*** Rahul Dravid's Rajasthan Royals - Halla Bol ***

Rajasthan Royals -- Winners of the Inaugural Edition of IPL in 2008

Rajasthan Royals (Hindi: राजस्थान रॉयल्स) is a franchise cricket team based in Jaipur that played in the IPL. The team is led and coached by Shane Warne. The team's mascot is a lion named Moochu Singh. The team anthem, 'Halla Bol' is sung by Ila Arun. The promotional video that aired on national networks before and during the first edition of the IPL was directed by Indrajit Nattoji of Blink Pictures. Leicestershire spinner Jeremy Snape signed on with the Rajasthan Royals as their high-performance coach and team psychologist. They became the champions of the inaugural IPL tournament in 2008. The IPL has terminated the agreement with Rajasthan Royals on 10th October 2010 along with Kings Punjab for violations in agreement and breach of contract on the part of the franchise. BCCI president Shashank Manohar made clear that this expulsion is permanent and owners would not be given second chance. Despite this statement the BCCI lost court cases against the Royals and decided to stop legal action and allowed them to participate in IPL 2011 along with Kings XI Punjab.

Rajasthan Royals Well-Wishers in the Hub:

1. Puli
2. Riyazz
3. Satish
4. VinodKumar

Rajasthan Royals with the IPL trophy in 2008

Fierce competitors and stalwarts of the game who are going to turn up for the same team in 2011

Owner/Brand Ambassadors Shilpa and Shamita Shetty -- enna panradhu Operation Theatre-layum masala kekkuraango :noteeth:

Rajasthan Royals - A Recap

2008 IPL Season

Prior to the start of the inaugural IPL season, many considered the Royals as possibly the weakest team in the IPL, giving them little chance of competing well in the tournament. Evidence of the latter opinion seemed to be confirmed when the team lost its first match against the Delhi Daredevils in a 9 wicket loss. However the Royals won their next game by defeating the Kings XI Punjab and continued to win the next five games in a row. The Royals built up an impressive 11-3 record after their fourteen premilinary round matches; this included a consecutive 5-game and 6-game winning streak with an undefeated record on their home ground and a spot at the top of the points table. They were also the first team to book a place in the semifinals with their 65 run win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Shane Warne's captaincy and simultaneous coaching was praised and well received by everyone, including opposition teams. In addition, many players of the Royals team had consistently played well. The Royals secured a place in the finals with a victory against the Delhi Daredevils.
The Rajasthan Royals became the winner of the first IPL tournament, when they defeated the Chennai Super Kings by 3 wickets in the final played on 1 June 2008. With the scores level with one ball remaining, Sohail Tanvir scored the winning run and therefore prevented the match from being decided on a bowl out.
Each player and representative on the team was awarded a medal and the team was presented with the DLF Indian Premier League trophy along with a cheque for US$ 1.2 million prize money. Many of the Royals' players also took home individual awards for their performance during the tournament; Yusuf Pathan claimed the Man of the Match award for the final match, Sohail Tanvir finished the tournament in possession of the Purple Cap (the IPL's leading wicket taker) and Australian all-rounder Shane Watson was declared the Man of the Series.

2009 IPL Season

The Royals did not have a good start during the 2009 season. In their opening game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who were second last in 2008, the Royals obtained the lowest score in the tournaments history. Rajasthan started to gain momentum slowly with Yusuf Pathan's explosive performances in victories against Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils giving hope to the Royals and their fans. However, inconsistency became a major factor; much was expected of South African captain Graeme Smith who was playing in front of his home crowd and who in last season's scored 441 runs, he together with Swapnil Asnodkar were not able to string together strong consistent performances. The absence of previous year's stars Sohail Tanvir and Shane Watson was also a major factor. Tanvir was not eligible in this season due to the political strain between India and Pakistan, and Watson was called up to play for Australia in the series against Pakistan in the UAE. Many also considered the sending of Mohammad Kaif back to India a poor decision as his batting could have contributed to the team's batting performance. The Royals failed to make it to the semifinals after losing their last two matches against Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders.

2010 IPL Season

Rajasthan started the season looking to emulate their success in 2008 but suffered a three game losing streak at the start of the tournament. They bounced back well with a four game winning streak but they were knocked out after a defeat against the Kolkata Knight Riders in their final game of the third season of the IPL.

