In a sequence from the famous movie “Jungle Beauty”, Goga Kapoor sits gloatingly on a chair and opens an auction for the choicest of “jungle beauties”. Clad in their bare essentials, they turn round and round, as a group of eager bidders stand expectantly surveying what’s on offer. Then Goga Kapoor thunders,
” Doston, yeh jungle ki naageenein woh bulbule hain jinki saanson main phoolon ki mahek, badan mein haowoon ke taazgi, aur chaal main jharnon ki rawaangi hai…aap log husn aur jawaani ke jahuri boliye is naagein ki kya keemat lagate hain?”
I have always thought that the IPL auctions should start with these amazingly poetic lines, if only to set the mood and context. But then the world rarely goes the way I want it to. Instead it starts off with Sidhu Paaji, the man whom I lovingly refer to as “the Adolf Eichmann of the English language”, announcing that the hammer is going to descend.
And the Queen, bless and God save her, is pregnant. Whatever the eff that means.
The player auctions for IPL 4.0 was held today.
It had drama. Last minute bids were being squeezed in just as the auction-master said “Sold”. The Kochi team kept making calls to the Gulf, presumably for more remittances. Vijay Mallaya suddenly lost it, like the “off with his head” Queen of Hearts act, claiming “unfairness” on the part of the auctioneer. As that happened, on cue, SET Max developed technical problems as the comforting face of Sunny Deol assured us that there was nothing violent going on.
It had beauty. Zinta keeping up her “I am an American teenage girl and I can’t make up my mind as to which doll I want” act which passes off as “bubliness”. Shilpa Shetty wearing a plastic smile throughout, as clueless as Inzamam Ul Haq in a lecture on literary allusions in James Joyce’s Ulyesses. The Deccan Chargers table throwing up sparks of electric charge.
It had moments of anguish, at least for fans like me. Great players were not bought and some others grossly undervalued, moments that made me want to shout, like Goga Kapoor “Ladki khadeene aaye yaah unke liye kaapde”?
When the dust had settled, what was left was the fact that a whole lot of greens had just passed hands. Or as Kapil Sibal would call it, a mere computation error.
The most talked about news of the night was the fact that Ganguly had not been bid for at USD 400,000. Dada might not be the same Dada who charged a firing -on-all-cylinders Shaun Pollock and sent the ball flying over point boundary or put holes in the ozone layer with those massive sixes. But he was still one of IPL’s top batsmen last season and in a loser franchise, was a proven multiple match-winner. He still brings passion and pride of performance to his game plus that amazing cricketing brain is something too precious not to be of use to even a single franchise. And at the very least, even if you cut off an arm and a leg, he would still be a better player than a USD 900K Ravindra Jadeja.
That Knight Riders (or is it Kolkata Knight Riders—-since BCCI still lists them as Kolkata) would not retain him was anticipated. Shahrukh Khan had a well-known problem with Dada after he allegedly refused to convince the CPM government, with which he is perceived to be cozy, to waive West Bengal’s entertainment tax waived for IPL and I think he believes he can get the Eden crowd on his side through victories even without Dada on the roster. Or perhaps he wants to move to Cuttack. Or Dhaka. In which case he can stay in Kolkata, since with the number of migrants we have from Bangladesh, it will become Dhaka in a few years, if not already.
Whatever KKR’s reasons be, what was surprising was that nobody else wanted Dada either, not even Subroto Roy. The reason for that could simply be his reputation of “being his own man” and maybe none of the franchises (most with Australian coaches) wanted him as a captain. Which honestly is the only way to play Dada. Otherwise he is not worth the money.
There were other shockers too of course, besides Sidhu saying “The power belongs to the man with the beard”. One of these was that there was no one bid for Gayle. It seemed pre-decided,almost as if the man was from Pakistan. Well if he was from Pakistan at least the KKR table would have wrung their hands, trembled their lips and said “Agar Pakistan se pyaar karna gunaah hai….to hain…hain…hain….”. But even they sat impassive. Where there problems with his availability? If there is a problem with West Indian cricketers, how come Pollard was retained by Mumbai and Bravo also bought when no one, in their right mind, can doubt Gayle’s value as a T20 player. Among other surprises was Uthappa and Rohit Sharma being valued almost same as Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan. Jadeja and Piyush Chawla’s obscenely high price tag. The prospect of Symonds and Bhajji in the same dressing room, monkeying around. Most shocking of course was that KKR made just own howler in their bidding, making three solid buys and two borderline buys, a sharp departure from their past record of being Nigerian-scammed every auction night.
