After 44 days of hype, glamour, glitter and non-stop cricketing action it's time to figure out what kind of footprints the DLF-IPL will leave. Look at it any way, it was a hit - full stadiums, soaring TRP's and the odd controversies that helped this new version of cricket take rapid strides in its very first year. Just by the sheer magnitude of interest it has become the flagship tournament of Indian domestic cricket. But is it good news or bad news? The answer lies with the BCCI. We have heard the positives of the IPL and how it can change the dynamics of Indian cricket. Not many critics and commentators have chosen to look at the flip side. No matter how good the medicine may be, there are always some side effects. Ignore them and you are inviting new problems. The first thing the BCCI needs to ensure is that the IPL...

Dear BCCI, This is addressed to each and everyone of you. Knowing how busy you must be with your new baby, the IPL, I considered it best not to address individuals as it might miss the target. Having read all the newspapers this morning and having watched most of the news channels, I notice that none of you - including Board president Sharad Pawar, media savvy secretary Niranjan Shah and the ever ready vice president Rajeev Shukla - had the time to release a statement to congratulate Anil Kumble on achieving 600 Test wickets. It seems impossible - most of you are ready to give sound bites or reactions to any and everything, including the presence of Shahrukh Khan at a cricket venue, but what happens when the gentle giant of Indian cricket reaches a monumental landmark...? Total silence. No congratulatory messages, no promises of grand cash prizes and certainly no Audis or Porsches being announced for this Rolls Royce of...

Whenever Aussies complained about some has said something to them or sledged them, my first reaction is look who's talking. Yes Aussies are World Champions, yes they have taken their game to new level and the gulf between them and other teams is increasing by the day. But on the other side of the coin their reputation on and off the field is in tatters. This is the side which has tried best to get official approval from the world for sledging or to say it in Steve Waugh's language, mental disintegration. This is the side which won't spare Mother Teresa if she is padded-up and got some runs against them. Just go back to recent history and you will find incidences of Glenn McGrath telling Sanath Jayasuriya 'black monkey' or fighting boorishly with Ramnaresh Sarwan. They know how to win but after that they don't have the decency to shake hands with their opponents. Anil Kumble kept waiting after loosing...

The cricket series has reached Faisalabad, the third largest city of Pakistan also called the Manchester of Pak and famous for its textile industry. The Late Nusarat Fateh Ali Khan belonged to this city, Pakistan hockey legend Shahbaz Ahmed calls it home and Cricket great Kapil Dev started his Test journey from here. Sachin Tendulkar got his first 50 on these grounds in 1989. MS Dhoni got his first Test hundred here. And you know what? That new boy RP Singh made his Test debut in this city too. Have I missed anything? Sorry, if I have. I am looking for reasons to live in this city. The city has a dusty look with crowded markets and our hotel can challenge any shady hotel in Paharganj. Just for your information, our hotel, the Sandal Bar Inn, is the second best place in town. The best is occupied by cricket teams, officials and the people who have 'contacts'. Basically, this city is...