Just looking at how it went,  as an once insider and now an outsider, I could say, all who involved did a great job. There seems to be a great deal of discipline in the way the matches are conducted, the introduction on great new ways to expose the idea of SPL and the quality of play which reflected on the team and individual performances
There might be a lot I might have missed on the ground and in-person, but would like to quote a few here that I read through, for history to remember the good work
1. Excellent guide-lines for the matches. Kudos to Kamal on sending the match update regulary. He made sure everyone reads it by leaving out peoples name, copy-pasting old match info etc occasionally.
2. Excellent updates and heads-up from Balaji. I still keep wondering how he got the time to get this stuff out. Neat and professional.
3. Whoever got the idea of the RED team BLUE team concept, it seems to have worked well. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the first live match
4. Part issues due to my internet connection, I couldnt watch all matches live. Kudos to Thomas for this beautiful idea. Whats the inside story of the name “searchskullz”, quite odd and scary with that “mandai odu clock”
5. The refined website for SPL by Vinodh. Getting it better every year.
6. The format and fixutes are more clear than last year and believe the weather helped out too on almost all days.

Having said the above, I saw less of funny leg-pulling email chains and especially the ones usually used to happen the day before the match. It wasnt totally absent but far less than previous years. That was the real fun part of the SPL but missing that, SPL seems to be gearing towards a serious venture. (Pardon me, if those fun got transferred to on-field which obviously I had missed)

With winter right on the corner, hope the indoor sport fixture continues @ 3D this season too and all the very best for SPL2011. Hope Uncle Sam gives his go-ahead for me to be there in person if not 2012 but at least the SPL2013.

footnote: With all aspects of an IPL already ventured out in SPL in terms of team owners, bidding, dedicatd website, team jerseys, agressive fixture/format, stringent guidelines, live webcast, midnight parties (guess SPL is the pioneer in this one) and with Kamal throwing out the betting for the finals, any idea of cheerleaders for next year ? Bala Gopi … i heard u had an idea

Lagaan 2009 hoisted the SPL 2009 cup defeating Wonder Blues by 11 runs.

Wonder blues won the toss and elected to field. Getting enough help from the key batsmen Sakthi, Oli and Anbu Lagaan 2009 posted a decent 83 runs challenging the Wonder blues batting line up. With steady start from Kumar, Kannan and quick runs from Rajesh, Jayan Wonder Blues were on top until 15 overs and then conceding quick wickets to wrap up only 72 runs in the end. Siva took 3 wickets for Lagaan 2009 during the final wrap up and Snow took 3 wickets for Wonder blues breaking the partnership of Sakthi and Gopi in a single over.

Sakthi (21), Oli (14), Thomas (12) and Anbu (11) took the top scores for Lagaan 2009 and Kumar(19), Rajesh (15) and Jayan (13) made the top scores for Wonder Blues.

With the end of 2009 season for SPL, below are the top 20 rankings

1. Kumar – MVP of SPL 2009 with a good temperament in batting and a steady bowling, well known for his stylish shots

2. Gopi – Top batsman for SPL 2009 with good agressive batting and run making well know for his “Yes, Yes”

3. Rajesh – Aggressive batting, lofty bowling, quick fielding, close keeping and very good morale booster

4. Sakthi – Powerful shots and fierce bowling. It takes not just the bat, but the entire body to stop the balls from meeting stumps.

5. Thiyagu – Top bowler of 2009. Tricky bowling and keen fielding

6. Jayan – High clearance shots and powerful drives. Good fielding in the deep.

7.  Kannan – The best stroke maker and proved to be the best opening batsman.

8.  Balaji – Deadly with the spin bagging 1 wicket less than the top bowler.

9. Zenith – Straight to sticks bowling

10. Sachin – Dot balls are his favourite and he makes sure his overs are full of that.

11.  Yuvraj – Very good behind the stumps

12. Anbu – Good stroke maker and a dependable batsman

12. Kamal – Patient and dependable batsman

14. Austin – Good opening batsman

15. Oli – Very good fielder and good stroke making batsman

16. Janaki - Agressive fielder

17.  Snow – Slow bowler to tempt the shot making batsman

18. Vinod – Good batsman

18. Thomas – Magic batting and bowling during the final overs

20. Siva – Slower bowler with tempting balls for batsman

For detailed scores, visit www.spllive.com

“Who is the coach of Indian Team ?”

