IPL 2017

Auction was this morning, Ben Stokes the most expensive player in the world!

Shocked Roy went for as little as he did

IPL price is a non  sugar coated absolutely real value of a cricketer given the conditions and IPL framework....

So dhoni was dropped yesterday as a captain by Pune who went after Stokes today and Smith will be their Captain.

IPL values pace ...140kph + fast and ability to reverse....and not only does Stokes fits that bill....he can bat too and score at 200%, change the game with his 30s adn 40s added a lot more to his price.

Mills same....fastest in Eng 93mph...and most important confirmed to be available full IPL

And Woakes not surprisingly for same reasons as Stokes goes also for a good price....

The series vs Ind gave  all 3 a big boost....in terms of proving their India credentials .
The only down side .....they can't afford to play anything but their top A game especially with the ball.....for them to justify their high prices and win a renewal next year....and this opens up the risk of breaking down before the Eng test season starts.

Although. Spells are short 4overs...there are just a lot of games....at a short turn around time, hectic travel ans an unusually high glitz, glamor, partying .

Foreign Batsmen are less likely to go for crazily high prices as India is overflowing with young , explosive T20 batsmen.

It will be good exposure for Eng players.....a generation of whom missed out....Broad, Monty, Swann at their peak would have been in high demand I think.

Jason Roy for example a great talent ......there are about 6 young Indian batsmen who can +/- deliver same...so the competiive price comes down.

Root for example may have no takers....

Important is conditions....if IPL was played in Eng or SA...a diffrent set of skills may be most sought after...

For now its genuine pace allrounders, followed by fast bowlers, followed by mystery / leg spinners

Roy's gone for a relative bargain price.

Stokes and Mills ... both set new records for overseas players. The latter is a bit of a shock.

--and we can see Hales and Bairstwo had too high a base price......as they were competing with Indian batsmen with similar deliverance in Indian conditions 

--Tahir and Ish sodhi had failed in India last time and that counts against them

James Neesham not being picked surprises a bit..because similar in style and skill  to Corey anderson who went for a decent Crore

as is Wayne Parnell...who is a good bowler for IPL conditions and has doen well in the past..although he had an incident of drugs one time in IPL

Tahir signed by Pune as replacement for injured Mitch Marsh...suprised he wasn't picked up orginally..no1 bowler in odi's and t20

wisden wrote:Tahir signed by Pune as replacement for injured Mitch Marsh...suprised he wasn't picked up orginally..no1 bowler in odi's and t20

Would imagine it might have something to do with his Pakistani origin...

Tymal Mills playing in the opener for RCB today

So is 18 year old Afghan sensation Rashid Khan

there is no way that he is 18 lol

wisden wrote:there is no way that he is 18 lol

Nice bit of casual racism here

I realise Mills ain't getting a million squid for his batting but number 9 still seems ambitious for a rabbit. Suggests those coming in after him for RCB are a right couple of ferrets!

Yuvraj looked in very fine touch...carrying one from the last T20 vs Eng...
Dhwan has to confirm the case to be India's first choice opener in Champions Trophy through  fine shows in IPL.....he started well yesterday..

Gayle is a monster didn't go on for too long but every 4th game he will.....thouhg it was the Run Out of jadhav changed the game...they needed him to get a 55 odd and RCB would have come close.

the Afghani leggie Rashid looked impressive...on the highlight package

guildfordbat wrote:I realise Mills ain't getting a million squid for his batting but number 9 still seems ambitious for a rabbit. Suggests those coming in after him for RCB are a right couple of ferrets!

RCB are renowned for this really - they heavily rely on their top 6 for their runs...problem at the moment is Kohli and AB are injured - their best two players!

You'll do well to see a batsman look more at sea than Rohit Sharma did for those three balls against Tahir

And you'll do well to see a worse umpiring decision than the LBW Buttler was just given out on - smashed it onto his own pad and bizarrely given out

Why doesn't the IPL use DRS?

AB DeVilliers refuses to keep now or this season or it seems forever in IPL.....and with this his value next season will drop

KP_fan wrote:

the Afghani leggie Rashid looked impressive...on the highlight package

He looks like the real deal ...although AB D destroyed him at the world cup I guess thats excusable for a then 17 year old from an associate nation. Otherwise his record in all formats domestic and international is pretty impressive ...albeit largely playing against second rate teams. IPL is a great opportunity for him to play against the best (his equals) which he would rarely otherwise get.

It would be a shame if he ends up as a T20 gun for hire and ditches Afghanistan outside major torunaments, but you couldnt blame him if he did.And equally a shame we wont see him on the test circuit (unless he has an English grandparent???)

