IPL Observations....

I really feel it has come all too soon and the sort of pride and national patriotism which was hovering around the nation due to the World Cup win has sort of disintegrated into this territorial division of loyalties. With the recent shuffling of players,it has become even more difficult to establish a proper team loyalty base. Do you support your City or your favourite player??? Fortunately for me, there is no issue ( Thank God, I can support Mumbai Indians whole heartedly and no be confused by my apparent liking for England , South Africa or India)

But the IPL is not all the exciting and fun to watch.. :( :(

Most matches are really one sided... Sad to watch ..really


Anyway,lets start on a few observations:

1. DELHI DAREDEVILS : What a shocking team indeed. Everyone who made up the  team has been sent away... No Vettori! No De Villiers! No Gambhir! No Collingwood! Really sad indeed

2. DECCAN CHARGERS & PUNJAB SUPER KINGS: Same problem. But Punjab is the worse off . At least Deccan has Dale Steyn and Sangakarra.

Anyway, the worst thing ever is the UNIFORM of the teams . Below are the teams:

1. KOCHI TUSKERS KERELA

Orange & Purple??? What are the designers thinking?? ' Gaudy" is an understatement....

Brendon McCullum ( who is HOT) is not
spared... Looks like a burnt shrimp
here.. 

So not appealing...

.

2. CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

They might be the defending Champions.. But no awards for their taste in apparel... Lemon Yellow!!! On grown Men!! 

Love Dhoni!! But he looks like this shrivelled up
 daffodil here...

Such a good looking guy is Albie Morkel.. but
he looks like my runny egg yolk here.. ewww

3. DECCAN CHARGERS

The colour "Shrek" is not in vogue anymore.. Preferred their previous uniform...

4. DELHI DAREDEVILS

Their uniform is the same, though the team is changed. Not a good idea really!!

Pathan looks nice too.... 

Morne Morkel!! Can spend hours looking
at him... :)

 5. KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

Black & Gold!!! Sounds right in theory!! But not everyone can carry it off!!!

The Pads look the best!!!

6. PUNE WARRIORS SAHARA

The Black is Ok, but pair that with Puke Green!! Wrong there!! 

I didnt say it was horrible, but not really a "Wow" factor...

Somehow, Yuvraj carries it off!!! :)

7. KINGS XI PUNJAB

Its plain and boring!!! Enough said!!!

8. RAJASTHAN ROYALS

Royal Blue looks good on most of the lads... Liked the earlier uniform better .. there was a lot more Gold in it!!!

Johan Botha looks as dashing as ever... :)

Rahul Dravid.. is not so bad himself!!!

9. ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE

Red + Gold makes even the ordinary guys look like super heroes!! Glad the uniform is the same... 

AB De Villiers looks as elegant and stylish as he plays!!!

Dont like the blue strip though.... 

10. MUMBAI INDIANS

The Dashing Men In Blue look like rocks among the stormy frenzy of weird colours!! Subtle but still makes a statement!!

There isn't anything you can say... Its the perfect colour...

So, the uniforms were OK!!

The matches are pretty boring.

Any reason to watch it then...??

Not really, unless you are crazy about cricket!! And want to just ogle at some of your favourite cricketers..
;)

On Going Afrikaan

I admit Im going through a slight "South Africa" obsession phase now. And I quite like it. It isnt quite as irrational and alarming as my love for everything English but is a bit more subtle and quite signifies my fondness for the Rainbow Nation.


It all started with the South African Cricket team and 2 of their players - AB De Villiers and Francois Du Plessis.


I shall come back to 'Faf' Du Plessis later on. AB De Villiers is known for his amazing fielding ability and his batting skills. Apparently he's also quite a talented singer. I cant get his song - Maak Jou Drome Waar( Make Your Dreams Come Through) out of my head. And the album which has 9 songs in Afrikaans and 5 in English is an absolute bundle of joy.

Well, as most of you may know , South Africa is one country which was plagued by a lot of apartheid which it seems to have recovered from now. It's such a beautiful country with its breathtaking views and cosmopolitan environment. And isnt there something just enchanting about Africa? The long forgotten continent which most of the time is synonymous with poverty and helplessness and war.Its nice to see South Africa like a beacon in the darkness ahead.

South Africa is the meeting point of the Atlantic and the Indian oceans and this is also a bit reflective on the country in a way I feel. Most of what I do know about the country is through books and through a few videos here and there.


Recently, I stumbled on this radio guy called Whackhead who is way too funny for his own good. This is an excerpt of him talking to Graeme Smith - South African Captain.

If you question the theme of my blog today, it is the growing awareness of Afrikaans as a language and in a macro view of it as a huge factor in Africa today. It is about understanding the amazing plethora of things African and hopefully growing more closer to a sense of being a global citizen in the world to day. 


I do hope I can vist South Africa someday. Go to Kruger National Park, or visit Pretoria and Joburg and the Cape.I'm sure it will be all fun and frolic with the Proteas. 


Hope dreams come soon fast...