Chennai: Lok Sabha polls are around the corner. Campaigning has hit fever pitch. Simultaneously, there is Indian Premier League (IPL) happening on a different pitch, where the most popular cricketers are in action. Would it not be appropriate to call this election as Indian Poll League (IPL)? Why not, as there are quite a lot of similarities between the two.
We at News Today report on both – the ultimate sporting championship and the biggest political championship of the country, without any bias.
But, forgive us as we ended up asking our sports reporter to write a piece on elections in Tamilnadu. Over to him now.
He writes, “The crucial encounter on 18 April will see a battle between two big teams (AIADMK & DMK). At the auction table, a few weeks ago, the AIADMK ‘bought’ some players (parties) who they wanted to be part of their squad. Call it a double success for AIADMK as their Captain EPS and Vice-Captain OPS managed to get in their team another Captain (Vijayakanth). Unfortunately, at the last moment, withdrawing his name from auction table was another Kanth (Rajini).
“Talking about Captain, the auction table saw twists and turns as there was intense battle to get this ‘Captain’ in their side. Though he wanted to play for both teams, the laws of the game did not allow it. Finally, after the mega carnival almost kicked off and his teammates even took to the field, he took the last train for the day and joined them at the ground. 
“The AIADMK think-tank chose to opt for a player who is strong in only a few areas (PMK). The player until recently wanted to play the sport all alone. When tried so in the last edition of IPL, he could hardly bowl or bat and failed to impress the selectors.
“Interestingly, the other team (DMK) has opted for a unique strategy. It declared at the auction table that they would play home matches under the leadership of their ‘Thala’ sorry ‘Thalapathy’ (mercurial M K Stalin), who had been there for a long time. And away matches would be played under a different Captain (Rahul). Their final picks from the table did surprise many. Left (handers) were given equal representation, while a veteran star who played in almost all earlier editions of IPL, in almost all other teams without much success, was drafted in their squad. Well you know who it is. ‘Why go’ for research to find his name.
“Far away from all action was a team that surprised everyone when its skipper chose to drop his hat in the ring. Knowing well that the games are played day and night, he chose to carry with him ‘battery torch’. And his team received a jolt even before they took to the field as a few announced their early retirement. The team had a lot of meetings and briefing sessions even on Twitter, before they took to the field. But the players say they are clueless what was discussed as they had to carry dictionary in place of bat and ball to interpret what their skipper was trying to tell them to do on the field or off the field.
“Sources say, ‘Don’t forget a dark horse in this edition’. Though the owner of the team is away in a ‘well-guarded safe place’ for reasons well known to all, the deputy skipper, who is now the acting Captain of the team, is hoping to single-handedly win the trophy this time. Coached to handle pressure with a smile, he promises to score big and knock off any team and any total. He is planning to ‘gift pack’ victory.”
“And finally there is also a team that claims that it is also in the fray. In the headlines for their h(z)eroics off the field in the last edition of IPL for all the wrong reasons (stopping the matches), they are ready to go for the kill.
The showdown will happen 18 April and the winner will lift the trophy 23 May. Till then sit back and watch all the action.