The player of the match after the first two contests on day one of the IPL second edition that made a hasty exit from the sub-continent to the rainbow nation seems to be a pretty good indicator of what we can expect from the rest of the tournament. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid stole the show on the first day with Warne, Kumble, Hayden, Vettori and Murali then following with five star performances. Quality cricket will matter in this version of the IPL; unlike the mindless slogging of the last edition. The ball will take in this edition and at the end of the day true quality will shine through; unless the sun decides to suddenly come out and shine!

The cheerleaders are back and this time there is no moral policing to keep them under drapes- quite literally. That seems to bring about a refreshing change and one less headache for both the organizers and the ever-dancing cheerleaders. The spectators seem to enjoy themselves and Twenty20 is back at its unabated best. At the moment the Chargers’ cheerleaders are leading the race on off-field attractions (read as distractions), with the Bangalore gals hot on their skirts!

There is surely a lot more to cricket nowadays than just the batting and the bowling!