Time for Cat to play the role of Mouse

Match no. 23:  RR vs MI on 17/4/13

The cat was asked to play the role of mouse and it did so obligingly. That is one way of describing the loss of MI to RR by 87 runs in a 20 overs game, in the present day shamelessly staged cricket, duly accepted and applauded by the world. One wonders what for ACSU exists, and how blind and shameless a body can be! Last few games compete immensely with each other in blatant display of staged cricket, and though it may be difficult to decide the winner, the last game between PWI and SRH should get the cake.

Let us briefly talk about this match. I couldn't watch most of this match, especially how Mumbai battled to bat. But that may not matter much. The MI were hot favourites before start, with such a strong team on paper and their showing in their last few matches, with odds of about 1.55 in their favour. First their strong bowling failed to allow RR to amass 179 runs, and then their such strong batting flopped completely to be out for 92 runs. If thorns grew on the pitch during the break between the two innings, one won't know.

How would such a match have helped the fixers? With the earlier displays by MI, and the commentators continuously reminding the viewers about their awesome batting and bowling potential, the majority of punters would have continuously expected MI to stage a comeback, first while bowling, more while batting, and would have continued to place bets against RR and backing MI with increasingly tempting odds. With the script as it was, they never got chance to make good their losses, resulting in heavy gains for the fixing syndicate (must have been so).