The Reverse Sweep

Kevin Pietersen's retirement from limited-overs cricket: the case for the defence

For the second time in little more than a week we find ourselves in the unfamiliar position of defending Kevin Pietersen.

The ECB's petty decision last week to discipline Pietersen for his mild criticism of Nick Knight on Twitter seems to have cost them the services of their best batsman after KP today announced his retirement from limited overs international cricket with immediate effect.

Whilst the little Englanders and KP’s detractors in the media will doubtless point to the fact that he still intends to participate in the IPL, most of our sympathy lies with Pietersen.

The simple fact is that England play too much 50 over cricket; this summer there are 13 matches (or is it 14, it’s difficult to keep count) and then a further seven in India later in the year. Not only does it dilute the brand whilst sending even the most fervent pyjama cricket fan to sleep, it leaves the players tired of the format and spending too much time away from their young families.

Whilst KP’s timing isn’t great with England set to defend their World T20 crown in Sri Lanka in four months – a point made rather pettily by the ‘disappointed’ Hugh Morris in the wake of Pietersen's announcement, the ECB’s insistence of an all or nothing approach to limited overs cricket kind of made it inevitable.

Pietersen said he would like to be in Sri Lanka to help England defend the trophy that he played a major part in them lifting in 2010, but the intransigence of the ECB prevented this. KP is 31, has a young family and is financially secure for life, so when his employers decided to punish him for going public on his views on Knight, it seems that it was the final straw. Can anyone really blame him?

We’ve certainly got no bones with Pietersen’s decision. He’s served England well in the 50 over format and his retirement gives a younger player the opportunity to establish himself before the World Cup in 2015. Those referencing the IPL are barking up the wrong tree. We’re no great lovers of the tournament, but it lasts for six weeks of which Pietersen is unlikely ever to play a full part due to his Test commitments.

And let’s look on the bright side. As well as hopefully extending his Test career, we could be seeing a lot more of him in county cricket for Surrey. Isn’t there a T20 competition starting soon?

Where next?

Nick Compton: runs and jokes at Kevin Pietersen's expense

Kevin Pietersen is innocent (and right about Nick Knight)

It's not jealously KP, it's pure and simple indifference

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Crash, bang, whimper

So in the end Delhi’s season did turn out like Liverpool’s.

 

Heavily backed at the start with many pundits suggesting that this would be the season they would deliver.  

 

There were some tremendous highs like beating Bangalore not once, but twice. Just as Liverpool beat Manchester United, and also Everton twice. But the lows were horrible. Two dismal defeats to Mumbai and then the nadir of being bowled out for 111 by wooden spoon winners Punjab. Topsy-turvy is the best way to describe it.

 

From semi-final certainties to a final do-or-die clash with reigning champs Deccan Chargers.

 

Andrew Symonds proved the difference and showed what Australiahas been missing, and I don’t just mean some personality and off-field shenanigans. As ever, Paul Collingwood battled, but he lacked partners and the big shots to take Delhi over the line.

 

So it as I was warned. Delhiremains the perennial underachievers of the IPL. Most of the big players didn’t do themselves justice. Dilshan had an absolute nightmare, averaging only 7.33 with 44 runs from six innings. De Villiers wasn’t much better with an average of 16. The perplexing nature that is Sehwag’s failure to dominate T20 continued. And Gambhir’s most notable achievement was in upsetting Lalit Modi and Rajasthan fans.

 

True, Collingwood, Amith Mishra and Mithun Manhas did ok, but on the whole this was one star-studded line-up that failed to fire.

 

Oh well, Sussex has started with two wins and Englandare going to win the World T20! Onwards and upwards.

The winner takes it all

It's almost like Lalit Modi engineered it.

With Chennai scoring an excellent victory over Punjab and securing their semi-final place, attention now turns to Delhi and Deccan.

And by sheer coincidence they are now playing. And as ABBA would say, it's the winner takes it all.