[In a subsequent post, once the bids are all in, will do an analysis of the performance of every franchise in the whole auction process]
This was the first time I actually watched the auctions live on TV. It was thrilling, more thrilling than the competition perhaps will be, so much so that I stayed awake the whole night. In a way this interest was natural. Because the bidding IS the real IPL, the heart of its darkness.
The games that follow it are simply the post-script, the sound of the flush after the deed has been done.
The Greatbong Blog & Podcast 
“…the sound of the flush after the deed has been done.” – This summarized more than any article can ever do for the Indian Pampered League. Good read, mate!
First !
Tried watching parts of it, but gave up. About as painful as the the pain in your elbow while pulling out your back hairs.
‘…would have wrung their hands, trembled their lips and said “Agar Pakistan se pyaar karna gunaah hai….to hain…hain…hain….” hahaha.. SRK will always remain the supreme hammer. And fuck him for not taking Ganguly. The start of the post is hilarious. The last line is brilliant!
CNN IBN Had Bhogle among others all day and I was watching that and following the bids on cricinfo. When a major auction came up, I would switch to the auction broadcast. A few moments were classic. Like Chennai going for Murali. Then, letting go of him. The video of the Chennai table in those moments was great to watch. They weren’t fidgeting like people on some other tables but it was awesome to see them ponder over it neverthless.
There are millions of things to analyze about the auction. One can take individual players and countries as a whole and try to make extrapolations out of that. Two I can come up with immediately –
1. Aaron Finch getting good money means the franchises did their homework.
2. Players aren’t being selected for what they might fetch from the market but for what they can bring to the team.
KKR bought Jacques Kallis and claimed, we are in a very happy position (or something to that effect). If one compares Jacques Kallis’ and Ganguly’s performances last year, Ganguly wasn’t too far behind. Kallis put a greater premium on his wickets, and possibly stayed not out more often than Ganguly. But his strike rate was actually slightly less than Ganguly’s and he was no more a match winner than Ganguly was last season. Anyway, one would perhaps talk of his bowling/fielding etc and I have nothing to talk of in return other than Ganguly’s captaincy, and there would be people ready lapse into an endless debate on that too.
But then looking at the fact that even Laxman found a Kochi (last IPL 64 runs in 6 matches at an average of 12.08) Ganguly should take heart from this that very few people have the guts to play a gutsy man like him in their team and that’s why the exclusion, not because he lacks cricketing talent.
On Shilpa Shetty, I believe she wears a mask. If we see her real face, we might not even recognize her. And in case she doesn’t wear a mask, then she and Terry Alderman share that really weird always smiling condition, I have no doubts.
Delhi without Ghambhir, Punjub without Yuvi, Bangalore without Dravid, Kolkata without Ganguly, Hyderabad without Laxman… All for so called looking at the future and “strategic” reason…
Which great strategist suggests alienating with supporters? What is a team without its fans? Stupefying…
Sidhu was the Win of the day…really. Ma Kali r khak shiyal, and Sidhu’s potential…both equally powerful…
The bit was absolutely perfct why anyone wll take ganguly how much chance he will get, once again provd he is a bardn, he was a hightest scorer bcoz he played all the matches see his stats he failed to deliver in most of matches, aprt he is a well known troublesm charctr for all, then why not he not be chosen by any of odr frnches ?? he got three seasons what he gave. Ata ki maamar barir aabdar naki bochochor dim parbe r team nebe.
Whedr see rahul and sachin same agegroup but where r they now, smart is kumble also. So face reality, dont presnt unlogical theories. why then sahara didnt him why only he has problems all the time
look at gangulis ipl profile he was hightest score bcoz he played all the matches and see proprly he didnt score most of matches, and how many chance he will get, r koto nijer somman rakhte kete porena keno see kumble how smart.
Also probed he is quite a unlucky, see they booted him from indian team and now dhoni is all d way. Once again provd nobody wants to take a troubsome guy like him. Otak diye kichu hobena, saltlake illegle school banai loke land capture kore r koto, that’s why nobody loves him and takes him.
Whats shocking is that KKR did not buy any good local player. Ganguly’s insult is of course disappointing but the exclusion of the eastern zone is even more disheartening. Bengal always gets a raw deal in India national side selection (no player other than sourav) and IPL is perhaps the only medium through which Bengali youngsters can enter the national stage.
