NPL- Nikipedian Premier League

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FINALLY…… the event that everyone has been eagerly waiting for is here! The much hyped NPL promises to be a very exciting prospect, one that can generate a lot of interest among VTU students all over. The seven teams that are taking part in this 6-match extravaganza are:

• Bounce-Back Champions (BBC)- Nikhil is the team owner and captain of this team, which is, by far, the underdog in this competition.

• USP Thunderbolts (UT)

• SE Warriors (SW)

• MIS Monsters (MM)

• CN Terminators (CT)

• MC Bulldozers (MB)

• PSQ Gladiators (PG)

Each match will be played between BBC and the other six teams. Among the 6 teams, the team with the highest points/net run rate at the end will win the league, in case BBC doesn’t win. For BBC to get the series in their bag, they need to win atleast 4 out of their 6 matches, or win 3 and have a superior run-rate. The NPL is scheduled to start on the 23rd of June, and ends on the 4th of July. The match fixtures are as follows:-

23.6.08 – BBC vs UT

25.6.08 – BBC vs SW

27.6.08 – BBC vs MM

30.6.08 – BBC vs CT

2.7.08 – BBC vs MB

4.7.08 – BBC vs PG

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Match 1:- Bounce-Back Champions vs USP Thunderbolts

Match summary :-

USP Thunderbolts :- 70

Bounce-Back Champions :-55

Match Analysis:-

A not so confident and thoroughly under-prepared Bounce-Back team had to face a pretty bad defeat at the hands of the USP Thunderbolts, in conditions which were favourable for their style of writing. The main cause of their defeat is reported to be their fatalistic attitude in the preparation stage, which resulted in them not facing the complete quota of 5 questions.

Man Of The Match:-

Question 5 from UT, for drilling the BBC batsmen in the end, making sure that they got all out soon.

Words from the captain of BBC:-

We were very negative in our attitude towards the match, mainly because our preparation levels were way below par. We need to pull up our socks now and ‘bounce back’ in the next match, if we have to be in this competition. A few changes in our strategies and our team line-up may be possible for the next match.

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Match 2:- Bounce-Back Champions vs SE Warriors

Match summary :-

SE Warriors :- 70

Bounce-Back Champions :- 50

Match Analysis:-

Another huge loss for the Champions, and they face the prospects of an early exit from the competition. They were off to a reasonable start, but lost their way after the second question. A few rash shots played at the end put the final nail in their coffin.

Man Of The Match:-

A lot of potential candidates for this award, but it was question 3 from SW, because of the excellent run rate and for keeping the batsmen down to less than 10 marks.

Words from the captain of BBC:-

It was another bad day at the office, and we have ourselves to blame for this defeat. We are in a must-win situation now, but we will be taking one match at a time and not worrying about the rest of the competition, as it will unfold in due course.

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Match 3:- Bounce-Back Champions vs MIS Monsters

Match summary :-

MIS Monsters :- 70

Bounce-Back Champions :-71

Match Analysis:-

Finally, the Champions opened their account in the league! One could see a remarkable change in their attitude, as they went out looking hungry for a victory …it was not a very easy win, as it was a big ground and scoring boundaries became difficult in the middle overs (paper was lengthy!), but they managed to reach the target in the 5 questions. This win is a huge confidence-booster for the Champions, and just at the right time!

Man Of The Match:-

Q 2 for the Champions, for scoring a perfect 20.

Words from the captain of BBC:-

We are finally off the mark, and its a great relief ! A change in attitude is what did the trick for us…I think our batsmen did a good job and showed a lot of character today, as it wasn’t easy batting under such conditions, and we hope to carry this momentum into the second round of the competition

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Match 4:- Bounce-Back Champions vs CN Terminators

Match summary :-

CN Terminators :- 70

Bounce-Back Champions :-40

Match Analysis:-

The biggest ever loss recorded in the history of NPL! The Champions had no plan of attack, and that was evident, as the very dominant Terminators demolished their team in no time… this loss puts the Champions out of contention for the trophy…all they have to play for now is pride…

Man Of The Match:-

Jointly shared by LAN and OSPF, for taking hat-tricks of consecutive overs!

Words from the captain of BBC:-

I have no words to express our disappointment….things did not go our way right from the beginning. Full credit to the Terminators for their clinical performance today. We have to somehow pull ourselves up and play well in our remaining matches, and try to level the series.

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Match 5:- Bounce-Back Champions vs MC Bulldozers

Match summary :-

Bounce-Back Champions :-71

MC Bulldozers :- 60

Match Analysis:-

Another bounce-back made by the Champions! After a forgettable match against the Terminators. the Champions came back strongly against the Bulldozers, who were favourites to win this series! …a solid opening partnership laid the foundation for a more than decent total for BBC, as they managed to restrict MB to only 60.

Man Of The Match:-

The classy Huffman coding for the Champions, for the brilliance and style shown with the bat.

Words from the captain of BBC:-

It feels good to beat the team that was most feared in this series…gives us back the self-belief , which we had lost somewhere in the last few matches….we need to carry this to our next match, and try to end the series on a high

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Match 6:- Bounce-Back Champions vs PSQ Gladiators

Match summary :-

PSQ Gladiators :- 85

Bounce-Back Champions :-40

Match Analysis:-

Luck eluded the Champions again, as they became victims of some very poor umpiring decisions. Inspite of a decent practice session prior to the match, the Champions had to face a humiliating defeat, thanks to some unfair play from the opposition and the umpires. Sources say that there might be an official complaint to VTU, as the match was just not played in the right spirit!

Man Of The Match:-

Collectively shared by all questions.

Words from the captain of BBC:-

Well, there is nothing much I can say after today’s match. We have had a pretty low-key series, and would like to believe that the worst is over. A long and arduous series against CAT is ahead of us, and we want to focus on giving our best there….there were a lot of lessons learnt from the first version of NPL, and we’ll surely Bounce-Back during the next one!

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With this, we come to the end of what has been a pretty eventful season of the inaugural NPL. Hope you all had a nice time reading through. Keep visiting Optimistically Pessimistic for newer posts. Till we meet next time, its goodbye from the studios

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