As a Delhi 'fan', I hope it is them and not the reigning champs that make it.

The next three hours should be fascinating stuff...

Today, all Delhi Daredevil fans will be...

Praying. If they don't beat Chennai they can probably kiss goodbye to a place in the semi-finals. My adopted IPL team stand at the cross-roads of joy or despair.

Topsy turvy Delhi blow it again

Choosing Delhi as my IPL team has certainly made my first experience of the IPL a rollercoaster ride, and it's not as if I wasn't warned of their perennial underachiever tag, because I was.

They started the season with a bang by winning their first two games before falling back down to earth and losing their next three with a crushing defeat by Mumbai Indians followed by a Mongoose inspired Matt Hayden reverse to Chennai Super Kings and then a defeat to last year's champions, Deccan Chargers. It was at this point that I bemoaned the stunning similarity between Delhi and my favourite football team Liverpool.

And then a renaissance. Bangalore were crushed not once but twice and sandwiched between David Warner obliterated Kolkata and Rajasthan were also put to the sword. That meant four wins on the bounce and a place in the semi-finals and maybe the title itself looked a real prospect.

But this is Delhi and the next disaster was only just around the corner. First, Angelo Matthews took Kolkata to an unreachable target, then Delhi were bundled out for 111 by Kings XI Punjab and now today Kieron Pollard finally showed why Mumbai spent all that money on him.

So, suddenly Delhi have six wins and six losses and probably need to win both of their remaining matches against Chennai and Deccan to make the semi-finals. From euphoria to disaster in the blink of an eye, the ultimate topsy-turvy season will hopefully take a twist in the right direction starting with Chennai on Thursday. 

Collingwood powers Delhi towards semi-finals

Throughout the IPL, I have written how my adopted team Delhi Daredevils possess a similar trait to my beloved Liverpool football club. That of flattering to deceive.

Earlier in the competition Delhi deserved this tag plus the other one I had been warned about when I declared my allegiance to Gautam Gambhir and his side. Despite containing players of the quality of Sehwag, Gambhir, De Villiers and Nannes, Delhi, or so I was warned, were the perennial underachievers of the IPL.

So it was hardly surprising when after winning their first two matches, the next three were lost. A disappointing season looked likely just as it did for Liverpool despite predictions at its start that this was the year that they were going to win their first title for 20 years. Delhi too had been heavily backed.

But since then the comparisons are less deserving. Liverpool have carried on stumbling from match to match and yesterday's draw with Birmingham now means that they now need a miracle to even qualify for next season's Champions League.

Delhi on the other hand have taken off. First, they stopped the rot by beating Bangalorewho up to that point had been the standout team in the competition. Then Paul Collingwood arrived from Bangladesh and unlike last season was not just going to be carrying the drinks. Replacing De Villiers in the side, Collingwood immediately made an impact scoring a fifty against Kolkata whilst David Warner massacred bowlers at the other end. Rajasthan were then beaten, which led up to yesterday's return match with Bangalore.

As so often is the case for Collingwood, he had to first retrieve a delicate situation when he came to the crease. He moved his way to 15 from 16 balls and then tucked into Cameron White in the 12th over taking 18 to accelerate his innings. After that he upstaged the rest of the glittering batsmen on show by reaching 75 not out off only 46 balls with seven sixes - including 31 off the last nine balls he faced.

In Bangalore's reply, Delhi's bowling was tight with Pradeep Sangwan and Amit Mishra the standouts with three wickets apiece, and despite another fifty from Jacques Kallis and a blazing cameo from the newly arrived Ross Taylor, the hosts eased to a 37 run victory.

England's World T20 hopes and Delhi's IPL hopes are both looking better and better. Shame I can't say the same about Liverpool.

Denial of freedom of speech, Lalit Modi & a tale about pigs

Can you spot what is wrong with the following as opined by Gautam Gambhir, the Delhi Daredevils captain following his side's facile 67 run win over Rajasthan Royals the other night?