Anyways, I’m sure the owner would’ve hopped at the opportunity if the player was a pakistani or even an illegal bangladeshi (no matter how pathetic). I’ve never supported KKR and never will unless there is a change of ownership. Dada doesn’t need to stand in a bazaar and wait to be sold. HE IS ABOVE THAT. He deserves more respect than he has ever got. Lets give it to him.
Mohit,
Not to hold a candle for SRK, but KKR did buy Manoj Tiwari. Manoj Tiwari is a Bengal Ranji player and has been in Bengal U-16 also. That is a local lad all his life.
“When the dust had settled, what was left was the fact that a whole lot of greens had just passed hands. Or as Kapil Sibal would call it, a mere computation error.”
Brilliant!!
Is it just me, that i believe Lalit Modi in the IPL would have been more interesting? You still dont trust me then check the OFFICIAL IPL WEBSITE…www.iplt20.com
Check if there is any update on the auction? How could they not do so for a supposedly BILlION DOLLAR EMPIRE!!
To end this check this quote “Ravindra Jadeja is selling for around a million dollars and people complain about prices of Onion.”..courtesy Faking News
Yes couple of players are moved around and not playing for their states. But cmon they are playing for India. SHocked that Ganguly wasnt bought but guess his baggage makes him a wary proposition.
Biggest shocker was nobody bidding for Swann at this point of time. Especially KKR – who are thin on bowling after day 1.
Just one howler??? which one are you referring to? Brett Lee or Shakib? And they don’t have a single good bowler!! Mark my words, KKR won’t make it to the semis. Way too low on cricketing acumen. That Mysore peda or Venky’s chicken or whatever they have hired is a useless bit of junk.
Claims to have been a cricketer at some level…and that makes him even more dangerous than our very own Joy da, I guess…Now, what was it they said about a little knowledge being a dangerous thing and all?
Good job!
Wasn’t a surprise Ganguly wasn’t picked. Being pliable is one of the criterion I think. Also, having Ganguly in a side adds another constraint to be taken care of by the coaches (or strategists or whatever). Given they are picking players for next 3 years, Ganguly may not look as attractive as younger players (even Ravindra Jadeja)
Ganguly was the 3rd highest run getter in IPL 3.If gilly can be bought for INR 4 crores whose last IPL performance was very bad why cant DADA.?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
GB according to you who do you think is the best team as of now.I guess it is CSK and MI
After Murali was auctioned, Sidhu came up with “blacker the berry, sweeter the juice”. I am not sure if this was a racist comment or what?
It is widely accepted that cricket needs big money to keep the ship floating. Either you back test cricket and turn up in thousands to watch the game or else munch wafers lick a cola and watch a 20-20 game. Look at the way West Indies team has gone. Are we to assume that WI will never have the likes of Viv or Joel Garner or Malcolm Marshall. Sure they have many super athletes who have chosen a game with future in the same way that our country’s youth choose engineering over say, history honours. Take sponsorship out of cricket and you will have cricket only on history books in five years. You are looking at the auctions from a purists point of view. I think you need to move on with the times. Talent should have a price. It will prise open more talent.
nice one mate!
What i like about KKR is their consistency. They love to make asses of themselves. They’re living up to that. Its something you can always depend on – giving some good laughs in the bargain.
Look at their track record :
Ajit Agarkar
Bookha Naan
Bangladeshi players paid to bowl 1 over at 26 runs
Multi Captain Theory, then Mcullum as captain
Pakistani players
Dropping Kolkata from their name : after getting one of the most passionate cities
50% of their purse on 2 players
(Just a few examples)
But i think KKR, is doing something above cricket. Creating a platform to unite Trinamool & CPI. They would be jointly conducting bandhs, protest rallies. Neither are taking pot shots at each other. They may be sending a joint delegation to speak to BCCI, then of course the home minister. And obviously RA will not be released in any part of Bengal.
Great Going Dildo, you’re Kolkata’s Fair n Handsome Knight.
Rubbish auctions. Morons take a pass on Colin Ingraham.
I too think Ganguly’s failure to get a bid is more due to non-cricketing reasons. There will be a hue and cry if he is not made the captain. Guess most owners saw it more prudent to just avoid picking him. I think Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman should have followed Kumble’s example and withdrawn from the auction. Sometimes, dignity matters more than money.
GB: I think your crib on Dada not being taken is overblown. I find it difficult to attribute it to anything other than rational choices of bidders given other choices and their budget constraints. To be sure, their analysis may differ from yours. Yes, a bit of ego may be at play, but wont that also work against team performance if glossed over now?
