Firstly, haven't posted a lot in the IPL thread mainly because I watched the highlights of each match but was consistently behind and didn't want to spoil myself of the results. Managed to catch up over the weekend of the semis and finals and managed to see full coverage of all three matches.
Personally, I really enjoyed the tournament. Obviously watching every ball of every match would've been overkill, but highlights of the majority and full coverage of a handful was a good balance IMO. Anyone who is still in the T20 sceptics club must surely be feeling a bit left out, as the intensity of the matches, especially in the semis and finals was of international standard.
I initially was behind Chennai, then Delhi and switched to Rajastan midway through the tournament, so was extremely pleased to see them win. They thoroughly deserved the victory after such a dominant display at home, and an equally impressive record batting second in the tournament. Watson, for only US$125,000 (correct me if thats wrong) proved fantastic value and was quite rightly named Player of the Tournament. Yusuf Pathan was equally sensational, and although I'm sure there will be a debate as to whether T20 performances should go towards ODI selection, his allround skills will surely be of use to the Indian limited overs side sometime in the future. Warne and Tanvir, outstanding. Given even the younger Indian players like Trivedi and Asnodka (I don't think anyone had heard of him before the tournament) played their part, they were clearly the best side.
Chennai should feel proud to have come so close, and I feel the decision to promote Kapugedera, who had made no impact in the tournament, ahead of Badrinath, along with Raina's dropped catch were key moments in seeing them receive the silver medal. That and the absense of Joginda Sharma, with Balaji surprisingly lackluster.
Best moments of the tournament for me:
McCullum's 158* in the opening match
Symonds' conceeding 17 off the final over against Rajastan to lose the game after he'd scored a century earlier in the match
The last 5 overs of the final - international standard
Just one issue would be the scheduling of the grounds for the semis and final. I think Warne was quite right to complain about the Royals not receiving any advantage for topping the pool, so that'll be something the organisers of the IPL will need to look into. In saying that, it could cause a problem if teams 1 and 2 lose, leaving team 3 with an unexpected final. Lack of preparation for the pitch, closing ceremony (which was very professional for a cricket tournament) performers and props all need to be transported, etc, so I guess whether its logistically possible or not will play some bearing as to what happens in the next IPL.