Mid season review - 400 paar !!!

With election season just done and the results leaving everyone including the markets on their toes, I found a correlation with the current PCL season that is going on. 

Teams were formed almost like creating alliances that will do the job for you. When you look back from a few months ago, the team splits were done after a lot of deliberation but it clearly looked like one team was stacked with a few players who could single handedly win you a season whereas the other team went for a more calculative and well balanced approach that would hold them well on good days and bad. 

It is an easy guess to figure which team at the maidaan is which by now. 

Cricket like elections don't determine results before the first ball (vote) is casted. It is finally a team game where the faction that sustains energy, focus, determination and performance till the last ball often ends up victorious. This is where the Infernos have looked like a complete team on most occasions. They don't give up and have roles identified for various players on their team. It sometimes appears that they follow a set template but why mess with a template that has won them the last 3 seasons. 

The current season has actually proved to be longer than some of the past few seasons. Holidays, player availability and the fact that the season is currently 7-5 in favour of the Infernos proves that this season has not been a lopsided affair. 

The Vikings called the shots early in the season by almost trampling the Infernos in a couple of games and it felt like the team strategy was paying off. But very quickly, the Infernos were back at what they do best and though some were really close games, they managed to convert them to W's. 

So what has worked ( and not worked ) for the teams this season. 

Infernos:  

1. Strong batting with a fairly stable line up. AK and Raghu give them quick starts, the middle order of Aashish, Shiten, , Kiran, Chaitanya, Hari, Dhruv, Vicky, Vik and Susmit are firing and their end game with the Sam's ( Samir and Sameer) absorb all the pressure and throw their punches when it matters. As i wrote this i realised how many folks they have on their team. 
2. Bowling options plenty. On a bad day the Infernos have 5 regular bowlers, on a good day they have 7 and with Ayush coming along beautifully there are no easy overs. 
3. Wicket keeping has always been a strong suit but their fielding again has some quick movers and safe catchers, AK behind the wicket, Chaitanya at short mid, the boundary line managed by Sus, Sameer, Vicky and Aashish. This is gold standard. 
4. Shiten has now proved to be an astute leader. He seems to be in control of his team and now with Samir also chiming in, there is no let off and decision making is crystal clear. 

I am struggling to think of what has not worked for them. There is still probably an over reliance on Hari and Samir while batting and while the bowling has multiple options, no one really drives the fear of god in anyone, ( I am going to get killed for this 😇 ) 

Vikings: 

1. It is very difficult to predict what batting to expect from them. The line up is all over the place. Openers one day, finishers the next and always praying for HK and Harsha to deliver the goods. Some of the Viking batters have been in rotten form carrying over from previous seasons and there is general perception that once the big fishes are snared, the rest of the line up is just a right of passage. 
2. On paper, the Vikings have the better and more experienced bowling attack. But have they come good in unison, the answer is a big fat NO...Also by limiting themselves to 3 main choice bowlers and a support cast of Pranav, Kings, KG and Harsha, the Infernos have very smartly figured which bowlers to go after. This is a big hole to fill and there is no secret sauce to solve this. 
3. Do the Vikings actually have a wicketkeeper? If the person can stop the ball with any part of his body, they are the keeper for the day. The fielding is also a challenge. Too many Ashwins on the field of play. 
4. Satya is a leader in the mould of Cummins. He is calm, always strategising and putting his best to herd the team towards a common goal. This is where his team needs to respect his thought process and inputs. The Vikings at times seem like an individual compartment in a train that has derailed from the rest of the train. However you need to give a huge shout out to Satya for braving all of this and still doing his best every day, A bowling captain at the maidaan is a huge amount of pressure. 

I should now be writing whats actually working for the Vikings since I have already covered the limitations. Harsha, KG and HK on song will mostly mean that the Vikings will out bat the Infernos. Needs to happen more often with a strong support cast from Bips, Kings, Gopi, Manoj and Kishore. 

The bowling group needs to hunt as a pack. Back each other up.  

We will soon wrap this season up and while I cannot predict the end outcome, I can promise you that we are in for some major surprises. The teams will get rebalanced though I think the core is going to remain in their respective teams. Team loyalty, ownership and responsibility come with aligning yourself with your teams for more than a season or two. 

So bring on the game and lets keep balling it.