"I think Rajasthan was never a threat. Except for Yusuf Pathan, the other guys were pretty ordinary. We weren't really worried about anyone else."

No, nor can I. Maybe it is the sort of comment that could come back and bite you on the bum; especially given that Delhi still have to play Rajasthan at least once this season. But otherwise it is a refreshingly honest comment given the usual blandness of post-match interviews (and pre-match for that matter).

Unfortunately, Lalit Modi did take offence and reported Gambhir, with the Delhi skipper ending up pleading guilty to a level one offence, although escaping a fine.

This all seems rather sinister to me. Most IPL watchers would probably describe Rajasthan as ordinary - they are. And surely we don't want draconian sanctions handed out to players for just saying what they think.

Some would suggest Modi's "reporting" of Gambhir to be very 1984 or Brave New World, and it is. But it is another George Orwell book that should be looked at to provide an apt comparison with Modi. Napoleon from Animal Farm, anyone? Well he was a fat, greedy pig.

And certainly judging from the exclusive picture of the last IPL executive meeting, the similarity is becoming spooky - Modi is in the middle.

 

 

IPL half-term report & semi-final tips

As those of you that read this blog will know, this is the first season that I have tuned into the IPL, in part thanks to ITV4 (and that's the only time I will utter gratitude in that direction) but mainly out of curiosity to see if the reality lives up to the hype.

Of course it doesn't live up to the hype, but considering it is promoted more than the second coming of Jesus would be, that is hardly surprising. The television coverage and commentating is awful, there are far too many adverts and the renaming of a six as a DLF maximum is a crime; and a serious one at that. The hyperbole surrounding the tournament annoys me too with Shane Warne's assessment of Yusuf Pathan's 37 ball century against Mumbai Indians as the best ever perhaps being the worst example.

 

But taking all that into account, the cricket itself has at times been undeniably exciting even if tilted a little too heavily in favour of the men wielding the willow. The best aspect of the tournament is the fact that the teams are so evenly matched; apart from two exceptions. Mumbai Indians, with Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga to the fore, are cruising towards the semi-finals having lost only one of their first eight matches. Kings XI Punjab on the other hand are the Bangladesh of the IPL with their only victory coming fortuitously in a Super Over triumph over Chennai Super Kings. Since then they have simply disintegrated with the low probably being the shambolic fielding in their last match, which saw a self-inflicted defeat against Bangalore.

That the other six sides are so close in the table is a vindication of the salary cap and perhaps the auction process too. Of these, Bangalore has been the most impressive with a good balance between bat and ball. Jacques Kallis has been imperious, as have Anil Kumble and Dale Steyn, and with Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor recently arrived, plus Robin Uthappa scattering bullets, Bangalore look a good bet for the semi-finals.

Delhi Daredevils also look set for the last four and despite a three game losing streak seem to have recovered their poise. Like Bangalore, Delhi look well balanced with the batting strength of Sehwag, Warner, Gambhir, Dilshan and secret weapon Paul Collingwood complimented by Dirk Nannes and Amit Mishra. 

The battle for the final semi-final place is too close to call. Rajasthan Royals looked out of their depth at the start of the competition and likely winners of the wooden spoon, with the failed Damien Martyn experiment seemingly summing up their woes. Despite a recovery of sorts, I tend to agree with Gautam Gambhir's assessment of the Royals as ordinary and predict that they won't make the top four. Reigning champions Deccan Chargers also look off the pace with Adam Gilchrist looking every bit the retired first-class cricketer that he is.

That leaves Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. Both have improved after average starts and both have been reinforced by antipodeans; Doug Bollinger and Brendan McCullum respectively. I've a hunch that Bollinger will continue his excellent form and that consequently Chennai will pip Sourav Ganguly's team for the final semi-final spot.

So it is Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Chennai for the semi-finals for me, but given the closeness of the competition I wouldn't be surprised if I end up with egg on my face. 

