Page 139 - IPL 2

You fi nished Season 2, the league stage at the top of the table. You must have been confi dent that this time the title could be yours.
I will not hide the fact that we were a little disappointed at not making it to the fi nals in Season 2 in South Africa, especially after our
build-up to that semi-fi nal. But we took it in our stride, and not to our heart in the spirit of true sportsmanship. For this I am grateful
to IPL, which taught us to be sporting and supportive of the team, irrespective of the situation, be it a win or a loss. I plan to write a
synopsis on this lesson and share the learnings with all my senior leaders in the company. It is very important to be confi dent even if
you lose and how to maintain the decorum irrespective. DELHI DAREDEVILS

“ That semi fi nal, you ran into Adam and on that day – and it was his day. Owners: GMR Group
Well, what can one say about that innings of Adam Gilchrist. He was simply unstoppable. While I felt sorry for my boys for the sheer GM Rao
effort they put on the fi eld, I could not help but admire the way Gilly played. His sheer dominance of the match was simply breath Kiran Rao
taking. But in the fi nal he was out early in the innings. How I wished he had got out early in his encounter with the Delhi Daredevils. Chairman: Srinivas Bommidala
But that is the game of cricket - unpredictable and exciting. But I take heart at the fact that DD has been consistent in both Seasons 1
and 2, though a tad unlucky. I am confi dent that the IPL 2010 will be the year of the Delhi Daredevils. Captain: Virender Sehwag

Some commentators and cricket experts have said that DD has been unlucky, despite good performances, because of the format since Players (in alphabetical order):
it is a league. They have suggested some changes to the format itself. What are your thoughts on this?
I have been talking to the IPL Governing Council & the IPL team and going forward I think there should be some kind of format like that Rajat Bhatia
in the English Premier League, wherein the winner will not be decided with one knock out game. I think play offs are a better option Paul Collingwood
and would give others teams in the IPL a better chance to try for the championship. How else can anyone explain the fact that the Delhi Tillakaratne Dilshan
Daredevils won 10 out of their 14 league matches and still did not make it to the fi nals because it lost in the semi-fi nals to one man – Gautam Gambhir
Adam Gilchrist? Dinesh Karthik
Farveez Maharoof
Talking about player spirit, this year Glenn McGrath did not fi nd a place in the playing 11. But one still saw him helping the younger Yo Mahesh
players. He always had a smile on his face and even ran out with water. Mithun Manhas
What can you say about Glenn? He is defi nitely a legend and a very humble one at that. I am glad that fans of the Delhi Daredevils Andrew McDonald
welcomed Glenn with open arms and this signifi es the huge popularity he enjoys in India. In spite of not being in the playing 11, he Glenn McGrath
constantly nurtured the younger talent in DD and goaded them to improve their performances. And that, in a nutshell, is the brilliance Amit Mishra
of the man for you. Yogesh Nagar
Dirk Nannes
How did you react when you heard that the IPL was moving to South Africa? Ashish Nehra
I remember when Lalit called and said, “Srini, I need some help from you. And if you actually agree as a corporate and a good friend, I Aavishkar Salvi
think most of the people would follow. I am calling you fi rst and I will be happy if you can.” Pradeep Sangwan
Owais Shah
I said, “Boss, you are calling as IPL Commissioner, not as a friend and if you have anything to say and it is important to shift to ensure Manoj Tiwary
we have the games then I am all for it.” Daniel Vettori
AB De Villiers
Then he asked if I had any preferences and I said anywhere on earth, any cricketing playing nation wherever he thought it will be good David Warner
for all the stadiums and all the people and the owners, I am fi ne with it. Lalit was happy with my response and then informed all the Tejashwi Yadav
other franchises. Umesh Yadav

There was a lot of cooperation and support from South Africa. Coach: Greg Shipperd
Yes, there was and we are grateful to all of South Africa for being such gracious hosts. Everyone welcomed us with open hearts and
this set the tone for the event. From President Zuma’s offi ce to the stadia level, everyone was so supportive and I think that it also Support Staff:
made a difference to their economy, which was good in a recessionary year. In a touching gesture Zuma’s offi ce got the South African David Saker Justin Steer
High Commission in India to issue visas within 48 hours to the family of my chief security offi cer, who underwent an emergency heart Trent Woodhill Rob Walters
surgery. Someone from IPL called Zuma’s offi ce and they called and got the High Commission opened to get the visa so the entire family Aashish Kapoor TA Sekar
could get to South Africa in 48 hours.

What Lalit has done is make the impossible possible and what an achievement that was! To put it all together in a matter of three
weeks and then run it more than successfully with no security lapse was very good. “ “

We also got a chance to spend time with the other owners and I am happy to have come back with more who I can call my friends.

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