win, with Supari Gupta turning in another decent performance. The Taliban will do a better job than last week (can they even get any worse?), but will be out-classed.
3) Craydit's Crayditors v/s Big Vindaloo's Vindaloos
Easiest call of the day. When the top-ranked team meets the bottom-ranked team, the result only ever goes one way. The Crayditors might as well be playing Australia.
For the Vindaloos, AnotherBun and Daffy will turn in solid performances once again, with Big V continuing to lead from the back. For the Crayditors, Zen will turn in another good performance, but will struggle to find support.
1) Everyish's Blackbucks v/s Psychat's Merchants
On their day, the Merchants are unstoppable - even when their batting and bowling falters, their home umpires can be counted on to step in and do the "right" thing. Add that to the fact that the Blackbucks are one of the few teams that play in the true spirit of the game, and this game should be easy going for the Merchants.
I, however, am predicting a close contest, with the Blackbucks winning this one, led from the front by B-Shoe and RRC. Whoever wins is pretty much assured of a semi-final spot.
2) Humpty Dumpty's Anda-Bondas v/s Osama's Taliban
Both teams will be smarting from their contrasting losses last week, and will want to get back to winning ways. Like the first game, the winners of this one are also pretty much through to the semis.
I pick the Anda-Bondas to win, with Supari Gupta turning in another decent performance. The Taliban will do a better job than last week (can they even get any worse?), but will be out-classed.
3) Craydit's Crayditors v/s Big Vindaloo's Vindaloos
Easiest call of the day. When the top-ranked team meets the bottom-ranked team, the result only ever goes one way. The Crayditors might as well be playing Australia.
For the Vindaloos, AnotherBun and Daffy will turn in solid performances once again, with Big V continuing to lead from the back. For the Crayditors, Zen will turn in another good performance, but will struggle to find support.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Mid-Week News
Last week's results have had quite an impact on the teams.
The Anda-Bondas defeat has led to a lot of in-fighting. Fingers are being pointed at Humpty Dumpty for taking away the team's element of surprise. On the pitch, KaaliZabaan got his "face-kaala". Daffy Dutta took a special liking to him, and sent the Anda-Bondas on a ball-chase. Humpty has now asked KZ to keep his trap shut and perform, or stay in the office on match-days.
In other Anda-Bonda news, Betaal is still fuming that Big Vindaloo got him banned for chucking. It seems that Betaal is so bad at masking his chucking that even people like Big Vindaloo, who know pretty much nothing about cricket, can blow the whistle.
In the Village, Psychat was seen to be all quiet till the last ball was bowled in the Merchants-Taliban (no-)contest. Me thinks he didn't realize what was going on till Lalit Modi shouted out, "Hey, we've won!". Hearing this, Psychat started to behave like Sreesanth after he gets a wicket.
Craydit, meanwhile, is living in denial about his team's performance. The Crayditors are the only team without a win, and now need to win 2 of 3, the odds of which are similar to Sania Mirza winning a grand slam. Zen wants a transfer to the Vindaloos next season. Peda and Dushman are very demoralized, and are not happy with Kisna's leadership. Looks like a regime-change may be on the cards.
Lastly, a non-descript Vindaloos player, Frustoo Madrasi, has been opening his mouth a lot to offer his special tips and tricks to other players. He claims that he is the real factor behind the Vindaloos success. Lalit Modi is considering handing Frustoo Madrasi a 10-year ban.
The Anda-Bondas defeat has led to a lot of in-fighting. Fingers are being pointed at Humpty Dumpty for taking away the team's element of surprise. On the pitch, KaaliZabaan got his "face-kaala". Daffy Dutta took a special liking to him, and sent the Anda-Bondas on a ball-chase. Humpty has now asked KZ to keep his trap shut and perform, or stay in the office on match-days.
In other Anda-Bonda news, Betaal is still fuming that Big Vindaloo got him banned for chucking. It seems that Betaal is so bad at masking his chucking that even people like Big Vindaloo, who know pretty much nothing about cricket, can blow the whistle.
In the Village, Psychat was seen to be all quiet till the last ball was bowled in the Merchants-Taliban (no-)contest. Me thinks he didn't realize what was going on till Lalit Modi shouted out, "Hey, we've won!". Hearing this, Psychat started to behave like Sreesanth after he gets a wicket.