Gooseberry wrote:

KP_fan wrote:

the Afghani leggie Rashid looked impressive...on the highlight package

It would be a shame if he ends up as a T20 gun for hire and ditches Afghanistan outside major torunaments, but you couldnt blame him if he did.And equally a shame we wont see him on the test circuit (unless he has an English grandparent???)

If a two tier test league is accepted.....Afganistan and Ireland will get to play...
The full craft of a leggie is on display in test cricket...although Samuel Badri and Tahir and now Y. Chahl have made T20s their preferred format

The MI vs Pune game.....saw only highlights

--Pandya contributed more as an allrounder than Stokes but ended up onm losing side

--Butler was electric and he will play some game changing innings because he gets time as an opener...Tahir was at his best in the short format..

Smith pulled Pune over standing at one end...just like he did all through the test series....single handed efforts.

--from an Indian POV this IPL will be selection trials cum practice for  CT......so it was good to see Rahane get going...

Rahane, Rohit, Dhwan, Rahul are all competing for that openers slot

LYNNSANITY IS HAPPENING

KKR chase down 184 with more than 5 overs to spare

KP_fan wrote:KKR chase down 184 with more than 5 overs to spare

The Lions are gonna struggle massively this season with that bowling attack - Praveen the only one who is acceptable

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

KP_fan wrote:KKR chase down 184 with more than 5 overs to spare

The Lions are gonna struggle massively this season with that bowling attack - Praveen the only one who is acceptable

saw highlights and that's exactly my thought...GL's bowling is toothless.....pedestrian club level bowling 

a few mercurial flying catches and saves notwithstanding....the general catching has been shoddy in the games so far.....1 or 2 dollies dropped every inning

Hardik Pandaya played a blinder Mumbai vs Kolkata......and remains my " most exciting Indian potential" on display.....


His brother Krunal is also punching above his weight......the Pathan brothers came and went.....now is the time for Pandyas....

Harbhajan and Pollard are past expiry date........if you don't play international cricket or FC cricket....you lose your competitive edge.....as we find with KP, Bravo and Gayle...and unlike ABDV....who batted and hit balls out of the park like a man possesed vs Punjab.....only Maxwell comes close.

Stanlake is a fine fast bowler and perhaps forms the most threatening opening pair this IPL with Tyle Mills

from an Indian talent watch point of view......Manish Pandey looked in golden touch.....Ankit Rajpoot can hit 90mph and  Nitish Rana served a watch out for notice

Why do Mumbai have Parthiv keep and not Buttler? Parthiv is nowhere near as good as Buttler with the gloves - he's given away 10 runs this innings at least because of his shoddy glovework

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Why do Mumbai have Parthiv keep and not Buttler? Parthiv is nowhere near as good as Buttler with the gloves - he's given away 10 runs this innings at least because of his shoddy glovework

good question...crossed my mind when watching the Mumbai vs Bangalore....dunno
they both open the batting though

ripping spin of Badree and dibbly dobbly slow medium stuf  of Binny and Arvind choking Mumbai down completely

142 appears muhc bigger than it is on a slow, low wicket like this

Pollard , fat like a pregnant woman.....unfit and panting ...palyed from memories of old days to stitch a match winning peformance with Hardik's brother krunal....who is becoming quite a balance lending Slow bolwing allrounder 
and yet again Hardik finishes the game

Gujarat Lions deserve to lose for batting Jason Roy at 6 behind Dinesh Karthik and a 18 year old with an average of 17 in t20s

Gujarat again going for Dwayne Smith ahead of Jason Roy - madness

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Gujarat again going for Dwayne Smith ahead of Jason Roy - madness

He promptly goes for 17 in his one over (like he usually does, because he is nothing but a 75mph pie bowler) and gets 1 off 4 balls. What an earth are Gujarat doing with this selection

a review of the Indians that have consistently impressed so far in IPL

--manish Pandey is by far the best indian batsman on display....technique, temperament and stroke play and closing out games.....like Jadhva
In this form he should be picked in the Champions trophy

--Nitish rana plays Ranji for Delhi and is turning out for MI has been consistent.....seems a real deal.....plays proper cricketing strokes......looks like an early left handed version of Kohli.....watch out for next season

--Dinesh karthik is in the form of his life as a batsman in first class, list-A 50 over and now carried it into IPL...ideally should be  India's first choice WK in CT.