That said, I find two reasons to be frustrated / irritated with this IPL:
1. After almost an entire year of scams, everyone other than Lalit Modi has come out clean! Surely, this is a bigger scam than any other… It beggars belief to imagine that he was the only crook among cotton whites all around. Kochi, RR and KXIP have managed to reverse their dismissals. None of the other BCCI guys are on the dock. And now the bid amounts are being used to divert attention from the scams of the IPL – and media is playing along obligingly
2. Coming to the game: One notable feature this time is lack of sufficient locals in each team. Yuvi, Dada, Laxman, Gambhir and so on. I mean their value simply as popular local lads – whether or not they are as effective as others in actually winning a game. On this count, the choice of team risks making each side even more location neutral than it already was. This might dilute strong crowd bias and hence possibly interest
@greatbong Sir, what I meant was that KKR should’ve gone for more relatively unknown local players like Rajasthan did in IPL 2008 (Asnodkar, Naman Ojha,Jhunjhunwala) and Warne so wonderfully groomed them. But alas I forgot this is KKR after all.
I watched for sometime and switched it off. Did not know which was more nauseating raw power or ignorance being hidden by the virtu of being the owner or oe of the owner’s side-kicks – Shilpa Shetty with her 5 pound diamond ring (records incidentally show that she does not own a single cent of the team; and mainly struts around because of hubby dearest being one of the owners); The Ambani gang with a 7 pound rock; Madame Zinta and 2 other girls in Kochi and Deccan who all in their collective wisdom acting all hoity-toity cricket experts and pretending to understand the nuances of Piyush versus Sreesanth – sick sick sick and at the same time funny looking at these 4 girls all animated, serious and pretenting to be one of the gang. UFF!
Ganguly still unsold LOL.
Sounds like whole worled is trying to keep bong men down.
I think I will give the benefit of doubt to the KKR management. I think they had unofficially intimated Dada that they will not go for him and that he could take a role in the management of the team. But I think Dada still wanted to test his luck and thought that if not KKR someone else will buy him. That no one will bid for him (WHICH IS A SHAME) was not calculated by Dada.
Also why wasn’t Shukla picked by any team or did I miss his auction?
You somehow missed Irfan Pathan going for 5 times what he is worth, jus coz Preity thought he is good. waiting for the next post.
I am a Dada fan too aswell but One Qn – How long is Dada supposed to play? 2030? When will the ppl stop crying over him?Its been two years since he retired and he is surely no Matt Hayden or Adam Gilchrist in terms of fitness. Taken that he batted okay last season, but as you mentioned, it is quite obvious that no one wants him for the haughtiness and all the extra baggage he brings to the team, which is surely not the case for a VVS or a Dravid.
VVS sat out of most of the matches last season and DC could still play their games in Hyderabad. I wonder whether SRK would be able to set foot in Eden ever in life. Its time ppl realize that Dada is now a Dodo, time to relish all his mesmerizing innings on television instead of hoping him to come alive on the field.Seriously!
The auction was possibly the most watchable part of the entire IPL. From here it’s all about heavy bats, huge hits and girls waving handleless jhuljharus.
KKR has actually made some brilliant purchases this year, two of them being Shakib Al-Hassan and Ryan Ten Doeschate, two extremely underrated solid performers I’ve followed over years.
I think you can never come out of your dada love…you seem constipated with with a single expression…
Come on man….if dada was such a star performer then why was kkr such a sore performer.Now don’t start blaming the owners for that coz they can come down on pitch and bat nor will you…
There was not even a single match winning performance from him in the last season…
and plz i like talking sense…
he was not included purley for the cricketing reasons.
He is not playing in any international format currently…many other heavy weights lost out…LARA did…and i will not be surprised if you start rating dada as a better left hander than him…He struggled in the ranji matches which he participated in to prepare for the IPL games…
you come out as a ultimate genius who defies all logic and make trivial statements like KKR has a Paki love n all…GROW UP MAN!!!!!…GROW UP!!!…
These statements don’t help..they seem very childish…hat
The harsh reality is that the owners went for no such player who is not a part of the game at international level….
JUST ONE WORD
GROW UP!!!!!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Indian_Premier_League#Man_of_the_Match_Awards
Ganguly won 2 MOMs last time. As to the commentor above:
1. GROW UP isnt 1 word.
2. Learn the facts before you say that he did not win a single game for KKR.
3. Learn how to spell “purely”
4. Learn to type in small letters.
As to “Wall” Dravid and “My back hurts 70 year old” Laxman, guess how many MoMs they won last time?