Craydit, meanwhile, is living in denial about his team's performance. The Crayditors are the only team without a win, and now need to win 2 of 3, the odds of which are similar to Sania Mirza winning a grand slam. Zen wants a transfer to the Vindaloos next season. Peda and Dushman are very demoralized, and are not happy with Kisna's leadership. Looks like a regime-change may be on the cards.
Lastly, a non-descript Vindaloos player, Frustoo Madrasi, has been opening his mouth a lot to offer his special tips and tricks to other players. He claims that he is the real factor behind the Vindaloos success. Lalit Modi is considering handing Frustoo Madrasi a 10-year ban.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Who's In Control Here?
Let me start this week's debrief with a slight digression. In the 1999 movie, "The Matrix", Neo (Keanu Reeves) meets a woman called "The Oracle", who can see the future. Their opening dialogue goes something like this-
Oracle: Don't worry about the vase
Neo: What vase?
(Neo turns around and knocks over a vase. It falls to the ground and breaks)
Oracle: That vase
Neo: How did you know?
Oracle: What's really going to get you thinking later is - would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything?
Back to the ACL - If you've been following my blog, you know that I have a perfect 3/3 for last Friday's matches. And not just the simple who-won-who-didn't, but things like margin of victory and key match-ups. Kind of gets you thinking ... am I really predicting, are matches being fixed, or am I, in fact, controlling the universe? Without sounding too egoistic, I'll let you in on a little secret - it's the 3rd option.
Now to the post-match debrief -
Merchants defeated Taliban
"Defeated" is a huge under-statement. Only one team really showed up for this match. After last week's stinging loss, the Merchants came to the ground with their own sledging party and their own umpires as well. Turns out they didn't really need all that. The Taliban actually managed to play worse than last week, and word from the ground is that they were already out of the game mid-way through the first innings. HeyRam turned in a much-improved all-round performance (as predicted), but the surprise of the match was HammerDeep - his 2 huge sixes and decent bowling spell surprised everyone, including HammerDeep himself.
Sadly, the Merchants haven't learnt from the Anda-Bondas - they're the latest team to issue a public challenge. Me thinks this will end badly for them. A lot of the Merchants are Kolkata Knight Riders fans - one can see them ending up like KKR too.
Vindaloos defeated Anda-Bondas
A high-scoring game saw the Vindaloos edge out the Anda-Bondas in a close contest (both cricket and sledging, exactly as predicted). In the eyes of many, the Anda-Bondas "bit off more than they could chew" and have gotten their "just desserts" (if you don't get the puns, see Humpty Dumpty's public challenge email).
Key match-ups were well predicted. Supari Gupta's wonderful big-hitting saw the Anda-Bondas to what should have been a winning total. AnotherBun Nandi surprised everyone by bowling spin - didn't help; he got hit around extensively. The Vindaloos shuffled their opening combination but started poorly (again). Down the order, though, AnotherBun Nandi held up one end and Daffy Dutta came in late to win off the second-last ball.
The ACL chucking controversy also came to the fore in this match - while it's been a big part of all the matches so far, Big V took this opportunity to raise the stakes. Intimidating umpires seems to be a key part of the Vindaloos strategy.
Blackbucks defeated Crayditors
Again, went exactly as predicted, although this was a fairly low-scoring game. B-Shoe and RRC did well to chase a low total. Zen was outstanding for the top-heavy Crayditors, but couldn't find much support. This was a very poorly attended match, with even both owners showing low interest in the proceedings.
Rumour is that after 2 straight losses, Craydit is now looking to sell the Crayditors, and reinvest proceeds in the stock market, given his expertise. With the current economic scenario however, he may have to take a significant hit on his investment in the Crayditors. The Sensex has responded positively to this development, and is up 1.6% for the day, hovering around the psychologically significant 15K mark.
Oracle: Don't worry about the vase
Neo: What vase?
(Neo turns around and knocks over a vase. It falls to the ground and breaks)
Oracle: That vase
Neo: How did you know?
Oracle: What's really going to get you thinking later is - would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything?
Back to the ACL - If you've been following my blog, you know that I have a perfect 3/3 for last Friday's matches. And not just the simple who-won-who-didn't, but things like margin of victory and key match-ups. Kind of gets you thinking ... am I really predicting, are matches being fixed, or am I, in fact, controlling the universe? Without sounding too egoistic, I'll let you in on a little secret - it's the 3rd option.