Not over till the fat laddie leads

More than a year after retiring from international cricket, Shane Warne had captained the underdogs of the IPL to top of the table. And everyone is bewitched.


"In the world there can be only one Taj Mahal. Similarly, there can only be one Shane Warne."
Dinesh Salunkhe, the Rajasthan Royals legspinner who is yet to play first-class cricket, declares his captain one of the wonders of the world


"It shows that when you play under good captains you tend to pick up a lot of good leadership qualities and instincts. Warne has, I think, benefited from playing under good captains and he is very much in control of things in the IPL."
Younis Khan, a Royals signing who hasn't played for the side yet, applauds from the sidelines


"You can study psychology for as long as you want, but he has lived it."
Jeremy Snape, the Royals' assistant coach and holder of a degree in psychology


"Not only has he led the cheapest franchise to the top of the table ... he has cajoled his team's unheralded youngsters and - even more difficult, this - almost convinced everyone that he is now best mates with Graeme Smith."
Lawrence Booth highlights Warne's key achievement, in the Guardian


"He is a great player and he leads from the front. He has done a great job in putting the team together and motivating them to give their best."
Glenn McGrath has a few words of praise for an old mate


"His captaincy creed, 'We can win from any position,' is like the common cold - it's contagious. If a team under Warne pulls off a stunning victory or two, the players start to believe that it wasn't a miracle, just an everyday occurrence."
For Ian Chappell, Warne is the best captain Australia never had


"Even a long break from the game doesn't seem to faze him."
Rahul Dravid, one of the other captains in the tournament, salutes :notworthy:


"Incredibly, his devotion to the team, and especially to the young players in it, even includes learning the Hindi language so he can communicate better - and not just the Namaste [G'day] that is about as far as most expatriates living in India can go. Example: "Ab tu jaake batting kar" [Now you go and bat], Warnie the linguist was heard telling Ravindra Jadeja during a net session the other day with such nonchalance that he never turned to see if anyone noticed."
Bruce Loudon in the Australian details Warne's efforts to bond with his team

Reserved for posting the Picture with IPL 2011 Cup :ashamed:.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Plum

puLi, nAn vENA threat open paNNattumA Rajsthanukku?

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Thanks Plum. naane open pannitten. RR has purchased Dravid :yes:. iyaam very happy :D.

Me to dravid . . Kalakunga thalaiva..

I'm outside support for RR :)

Riyazz & Satish, welcome welcome. unga perai ellaam Fans list-la add pannitten :mrgreen:.

innaikku Dravid-a edutha RR Owners+think tank-ku oru :notworthy:. edho 2-3 Dravid fans-aavadhu inga vandhu povaaingannu nenaikkaren. illainna Honest-u thread maadhiri E otta vendi irundhurukkum :D.

Dravid is a good pick...good value addition :)

Dravid as Warne's allakkai :hammer:
ErkanavE Rajasthanna AgAdhu.

Plum,

Warne a bigger cricketer than Dravid..it doesnt sound odd

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Originally Posted by Plum

Dravid as Warne's allakkai :hammer:
ErkanavE Rajasthanna AgAdhu.

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Plum, allakkai-nu eduthukkkaadheenga. Dravid will be the Batting Captain. If a giant size ego like Smith can play well with Warne, then the ultimate team man Dravid would no doubt play well too. And Warne too would give the proper respect for Dravid, I have no doubt (from some past articles).

That's fine but enakku pudikkala

Review of Royals picks for 1st day

Ross Taylor - 1000000 - Good pick :thumbsup:. The middle order enforcer was much needed since they were not going to get the costly Mr. Y Pathan (and thank god they didn't :wink:).
Rahul Dravid - 500000 - Fantastic pick :2thumbsup:. Royals troubles with the bat are well-known. Dravid brings solidarity to the middle order which will allow the hitters around him to play with freedom.
Johan Botha - 950000 - sothai pellow :banghead:. Money down the drain. Bowling/Batting perusa solraapla illai.
Paul Collingwood - 250000 - Average/Not bad :neutral:. ore aarudhal - Since he has retired from tests, will be available for the full tourney.

Interesting Tidbit - All 4 players picked today were international captains. 3 of them (except Ross) are known for grit and determination.

