Miscellaneous

Its been a hectic week at work and a hectic weekend as well. Some of you wrote to me as to why the blog has gone quiet for a while...so as another monday beckons here goes the latest post...miscellaneous

Go Carting - This was a nice experience. First time I was doing this in India having missed the great Runway9 experience at Hyderabad during my stay at ISB. The track in Bangalore is pretty small and it took me 3 laps to realize that you hardly needed the brakes. The cars were not that great and the steering wheel was a tard too hard for my comfort. Anyways it felt good to go driving after a long time. Although some random driver forced me to the tyre wall once, the drive was pretty neat otherwise.

Hard Rock Cafe - Had heard a lot about HRC Bangalore. I have been to HRC in SanFrancisco and Universal Studios but still wanted to go ahead and experience the one here. It did not disappoint. The decor is old heritage style and the HRC staff was typical HRC - flamboyant and different. Although the Saturday crowd was a bit too subdued than I expected.

Taking of Pelham123 - All you John Travolta fans out there...My suggestion go and watch this movie. It is a remake of a 1974 movie of the same name and although the movie itself is pretty average as a plot, it has rivetting performances by Travolta and Denzel Washington. John Travolta has aged but he still has the screen presence and suave style that made us love him in Pulp Fiction, Broken Arrow, Face Off, Swordfish and others.

Coast to Coast - Went to this nice restaurant in Koramangala serving Konkani food. The spcialty Chicken ghee roast and fish masala were absolutely yummy. It was worth the wait for a Sunday afternoon lunch and made me wonder at the variety of cuisines that India has to offer.

Fisichella shines at Spa - More people must have watched the Belgian GP today than otherwise with all papers carrying the Force India pole position story. While Raikkonen won, Fisichella put in a exceptionl performance to come second and carry Force India name to the F1 podium. It will be interesting to read what Vijay Mallya has to say about this achievement.

Bayern signs on Arjen Robben - Bayern pulled off a star signing and what more instant gratification than 2 goals to steamroll defending champions Wolfsburg 3:0 in the Bundesliga encounter. It will be interesting to see how Ribery and Robben combination lights up the midfield at Bayern both in League and Champions League. Fingers crossed...

So thats pretty much a round up miscellaneous post. Till next time..stay well

Child in Us

I happened to visit a family friend today and they have a baby boy all of 8 months. It is such unbelievable fun to spend time with children. Just watching them look at you and the world around them with their mystic eyes...You stop and wonder the purity in them, the innocence, the curiosity and their ability to respond to love. Andthen you think about yourself...what so many years of existence has made you. I truely believe the child in us always exists but it gets suppressed, spoilt, tormented by the big bad world.

I thought I would dedicate this post to the child in each of us. And what is better than a chant from Enigma (Lyrics below as guide).



Lyrics:

(Sanskrit translation:
Who is of smiling face, bestower of all fortunes,
Whose hands are ready to rescue anyone from fear,
Who is adorned by various ornaments with precious stones )

Puer natus est nobis,
Et filius datus est nobis:
Cujus emperium super humerum... for to us a child is born,
(To us a son is given:
And the government will be upon his
Shoulder..)

Some day you came
And I knew you were the one
You were the rain, you were the sun
But I needed both, cause I needed you.

You were the one
I was dreaming of all my life
When it is dark you are my light
But dont forget
Whos always our guide.

It is the child in us

Hope - Faith

Slipping into what promises to be a very different weekend. Much different than the last one and even more different than the ones before that. Well how life can change....As the latest DOCOMO advertisement says it can literally change in a second..and I(yaah stupid me) am talking weeks...Anyways 4 lines of borrowed poetry to roundoff what has been an emotionally draining week for me...

A glimpse of what our future may hold
A beautiful story waiting to be told
Waking me in the middle of the night
Thinking of your smile my only light

- Unknown

Before I try to get some elusive sleep, here is remembering some of the best times at ISB and my close friend and fellow President Karthik whose birthday happens to be today. Happy Birthday President!!!!

Radio Taxi

So here goes the story....

It was just another day at work for Rakesh. He loved his job of being the driver of a radio taxi in Delhi. It gave him the financial stability, flexibility of working hours and most importantly the time to pursue his passion of playing the guitar. He was happily married with two kids and life was going pretty good.