Delhi Daredevils revival continues thanks to Karthik

Just as they had done on Monday against Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils recovered from the loss of three early wickets to post a decent total and then rolled over the Rajasthan Royals to ease to another IPL victory.

In the win over Kolkata, it was David Warner with support from Paul Collingwood who led the recovery. This time it was Dinesh Karthik's with support from captain Gautam Gambhir. Karthik's 69 off 38 balls was a well timed innings that exploded towards the end.

Things seem to turnaround quickly in the IPL. Last week, Bangalore looked the pick of the pops, but have now lost their last two games. Delhi and Rajasthan meanwhile had looked also-rans before sudden improvement has put them both in the mix for the top four.

Yusuf Pathan is Rajasthan's not-so secret weapon and he was held back until the Delhi spinners entered the fray when his side had already slipped 32/4. Pat Man was unable to eat all the bowling monsters this time though and when he departed for 24 off 14 balls, Rajasthan subsided to a 67 run defeat. Amit Mishra shone again as he took three wickets.

So my adopted side Delhi are now second behind the standout Mumbai Indians and with Virender Sehwag hopefully still to fire and Dirk Nannes to come back from injury, I am confident that they will now make the final four.

Perennial underachievers? Huh! Let's hope they don't do a Liverpool and flatter to deceive from here on.

Delhi Daredevils' secret weapon

As I've written previously, one of the reasons I decided to support Delhi Daredevils in the IPL was because my favourite England player Paul Collingwood was in their squad.

The fact that all he did last year was carry drinks (see picture), educate his team mates on the wonders (or otherwise) of Sunderland football club and pocket bundles of cash was by the by. I was confident that this year would be Colly's year.

And sure enough, hotfooting it off his flight from Dhaka, Collingwood was pitched into battle today against Kolktata Knight Riders. And he came in to a situation where he thrives as Delhi had slipped to 38/3, albeit off of only three overs.

Colly took to the battle in support of the rampaging David Warner and showed his team mates, the watching supporters and all of the IPL that he has more strings to his bow than nurdling and saving England from desperate situations.

53 off 45 balls isn't a rapid T20 innings, but it was an effective one as Warner blasted 107 off 69 balls at the other end.

I reckon Colly will be getting more gametime this season, and given that Sunderland lost 3-0 yesterday to Liverpool that will please him no end.

Delhi stun the favourites in Bangalore

Before the match I wasn't confident. My adopted IPL side Delhi Daredevils had lost three on the bounce after a decent start.

They were playing the Bangalore Royal Challengers (or should that be Royal Challengers Bangalore?) who had been the standout side in the IPL so far.

And they were playing in Bangalore where the hosts had not lost. To make matters worse, Delhi lost the toss and were asked to bat; both their victories to date had come when Delhi had chased.

But the real Delhi turned up yesterday. David Warner batted like a daredevil at the top of the order to give his team a good start before AB De Villiers consolidated in the middle and Kedar Jadhav exploded at the end.

183 was a good score, but Bangalore had chased down over 200 only a week before. But Dirk and Umesh Yadav kept it tight at the start, Jacques Kallis was finally proved to be mortal and then Amit Mishra showed his class. Even Andrew McDonald stepped in with two wickets.

So yesterday was a good day to be a Delhi Daredevils supporter and as I have compared before, the synergies with my beloved Liverpool FC are becoming incredible. Perennial underachievers, inconsistent but able to beat the best team in the league on their day.

It's going to be a bumpy ride for the next few weeks.

A grim day for Delhi Daredevils and Liverpool

Those that follow this blog will know that I have decided to follow the IPL this year and have selected the Delhi Daredevils as my team.

As I've said previously, it has become clear to me that Delhi share many traits with my beloved Liverpool football club. Flattering to deceive being the unfortunate common denominator.

