Will Punjab remain in the race?

May 14,2009 | Abbas Ali Baig

Try as they might, Kolkata appear unable to shake off the mysterious mesh that has so persistently dogged their every effort to get ahead in IPL 2.Even an otherwise insurmountable looking total did not help them win .How miserable they must feel ,particularly their captain who, at last found his wonted form but to no avail. The saving grace was that , at least they were able to put up a heroic fight. However, their planning to defend a decent total seemed to have gone completely awry and they, helplessly, threw away a match they should have won.

For sometime now, I have felt that his team has not tapped all of the immense potential that Bravo has been endowed with. His innings of 70 was a T20 masterpiece and surely now his allround skills should be put more on display than hitherto. This will be crucial for the teams progress in the tournament. How on earth did the West Indies selectors make the blunder of leaving him out of their recent tour to England!

Whilst the injured Zaheer is being missed by Mumbai, the emergence of Kulkarni as a run-saving seamer has been a boon for the side as they march along to obtain a semi final spot. Warnes injury is going to be much more costly to Rajasthan not only because of his superlative bowling but also for his extraordinary leadership qualities. Jayawardhnes injury will be equally devastating to the Punjab’s progress. He is immensely experienced and a terrific finisher.

In the meantime, the new entrants Lee and Symonds are settling in nicely and will greatly boost their respective sides chances as the tournament glides into its last phase. Sehwag’s return will pose a happy quandary as to whether he rejoins his old partner Gambhir or let Warner continue as opener as he seems in pristine form.

Last nights match Delhi and Hyderabad was replete with exhilarating hitting and, horror of horrors, dropped catches some so simple that a ten year old would happily volunteer to pouch them. Quite inexplicable particularly as two of the culprits were Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds, two of the best fielders in the business.

By virtue of their last nights win, Delhi seems to have virtually seized a place in the semis line up. If we assume 7 wins as a bench mark for qualification, then they have already crossed this figure. Chennai and Hyderabad are marginally behind with the latter having an extra match in their bag. The rest, Mumbai Jaipur Bangalore and Punjab have a tough few matches on their hand to remain in the hunt. Each match is crucial.