@WALL
it is quite obvious that no one wants him for the haughtiness and all the extra baggage he brings to the team, which is surely not the case for a VVS or a Dravid.
VVS sat out of most of the matches last season and DC could still play their games in Hyderabad. I wonder whether SRK would be able to set foot in Eden ever in life.
i think this is fair assesment of things then crying foul over Dada’s exclusion. My office guys told me taht i am ganguly fanatic because i always support him blindly. I still belive purley as a batsmen he can offer better then jadeja or many other useless players who got much more what they deserve. But the main problem with ganguly is that he never changed himself. I know he is always that strong minded and full ot attitude, But it was good in his heydays and that these were his virtue at that time. But when chips are down you have to change. Look at dravid and laxman he can play under anyone without any hesitence but if ganguly is around (specially if is a bengal team)nobody can work independenty whether it is coach or captain. Yhat is why no body even Sahara shri subrto roy(who can do anything just because of bong connection) didn’t bid for ganguly.
Well at least as they headlines said at the end, ‘Ganguly remains unsold’. Out of context that sounds good. Yes, he was no ‘God’. But he was some man
All i can say “Waqt badal gaya, Lekin Dada nahi badle,Ab ganguly ke liye log badal gaye.” Alas but true. yahi Zamane ki Reet hai.
RIP dada(pls don’t take litrally.)
this is one TIGHT SLAP! one that came a few years too late, but came nonetheless!
I’m loving the echoing sound…reverberating the whole world! peeked in to see your red faces!!
hello everyone!
MUAHAHAHAHAH
the last line somes it up… great read
Not interested in the IPL auction a bit but thanks for Goga contribution. It is one of these articles that made me read completely just because the way it was written, not the subject matter. Great job!!
This article seem fan rant. hope next will be more objective. still could not belive that SAHARA PUNE did not bid for ganguly or the matter of fact not a single team. I don’t belive that that SRK has so much clout that he asked other teams to not bid for ganguly. I think in ganguly case there is something more then what meets eye. I hope next few days something will come out. But i have to admit it was Gut(or some say foolishness) on nightriders part to drop one of the greatest hero of bengal. But as far as fans are concern they were angry about droping ganguly from captainship during IPL-2. But still they lapped IPL-3 matches which held in Eden garden.
Just Before WC, Indian players are getting sold out like prostitutes(that too highly rated) in IPL auction, these guys(except GOD Sachin) will save their energy for playing in IPL(5 days after WC) rather than playing for their country in WC…thats for sure.
It is very clear that Ganguly’s reputation preceded him. Four reasons why I think his omission is valid:
a) He may have scored runs as a batsman ..but his SR was in the 100-110 range – poor for someone who can only bat in the top order. Contrast this to Rahul Dravid, who can play a role down the order or even keep if required.
b) He has always been low on fitness …will he, 3 yrs down the line, be worth playing in the side?
c) Every perceived slight to Ganguly invites protests, effigies being burnt etc among his fans (I believe we have the same this time around as well). Which franchise would want to operate with that sword hanging over its head?
d) Captaincy is hardly an issue for most franchises. There are enough candidates who can hold their own as players as well. In any case, Ganguly was skipper of KKR for two seasons – only team not to make semis.
Chris Gayle’s ommission is not comparable. WI players have commitments during IPL 4 and IPL 5. There is no point comparing him to Pollard, as Pollard only plays T20 for WI (very few intl matches outside the world cup), while Gayle plays all 3 formats. The only regular WI player picked is Dwayne Bravo – that too because he came at a bargain price of Rs92lacs or something.
In all fairness, IPL owners are businessmen. They have to select players based on the value they bring to the table. At $900K, they did not thought Ganguly is worth that much that he can justify his costs. Add to that the negative impact of his running between the wicket ( run out risks ) and his crappy fielding.
Its not that Ganguly is not in demand, its just that he is not in that much demand to fetch 900K. Nobody is willing to pay that much.
Regarding his big hitting sixes and high scores…well, you only get six runs no matter how far from the boundary you hit. Ganguly did scored a lot of runs but if you look at the scoring rates and scoring under crunch situations he is not among the top league.