What is needed tomorrow

Opener - A good hard-hitting opener.
Fast bowler - A wicket-taking fast bowler.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Plum

That's fine but enakku pudikkala

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Kangaroonaale aagathu pola ungalukku

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Plum

That's fine but enakku pudikkala

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Raja s than Royal s - nu title podava? appo suffort pannuveengalla :lol2:.

UngaLukkellAm en prachnai puriyala. IppO indha azhukku teamai suffort paNNA vENdi varum aththai chonnEn

What they bought, and what they still need
http://www.espncricinfo.com/indian-p...ry/495840.html

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Rajasthan Royals

Big-ticket signing: Ross Taylor ($1m)

Bargain buy: Paul Collingwood ($250,000) - The captain of the World Twenty20 champions, an allrounder, and one who has recently retired from Tests, increasing the amount of time he will be available.

Eyebrow-raiser: Johan Botha ($950,000) - Perhaps the most bizarre buy of the day, especially considering they have already ploughed in huge money to retain another spinner, Shane Warne.

One that got away: Cheteshwar Pujara (bid upto $650,000)

What they need: Where to start? They have only one Indian player - Rahul Dravid and only $1.2m left. With Indian talent at a premium, expect them to pull out more wildcards like Swapnil Asnodkar and Kamran Khan to get by.

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vazhakkampola vendhadhu vegaadhadhu, eeyam poosunadhu poosaadhadhu vachudhaan samaalippainga pola :D.

Today's buys:

Shaun Tait - 300000 - Good pick :thumbsup:. Can be expensive and erratic but at the same time could pick up wickets on his day.
Pankaj Singh - 95000 - Good pick :thumbsup:. Can be very effective in his home ground.

Final Team List after the auction:

Shane Warne
Shane Watson
Ross Taylor
Johan Botha
Paul Collingwood
Shaun Tait
Rahul Dravid
Pankaj Singh

Only 2 Indian players so far :banghead:. Also no backup players for foreigners in case they are out of form or injured :banghead:. aaga motham total damage.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Puliyan_Biryani

Final Team List after the auction:

Shane Warne
Shane Watson
Ross Taylor
Johan Botha
Paul Collingwood
Shaun Tait
Rahul Dravid
Pankaj Singh

Only 2 Indian players so far :banghead:. Also no backup players for foreigners in case they are out of form or injured :banghead:. aaga motham total damage.

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romba kastam pola...........

Expect these names to play for Rajasthan
AL Menaria, DL Chahar, R Bist and Vivek Yadav. Ana A Chopraku ellam chance kodutha support vaapas vangiruven, solliputten

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Originally Posted by satissh_r

Expect these names to play for Rajasthan
AL Menaria, DL Chahar, R Bist and Vivek Yadav.

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Good picks Satish :clap:. Yagnik-nu oru Rajasthan opener T20s-la nallaa aadunaapla. avaraiyum edukkalaam.

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Originally Posted by satissh_r

Ana A Chopraku ellam chance kodutha support vaapas vangiruven, solliputten

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enakkum ivurai suthama pudikkaadhu (hence going to support Baroda in Final). But he is capped player na? So he should've come to the auction. If he didn't come to auction then it means he is not interested in IPL. sandhosham :D.

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Originally Posted by Puliyan_Biryani

Yagnik-nu oru Rajasthan opener T20s-la nallaa aadunaapla. avaraiyum edukkalaam.

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Yagnik yarunnu therila but G Khoda used to play for Rajasthan till last year. But he is capped so athu eppadinu therila

Asnodkar nala player. .

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Originally Posted by Plum

IMO, it is too early to talk about strength on paper.
On Paperr, Deccan chargers were outawetremsomemendousstanding in IPL 1. We all know what happened.

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At the moment, we have only the paper. Matches aarambikkara varaikkum adhai vachu kaalam thalluvom.

Rajasthan Royals Matches and some predictions (if they want to go to semis):
Kochi - Home & Away - 2 wins is a must.
CSK - Home & Away - 1 win at home would be a bonus.
KKR - Home & Away - 1 win. Looking at their firepower, would settle for 1 win probably at home.
RCB - Home & Away - 1 win. jeyikka vaaippugal kammi. But still they can pick up a surprise win.
MI - Home & Away - 0 wins. I assume RR would be blown away.

Pune, DD - Home - 2 wins is a must. Hope irukku.
DC, KXIP - Away - 1 win podhum :mrgreen:.

kootti kazhichu paathaa 8 win podhum, to enter semis. 6 wins at home and 2 wins away (applies for almost all teams :mrgreen:). Doesn't sound too difficult considering the much hyped up home advantage of Royals.

