by SHUVAIT KOUL
The battleground is set and the gladiators are out. Season four of the IPL kicks off today with the pioneer Lalit Modi out of the scheme of things. The new boss - Chirayu Amin’s insight and big stage temperament will be put to test this time as the arena has transcended its erstwhile periphery.
Meanwhile the opening game between the defending champions Chennai Superkings and the desperate-to-win Kolkata Knight Riders to be played at Chennai promises to be an edgy clash with Dhoni at the apex of self-belief after the World Cup triumph and KKR raring to go under a new and young skipper Gautam Gambhir.
With the likes of Kallis, Haddin and Yusuf Pathan coming in for the Knights, the team seems to have a proper blend of experience and exuberance of youth. In the previous seasons, KKR did not have enough fire power and ran out of gas at crucial junctures but this time the make-up of the team brings in a new ray of hope for them.
The Bowling attack though looks a little vulnerable with not much experience and the absence of the Aussie fast bowlers Brett Lee and James Pattinson will make them feel the heat.
CSK on the other hand must be oozing with confidence after their stupendous performances in the last season. The morale of the dressing room will be up particularly after seeing a World Cup winning captain leading them.
Hussey, Dhoni and Raina’s presence in the middle order makes them a formidable batting outfit. However, they will be going out without the flamboyance and muscle strength of Matthew Hayden and Jacob Oram. Filling their shoes will be difficult though they did not play much in the third season.
Dwayne Bravo, the new pick snatched from the Mumbai Indians may turn out to be the trump card for Dhoni as the tournament catches up. Like KKR, CSK’s bowling too looks a brittle. Doug Bollinger will hold the key while the onus will be high on Ashwin and Tim Southee.
All in all, the encounter seems to be between two evenly matched sides but the Superkings will certainly have their tail up being the defending champions and playing the first match at home will do their confidence a world of good. But given the new look of the Knights, the competition will be cut throat.
Showing posts with label world cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world cup. Show all posts
Friday, 8 April 2011
Monday, 4 April 2011
First Cup and now Moolah; Brand Equity Reaches Apex
by SHUVAIT KOUL
In a country where cricketers are considered to be demi-gods, the stellar triumph of becoming the World Champions doesn’t come alone but generates a sky-rocketing effect on the brand equity of players.
This is precisely what is set to happen with Dhoni’s victorious brigade in the aftermath of the WC conquest.
With big brands and companies signing-up the champions, one cannot agree more on the fact that this mammoth accomplishment has already made the men in blue the undisputed torchbearers of brand endorsements in India.
While Dhoni, Sachin and Yuvraj have turned out to be the major beneficiaries with their values attaining prodigious levels, the likes of Gambhir, Bhajji, Zaheer, Kohli and Raina are not far behind.
From the business perspective this victory is far more different than that of 1983 when the concept of brand endorsements was still to sink in completely. However, the ever-growing celebrity status of cricketers in the past decade and a half has made the corporate world invariably zero down on them when it comes to endorsements and publicity.
In the run-up to the World Cup, with Team India being the firm favorites to lift the cup, various corporate pundits had already foreseen the steep rise in the brand worth of players.
The stakes for Dhoni’s men were high before the World Cup had started and now the claims are remarkably higher. This gives a clear cut picture of the direct proportionality between the business sector and cricket in India.
In a country where cricketers are considered to be demi-gods, the stellar triumph of becoming the World Champions doesn’t come alone but generates a sky-rocketing effect on the brand equity of players.
This is precisely what is set to happen with Dhoni’s victorious brigade in the aftermath of the WC conquest.
With big brands and companies signing-up the champions, one cannot agree more on the fact that this mammoth accomplishment has already made the men in blue the undisputed torchbearers of brand endorsements in India.
While Dhoni, Sachin and Yuvraj have turned out to be the major beneficiaries with their values attaining prodigious levels, the likes of Gambhir, Bhajji, Zaheer, Kohli and Raina are not far behind.
From the business perspective this victory is far more different than that of 1983 when the concept of brand endorsements was still to sink in completely. However, the ever-growing celebrity status of cricketers in the past decade and a half has made the corporate world invariably zero down on them when it comes to endorsements and publicity.
In the run-up to the World Cup, with Team India being the firm favorites to lift the cup, various corporate pundits had already foreseen the steep rise in the brand worth of players.
The stakes for Dhoni’s men were high before the World Cup had started and now the claims are remarkably higher. This gives a clear cut picture of the direct proportionality between the business sector and cricket in India.
Sunday, 3 April 2011
More Than a Billion Hearts Conquered
by SHUVAIT KOUL
It gives me goose bumps writing this piece. What an incredible feeling it is to be called the World Champions. A day like this comes once in a blue moon.
But finally Dhoni and his brigade did what the nation had been yearning for since 1983. The whole of India will be dancing in the aisles tonight and the celebrations will continue for many more days to come.
It was the perfect script for a final that one could have aspired for. Right since the 1996 WC, all the finals had been one-sided affairs and to see this year’s WC culminating in the manner that it did was more than gratifying.
There were lots of great performances on the day but nothing more spectacular than the Indian skipper MSD peaking when it mattered the most. He had been facing some criticism for not batting to his potential in the tournament. But his marvelous knock of 91 came to the rescue of Team India- the best answer to silence his critics.
Not to forget Gambhir, he too hadn’t clicked in the tournament and had perhaps saved his best for the last. His knock of 97 provided the perfect launch pad for Dhoni to play his natural game.
Spare a thought for the Little Master! For someone who waited for this moment for two decades, the sentiment is all the more extraordinary. This was the only feather left to be added to his cap.
Though he missed out on attaining the mammoth feat of scoring the 100th international hundred but he has always been a team man and will be cherishing this victory second to none.
Finally, for the Lankans there is nothing to be ashamed of. They have been great ambassadors of the game and fought till the end to stay in the game. One of the best one day international Hundreds by Mahela Jayawardena and a farewell to the illustrious career of the spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan was a treat to the eyes.
Meanwhile, it is history for India and they will be basking in the glory of this immaculate victory for years to come and quite deservedly so.
It gives me goose bumps writing this piece. What an incredible feeling it is to be called the World Champions. A day like this comes once in a blue moon.
But finally Dhoni and his brigade did what the nation had been yearning for since 1983. The whole of India will be dancing in the aisles tonight and the celebrations will continue for many more days to come.
It was the perfect script for a final that one could have aspired for. Right since the 1996 WC, all the finals had been one-sided affairs and to see this year’s WC culminating in the manner that it did was more than gratifying.
There were lots of great performances on the day but nothing more spectacular than the Indian skipper MSD peaking when it mattered the most. He had been facing some criticism for not batting to his potential in the tournament. But his marvelous knock of 91 came to the rescue of Team India- the best answer to silence his critics.
Not to forget Gambhir, he too hadn’t clicked in the tournament and had perhaps saved his best for the last. His knock of 97 provided the perfect launch pad for Dhoni to play his natural game.
Spare a thought for the Little Master! For someone who waited for this moment for two decades, the sentiment is all the more extraordinary. This was the only feather left to be added to his cap.
Though he missed out on attaining the mammoth feat of scoring the 100th international hundred but he has always been a team man and will be cherishing this victory second to none.
Finally, for the Lankans there is nothing to be ashamed of. They have been great ambassadors of the game and fought till the end to stay in the game. One of the best one day international Hundreds by Mahela Jayawardena and a farewell to the illustrious career of the spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan was a treat to the eyes.
Meanwhile, it is history for India and they will be basking in the glory of this immaculate victory for years to come and quite deservedly so.
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