IPL is back!

My initial apprehensions about IPL last year is passe. This time around I am really looking forward to IPL 2 and it is being hosted by one of my favorite cricketing nations- South Africa. Come April 18 and the minds of Indian cricket fans are going to wander all over Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Johannesberg and the other cities of South Africa for what looks like an exciting 5 week period!

So what if Pakistan players are not gonna be there this time, so what if Shaun Pollock has decided not to take the plunge, so what if all is not well between Dada and John Buchanan, so what if S Sreesanth is down with a pain in his lower back- Does any of this affect the enthusiasm that an average Indian Cricket fan has for IPL? The answer is a big, emphatic no!

So, let us get ready to celebrate this summer with the "Cricket ka Mahayudh" that starts on 18 April and till then, let us enjoy the music videos and promotion songs of each of these teams!

So, who will be the winner this time- last year's winner Rajasthan Royals has the added glamourous support of Shilpa Shetty and her diamond rich beau Raj Kundhra; Shah Rukh Khan and Sourav Ganguly are putting in their best efforts for the success of KKR; Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia have Yuvi and the young team of the Punjab Kings; the Ambanis have Sachin with them who is in fine form; India Cements has skipper MS Dhoni as the cementing force in the team; Mr. Mallya cannot wait enough to say "cheers" to Rahul Dravid; VVS Lakshman may "charge" on the others with his Deccans and you cannot rule out Viru and his dare devils considering his performance against New Zealand!

8 teams- all equally good and ready to take on each other, exotic locales of South Africa, the glamour and money involved, the controversial cheer girls and the action, adventure and excitement that runs through the entire summer- this is going to be one big celebration and is definitely going to add to the summer heat! But as long as we get entertained, will we complain?