Rajasthan pick four as franchises focus on Ranji final

http://www.espncricinfo.com/indian-p...ry/496345.html

Aakash Chopra - :banghead: - Satish iyaam very sory-ya :oops:. Thread-a lock and delete panna sollalaamaa-nu seriously :think:.
Ashok Menaria - :thumbsup:.
Deepak Chahar - :2thumbsup:.
Dishant Harendra Yagnik - Wicket keeper/Opener. His T20 stats are impressive :thumbsup:. naangadhaan sonnomla :cool:.

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Originally Posted by Puliyan_Biryani

Aakash Chopra - :banghead: - Satish iyaam very sory-ya :oops:. Thread-a lock and delete panna sollalaamaa-nu seriously :think:.
Ashok Menaria - :thumbsup:.
Deepak Chahar - :2thumbsup:.
Dishant Harendra Yagnik - Wicket keeper/Opener. His T20 stats are impressive :thumbsup:. naangadhaan sonnomla :cool:.

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Silppppppppaaaaaaa :curse: Shane Watson ivan kuda oru match opening poitu inime IPL pakkame vara matennu statement vittalum achiyarpadrathukilla...

On a serious note, if RR think of opening with him and having Dravid at No3 then they are doomed :roll:

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Originally Posted by satissh_r

On a serious note, if RR think of opening with him and having Dravid at No3 then they are doomed :roll:

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:exactly: But Dravid should bat No. 3 or Opener. Gives him time to settle and control the innings so that the hitters can play their shots. Ideally batting line-up should be:

1. Watson
2. Yagnik
3. Dravid
4. Colly
5. Taylor
6. Menaria/somebody

If Watson doesn't want to open due to his bowling burden, then Dravid should open and Watson can play 3 or 4. Line-up doesn't send tremors like other teams but RR's batting has never did.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Puliyan_Biryani

Rajasthan pick four as franchises focus on Ranji final

http://www.espncricinfo.com/indian-p...ry/496345.html

Aakash Chopra - :banghead: - Satish iyaam very sory-ya :oops:. Thread-a lock and delete panna sollalaamaa-nu seriously :think:.
Ashok Menaria - :thumbsup:.
Deepak Chahar - :2thumbsup:.
Dishant Harendra Yagnik - Wicket keeper/Opener. His T20 stats are impressive :thumbsup:. naangadhaan sonnomla :cool:.

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Aakash Chopra :rotfl:

Rahane also picked for RR... His first class stats r great.... T20 :roll:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Puliyan_Biryani

Rajasthan pick four as franchises focus on Ranji final

http://www.espncricinfo.com/indian-p...ry/496345.html

Aakash Chopra - :banghead: - Satish iyaam very sory-ya :oops:. Thread-a lock and delete panna sollalaamaa-nu seriously :think:.
Ashok Menaria - :thumbsup:.
Deepak Chahar - :2thumbsup:.
Dishant Harendra Yagnik - Wicket keeper/Opener. His T20 stats are impressive :thumbsup:. naangadhaan sonnomla :cool:.

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enna puLi adhukkuLLa give-upA?
Shane Warne kai patta Shaving settum Six adikkum

avaru captaincy theramiyinAla Chopra-vai Sehwag AkkurArA illaiyA pArunga!

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Originally Posted by Sourav

Rahane also picked for RR... His first class stats r great.... T20 :roll:

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He played for MI in first two seasons. Was not impressive :|

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rasasthan rAyals Spokesperson

"All these Indian boys can have Dravid as a mentor," Raghu Iyer, spokesperson for Rajasthan, said. "The strategy is to have a blend of youth and experience. That is what delivered for us in season one. Yusuf [Pathan] was not the star he is now. [Ravindra] Jadeja was not the star he is now. They have all delivered for us and done extremely well."

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:rotfl3:

Looks like the game plan is to fill the dressign room with leaders( Warne, Dravid, Colly, Botha - two intl T20 captains) and hope that they'll direct the team well.
Not a bad strategy especially since except Warne who is a superstar-leader, the other 3 are self-effacing teammen-leaders, which means a wealth of leadership experience which will not clash with each other, instead will complement each other :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Plum

enna puLi adhukkuLLa give-upA?
Shane Warne kai patta Shaving settum Six adikkum

avaru captaincy theramiyinAla Chopra-vai Sehwag AkkurArA illaiyA pArunga!