As the IPL season has unfurled, Delhi even gave that worst of things to its supporters - false hope. They won their first two games comfortably and we Delhi fans began dreaming of the IPL trophy. Then came a crushing defeat by Mumbai Indians, a Mongoose inspired Matt Haydenreverse to Chennai Super Kings and then yesterday another defeat to Deccan Chargers. 

What made it worse was that at the same time Delhi were throwing away a match they should have won, so were Liverpool against Manchester United, albeit that a dodgy penalty decision in favour of United was just as important as Liverpool's profligacy.

And it seems that the links between Delhi and Liverpool could be closer than I thought. Following my post on Friday, Yash kindly advised me that GMR Holdings, the majority stake holder in Delhi Daredevils is rumoured to be trying to acquire Liverpool.

That would be great as Liverpool seriously need the cash and need to rid themselves of the owners from hell. Hopefully, if it happens, the fortunes of both teams will improve and the tag of perennial underachievers will be lost. 

Delhi Daredevils downed by a monster with a Mongoose

After coming aground abruptly against Sachin Tendulkar and the Mumbai Indians, I wrote that the Delhi Daredevils were similar to Liverpool Football Club in that tremendous success was normally failed by dismal failure. It’s not as if I wasn’t prepared either as my choice to support Delhi met with a chorus of warnings that the Daredevils were perennial underachievers.

 

Today with Virender Sehwag again at his scintillating best, Delhiposted 185/6 against the Chennai Super Kings. Game over. Or so I thought.

 

Enter that bully from days of yore, Matthew Hayden. But this time armed with a new weapon called the Mongoose. This new bat has a longer handle, is shorter and thicker than conventional cricket bats and apparently provides up to 20% more power.

 

Placed in the arms of a bully like Hayden, the combination proved irresistible. The former Australian opener even tormented Delhi by starting his innings with a conventional bat. After warming up with three boundaries in his first eight balls, he called for the Mongoose.

 

And Delhi became his cobra as the bowling was flayed to all corners of the ground. Hayden, not someone who really needs extra power, smashed six fours and seven sixes off his first 35 balls with his new beast bat.

I may just be a disgruntled Delhisupporter but the odds are already heavily against bowlers today with flat pitches and small grounds, and in T20 that seems to be exacerbated. So, I’m not sure if providing the bat equivalent of a cluster bomb to gorging batsmen is entirely fair. Maybe the stump height should be increased or the ball made smaller, or hell maybe batsmen should have to bat blindfolded in T20 to even things up?

 

Anyway, it is confirmed Delhi Daredevils and Liverpool FC are one and the same thing. Maybe the Delhiowners could push some cash the way of Rafa Benitez? He certainly needs it.

Now I know how it feels to be a Delhi Daredevils supporter

As I have detailed previously on this blog I am an IPL virgin with this being the first season that I have watched any of the games.

 

Firstly, I had to decide who to support as watching a competition and supporting none of the teams would be alien to me. In the end I decided to plump for the Delhi Daredevils with the mix of Sehwag, Dilshan, Collingwood (if he ever plays) and Nannes proving irresistible.

 

On making my preference known, I was warned by a number of IPL acolytes that Delhi were perennial underachievers and that I should be prepared to be disappointed. Being a Liverpool FC supporter, I have become accustomed to that since 1990, so if anything that cemented my choice.

 

After the first two matches, I started to wonder what all the fuss was about. Delhi won both games fairly easily and Sehwag lit up the second game against the Rajasthan Royals with some typical blitzkrieg batting.

 

But just like Liverpool in recent years, success was soon followed by dismal failure and the Daredevils were well and truly annihilated by Mumbai Indians yesterday.

 

There was the slight compensation of seeing Sachin Tendulkar deliver another batting masterclass. But I don’t enjoy seeing Wayne Rooney or Didier Drogba torment Liverpool, so my enjoyment was somewhat lessened.

 

There was also the sight of Sehwag and Dilshan opening the batting together, which is nearly as good as seeing Scarlett Johansson and Kylie Minogue in bed together. But it was over before it began and Delhi ended up losing by 98 runs – a massive defeat in T20 cricket.