The time that night was 11:30 AM and he was wondering if he should go home or bid for another pickup. The dashboard on his cab glowed. A trip from South Delhi to Gurgaon appeared for auction. This was not too bad and he was infact close to the pickup point. This trip would also mean he could take it off early and go for his guitar practice with his group for the upcoming performance. He pressed for the bid and yess he got it.

The pickup itself was eventful. Five people forced themselves inside the car - 3 girls and 2 guys. They were totally sloshed and told him in no uncertain terms that all five would have to be accommodated. They also offered a huge tip for the favour. Rakesh thought of objecting but then he felt it would create more of a fuss than good. It was not a battle he wanted to fight at that hour. He had seen the night life of Delhi and detested these kids of rich parents who lose control of themselves. His passengers were very loud but that did no affect Rakesh. He kept thinking of his daughter who will travel to US to study medicine. While on one hand, he was a proud father on the other hand he hated the fact that his daughter would have to go so far away from him. He always thought that daughter is his till she is married. Yaah he would find a nice guy for her and get her married in style. Lost in the thoughts he had already driven into Gurgaon.

They asked him to go from one place to another in Gurgaon to drop people off at their homes one by one and soon there were only 2 of them left. Two girls probably in their early to mid twenties. They told him the next place to drop and he heard the girl sitting in the front seat comment "What about him? He is good". The words did not register with Rakesh until 10 minutes later. The girl in the rear seat shouted all of a sudden to stop the car since she needed to have a smoke. He looked at the rear view mirror at her and what he saw shocked him. The girl had taken all her clothes off and looking straight at him. Rakesh felt his grip on the steering loosen for a second. But he recovered and said curtly that he could not stop since it was an extremely deserted place. Hearing this, both the girls got livid and told him chillingly that he has no option. Either he stops or they tear their clothes up and shout for help. Rakesh slammed the brakes hard and the Logan came to a grinding halt in the dark road. For a second it was all quiet. All he could hear was the sound of crickets.

Then one of the girls spoke up and said that he needed to satisfy them physically right then and there else they would impose rape charges on him. Rakesh could feel a chill flow down his spine. He was a righteous man and he could almost see the picture of him on the headlines next morning. How would his wife deal with it? How would his kids who loved and respected him come to terms with such a horrific allegation. His neighbours, people he knew...everything he had built up over the last 40 years of his life...all would be gone in an instant. He was just helpless...He felt two pairs of eyes glued on him as these thoughts kept spinning. He said he needed 2 mins for a phone call. And of all people he called his wife up. He explained to her the situation and pleaded her for help. Very few people would have probably called their wives but Rakesh loved his wife and she had always been the rock solid support in his life. The phone was silent for a minute and then his wife said........

That night left an indelible mark on Rakesh. The excruciating pain of doing something to save his social respect, his dignity, his family and life almost killed his sense of self-respect. He started hating himself and his self esteem went for a toss which took years to recover. His wife stood by him through the entire ordeal and was as bold and practical as she was that night. It was a trauma which even when he recounts, you can see the pain in his eyes. Today he just thinks about it and wonders where we are as a society and what values and morals parents are imparting to their kids. Were those girls not from a respectable family? They were his daughter's age for God's sake...And then again what is respectable? The only solace for him is that his son and daughter are as loving and close to family as ever.

PS: This is based on a true story

Adios

I sat at the airport feeling down. Looking out of the glass panes I could clearly see the runway. The frentic activity as the flights were being prepared for flying to their next destination. I have always been enchanted by airports. The fact that they offer the fastest form of travel between places and forms the bridge between two individuals, between friends, between families in the dispersed global world today fascinates me. It had been 4 extremely hectic days with lot happening in life. Meeting old friends,new friend, having fun, spending time with them was all wonderful. Yet I felt a strange feeling inside me. A feeling of pain...a feeling of longingness...A feeling that I dont know when I will meet them next, when I would be able to spend such wonderful times again.

