IPL-8: The crowds are loving it

There  is no demand/supply gap in cricket, if entertainment be the commodity in question. After the highs of the ICC World Cup, pulsating cricket is back with the Indian Premier League already in top gear. If the world's premier club tournament needed a single thrust to showcase its power and fire, it came on Saturday through Brendon McCullum's onslaught against SunRisers Hyderabad at the Chepauk.

The New Zealand captain showed once again what a punitive willow he uses as he whacked seven fours and nine sixes in the heat and humidity of the southern metropolis, with skipper MS Dhoni once again providing the final thrust he is known for. For the average cricket fan, the IPL is all about batting onslaughts and how it sends the crowd into raptures.

Fans in Chennai have been lucky they have already got to see their home team in prime form with the first win against Delhi Daredevils being a true gut-wrencher and the contest against Hyderabad once again underlining their supremacy. McCullum has been in rich vein of form all through the World Cup and it was only a matter of time before he did the same on the flat pitch in Chennai. Yet, what stood out in his batting on Saturday was the savage attack on a bowler like Trent Boult, off whom he scored 15 runs in one over. As for Dhoni the inspirational leader, he never looks tired and keeps going as if he is made of some different stuff.

On return from the World Cup, Dhoni did spend a few days at home and he was spotted with wife Sakshi and young daughter Ziva. But then you have to give credit to the man for his commitment to cricket and, more so, his IPL franchise in Chennai. At a time when the dirt and sleaze of the past editions of the IPL has not been forgotten, critics do tend to portray cricketers at times in poor light. Yet, Dhoni the cricketer has continued with the same passion, which is a reminder for us that whatever money a superstar like him makes cannot be grudged.

If you take a look at CSK again, it's a case of commitment from Suresh Raina as well. Only last week, Raina got married in New Delhi but there was no time for even a quick honeymoon as he had to be part of the team's campaign in the IPL.

So, while we may think the iconic cricketers have a good time in life, there are a few hard compromises they have to make in their personal lives. It's just one week since the IPL began but the response has been pretty good. Yes, people do talk about Paul Walker in Fast and Furious 7 and so on, but the serious talk is about IPL and how teams are shaping up. That brings us to Delhi Daredevils, a side which is in the process of rebuilding after the lows of IPL 7.

There has been a change in personnel and marquee players like Yuvraj Singh have been bought for a princely sum. In the first match, though Delhi came close to winning the match in Chennai, there were a few glitches with the batting order.

Yuvraj Singh batted at No. 6 and skipper JP Duminy at No. 7, which meant they got it all wrong even though they were chasing only a total of 150. The message is clear, there is no scope for tactical errors and should that happen, there is no chance for recovery. On Sunday, Delhi play Rajasthan Royals at home for the first time this season. Rajasthan won a good match against Kings XI Punjab on Friday and the momentum is with them. Home advantage on a Sunday evening is something Delhi will enjoy but they need to translate promises into results against this Rajasthan side, which does not have star value but is loaded with consistent performers.

Should Shane Watson play, he'll be the cynosure as he single handedly can change the complexion of a match. Delhi also showed the courage to play two leg spinners in Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir against Chennai.

To repeat the same against Rajasthan could be interesting, though everyone knows the boundary at the Kotla is much smaller. If Delhi need to learn from the batting order mistakes, the same applies for Kings XI Punjab as well. On Friday, James Faulkner hammered Mitchell Johnson for 20 runs in one over and the game turned.

It's already clear from this edition of the IPL there is no scope for a team to make mistakes. There were doubts if fans would suffer from a cricket overdose, but as of now it's clear the IPL remains as popular as ever.