Return of the Dark Knight...!

Brendon Mccullum, whose name itself is enough to send down shivers across the opposition is the comeback guy for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The ex-captain of the same team in the 2rd edition of the IPL, he certainly knows the tricks of the trade. He has the record of highest run scored by an individual in a Twenty20 match to his name. The better part is that this score of 158 came for the same team, the Kolkata Knight Riders and that too in the very first match played in the history of IPL. McCullum singlehandedly gave the IPL the sort of high voltage start-up any business would cherish. One might say that with the presence of Brad Haddin, (also a classic wicket keeper batsman) in the side, and his not-so-brilliant performances in the recent past, there was no need of whiling away such a huge amount on him, but then as they say "Form is Temporary, Class is permanent"!

Moreover, another advantage of having a player of his stature on their side is that he has a got huge experience and a typically aggressive frame of mind, which is an extremely important element of any T20 match. He is also going to bring in the much needed stability in the side as they now have two regular world class openers in the form of Gautam Gambhir and Brendon Mccullum. Having played three years in this franchise it would not take him much time to adjust, and being the ex-captain, and a swashbuckling batsman he is certainly a big crowd puller too.

The other team players are also excited about him joining the side, as stated by Yusuf Pathan in the recent interviews “He will be a great boost to the team. He can score runs quickly at the top of the order and can keep wickets - an asset to any team. His inclusion will surely make KKR more formidable”. Another reason which for absorbing him in the squad is that there are no matches of New Zealand team during the IPL season and he will be available throughout. The critics might still find flaws with this selection as his earlier stint with the side was not a memorable one, barring a handful of innings. So, Brendon Mccullum would be hoping to put his criticisms to rest and prove that even after being on the wrong side of the thirties he can contribute handsomely with bat, and finally help them win the elusive IPL trophy

The Mystery Bowler..!!

The shy, lanky, unknown guy from the Caribbean was no doubt one of the most sought after players in the Indian premier League Auction 2012. Sold at 14 times his base price, the auctioneer had a hard time to carry out his bidding. From one franchise to another his hands just went going up and down and finally the hammer was put down by the 700,000$ bid by Kolkata KnightRiders! The slow right arm off break bowler who took all the ten wickets in a match in a trial match and got a call from Trinidad and Tobago, but did not get any match, however he proved to be a great pick in the inaugural edition of Champions League in 2009, with an average of 10.50.

Initially people did criticize Kolkata for their choice, but then after his good performances in the recently concluded Australia-West Indies ODI series, he has silenced all his critics. But the outcome of these performances might get him a berth in the West Indies test series as well, and if that actually happens, it is not going to work out well for the Kolkata Knight Riders who would certainly be having him in the thick of the plans. If we are to evaluate how important he is going to be for the team and whether spending so much on him was justified I would say that being a foreign players and with the limitation on the foreign players allowed to play in the side, he might not even get a game. With the likes of Brett Lee, Shakib Al Hasan, Jacques Kallis, Eoin Morgan, Ryan Doeschate, Brad Haddin, Brendon Mccullum, there are very thin chances of him being included in the playing eleven. But still, whatever be the case, the recent performances of Sunil Narine can totally justify his selection in the franchise.

All said and done, (I know I would sound a bit selfish here for the team), but then all the Kolkatans would be hoping that somehow Sunil Narine doesn't make it to the West Indies test squad and is available for selection for the Knights!

Signing Off,

Nirvaan Baid

Analysis of KKR..

Now, that I am done with the internship,let me put down all the blogs and the diary entries right here, site development you see..:P

KKR, the Kolkata Riders, are the strongest brand name in IPL and also financially the most profitable team. As the IPL 5 is nearing and the frenzy is reaching its top, let’s have a look at where they stand on the big platform. First of all let’s talk about the marketing mix adopted by the parent company Red Chillies entertainment. In the 1st four editions of the Indian Premier League they positioned themselves as the team who will fight till their last breath, till they succeed, come what may! I would say that they did fight out till the end but did not have much to their credentials to testify it. However, in this edition of the 5th IPL T20, they have come with a new marketing campaign of “New Dawn New Knights”. In an attempt to revamp their lost image and connect more with their home crowd they have repositioned themselves and their fresh team as the knights with a shining armor (well, in this case bats) of the new dawn. They have decided to cover up their cheer girls and they have taken a bold step (considering the fact that cheergirls are synonymous to glamor, pom poms and miniskirts) of draping them in full nine yards and make them sway to the tunes of Rabindra Sangeet. The flavor will also be improved with a fleet of dhakis, the Bengali drummers and traditional dancers. Even if this change doesn’t go down well with the beer-guzzling and the cuss words-mouthing young IPL followers, it is certainly bound to impress Mamata Didi and Co.

