The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : ‘IPL a roaring success’

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‘IPL a roaring success’

The cricket’s been thrilling, writes Sangakkara

One week gone in this inaugural Indian Premier League and, as a player, I have to say it has been a roaring success, surpassing even the media-inflated expectations that flowed from all the pre-tournament hype.

I was always confident that it would be popular, but I have been particularly encouraged by the electric carnival-like atmosphere in the stadiums. What’s more, the local crowds have been getting right behind their local teams. That was always going to be crucial.

Impressive

Even more impressive has been the quality of the cricket. India’s love of a spectacle and all things Bollywood was always going to add colour and entertainment. But without quality cricket the IPL would quickly lose its appeal. Fortunately, the cricket’s been thrilling.

There have been close finishes, brilliant run chases and a mountain of sixes. Some of the batting has been awesome. I am not surprised that Lalit Modi, the IPL’s chief commissioner, has been hopping from game to game with a wide grin. The cricket could not have been better.

From a player’s perspective, it has been a new and exciting challenge. We did not know what to expect but we joined the Punjab Kings XI. However, the franchisees have created a family-like atmosphere and the team management, led by Tom Moody, is the best in the business.

Fun week

It’s been a fun week with everyone full of energy and anticipation at the start of a long journey for the franchise. As we squeezed in some commercial work on Wednesday night, Preity Zinta even helped Brett (Lee) and me with our make-up for a photo shoot.

Unfortunately, on the field, it could not have been a worse start. We bowled badly against Chennai Super Kings in the first match and then batted poorly against Rajasthan Royals. I was particularly guilty in that game as I tried to smash Shane Warne — something I enjoy doing — straight down the ground.

Having thrown my wicket away against Jaipur, I was determined to get it right against Mumbai Indians on Friday night. Helped by a great crowd, I got going early and was happy with the way I was hitting the ball. I should have made a hundred but we got to a reasonable total.

Brilliant Lee

Brett Lee was brilliant upfront with the new ball — he’s pretty good with a guitar too, as I found out during various sing-songs this week — and his run out of Luke Ronchi was also crucial. Piyush Chawla was also impressive, picking up two vital wickets.

Getting our campaign off the ground finally with a win was fantastic. But we are well aware that we need to keep winning. We reckon we need to win 7-8 of our remaining 11 games to qualify for the semifinals. After two early losses, we must grab every chance we get.

(Gameplan)

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