Some places are special and are etched in your memories for ever. In my case the places like Oh Calcutta (Nehru Place)where I had 3 wonderful meals in 4 days, Saket Select City Walk where I spent an entire day with a friend watching movies and doing nothing, CR Park Kalibari grass lawns where I sat for close to an hour on Janmashtami evening. Every city has its charm and Delhi was no different. But I guess what makes every city special are the friends you have and the people you spend your time with. I think those special moments stay with us more than anything else. My first visit to Delhi proved to be as charming as I could possiby expect. As my Jet airways flight took off in the evening sky, I looked down at the sprawling capital city and said to myself....Adios...but I have a feeling that I will be back again soon.

Stereotypes and Getting Real

Is our life unique or is it stereotypical? This is a question that has intrigued me often. As time has elapsed, I have become more and more convinced that many of us view our lives in a stereotypical way. And its not unexplained phenomenon. It starts as early as 4 years when the child gets admitted to school. The kid is taught the rights and wrongs and also the stereotypes of the society - scoring good marks in school means intelligence, studying more means better results, parents pedigree means kids need to follow footsteps and so on and so forth. The list is endless but you get what I meant.

Then through the teens, a person starts stereotyping their personal lives. TV, movies, novels, even newspapers and friends all play an active part in shaping it up. The do and the donts...the idea of the perfect guy....the stereotype of the sensitive boyfriend. The stereotype of "being in a relation" is "cool" and those who are not being a bunch of losers. Stereotypes of "being in love"....Stereotype of the dream match....Stereotypes of the perfect guy proposing and the girl saying "Yes" with tearful eyes.

Stereotypes do not end at marriage. They are really part of us and move on along with us in each of our endeavours. But I want to just stop and ask myself. Should we really live our life within the boundaries of stereotypes? Do we want to be judgemental and anticipative influenced by our stereotypes. Do we want to perceive people, relationships based on stereotypes? Say if it says "To love someone takes 394 days 43 hours 15 minutes." Will we wait for the time to check if we love someone? "If something appears too good to be true, it is not true". Should we just believe in it or should we try to verify it ourselves? I just think that the world is a strange place inhabited by all sorts of people. And that probably makes it a more exciting place. Stereotypes are there ingrained in each of us. But it is up to us to get real. It is up to us to decide what is right, what is wrong, what is good, what is bad and what is ideal. Trust me that way this world will be a much better place for everyone.

A New Generation

Over the last 5-7 years this phenomenon has evolved. The IT outsourcing boom picked up and it transported a huge number of middle class Indians to the shores of developed countries and moreso the United States of America. Young programmers in their mid 20s awestruck in a new country. They travel in groups, save money by staying dime a dozen together and then come back home "Phoren - returned" after a year or two. Then its the turn to get married and back they go to US on another assignment. And it is here the phenomenon starts.

The US as a country has a policy that any child born in the United States can opt to have US citizenship. Over the last 7 years or so there has been an explosion in the number of kids born to Indian parents in US who now by virtue of their birth are US citizens.And these are not people who have been staying there for ages. These are people who are on short 1-2 year assignments.

Wat is in a passport some might say. Well a lot. It can change your outlook, the way you experience life and even the ease with which you can travel. So anyways back to these kids. I trully wonder where a few years from now each school in India will carry different sections for these kids. International school is an option but I do not believe that all parents would be able to afford one. I also try to wonder the mindset of these kids. Will they resent being in India due to their parents? Will they grow up knowing they may have an easy passage to US or will they slog it out for precious scare resources(read IIT / IIM etc) like an ordinary Indian kid? Will they really have an advantage of the US passport 20 years from now? Maybe today's developing world will be where the opportuitites are... I do not know the answers. I just hope these parents maintain their sanity and bring up these kids with care and help shape their lives in a proper way.

The Road Not Taken

I remember the poem below by Robert Frost which we read when we were in Class 6 or 7.


The Road Not Taken
___________________

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


I am not sure inspite of writing an examination, we could do justice to the true meaning of this poem at that age. The inherent insights, implications and how it reflects in each of our lives probably can be felt much later when we are older and have been through many such divergent forks in our journey of life.

Choices we make are extremely important in life and most of the times there is no going back. We end up having to select between family, job, place, person and what not. There is no answer of how to select one over the other. I believe that you should act in a way which will have give you peace of mind that you followed your convictions, values and your beliefs, whatever be the outcome later.

