2 minute readAlex writes: I wanted to watch an IPL match, so I went to India. I made Tronco come with me. Tronco is a massive cricket fan. Asked to name some England players, he managed three in 30 minutes: Ian Botham, Graham Gooch and Adam Gilchrist. Arriving at Bangalore Airport on
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Bombs at Chinnaswamy Stadium Bangalore
< 1 minute readHow did the locals respond when it was announced that the semi-finals of the IPL were being moved due to the fact that five bombs were found during and after the last match at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore? To paraphrase one cricket fan interviewed in the Deccan Chronicle: “They were only
Continue readingDarling, I think I’m going to need… more ties!
< 1 minute readThat’s the emotional climax of the Just For Men advert that we’ve seen about 18 times today while watching the IPL. We’ve gone through hatred and emerged the other side, joining in with the ‘more ties!’ bit, punching the air for emphasis. It’s astonishing the level of advertising you’re exposed
Continue readingHave you lost interest in IPL 2010 yet?
< 1 minute readWe have a bit. It’s not so much that we don’t really care about any of the teams – you can get over that. It’s more the feeling that none of the matches actually matters yet. They’re still going to be playing in a few weeks’ time and maybe then
Continue readingSourav Ganguly – Kolkata Knight Riders’ main man?
< 1 minute readThere can’t have been many sentences written about Sourav Ganguly more damning than this one by ‘Cricinfo staff’: “This is not the end of the road for Ganguly because he remains Kolkata’s brand image.” You’ll always have that, Sourav. You’ll always have your skills as a ‘brand ambassador’.
Continue readingNEW OBSESSION: Danny Morrison commentary
< 1 minute readWe haven’t had a weird obsession with a trivial element of cricket in ages. Luckily Danny Morrison’s bizarrely beguiling intonation has stepped into the breach. Hanging on his every word We don’t dislike Danny Morrison, but he’s not a good commentator. Despite this, we find ourself listening to him far
Continue readingMongoose in the IPL – most inevitable press release ever
< 1 minute readThere aren’t many things you can rely upon in this world, but the Mongoose marketing department is one. Sometimes Mongoose press releases take unexpected forms, but their arrival is inevitable. After Matthew Hayden used the Mongoose to hit many of the 93 runs he hit off 43 balls for Chennai
Continue readingMandira Bedi, IPL presenter on ITV4, has a high percentage of her face taken up by eyes
< 1 minute readIt’s astonishing. We’d say that around 10 per cent of Mandira Bedi’s face is eyes. That’s an unusually high percentage, particularly when you consider she’s only got two of them. Imagine if she had three! Also worth imagining is what she’d look like if she attempted the patented Damien Martyn
Continue readingGreat IPL commentary from Danny Morrison
< 1 minute readDelhi Daredevils’ Dinesh Karthik had just been stumped by his Mumbai Indians counterpart, Aditya Tare. Harbhajan Singh had bowled a wide, but Tare had gone down the legside and flicked it behind him to hit the stumps. It was a brilliant piece of work, deserving of lofty praise. On commentary,
Continue readingHow much is a DLF maximum worth?
< 1 minute readTechnically, it’s worth six runs, because it’s how sixes have been branded in the IPL – but that’s not our point. (We’ve made a polite enquiry about sponsoring thick-edged singles down to third man, incidentally. The King Cricket Thick-Edged Single Down to Third Man highlights reel would be a show-stopper
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