But this is not just about the IPL; Dhawan has been in the thick of the action for some time now. His first class average of forty may not bear a true testimony to his capability, but the fact of the matter is that Dhawan’s been doing the scoring when it is expected out of him the most. Whenever his team’s needed it the most. And to add to this, he boasts of a List A average of forty six. (List A, for the uninitiated, is the domestic limited overs competition), and to give it a perspective, Tendulkar’s ODI average is 44, Dravid and Ganguly are at 40, where as the upcoming player, Subramaniam Badrinath, tipped to be the next classical player to join the Indian ranks, has the average of 40 runs per innings in List A matches. If you would be wondering whether the average is all that there is to this left handed batsman, the fact of the matter is that his strike rate is more than 80 runs per 100 balls, an excellent statistic again.

Shikhar Dhawan’s only problem is with the current latent talent that’s boiling over from all parts of the country, which making it more competitive for him. A fact that obviously helps the team, but does not really enhance his chances. Adding the fact that he is a top order batsman – he bats at numbers 1, 2 or 3 – again goes against him. There are far too many players waiting in the line, hoping to grab the slots by the scruff of its neck. Tendulkar has already announced his intention to play in the 2011 World Cup, Gautam Gambhir’s in superlative form, Virender Sehwag always looks one knock away from sealing his spot, where as the Rainas, Karthiks, and the Uthappas are all proven customers. As if to complicate matters, Yusuf Pathan is slowly emerging as an all round options, who could not only open the batting, but also play a floating role in the order.

Hence, it would do him a world of good, if he could get the bigger scores in, and break open the proverbial ‘selectorial doors’ instead of feebly knocking it with great-starts-not-converted innings.

Now, many have termed this as a slap that cost Harbhajan Singh a sum of money that equals an amount given by the formula, (bid price*number of matches he does not play)/(total number of matches his team plays in). And assuming Mumbai Indians play 14 matches – does not look too likely that they would get to the knockouts – and Bhajji would have played in all of them, this works out to be a cool – and approximate – Rs. 3 crore. Sreesanth would have almost cried out in a Dr. Dang-like manner, ‘iss thappad ki goonj…’

Now why do I say cool, is a different story altogether. Simply because, the elder Ambani would not have to shell out that much for a cricketer that looked out of form. For me, he was overpriced anyways, and the selection team at the auction could have done with the help of the Chairman of National Selectors at their side, but for now, they can heave a sigh of relief at this faux pas that may have gone in their favour. Personally, I do not even think that Harbhajan Singh is that big a crowd puller – either in a stadium or the telly – that his absence would make the people switch their sets off. Mumbai had yet to accept Bhajji as one of their own. So, from the marketability angle too, Ambani does not stand to lose too much either.

With the IPL moving into the third week, it would be interesting to watch out for the torch bearers. Harbhajan has being bid adieu. Sreesanth would, and this is still a conjecture, in all probabilities tone down to the extent of non-existence by his standards, and the Aussies have left the shores as well. Who would thus propel the Television TRPs is anyone’s guess, though my money is on Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne, two cricketers who with their dazzling talent could get the crowds in – the stadium – and in front of the telly. Time would be the best judge.

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Mirror, mirror on the sight-screen, who is the sexiest cricketer of them all? It is almost a ritual in some of the other glamorous sports around the world to have their players rank in frequent compilations of the hottest, sexiest sport stars – 10 sexiest footballers this and 10 hottest athletes that.Cricket, historically, has been a game of moral uprightness, the gentleman’s game as they say. But with cash flowing into cricket, the game is well on its way to be glossed up like other sports. The waxing of glamor in the game means that it is time for us to recognize the innate beauty of our stars – by the way, I am straight as a bamboo stick. So here is ElectricWicket’s All Sexed-up Cricket XI, in no particular order, drawn from contemporary cricketers. You also get to rate them in a poll that will be later:

Michael “Pup” Clarke: His face emanates a sly naughtiness, and is generally termed as cute – a word used ad nauseam by the fairer sex. He comes across as a confident young lad with a precocious poise. The boyish charm seems to do the trick for him.

Brett “Rockstar” Lee: Rockstar’s have a certain sexual aura that has even allowed their weirdest idiosyncrasies to be passed on as sexiness. However, Lee is not your weird Rockstar, but a subdued one. He lives life in the fast lane, loves his music and guitar, possesses a clean demeanor, and is affable. Just the guy you can take home and be confident that you won’t be on the front pages of English tabloids the next morning, or any morning, ala Warne and his nymphets.

Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff: His imposing frame and unshaven look is enough to earn him a part of a mythological warrior in a grandiose cinematic tale. He wields his bat like a hammer and spears in the ball at a sinister gait. The aggression only lends to his sex appeal.

Brendon McCullum: The Kiwis seem to weigh the looks of keepers as much as their skills behind and in front of the stumps before throwing them a black cap, that is what Adam Parore and McCullum seem to suggest. Brendon McCullum is a livewire as a keeper and can disperse the ball to all parts of the park with his plundering strikes. With Astle – arguably the most handsome Kiwi player until not long ago – having hung up his cricket kit, McCullum is the sexiest Black Cap with his pretty face, urban hairdo, bulging biceps and a sexy tattoo.

Kevin Pietersen: When he broke into the English side, his over-the-top hairstyle garnered mixed reviews. However, he soon scaled the heights of sexiness by helping transform a timid English side – and with it the detractors of his trademark crimson strand of hair – with his rapier-esque blade. That galling hairstyle has been trimmed down to his scalp only enhancing his Sexual Quotient (SQ). Now down to his embellishments: He has pierced ears, wears a steel ring and a “live strong” wrist band.

We have named five players of our All Sexed-up Cricket XI and six more sexiness-exuding cricketers remain. After the second part is live, there will be a poll for you to vote, so bookmark this blog or subscribe to the e-mail feed and stick around for the second part and the poll. Tell us what you think of the men who have made it and the ones you think should be among the remaining five.

There are few players in the modern game of international cricket who have earned as much respect as the Australian captain Ricky Ponting. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest batsman currently playing, but it is his leadership skills that are truly outstanding. His individual honours truly show his on field strengths:

• ICC Player of the Year: 2006, 2007
• ICC Captain of the Year: 2007
• ICC Test Player of the Year: 2006
• ICC World Test XI: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
• ICC World ODI XI: 2004, 2006, 2007

 Few players can claim the success that Ponting has achieved throughout his 12 year career. Punter, as he is also known, is Australia’s leading One Day International run scorer, and was the first Australian to ever reach 10,000 runs in ODI cricket.

His current playing performance in the 2007 Australia v Sri Lanka test series has also been incredible, with Australia winning the first test by 40 runs after a follow on was proclaimed. Truly Ricky Ponting is one of the greatest players that Australia has ever produced, and with the likes of Don Bradman to compare against, that is a great achievement.