--India is overflowing with batsman WK talent....samson got a 100 but looks hit and miss.......Pant hits the ball really hard.......very hard......but will struggle when the ball moves around and has not been consistent.....ditto ishan Kishan...inconsistent not able to covert starts......of the 3... Pant most promising I would say.

--Krunal and Hardik Pandya have been excellent...Hardik is India's most excitong potential .....great finisher with the bat and can bowl 140+

Krunal is very mature given his new-ness and ranks ahead of Axar as a spin bolwing allrounder.

--Yadav Umesh is impressiive speed, stamina, wickets after suhc a long  home test and ODI season

Bhuvi has distinctly incereased  isn speed to hit 140+ and developed an effective fast yorker....lets see if he can sustain his strengt...Shami is missing

Bumrah continues to improve and impress....he is in ODIs and should get into the test match reckoning soon


beyond these there have been flashes of briliance by indians......not much consistency.

--The only other thing worth mentioning is the  number of exciting Indian seamers on view......Basil Thampi, Ankit Rajpoot, Shardul Thakur all have shown pace and promise.


--foreign recruited talent have also been flashes of brilliance ...there are plenty of englishmen......this year and while Butler, Tyle Mills and Stokes have been good...but short of outstanding...

Woakes doesn't get to bat much but has been OK with the ball in a strong KKR side....Roy, Morgan and Billing less than successful....and not optimally used

--Rashid the leggie from Afganistan is undoubtedly the most exciting and successful foreign player this season.
Billy Stanlake has looked fast and furious and a good potential for Australia...Old Brendon McCullm has been quite consistent in his openers role

--Isha guha, Lisa stahlaker,  Melanie Jones and Anjum Chopra are delightful women commentators and add glamour and a new perspective to cricketing commentary

Jos

the last two games have been 200ish ....Amla and butler blossomed....nitish rana and pandya continues to impress

the way these guys are hitting sixes shows amazing premeditation, and innovation in strokes......IPL has stretched the limits of cricket....esepcially in batting and fielding

I think the boundaries being brought in to just outside the square also helps a lot with the six-hitting! I don't think the IPL is stretching anything other than the ability to smash Indian medium pacers over short boundaries

Narine > Chris Gayle

we had a low score defended today.....Pandya starred with baat and ball for MI
was good to see pace and seam movement off the pitch...rababda, Morris, Johnson.......was a good game 

and Dhoni played a good inning in a chase  win off the last ball......fire is still burning

with some rain in the air previously, under the lights the pitch offered some seam and swing....and Boy the line-up of Gayle, ABDV, Jadhav, Kohli crumbled to Coulter Nile, Grandhorne and Woakes for 49 runs.....Gayle's 7 of 17 symptomatic how these IPL stars go radar less when instead of stand and hit through line the pitch starts doing something different

we don't have a separate thread for it....but worth mentioning that Pak defeated WI in a rain affected game in less than 300 overs of play

KP_fan wrote:we don't have a separate thread for it....but worth mentioning that Pak defeated WI in a rain affected game in less than 300 overs of play

Its also worth mentioning that Pakistan are a very good side when they bother to turn up, and West Indies a terrible one when they dont (which is most of the time)

coulter Nile is bowling well....really well in the last 2 or 3 games...fast, full, reversing, finding yorkers at will

Uthappa batting very well....has develeped a very efficient slog to spinners throuhg long on......simply demolishing the best quality spinners

we finally got a super game......super over ...super run outs.....nail biting drama....IPL at its best.....and Bumrah a super finishing bowlers proven many times over in tight situations

amazing inning from warner...there are plenty of stroke players these days......Warner at his best is better than everyone.....and at par with ABDV...he gets these amazing innings with quite some consistency in all forms.

the other good news...that Shami is back.....was bowling at 140+..thouhg his side lost badly.....or should I say Del was juts blown away

WI-Pak 2nd test
from 3 down for 30 odd and 5 down for 100ish....WI has fought back to be 286-6
Roston chase's second 100...saw the first one vs India.....a good spin bowling allrounder

Kohli has been very poor this IPL. Always seem to blame someone else too...

56-2 from 7 RCB... better than last time lol

KP_fan wrote:WI-Pak 2nd test
from 3 down for 30 odd and 5 down for 100ish....WI has fought back to be 286-6
Roston chase's second 100...saw the first one vs India.....a good spin bowling allrounder

Sadly he and Holder are the most technically correct batsmen in the current team. WI really need to get some of the Mercs back in the fold - though given the incompetence of the WICB that's unlikely. While Gayle is probably a bit old for tests these days the Bravos could still be useful

BEN STOKES