As for why KKR did not pick up any more players from the East Zone, there weren’t too many up for auction. They picked Tiwary and, I believe, tried for Dinda. But having spent heavily on picking Gambhir, Yusuf and Kallis, they did not have too much money in the bank to bid aggressively. They can always bring in the local factor by buying uncapped players. Most teams are going to have to do that.
Haha,
Ganguly’s strike-rate was better than Kallis.
DayDreamer,
Ganguly was not for 900K. Only 400K.
GB, Yes, it was. But Kallis more than makes up for that with his bowling. He bowls 4 overs every match and manages to pick up wickets as well. I dont think Kallis, purely as a batsman, will find too many takers.
Haha,
As pointed out before, Ganguly won 2 MoMs for KKR. That says something, doesnt it? Belonging to a franchise that rarely won, in two victories he made the critical contributions.
WTF!?! Some moron with appalling spelling and writing skills stole my nickname ‘Shan’!
well, though I am a great fan of Ganguly for his batting and the leadership with attitude, I am getting tired of bongs’ fixation for him. I think they (sadly you included great bong) are still in denial mode as far as reality is concerned. IPL does not want great legendary leaders for star value etc. Remember even sachin is there because he still bats. After all IPL is a hard business, a DC can drop laxman and RCB can drop Dravid, Kings eleven punjab can drop still ‘performing’ yuvraj, I dont think saurav deserves a chance. we have all seen (cringingly) how he hogged all the first six overs unable to rotate his strike but doggedly not allowing next bats man to come and play. It was pathetic. even pune and kochi who settled for laxman and dravid do not really have great expectations from them. I wish Ganguly preserves his image by emulating Kumble as the latter even now can be a huge match winner which I cannot say for Ganguly any more. Such legends should not be wasted vainly.
I fervently hope you will outgrow of this hopeless hero worship.
Agree with dj’s assessment. Dada was not bought because of the extra baggage. If you drop him, all hell will break loose. Who wants that headache? This is where the “good boy” reputation of Dravid, Laxman et al, helped them, while Dada’s “bad or headstrong” boy reputation did not. Anyway, GB was quick to heap scorn on this point earlier by saying who looks for good boy attitude on the cricket field? They are playing cricket to win, not looking for a marriage proposal. It was all right then, but now that reputation has come to bite back Dada.
Anyway, for all his services to the Indian team, he should have opted out like Kumble by seeing the writing on the wall. He made a good comeback in the Indian team in the Chappell era, and retired with his reputation intact. I don’t think 400k or odd would have mattered to him. Really can’t be the lure of money to get him to play IPL.
Again, as some others have said, it is time GB got over Dada’s selection matters.
GB, of course he made critical contributions in two matches. And he was better than most in the KKR line up last year. However, contrast that with Kallis, who did something of note (with the bat or ball or both) in almost every match – the comparison is a non starter. Even if we keep that aside, it still does not nullify the things that go against him. Whether right or wrong, there definitely is a perception that if Sourav is in the team, the team will have to be structured around him rather than the other way round. It may be only a perception but it is bound to impact decision making – especially when you have several good candidates for captaincy. That does not apply for the likes of Kallis or Dravid or Laxman (though I cannot imagine why anyone would even want to pick Laxman).
Moreover, teams are not being picked just for a year. The franchises are tied to them and vice versa for several years. Should one take a risk on someone like Sourav, who is not even playing active cricket now? The same question applies to the likes of Gilchrist (a very risky buy by KXIP IMO), Laxman & Dravid (both play tests now but their talents are definitely waning & who knows how long they will remain match fit).
Forgot to add to the last point – imagine a scenario, where the team that he is a part of has some disappointing results. I am sure there would be reams or articles midway through the tournament talking of how it would have been so much better had Ganguly been the captain or had he been opening etc etc. It is a distraction that most franchises or coaches or captains could do without.
ganguly won two man of the matches award…ha ha…
and that too after the team had no chances to get into the semi final stage..
One thing is for sure that wrong spelling of purely certainly made your day…you get excited with trivial issues in life for sure…
and ‘I hurt my back’ laxman has won you 3 major test matches on the last day of he test matches when ganguly might have pissed of in his pants dreading about batting on the last day pitch…
God bless his I HURT MY BACK APPROACH coz it has really done wonders for us…
The idea here is too talk about facts and not BENGALI sentiments…
hats off to Karnataka and other states like them who dont crib over one thing for 10 years…
Dravid their icon batsman has been shown the door but they accept it with a lot of dignity….he too got dropped from the one day side…they accepted…the man has scored above 10,000 runs batting at number 5 position in one day international…they dont crib..