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Batting-la Shane Warne captaincy vachu ennatha Shaving panradhu? Maximum batting order konjam maathalaam alladhu 'Back your abilities'-nu utsaaga speech kudukkalaam. mathapadi Captain-oda contribution is very limited in batting IMHO. I find even the non-striker's contribution to be much more than that of captain while batting.

Where the captain really makes a difference is in the field. When Warne is around, RR somehow manage to restrict the opponents around 150. Whether the batsmen can get them or not was upto the pyrotechnics of Youtube Pathan and Watson as others would collapse. With Dravid and Colly around, at least they will have stability in the muddle order, so I hope RR don't collapse as much as last season. And yeah, it seems to be a conscious decision to select good batting captains who know how to control the innings (rather than Gayle type kapthaans).

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Originally Posted by littlemaster1982

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sourav

Rahane also picked for RR... His first class stats r great.... T20 :roll:

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He played for MI in first two seasons. Was not impressive :|

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Yeah, T20-la perusa edhuvum pannalai.

But he is a much talked about batsman in the Domestic Circuit. In tests, he is in the 2nd rung of India hopefuls along with Mukund I think. So he might make his debut soon depending on how the 1st rung fares.

Puli, watched A Menaria's innings for Central Zone vs South, the Royals have definitely found a gem in him :thumbsup: Clean hitting, no sign of nerves and comfortable against pace and spin :) Lets hope he makes it big :D Hope I have not jinxed him :|

Satish :2thumbsup:.

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Originally Posted by satissh_r

Hope I have not jinxed him

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naan thread aarambichadhai vidavaa periya jinxu. adhellaam kandukkaadheenga :D.

Didn't follow the Duleep Trophy matches. But heard that DK was dropped for the final :happydance: :oops:. payapullai batting & keeping kathukittu IPL-ku varattum.

edho squad announce pannirukkaangalaam. mostly vendhadhu vegaadhadhu maadhiridhaan theriyudhu.

Foreign: Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Ross Taylor, Johann Botha, Shaun Tait, Paul Collingwood (injured - arumai arumai :notworthy:).

India: Rahul Dravid, Pankaj Singh, Deepak Chahar, Ashok Menaria, Ajinkya Rahane, Siddharth Trivedi, Aakash Chopra, Abhishek Raut, Aditya Dole, Dishant Yagnik, Faiz Fazal, Nayan Doshi, Pinal Shah, Stuart Binny, Amit Singh, Dinesh Salunkhe, Swapnil Asnodkar, Sumit Narwal, Amit Paunikar, Samad Fallah, Ankeet Chavan.

Satish, indha Amit Paunikar, Samad Fallah mattrum Ankeet Chavan patri thangaladhu karuthu ennavo? edhaavadhu therumaa?

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Originally Posted by Puliyan_Biryani

edho squad announce pannirukkaangalaam. mostly vendhadhu vegaadhadhu maadhiridhaan theriyudhu.

Foreign: Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Ross Taylor, Johann Botha, Shaun Tait, Paul Collingwood (injured - arumai arumai :notworthy:).

India: Rahul Dravid, Pankaj Singh, Deepak Chahar, Ashok Menaria, Ajinkya Rahane, Siddharth Trivedi, Aakash Chopra, Abhishek Raut, Aditya Dole, Dishant Yagnik, Faiz Fazal, Nayan Doshi, Pinal Shah, Stuart Binny, Amit Singh, Dinesh Salunkhe, Swapnil Asnodkar, Sumit Narwal, Amit Paunikar, Samad Fallah, Ankeet Chavan.

Satish, indha Amit Paunikar, Samad Fallah mattrum Ankeet Chavan patri thangaladhu karuthu ennavo? edhaavadhu therumaa?

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Amit Paunikar pathi onnum theriyathu, S Fallah is a wicket taking bowler AFAIK. Eppo Maharastra scorecard parthalum ivan 2 or 3 wickets eduthiruppan. Ankeet Chavan U19 la irunthu romba periya reputationoda vanthan, DK India U19 adum pothu ivanayum parthirukken, bowling pathi romba theriyathu but decent enough batsman.

Ippo Paul Collingwoodku replacement vanga mudiyuma? I was impressed by that Russel fellow from WI