It is still Thursday in California, but it is Friday in India and that means opening day for the first ever season of the Indian Premier League. That’s six weeks of Twenty20 cricket played by all-star teams from around the world. In terms of talent it is very like North America’s National Hockey League in that it features a sport that is popular in many countries but all the best players play in one league in the world’s biggest market. Kevin and I have our Internet coverage lined up, so we’ll be able to follow the games. At $59 for the entire 59-game series Willow TV are offering a very good deal. Some of the games will be in the middle of the night, but the majority start around 7:30am California time, which is very convenient for us. The season kicks off tomorrow morning (our time) with Rahul Dravid’s Bangalore side visiting Sourav Ganguly and the Kolkata Knight Riders. I’m looking forward to it.

Of course I do need to pick a side to support, and the decision wasn’t hard. Jaipur’s Rajasthan Royals are led by the inimitable Shane Warne, and the side also includes Dimi Mascarenhas, the only Brit in the tournament, and Justin Langer, who has done such a fine job for Somerset over the past year. They’ve also got Graeme Smith, Younis Khan and Shane Watson. Sadly they don’t have much in the way of star Indian players, but so it goes. Anyone else out there following the tournament?