Now to the post-match debrief -
Merchants defeated Taliban
"Defeated" is a huge under-statement. Only one team really showed up for this match. After last week's stinging loss, the Merchants came to the ground with their own sledging party and their own umpires as well. Turns out they didn't really need all that. The Taliban actually managed to play worse than last week, and word from the ground is that they were already out of the game mid-way through the first innings. HeyRam turned in a much-improved all-round performance (as predicted), but the surprise of the match was HammerDeep - his 2 huge sixes and decent bowling spell surprised everyone, including HammerDeep himself.
Sadly, the Merchants haven't learnt from the Anda-Bondas - they're the latest team to issue a public challenge. Me thinks this will end badly for them. A lot of the Merchants are Kolkata Knight Riders fans - one can see them ending up like KKR too.
Vindaloos defeated Anda-Bondas
A high-scoring game saw the Vindaloos edge out the Anda-Bondas in a close contest (both cricket and sledging, exactly as predicted). In the eyes of many, the Anda-Bondas "bit off more than they could chew" and have gotten their "just desserts" (if you don't get the puns, see Humpty Dumpty's public challenge email).
Key match-ups were well predicted. Supari Gupta's wonderful big-hitting saw the Anda-Bondas to what should have been a winning total. AnotherBun Nandi surprised everyone by bowling spin - didn't help; he got hit around extensively. The Vindaloos shuffled their opening combination but started poorly (again). Down the order, though, AnotherBun Nandi held up one end and Daffy Dutta came in late to win off the second-last ball.
The ACL chucking controversy also came to the fore in this match - while it's been a big part of all the matches so far, Big V took this opportunity to raise the stakes. Intimidating umpires seems to be a key part of the Vindaloos strategy.
Blackbucks defeated Crayditors
Again, went exactly as predicted, although this was a fairly low-scoring game. B-Shoe and RRC did well to chase a low total. Zen was outstanding for the top-heavy Crayditors, but couldn't find much support. This was a very poorly attended match, with even both owners showing low interest in the proceedings.
Rumour is that after 2 straight losses, Craydit is now looking to sell the Crayditors, and reinvest proceeds in the stock market, given his expertise. With the current economic scenario however, he may have to take a significant hit on his investment in the Crayditors. The Sensex has responded positively to this development, and is up 1.6% for the day, hovering around the psychologically significant 15K mark.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Round 2 Predictions
The second round of ACL league matches takes place tomorrow (if you didn't already know that, which planet are you on?), and predictions for tomorrow are -
1) Psychat's Merchants v/s Osama's Taliban
Even though the Merchants wrecked my prediction last week, I'm going to "demonstrate courage" and go with them for the win again. HeyRam will desperately want to win, in order to silence his critics and justify his high base price. Psychat will also desperately want to win, so that he can resume his verbal assault on people's sanity (sadly, via this blog). This desperation should see them through. The Taliban will need to "raise the bar" significantly from last week's performance (shouldn't be difficult, since it was quite poor) to make this competitive.
2) Humpty Dumpty's Anda-Bondas v/s Big Vindaloo's Vindaloos
Closest call of the day. Both teams are on a high after their wins last week, and the winner of this one is pretty much through to the semis. Both teams are fairly evenly matched, both on the field as well as with their sledging. Supari Gupta v/s Not-Just-AnotherBun Nandi will be an engaging contest. I predict the Vindaloos to win in a close match, since Humpty Dumpty may have put some pressure on his team with his open challenge last week. Watch out for off-the-field action too – good sledging will be key to winning this one.
3) Craydit's Crayditors v/s Everyish/Salman Khan's Blackbucks
The Blackbucks should pull this off fairly comfortably. RoyalRoyalChallenger and B-Shoe will need to be at their best, though. B-Shoe will especially want to put his first-ball duck from last week behind him. For the Crayditors, Zen has the potential to be a match-winner (as always), and may be able to swing an upset if the rest of the Crayditors play to their potential.
In other breaking news, the ACL Commissioner has taken to snooping around people's computers to see if they are working on this blog. I also overheard some people on his team mentioning that this has come up in his weekly/monthly/quarterly statuses with them. Mr.Modi - please don't worry about who I am. I will reveal myself at the right time. Until then, you’ll just have to live with me exposing inside information from the ACL to the general public.
1) Psychat's Merchants v/s Osama's Taliban
Even though the Merchants wrecked my prediction last week, I'm going to "demonstrate courage" and go with them for the win again. HeyRam will desperately want to win, in order to silence his critics and justify his high base price. Psychat will also desperately want to win, so that he can resume his verbal assault on people's sanity (sadly, via this blog). This desperation should see them through. The Taliban will need to "raise the bar" significantly from last week's performance (shouldn't be difficult, since it was quite poor) to make this competitive.
