Kochi Tuskers Kerala - The Dark Horse in IPL Season 4
This article is about Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
Indi Commandos Kerala - The Dark Horse in IPL Season 4
At last, the Kochi IPL team has become a reality. The team for IPL season 2011 is announced. The team is comprised of 17 players purchased at the cost of about $7.8 million. Of these, 10 are foreigners. Now, as the team gets ready for the battle, the important question in the minds of IPL buffs in Kerala is, Can the team deliver the goods?
IPL cricket differs from crickets of other forms in the sense that the very short duration of the game makes it highly unpredictable and exciting. A player in IPL team has to prove his mettle in a very short span of time that he gets at the crease. This puts a lot of pressure on the player, and hence the ability to endure pressures and come out with the best becomes a much needed requisite for the IPL player. The fun of the game is that even a low-ranked team can lift the cup, and the team on which much expectations are built could be out of the reckoning overnight.
Among the players of Indi Commandos Kerala, Mahela Jayawardene of SL is the priciest one. He was bought for $1.5 mn. He played for Kings XI Punjab in the last season, and no one is in any doubt regarding his cricketing capabilities. But the most import question is whether he can do it for Indi Commandos Kerala. If he can repeat what he had done for his team in the last IPL season, then definitely Kochi has hopes.
Raveendra Jadeja is another player for the Indi Commandos Kerala . The team had paid $950,000 for this player. He used to represent Rajastan Royals in the last IPL season. He was expelled from the IPL for reasons other than cricketing, hence a bit controversial. Jadeja's play will have to justify the enormous amount he is receiving as compensation.
Brendon McCullum, the most aggressive wicket-keeper-cum-batsman of New Zealand, was purchased at $475,000. He is one player, who can single-handedly affect the fortunes of the match if he finds form. In that case, Kochi will have better chances in the game.
Parthiv Patel, the young wicket-keeper from Baroda, was acquired at $290,000. He is expected to be the stand-by wicket-keeper after McCullum. He may also wield the willow. Only his performance can tell whether the price for this youngster is justified.
VVS Laxman is also on the Kochi side in this IPL season. He was paid $400,000. Laxman used to perform very well in Test matches. He was languishing out of cricket for a long time. He played for Deccan Chargers in the last season. We will have to wait and watch for his performance this season.
Inclusion of Sreesanth, the only Keralite in the team, was not unexpected. It was the desire of Malayali cricket fans to see him playing for the home team. He was paid $900,000 as compensation. Sreesanth is now in rising form, and has done well in South Africa for the Indian team. Controversies and Sreesanth go together. In the last IPL season, he played for King's XI Punjab, and his performance was nothing to rave about. Maybe the fact that he is a member of the Kochi team will invigorate him into coming out with a better performance this season. Let us hope he wouldn't disappoint his Kerala fans.
Another pricey acquisition for the Team Kochi is Muthiah Muralidharan of Sri Lanka. He was acquired at $1.1 mn. There is a lot of expectation on this star pacer to perform, though, he has aged a bit. He has enough tricks in his repertoire to put up a dazzling show for his team. If he can rise to expectations, he will be a real asset to the Kochi team.
Left-arm seamer RP Singh used to represent Deccan Chargers formerly. He was paid $500,000 for his services for the Kochi team. He did fairly well in the last season for his team, though he is not playing much cricket for the Indian National team this days. He has a history of getting injured frequently. Let us hope he will be in fine fettle in this season.
Other Indian players in the team are Ramesh Powar, and Vinay Kumar, who were paid $180,000, and $475,000 respectively. Remaining foreign players are Owais Shah ($200,000), Brad Hodge ($425,000), Steve O'Keefe ($20,000), Michael Klinger ($75,000) Steven Smith ($200,000), Thisara Perera ($80,000) and John Hastings ($20,000).
There are many lesser-known faces in the team. If these players come up with good performances, Kochi will stand a chance in the game. As mentioned earlier, since this T20 cricket is all about uncertainty, anything can happen. Kolkota Knight Riders wasn't lacking in anything. They had a multinational player cast, and a lot of publicity. It was owned by none other the celebrity Shahrukh Khan. Despite all these, the team fared miserably in the game.
Team Koch will the Dark Horse to watch out for in the IPL 2011.
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