The half way stage of IPL-2

Sorry people for not blogging these past few days. Been held up with a few things. Should be more regular now. So stay tuned!

Well we're at the half-way stage of the IPL with most teams having played 7-8 games. And for 7 of the 8 teams a semis birth still looks possible. We have an exciting couple of weeks ahead of us.

Chennai leads the table today. Yes the SUPER Super kings are on the rampage. They've won 3 games in a row. The momentum is all with them. And yes I'm a big fan. SO? It is the truth. Opponents Beware!
Dhoni has found his touch. Which means all the 'fast bowler raascaals' better 'mind it!'. With Vijay opening the line up and Jakati playing in place of Jogi Sharma the team has found the right balance. Things are looking good for Chennai. They have 6 games to go in the league stages and have to try and win 4 to ensure that they get in to the semis.
Mumbai is a team that's on-again, off-again. On certain days they look like they'll tear apart every other team. And on other days they look very ordinary. But with the likes of Tendulkar, Jayasuriya,Duminy, Bhajji and Malinga you can't afford to count them out.
Delhi and Deccan built momentum in the first few matches. But both have looked off colour their last few games. The top order in both teams has not performed consistently. Deccan especially relies too much on it's openers Gibbs and Gilchrist. These two teams are still among the best teams in the tournament with balanced sides and players in form. Delhi is probably the team of the tournament 'on form'.
Bangalore is a team inspired. Ever since Pietersen left the team has been playing brilliantly. Their win over Mumbai in the last game was just fantastic. Kumble has managed to bring spirit in to his boys and it shows with consistent performances on the field. Here's another team with momentum that should do well in the remaining games.
With Shane Watson returning to the Royals they are going to be a very formidable team. This team of under-dogs has so far managed to stay in the tournament by the skin of their teeth. I like these guys. They look short in every department of the game except fielding and spirit. I hope they make it to the semis.
Punjab should benefit from the returning Aussies. James Hopes and Simon Katich definitely add strength to what was already a good team. The main worry for this team though is the bowling. Irfan has lacked consistency. Yusuf Abdullah has been quite exceptional and he's the main reason that these boys are still in the tournament.
Ah and finally the Knights in shining armour. Right now this team is so down on luck that it couldn't win the lottery even if they bought all the tickets. The team is plagued by internal politics and rivalries. And the fault for all this lies squarely with coach Buchanan. He's wrecked the team. Technically they could still make it to the semis by winning all their matches. However, keeping technicalities aside, that looks a far possibility.