 

I hope it isn’t a precursor to an inconsistent and disappointing campaign. And also not a bad omen ahead of the Manchester United-Liverpool match on Sunday, but I fear it is.

 

Sehwag converts me to the IPL

Prior to this season I hadn't watched the IPL, partly because I am not a big fan of T20 and partly because as an Englishman I thought I would only have limited interest in what is an Indian domestic league. I live in France and like football, but have no interest in the French football league.

This season I thought I'd give the IPl a go and decided to support the Delhi Daredevils. I wasn't overly impressed with the opening ceremony or the first match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers. But I decided to persevere and last night I got my reward.

Firstly, Delhi Daredevils won their second successive match - this time against Rajasthan Royals. But much, much better than that was watching Virender Sehwag pulverise the Royals bowling attack in blasting 75 off only 34 balls. Sometimes Viru is more like a cluster bomb than a mere batsman.

I could get used to this IPL thing...

 

Delhi Daredevils and Yusuf Pathan steal the headlines on day 2

I wrote yesterday that my first real taste of the IPL was a bit disappointing; rather like an overdone rib of beef. The opening ceremony was too long and the actual cricket was mundane. Yesterday was much better.

Firstly, we had Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals pitting their wits against Sachin Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians. It was a fantastic match with Mumbai prevailing by four runs after hitting a mammoth 212/4 in their 20 overs. This was harsh on Yusuf Pathan, whose 100 off 37 balls for the Royals was a quite remarkable knock with brutality and subtleness dovetailing seamlessly together.

These days, the IPL is the only chance we get to see Warne and Tendulkar on the same pitch and Pathan's knock is what T20 is supposed to be about.

The second game was just as good, if only because it saw my adopted side, the Delhi Daredevils beat the Kings XI Punjab. England's forgotten man Ravi Bopara looked in good touch and it was thanks to him that Kings were able to post 142/9. I understand that despite having the likes of Gambhir, Sehwag, Dilshan, De Villiers and Nannes in their ranks, Delhi are the serial underachievers in the IPL. Being a Liverpool fan I know just how that feels, so it seems I have picked the right side. As befits this tag, Delhi made a bit of a dogs dinner of chasing their small target and they were indebted to a captain's knock of 72 from Gambhir that saw them over the line in the final over.

So my second taste of the IPL was much better than the first. Yesterday the beef was cooked to its succulent perfection.

Start of IPL3 fails to live up to Lalit Modi hype

"I see the IPL becoming bigger than the NFL, the NBA, the English Premier League."

Lalit Modi

 

The third season of the IPL kicked off yesterday and as befits the most modern of cricket tournaments, I tuned in via YouTube (and ITV4) to see what all the fuss was about. All the hype created around the IPL, mainly by Lalit Modi, suggested that it was going to be the biggest thing since The Beatles. It isn't and as far as I am concerned it is more akin to Kula Shakar then the four moptops from Liverpool.

 

Firstly, supporters plus the global TV and internet audience had to contend with the opening ceremony, which dragged on for an hour. I don't particularly enjoy opening ceremonies and this wasn't the Olympics or the football World Cup; although doubtless Modi feels he can surpass both.

 

But what about the cricket? The opening match saw the reigning champions, Deccan Chargers, taking on the perenniel underachievers, the Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. Given that this was a 'home' match for Deccan (security concerns mean that they can't play in Hyderabad), the fact that the ground was 70% full is not too bad I suppose. Although I would guess that the first games of the season for the New Orleans Saints and Manchester United would be sold out long before the actual game.