2) Humpty Dumpty's Anda-Bondas v/s Big Vindaloo's Vindaloos
Closest call of the day. Both teams are on a high after their wins last week, and the winner of this one is pretty much through to the semis. Both teams are fairly evenly matched, both on the field as well as with their sledging. Supari Gupta v/s Not-Just-AnotherBun Nandi will be an engaging contest. I predict the Vindaloos to win in a close match, since Humpty Dumpty may have put some pressure on his team with his open challenge last week. Watch out for off-the-field action too – good sledging will be key to winning this one.
3) Craydit's Crayditors v/s Everyish/Salman Khan's Blackbucks
The Blackbucks should pull this off fairly comfortably. RoyalRoyalChallenger and B-Shoe will need to be at their best, though. B-Shoe will especially want to put his first-ball duck from last week behind him. For the Crayditors, Zen has the potential to be a match-winner (as always), and may be able to swing an upset if the rest of the Crayditors play to their potential.
In other breaking news, the ACL Commissioner has taken to snooping around people's computers to see if they are working on this blog. I also overheard some people on his team mentioning that this has come up in his weekly/monthly/quarterly statuses with them. Mr.Modi - please don't worry about who I am. I will reveal myself at the right time. Until then, you’ll just have to live with me exposing inside information from the ACL to the general public.
Monday, July 13, 2009
2 Out Of 3 - Not Bad!
2 out of 3 correct predictions isn't bad. What disappoints me is the one I got wrong. Here's the post-match debrief I promised –
Anda-Bondas defeated Merchants
Supari Gupta was a one man demolition army as the Merchants were blown away. Both sides seem surprised by the results, as does everyone else associated with the ACL. Humpty Dumpty may have had a few drinks to celebrate, which could explain his public challenge – Sir, even KKR won one game last year, and we all know where they ended.
Humpty needs to learn from Psychat's experience - all the poem writing and MBSC (Management By Silly Comments) couldn't help his team from sinking without a trace. They had everything in their favor - home ground, star players, and the ACL Commissioner himself. Where do they go from here? One more loss, and suddenly the semis will seem a long way away.
Vindaloos defeated Blackbucks
AnotherBun Nandi's strong batting and good all-round sledging from the Vindaloos saw them edge the close contest (exactly as predicted, I might add). RoyalRoyalChallenger's excellent innings almost took the game away from the Vindaloos, but he ran out of partners at the other end. Both teams, however, gave an excellent account of themselves, and must be seen as early contenders for the semis.
The contrasting styles of both owners made for interesting viewing – Big Vindaloo's in-your-face aggro contrasted sharply with Everyish's calm and controlled approach. Big V may have won the match, but Everyish won more fans.
Taliban defeated Crayditors (via bowl-out)
A very close contest, but one that ends with a big "Needs Improvement" for both teams. Dropped catches, poor running, and weak all-round performance were the standard for the day. The Taliban will feel good that their batting held up, after losing 2 wickets in the first 3 balls, but both sides will rue the number of chances they had to shut their opponents out. Funny and Zen were outstanding for the Taliban and the Crayditors respectively, their performances looking even better when compared to everyone else.
Both teams need to pull up their socks, otherwise they'll miss out on the semis
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Let The Action Begin!
So the 2nd round of bidding for the ACL is now over, and teams have been finalised. With that, it's time for all the drama, intrigue, fun and games come to an end. Now comes the serious stuff. Predictions for tomorrow -
1) Psychat's Merchants v/s Humpty Dumpty's Anda-Bondas: No contest - With HeyRam's ability and Psychat's not playing, the Merchants are all but assured of the win. And if all else fails, Lalit Modi can always be expected to step in and "level" the playing field
2) Everyish/Salman Khan's Blackbucks & Big Vindaloo's Vindaloos: Closest call of the day - Everyish has a pretty decent team, but the Vindaloos with AnotherBun Nandi and Daffy Dutta will probably edge it
3) Osama's Taliban v/s Craydit's Crayditors: The Taliban should manage the win - the Crayditors are fairly "top-heavy", and T-10 is a young man's game.
Stay tuned for a detailed post-match debrief ...
My posts may be a little delayed though. The owners and Lalit Modi are not happy about my blog, and have started a witch-hunt. I saw an email where my writing was referred to as filth! Mr. Modi - you want to see filthy writing? Please see my manager's comments in my last annual review!
