Indian Premier League grabbed the attention of Indian cricket lovers in the first week itself. Brendon McCullum and Mike Hussey helped to raise awareness about IPL with fine centuries. IPL grabbed more TRP ratings than family soaps in the prime time, according to latest TV ratings. Whether cricket purists like it or not, IPL is here to stay and will expand to new cities. More International players will play in the coming years and may announce retirements if ICC will not accomodate IPL in the futire calendar.
Twenty20 cricket is mainly a batsmen game. So my top 10 cricket stars list mostly comprising of batsmen. Bangalore showed strong bounce back after a demoralising loss against Kolkata in the initial match. Kolkata won the both matches and is showing fine all-round performance. Foreign players (Australian and South African cricketers) shined in the first week of IPL T20 cricket tournament.
Keepers like Brendon McCullum and Mark Boucher played match winning knocks in the first week. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are big disappointments in the first week. Despite Yuvraj’s brilliant batting, Mohali lost both matches.
First week IPL stats:
1. Happiest man: Shahrukh Khan.
2. Top team: Kolkata Knight Riders.
3. Best batsman: Brendon McCullum.
4. Innings of character: David Hussey.
5. Best brothers: Michael Hussey & David Hussey.
6. Worst pitch: Eden Gardens.
7. Big disappointment: Ricky Ponting and MS Dhoni.
8. Some things never change: McGrath’s accurate bowling and Sreesanth’s way ward bowling.
9. Worst organisation: Cricket Association of Bengal.
10. No. Of Man of the match awards won by Indian Cricketers: Zero.
Top 10 T20 Cricket Stars in the first week:
1. Brendon McCullum: Unforgettable innings in the first match.
2. Michael Hussey: Silenced critics who doubted his skills in T20 cricket.
3. David Hussey: Best innings in terms of character.
4. Gautam Gambhir: Lone Indian hope.
5. Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina: Young Indian heroes.
6. Mark Boucher: Crucial match winning knock against Mumbai.
7. Yuvraj Singh: Captaincy knock but team falters.
8. Ishant Sharma: India at last found a real fast bowler.
9. Andrew Symonds: Patient innings on a difficult pitch. Can any one stop him on a batting pitch? 10. Praveen Kumar: Real all-rounder and only positive thing for Bangalore in the first match.
Please share your picks. I hope Indian cricketers will play well in the coming weeks.
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