And the answer is “Gary Kirsten”

If you didn’t catch what the point is here, read the question again..just coach of Indian Team…no mention of Cricket.

I guess it has become generally accepted that India plays only Cricket and there is no other sports or games played.

There are people who I meet or hear (sometimes on TV or through books, magazines) who talk so highly of Science and its importance in human life, they consider faith in GOD to be barbaric or uncivilized act.

They consider themselves to be not attached to any form of religious faith and think that Darwin’s theory of evolution (note: “theory”) and Big Bang theory of formation of universe to be the definitive idea.

I am not a science-hater. Eventhough I find most science articles and information to be deeply intriguing, I never allow science to challenge my faith in GOD.

When most science-huggers debate on how GOD made the world, I am not sure how they blindly accept Darwin’s theory of an Ape becoming a Man, because why then a Donkey did not evolve into something closer to Human kind or the question of whether Humans will evolve into something else ever came into discussion ?

But anyway just by not agreeing with Darwin’s theory people may argue with me of not understanding the basics of evolution, I just think..

“Science as the human form of understanding very few of the smallest work of GOD” …and nothing more PERIOD.

- Tiger Army and Jersey Knights gave way for Striking Stars and Worder Blues to play the Semi’s

- Bucking Bulls followed the path leaving way for Lagaan 2009

- Just got to know from our secretary that the “Cruuucial” match between Golden panthers and Team-X-treme will be played  coming saturday

- Its just so hot this August and hopefully it stays the same through september for the semi’s and finals.

- Full score-cards and stats on www.spllive.com

http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/batting_highscores1.jpg
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/batting_mostruns1.jpg
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/bowling_mostwkts1.jpg
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/bowling_bbi1.jpg
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/fielding_mostdis1.jpg

Here are the match scores and the top spots in Bowling and Batting

http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/m1_i11.pdf
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/m1_i21.pdf
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/m2_i11.pdf
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/m2_i21.pdf
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/top-score.jpg

Jersey Knights was captained by Sakthi and Thiyagu lead Sriking Stars. Winning both the toss, Thiyagu lead Striking Stars to a comfortable 2-0 win to take the lead in the Group A points table. 

Click on links below for the scorecard and stats.

http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/m1_i1.pdf
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/m1_i2.pdf
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/m2_i1.pdf
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/m2_i2.pdf
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/batting.jpg
http://thenali.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/bowling.jpg

As everyone speculated, this movie’s story resembles with “Main Hoon Na” on the part where the older hero on an authoritative role going to college on an official mission and falls in love with the professor. But it differs in “for what mission the hero goes to the college”.

The nice-things about the movie,

1. A decent masala flick with all the ingredients (sentiment, stunt, comedy, romance etc)
2. After a long time, Ajith in his charming act
3. Again, after a long time, no punch dialogues from Ajith (except for the one which he delivers in his introduction scene…)
4. Stunt sequences are well choreographed (smooth and interesting to watch, not so jerky acrobatic stuffs)
5. No unnecessary graphics and CGI stuffs (at least not the kind where dolphin jumps in a river)
6. Good, matured romance sequences between Nayantara and Ajith
7. All songs even if not so catchy to listen, so entertaining to watch, colorful, well choreographed and Ajith dances well too, with quite a few fast steps.
8. Comedy is decent and no vulgarities.

