Empowered young names are winning games

with one quality bowler (rp singh), another untested at this level (ryan harris) and absolutely nothing else to write home about, the deccan chargers defended a fairly ordinary score on a good batting wicket against the mumbai indians who are fast running out of steam. it showed once again that a team of committed players with nothing to lose has a chance against bigger names who seem to be labouring under the weight of expectations.

duminy is an interesting case. his average is excellent but his strike rate isn't. part of the reason is that he is playing in a team that has a tendency to capitulate. yet, he needs to improve that aspect of his cricket-play the big shots irrespective of what is happening at the other end. he is currently an excellent support player but the problem is that there is no one to support.

the other problem with the mumbai indians is that the bowlers don't bat and the wicket keeper at no 3 looks a bit out of his depth. at this level harbhajan should have been the bowling all rounder that teams crave for but after an excellent tour of new zealand, he is being outbowled by part-timers. that is the great thing about the ipl that you may not see in tournaments like the t20 world cup-enthusiastic young men taking on the big names and giving them a fight.

'leaden' i think is the word that best describes the mumbai indians and maybe, they need an ashraful in that line-up. but you have to hand it to gilchrist to take the field with that attack and believe he had a chance of winning. at the risk of repeating myself, it is the empowered young men who are winning games. man for man the chargers and the royals should be jostling with the knight riders at the bottom. but isn't it fantastic that in sport, as in life, you hang in there and you back yourself and the big names can be toppled?