Apart from that the new look logo was also revealed by Shahrukh Khan, which retained the original purple and golden of the KKR’s. Now talking about the team, we have a very good and aggressive leader and captain in the form of Gautam Gambhir, A good, well balanced side some excellent batsmen in the top order, outstanding all rounders like Jacques Kallis, Ryan ten Doeschate and Shakid Al Hasan,  and of course some good seamers and spinners as well. The latest addition to the team, Brendon Mccullum, the dashing wicketkeeper batsman and the promising Sunil Narine also looks a great addition to the already good-looking side. The new coach Trevor Bayliss, under whose guidance Sri lanka went on to the finals of the ICC World Cup 2011, is also expected to improve the game of the Knights and bring stability to this side. I would in fact say, that barring maybe a few good seamers, we have arguably the best team on papers. But, to prove the same they will have to give themselves all out on the field. 

With a wonderful franchise owner like Shahrukh Khan and Jay Mehta, with the best marketing strategies, the Bollywood tie-ups, a huge home stadium, Eden gardens, and of course some of the best players in the world of this form of cricket, they have to deliver and at least aim to be in the top four.  Last year there was a bit of bashing by the fans, but they managed to bring them back to the stadium with a good overall performance. In the end, let us all keep our fingers crossed and hope they do emerge out to be the best team in the competition.

Signing off,
Nirvaan

My Childhood Rath...

No, I am not a follower of Lord Jagarnath, but then I loved to be a part of the Rath Yatra in my puerile days. Yes, it was amazing to have your own RATH!!There used to be a proper shopping session when me and my sister used to go out to buy a Rath, "No this is too small","This is too big", "There is no place for Lord to sit","The string is too short, I won't be able to pull it","The colour is so bad". Our Rath had to satisfy so many criteria. More than any religious festival, it was an occasion for us where we would be able to flaunt our newest possession.
Last night I saw a kid also running around with his, and all these thoughts just poured in. How stupid we were to have never understood the real significance of it (although our guardians did try explaining us, but I never bothered:P). That child was accompanied by his mother, and she too was trying to explain him the nuances of the festival, but I doubt he even gave an ear...Anyways now that I have grown up and am officially an adult, all these memories do come back and bring a smile on my face...

Signing Off,

Nirvaan Baid

The Insider...!!

Hi, this is Nirvaan from the Insider Gang for Coca Cola The Fan Station, and I am a part of the KKR squad. This used to be my opening link each time!! Sounds cool?? Well, it sure was. The fact that I was one of the squad members, chosen to represent the KKR squad itself was a big thing for me and made my chest swell with pride. Not to mention, my friends being jealous of me was the icing on the cake! Coming to the experience, I first want to say a big big THANK YOU to the Fanstation team for giving me such an opportunity and for a chance to interview THE SUNIL NARINE himself. Initially I blanked out and just blurted out whatever came to my mind. I could not hear anything he said and was actually having goose bumps seeing the likes of Jacques Kallis, Manoj Tiwary and Iqbal Abdulla from an arm's length.
What a feeling it was!!! People actually treat you as celebs and vie for you to get them on camera (although they were a bit disappointed on knowing that we were not from SET Max). In fact the Insider Gang gave me the license to talk to the most beautiful ladies (even in presence of their male friends and parents), without the fear of getting bashed up (so what if it was just about cricket:P). Had the privilege of watching Gayle and Dhoni live at the ‘mecca’ of cricket, asking fan to do crazy stuff, move around Kolkata, have writing sessions from Arvind, learn the tricks of the trade from the horse's mouth, from the people who know it all! A three day rigorous training session in Mumbai was hectic but was totally worth it and will always remain etched in my memory. Met some really wonderful people with whom I would always love to stay in touch with. Never in my wildest dream did I think I would be a part of a professional photo shoot session. There were times when we had to jot down the script on-the-spot, work behind the camera, persuade the people on the roads to do stuff, someone would normally never do, and all this was super fun. At times, I did feel, "how will I do this, I am not cut out for it", but then, Good or Bad, ultimately I did it, and that definitely is a good feeling. I do regret missing out on the last few days because of some other priorities, but then can’t help it.
So, in short, this was an experience of a life time and trust me these were the best days of life, (I also feel, that I am a lucky mascot for KKR, considering they reached the finals for the first time ;)).

Signing Off,

Nirvaan

Coca Cola Insider Gang