AGAIN JUST ONE WORD
GROW UP!!!!!!!!!
you and your blog lovers really get excited with the most trivial things on this planet earth..
Ganguly is still a better T20 player than Gambhir,just check last year’s performance,be it six hitting ability,bowling,captaincy and Fielding(yes I said that)..shame on U KKR and SRK..
Not to forget his fanbase and crowd pulling ability.
Who can forget the awesome runout that he affected of Gambhir vs DD in Eden during IPL3 and a catch in Mumbai vs MI..
His fielding has only improved over the years.
Gambhir hasnt had a good T20 performance since 2007 WC.
“…a captain. Which honestly is the only way to play Dada. Otherwise he is not worth the money.” I don’t agree with you at all. Based purely on contributions with bat and ball, he would have been better value for money than the likes of Ravindra Jadeja or Irfan Pathan.
Is “anonymous(e)” (January 10, 2011 at 7:28 am) the evil doppelganger of kishor?
I love anonymous and what he writes….
and love the fact the stuck up bong bhangis – who are at par with pakistani extremists when it comes to be away from reality … are having to get a dose of reality!
Ganguly sucks! bongs GROW UP!
CSK’s “smart buys” and awesome strategy are thanks to one of their owners – N. Sreenivasan who is also on the IPL’s governing council. If CSK’s owner got a say in which player was auctioned at what time, I guess, its more of bending the rules to build a team to your advantage rather than picking the right players…
arre Dhruv bhai.
Itna kyon behek ..raheh ho…
got ditched by a Bong girl or what?
Its just a blog space bhai, why are you abusing Bongs?
@Anonymous (January 10, 2011 at 7:28 am) – “and ‘I hurt my back’ laxman has won you 3 major test matches on the last day of he test matches..” I am not sure if you read the post properly. We’re talking T20 which is a completely different ball game. Laxman may be a great test player but when it comes to T20 and specifically IPL, I think he ‘pisses even better in his pants’..
‘he too got dropped from the one day side.. they accepted’ – Well they had to. Dravid’s T20 and One-day performances have been dismal to say the least. Last season, Dravid was part of the team only ‘coz of the two-year contract. And if you think GB and his blog lovers are trivial, dont waste your precious time reading and commenting on it. And to say Gb talks Bengali sentiments only and not facts is perhaps the most laughable line I have heard this week.
@ surya-well you can laugh along and celebrate my line with a sherry in your hand…I dont mind at all..
First of all lets talk about T20…Ganguly,Dravid and Laxman don’t suit this game…I just dont understand why cant you accept this fact…
The two of them(Dravid AND Laxman) still got auctioned because they are playing international cricket at some level..Ganguly has been out of it since a long long time…Why not accept it!!!
Not a single team auctioned for him….
The point is why get stuck with one individual and why not be flexible enough to see a larger picture…
The open fact is GANGULY FAILED TO LEAD HIS TEAM 2 TIMES…
He just won 2 man of the matches award and that came when the team had no chances to get into semi final stage….
and lastly from the great bong with love and affection…dated 20th march 2010..
https://greatbong.net/2010/03/20/a-royal-pasting/
Eat your words now and yes he really runs like an old dadu searching for his dentures in the dark haha..
utsav babu,
tum abhi bachche ho.. but achche bachche ho
duniya samajh nahi aati tumhe… jaldi se bade ho jao fir apun baate karenge
(actually maybe tab bhi not, coz u would have to grow up at a faster speed than me)
Anon aka Kishor
Anybody speaking anything against Ganguly is an anti national terrorist. Just remember what he has done for you in the past, you ungratefuls.
@popat-Well in that respect i want gavaskar in the team or i will suicide!!!He has done so much for us in past…
Dhruv bete, yeh sab sikhaya tha maine tujhe! “Teri ma ka saki naka!” (via Govinda’s nephew)
@ Dhruv
Ok sir. If you say so.
Even I am confused and shocked that why wasn’t Ganguly selected… I think its because of his ego.
kya sikhaya tha?
i think tum ek delusional bong ho jisse jh**nt barabar akal nahi…
kuchch bhi bakwaas! corner mai jake khade rah bsdk aur 1000 tak counting kar
susu aaye toh wahi kar pant mai
Are Jh***t ke baal. Itni bhi akal nahin apne baap ke saat baat karne ki?
Dhruv? kya tera baap ek “delusional” bong hain?