 

I actually enjoyed some of the cricket. It was good to see Chaminda Vaas show that T20 isn't just about batsmen hitting boundaries by taking two wickets in the first over. I also enjoyed the unbroken 131 partnership between Owais Shah, who surely will be in England's World T20 squad, and Angelo Matthews, which saw the Knight Riders post a competitive 161/4. It was also good to see Adam Gilchrist teeing off - especially as it wasn't against England. But overall the game was a bit of a damp squib with Deccan throwing the game away after the lightning start provided by Gilchrist and VVS Laxman.

 

As my first experience of the IPL, I'd say it was ok but not great. I can understand why the tournament is big news in India where the combination of bollywood razzmatazz, clever marketing and the participation of India's biggest cricket stars makes it an appetising proposition in cricket's biggest market. But as for Modi's global ambitions, I just can't see it competing successfully with the international game over a long period; the Champions League seems the best chance of doing that.

 

Modi reminds me of Tony James, the bass player in Sigue Sigue Sputnik. James created a hype around the band that enabled them to score a massive deal from EMI and masses of press coverage before they had released a record. When they finally did, Love Missile F1-11 was propelled to the top of the charts. Then everyone realised that Sputnik were not the second coming and their fall was as dramatic as their rise. Will the same happen to the IPL?

I will continue to tune in especially to the matches of my adopted team, the Delhi Daredevils, but my overall impression is that test cricket is not as in danger as I thought. Perhaps I should add a caveat to that though given the boredom that is the 2nd day between Bangladesh and England so far zzzzz.

 

 

Who should I support in the IPL?

I didn't take much notice of the first two seasons of the IPL. Being a traditionalist, T20 cricket is not my favourite form of the game. If it was a woman it would be Cheryl Cole - good to look at, exciting even but without much substance and something you would tire of quite quickly. Whereas test cricket is more like Scarlett Johansson. Beautiful too but with depth and mysterious, unpredictable and always fascinating.

But the odd night with Cheryl is not something to be sniffed at and having enjoyed Trinidad and Tobago's progress in the inaugural Champions League, I have decided that I will tune into ITV4 for some of the third instalment of the tournament. But, T&T are obviously not one of the eight teams participating, so who should I support as a non-Indian?

Well if I was a Manchester United fan, I could go down the glory supporter route and simply pick the reigning champions, the Deccan Chargers. But as I regard United and its manager Alex Ferguson as the antichrist that's a non-starter.

Likewise, I also have to rule out the Rajasthan Royals due to the recent 'worldwide franchise' press conference replete with hideous PowerPoint presentations. This is the sort of arrogant move reminiscent of Chelsea. It's a shame in some respects as I could easily follow a side captained and coached by Shane Warne. He may be happy to punt anything nowadays including pants, but the sense of theatre he creates when he bowls is something special. But I hate PowerPoint presentations...

So, what about going down the name route? Unfortunately, most of these are pretty good with the Kolkata Knight Riders in particular standing out. However, this route does enable me to rule out the two worst names of the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians. The former sounds like a pack of cigarettes and the last lacks imagination.

Four down, four left to choose from. Having no particular affinity to any city or region in India means that the final decider will come down to the player roster at each of the remaining sides. The Bangalore Royal Challengers have Dravid, KP, Eoin Morgan and Prince Kumble but also have Boucher and Kallis. Delhi Daredevils have the God that is Sehwag plus his apprentice Dilshan, Paul Collingwood and Dirk Nannes, but also have Andrew McDonald. Kings XI Punjab are captained appropriately by King Kumar, which is nearly a reason in itself. And Kolkata Knight Riders have Chris Gayle.

Deities overcome mere mortals anytime, so for me it's a straight choice between Delhi Daredevils and Sehwag, and Kings XI Punjab and King Kumar. And Delhi shade it for me with their plethora of opening batsmen (Viru, Gambhir, Warner and Dilshan - wow!), the last gunslinger in town in Nannes and my favourite England player Colly.

So Delhi Daredevils it is for me then. I cannot see it becoming a big love like that I have for Liverpool, England and Sussex or even Scarlet Johansson, but a few nights with Cheryl could be good fun. In three days time, I'll find out.