P.S.: Rumour from the bidding room is that Osama and Lalit Modi got into a slanging match. Message to Osama - I know you're upset about my last post, but turning into a suicide bomber is not a good idea!
1) Psychat's Merchants v/s Humpty Dumpty's Anda-Bondas: No contest - With HeyRam's ability and Psychat's not playing, the Merchants are all but assured of the win. And if all else fails, Lalit Modi can always be expected to step in and "level" the playing field
2) Everyish/Salman Khan's Blackbucks & Big Vindaloo's Vindaloos: Closest call of the day - Everyish has a pretty decent team, but the Vindaloos with AnotherBun Nandi and Daffy Dutta will probably edge it
3) Osama's Taliban v/s Craydit's Crayditors: The Taliban should manage the win - the Crayditors are fairly "top-heavy", and T-10 is a young man's game.
Stay tuned for a detailed post-match debrief ...
My posts may be a little delayed though. The owners and Lalit Modi are not happy about my blog, and have started a witch-hunt. I saw an email where my writing was referred to as filth! Mr. Modi - you want to see filthy writing? Please see my manager's comments in my last annual review!
P.S.: Rumour from the bidding room is that Osama and Lalit Modi got into a slanging match. Message to Osama - I know you're upset about my last post, but turning into a suicide bomber is not a good idea!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Someone Is Taking Things Very Seriously
Looks like my blog is now famous! Of course, you know you're doing something right when people start making angry comments, like the first one to my previous post. Wow, this Saikat guy is really annoyed. I wonder why ... Saikat - I'd love to respond. Only one problem - I don't understand what you're saying!
Anyway, back to why I'm here - more news of course. Osama and the Taliban apparently had a secret team meeting to strategize something. Guys - you're taking this a little too seriously. Apparently Osama also turned up at Round 1 bidding with a laptop - Dude, it didn't work out for John Buchanan, and going by your picks, looks like it didn't work too well for you either. Better luck tomorrow.
Finally, back to me - lots of speculation around who I am. Don't worry, all will be revealed in time. For now, just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Anyway, back to why I'm here - more news of course. Osama and the Taliban apparently had a secret team meeting to strategize something. Guys - you're taking this a little too seriously. Apparently Osama also turned up at Round 1 bidding with a laptop - Dude, it didn't work out for John Buchanan, and going by your picks, looks like it didn't work too well for you either. Better luck tomorrow.
Finally, back to me - lots of speculation around who I am. Don't worry, all will be revealed in time. For now, just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Modi Facing A Mutiny?
Breaking news - ACL schedules have been published to all the owners. That bit you probably already know (if not, "networking" and "collaboration" will be your next developmental feedback).
But as can be expected from ACL management by now, schedules were leaked to a few "strategic" owners in advance. The schedule itself reveals a few statistical improbabilities. The Merchants, for one, are playing all their matches at home, in the Village. They'll be well-rested and will have full local support. I guess it helps to have Lalit Modi in your team. No wonder Psychat bought him for over 3x his base price. Rumor is that the other owners are pretty upset about losing out on building a fan following at the Village – Modi will face a mutiny very soon at this rate. Everyish and Craydit were also heard cribbing. Big Vindaloo seemed strangely quiet though - and interestingly, he has ALL his matches in the second slot for the day. What's the probability of that happening by chance?!? Almost nil, says me.
Stay tuned for further developments …
But as can be expected from ACL management by now, schedules were leaked to a few "strategic" owners in advance. The schedule itself reveals a few statistical improbabilities. The Merchants, for one, are playing all their matches at home, in the Village. They'll be well-rested and will have full local support. I guess it helps to have Lalit Modi in your team. No wonder Psychat bought him for over 3x his base price. Rumor is that the other owners are pretty upset about losing out on building a fan following at the Village – Modi will face a mutiny very soon at this rate. Everyish and Craydit were also heard cribbing. Big Vindaloo seemed strangely quiet though - and interestingly, he has ALL his matches in the second slot for the day. What's the probability of that happening by chance?!? Almost nil, says me.
Stay tuned for further developments …
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Who Am I? Who Cares!
I’m sure you are wondering who I am. Another "fake" player, who knows nothing but pretends to know the inside story? A publicity-hungry team member who's got too much feedback about getting "visibility"? A team lead with too much time on my hands? Or maybe a senior leader?
Let’s park that existential question for a minute – this is not about me, but about what I have to tell you. Interested? Read on …
Let’s park that existential question for a minute – this is not about me, but about what I have to tell you. Interested? Read on …
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)