Anon @ jan 11 1033 am
Are you arguing just for the sake of it.
Was Gavaskar available for IPL ?? Ganguly certainly was.
‘Or perhaps he wants to move to Cuttack. Or Dhaka. In which case he can stay in Kolkata, since with the number of migrants we have from Bangladesh, it will become Dhaka in a few years, if not already.’
This was below the belt and reflects the typical urban middle class values- You all are SO SHOCKED when someone writes an article on Indians in the US (I remeber your critique on that guy who wrote a piece in the Time on the US getting Indinised) but hate migrants to your cities as much as those kind of westerners.
It’s such a farce and tragedy, this attitude.
Gaurav,
Its such a farce and tragedy, this attitude of people not being able to understand the difference between legal and illegal immigration. The problem with Joel Stein is that his hatred was against legal immigrants and he asked them to be killed (he said he supported dot-busters).
@popat-not for the sake of it,,,,but in response to your mushy argument that how ungrateful i am to forget what ganguly has done in the past….
but so has LARA for his country n he was available too…n so was Toestobe who won a match for his country one day back…..
why not cry for them too..
crib and crib and crib….
hahaha GB trying to cover up his lose ends with a technicality
legal illegal immigrants… hahaha
GB, u shouldnt try too hard to look sane sometimes
I mean for chrissakes you love Ganguly to the hilt, that is enough to throw all the sanity out of the window – for good.
hahaha
(BTW today Gangu-taily said hes bad at playing politics!! hahaha.. i think the world knows only his politics..and lil games that he has played after 2005)
this is another quality of gangu-taily and his supporters… they just defy all the common knowledge … donno how you guys do it
i still remember when ppl and reporters use to ask Gangu whats wrong with his form and why he has been playing bad … (esp during 2005 or so).. he used to say nothing is wrong.. u guys rnt checking facts properly!! hahaha
yeah whole world is fking stupid only u guys r right.
actually..let me make a blatant statement… the easiest state to talibanize (if it ever happened in india) would be yours!
and before u guys pounce at another frivolous technicality of “bad politics” he actually said he never did politics!! ha haha
here : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/Sourav-Ganguly-breaks-his-silence-over-IPL-snub/iplarticleshow/7292774.cms
Arnab: from your reply to Gaurav Singh above, you seem to suggest that hatred for immigrants is ok if they are illegal immigrants. Are we to take to it that you are basically against any individual whose only illegal act was that of crossing the border without permission, and even if he/she is a law abiding citizen otherwise? I’m wondering what your opinion is on that because there is some greyness in how unethical an act of illegal immigration can be seen to be.
For example, this blog post attempts to make some arguments in this context: http://cafehayek.com/2006/03/are_illegal_imm.html
(I do not disagree with you that large scale Muslim migration into India (legal or illegal) can quite possibly lead to, or is already leading to, various practical problems – my question is more general).
“re we to take to it that you are basically against any individual whose only illegal act was that of crossing the border without permission, and even if he/she is a law abiding citizen otherwise?”
YES. Anyone who crosses the border has already committed a crime. As to the link you sent what amazing powers of argument. Some laws are asinine. Hence all laws are asinine ! Bravo. Anyone who thinks “illegal immigration” is fine is always urged to give me their house address. I shall sneak into their house through the window, sit in their living room, watch TV and never leave. They should not have the right to call the cops or to even ask me to leave. I promise I wont set fire to their home or slit the throat of grandma.
I don’t think that the argument was meant to be such a generic “Some laws are asinine, hence all laws are asinine”. It was more like “The state defining an act to be illegal does not automatically imply that such act is inherently unethical, or that such definition is well advised or the best public policy”.
In this context, the spirit of this line of thinking is something like the following: migration for economic reasons has occured throughout history and is a normal human phenomenon. As regards the current US scenario, there is a significant shortfall in unskilled labor availability, which is largely being filled by millions of undocumented workers. That their immigration is illegal is because the US govt has not made available any visas or other legal means for them to come and work in the US legally. As such, one could say that the US govt bears more responsibility for the current situation as it’s current immigration/temporary worker policies are not realistic given the economic/labor market situation. So it may not be reasonable or realistic to adopt such a hardline stance against individuals who did cross the border illegaly but are otherwise law abiding.
(Interesting that you should make the commonly offered argument of comparing a country to a house – coincidentally the author of the same blog post wrote an article to show why that is not a very good analogy.
http://www.ilw.com/articles/2008,1218-boudreaux.shtm )