IPL 20twenty

anyone staying up to watch the 20/20? the cheerleaders are what make it. something wrong about male cheerleaders though. (wtf?) there has been some good cricket been played. last night was boring as fuck. going for the kings IX myself.

one of the players actually complained about the cheerleaders saying they were putting him off his game 

i ain't watching much of this, not enough aussies!

I've barely missed a game. Was worried after the first few games it was gonna be nothing more than a slogfest but as bowlers (and fielding captains) have worked out what their role is and where they should be bowling it has actually produced some really good cricket and very exciting matches. Even if there aren't that many Aussies there are some champion players out there who I love watching. Whilst some of them may have retired from other forms of the game, the shortened format means they can still perform at the level which made them famous in their younger years.

Shaun Pollack & Glen Macgrath have proven that intelligent bowling and hitting the right spot are so much more effective than pace. Other highlights for me have been Jayasuriya's 100 the other night, Shoab Aktar's return to the game was simply incredible - 4 wickets in his first 2 overs sending in 150kmph balls whilst 60,000 Indians went fucking crazy. Brett Lee's bowling in his last match was fantastic as well where he showed just how seriously he was taking his time in the IPL. It has also showed some of the future Aussie talent that we'll be seeing more of in the next few years. Hussey & Marsh have been brilliant whilst Watson has shown just how good he can actually be when playing well. It has also been great to see just how brilliant a captain Warne is as he nevr got the top spot he deserved in the Aussie side. He has taken one of the weaker lists and used intelligent cricket to beat some very high profile teams.

Best thing about it though has to be the Indian crowd and just how much they get into it. I remember in the late 80's when world series cricket used to get massive crowds who really got into the games. One Day matches here in the last few years have been fairly boring with nowhere near the atmosphere the games used to achieve. The Indian nutters though are a different level again. Some games they have been so loud you literally struggle to hear the commentaters.

Best of all its on every night and at a time that those of us without Foxtel were forced to watch infomercials.

I fucking love it and don't want it to end.

ive been loving it cricket everynight is cool by me

i reckon its a good concept as long as it doesnt start to overtake the test and 1 day series 2 much

I would love to see domestic cricket in Australia try something similar as the entire state vs state concept offers pretty much nothing of interest to the public these days. If they could do a 6 week comp like the IPL but time it so all the Australian team were able to play, with 4 imports allowed per team I reckon it would be huge. The crowds they get to 20/20 games between state sides are already pretty big but I have no doubt they would get huge interest from the public for a tournament like that.

It would also be highly beneficial for younger Australian cricketers. Giving young state level players the chance to play alongside greats of the game will only help with the future strength of our national team, the same way young Indian cricketers must be learning from playing alongside the Warnes, Pollocks, Jayasuriyas etc in the IPL.

Having cricket on at stupid hours of the evening/morning is always going to get a big thumbs up from me.

Also agree with everything Noddy has said really, especially the Warne statement, he has been amazing. And  State teams + Australian squad + 4 imports per team = some crazy good games of cricket.

i love cricket it should be on everyday.

hell yeah

any state games that ever got televised, you used to be able to hear individual hand claps the games were so empty.

cricket has been in a state of decline for a while now, but this sort of thing is the best kick in the pants since kerry packer started the rebel one-day format.

semi finals 2nite and sat night then grand final sunday night .  im watchin

after two decisive wins in the semi's it's shaping up to be a big one!

go you royals!

pumped