 Things in the movie that could have been done better

1.  Villain could have been spiced up a bit. May be Suman is not the right choice. He looks more of a clown than a villain (he did not suit as villain in “Sivaji” either)
2. Comedy scenes involving Jeyaram and Soman could have been cut down or may be thought through. Some scenes make us yaaawn.
3. The unnecessary story involving Ajith’s past and Suhasini. Not a good addition. Too much for one movie with so many masala stuffs. Could have used that time for some romance scenes between Nayantara and Ajith
4. Climax is too short and trivial compared to the opening scene for Ajith.

 My verdict:

 This movie is not a milestone in history or a “different” movie with “different” story or social cause.

 A nice feel good entertainer of the type of “Vikram”, “Kaaki chattai”, “Manidhan”; the type of masala movie we don’t see often these days.

Finals need equally poised teams and nail-biting finishes. Both of them were no less in the finals between “Chennai stars” and “Minnal”. Having to skip the first Saturday after the second semi-finals in-lieu-of long weekend and the second Saturday afterwards due to hurricane Hanna, the teams were die-hard to play and get over with it on September 13th. Even with the previous day’s few but steady showers dampening the usual “sand” pitch, the teams decided to take the finals on the new “grass” pitch. Pitch report was obviously pointing to the fact that it’s going to be unevenly bouncy and not so predictable, but this time the off-side and on-side are equally balanced in length and breadth and what we saw was a finals on the “ovals”

Pre-game meetings between the team included a “Jersey” wearing ceremony with “Minnal” donning the “grey jersey” and the “Chennai stars” the “black jerseys”. Dozens of doughnuts were devoured and coffees poured into the stomach to get the extra glucose needed for the fiery finals.

First match:

“Minnal” won the toss and going by the pitch report, they resorted to a safe decision by electing to bowl. “Chennai stars” did not have a choice but to test with the “grass” pitch. First five overs were haunting for “Chennai stars” as the wickets started falling apart with score not ticking. One end was secured and the other end seemed to be dangling. Then they slowly recovered, holding up with a couple of good partnerships, few over the boundaries and some quick running between wickets. When they are done, they had scored a comfortable 82 runs.

“Minnal” started of quickly scoring a bunch of runs in the second over utilizing the part time bowlers which “Chennai stars” had to use. But the momentum slowly diminished when they lofted the balls for sixes which in turn ended up in the hands of the fielders in the boundary. They fell short by 11 runs and thus handing over the first match win to “Chennai stars”.

Second match:

Here again, “Chennai stars” failed (or luck enough) to win the toss and but this time they had to field first. “Minnal” gave a steady start cruising up 65 in 15 overs. “Chennai stars” batted up to win the match and take the trophy but got holed up in giving quick wickets, and the credit goes to the tight bowling and fielding by “Minnal”. Match ended up with the obvious result of extending the game to a third match decider even though a quick sprinter in the end didn’t help “Chennai stars”

Third match:

This is a short one, with 8 overs for each team, a miniature version of 20/20. Again, “Minnal” won the toss elected to bat and utilized the tired “Chennai stars” to make quick doubles and daring running between the wickets to raise the stake to 51 runs for the cup. “Chennai stars” responded well, even with wickets falling off. The boosters came in the way of some good boundaries and sixes in the middle order, taking them to the trophy in the last over.

Awards:

Winners of SPL trophy: Chennai Stars

Austin, Balaji, Gopi, Govind, Jayan (c), Kamal, Kumar, Lakshu, Prasath, Raja, Ramadoss, Siva, Snowsson, Thiyagu, Zenith

Runner-up: Minnal

Anbu (c), Janaki, Martin, Oli, Prakash, Raghu, Rajesh, Rajkumar, Sachin, Sakthi, Senthil, Sriram, Yuvaraj

Best Batsman of the tournament: Sakthi

Best Bowler of the tournament: Gopi

Best All-rounder of the tournament: Thiyagu

Tournament score card

Finals photos