It is a strange feeling...

I wake up today morning and things are not the same anymore. No assignments to sweat about, no exams to worry about or classes to go to. Life as a student is no more. I don't know....Through the year how we have longed for this day but now that it has come it feels weird. The year has been one hell of a ride and maybe we all got used to the frenetic pace of things. So when I think of what I need to do today and find nothing, it feels so strange.

We start the disorientation week today and it will be parties and get together to relive the entire year. We graduate on the 4th and leave campus on the 5th. The journey that began one inspiring weekend in December 2006 preparing for the GMAT comes to an end in a week. I want to thank you all who have stood by me through everything over the last 2 years, through the GMAT prep, through the ups and downs of the application process and through the gruelling last year and made this study possible. I was/am really lucky to have had you around me when it mattered.

The realities of day to day awaits us outside campus. Again back to a new routine of work and home for 5-6 days a week and recuperate over the weekend. A new city, new people, new positives, new negatives and a whole new experience. Look forward to another life changing experience in the months to come. I do not know how I should feel - I am sad, cheerful, heart broken, excited, nostalgic, depressed and proud all at the same time....Take that for a mood!!!

Will these times come back again?

Now that we are 2 weeks from graduation, we are all in a nostalgic mood that the year is coming to an end. And not only do we try to relieve the year we enjoyed, we also try to enjoy and cherish every moment of our being together. Below are some snapshots of life here now.

Class: Three of the four subjects this term is phenomenally boring. So in class I engage in constructive activities like playing computer games, writing blogs as I am doing now or doing assignments of the other subjects.

Eating out: Almost each day we eat out for lunch or dinner. While some of these dinners/lunches are to celebrate some friend getting a job, some are just to explore some restaurant that has still eluded us. I can confidently claim that if there is a decent restaurant in Hyderabad where they serve non-vegetarian, I have been there eaten that.

Sleeping: Still happen to sleep more than 5 hours a day and don't get sleep before 3 AM at night. I think its become a part of us now. I don't know what I am going to do once I head back home or start working.

Movies/TV Shows/etc: You just need to send a mail to the batch asking for a movie, a computer game or any TV show like Friends or How I met your mother to Byomkesh Bakshi and Jaspal Bhatti's Flop Show. And viola comes a mail back with the link to the requested program/ movie/ game. So watch away to glory.

Games: Mails like "Counter Strike Anyone? Connect now at 172.24.20.123:2000" is extremely common and these LAN games continue in classes, over lunch and in the graveyard shift.

COBRA Cricket: This is the latest craze not in the whole campus but in my COBRA gang. An indoor form of game with crazy rules played inside our quad is played with such intensity that we look forward to it each day. And with an Arjuna award winner and Indian national hockey captain in our group, no one can deny that this cricket is international class.

To get a glimpse of the seriousness take a peek in the snap below which is a team photo before the start of a COBRA test.

Fulfillment

It is so strange that there are times you really have no clue where you are really heading. Its weird because we pride ourselves to be one of the most ambitious people around. Are we not supposed to know exactly where we want to be in life, how to go about it and how to tread the steps to achieve it? Here at a business school we are taught strategies for competitive advantage, risk mitigation and contingency planning. Yet there are situations when you forget all of them and get plain simple confused. Maybe it is because we do not want to think about such situations as business problems. Maybe these situations are really so complex that simple applications of frameworks and theoretical models fails. Or maybe these situations are what we call life.

Fulfillment is an elusive entity. It needs not only successful strategy, flawless execution but luck as well. It needs things to fall into place on which you have no control. It needs people around you to work in tandem to do the right things. It requires you to just have faith that others will not let you down. I think in life we tend to run after things which are actually fulfillments. However we forget what it takes and only concentrate on our part of the puzzle and not on the bigger picture. We take the externalities for granted and assume that everything will just fall into place. Unfortunately such things do not always happen and we get repeatedly bitten by the elusive nature of fulfillment.

So here I am contemplating on what more I could have done to reach the state of fulfillment. I did everything according to plan till this point. Totally focussed, I believe that I kept all my promises and did the right things. But the quest for fulfillment is still on.....

08.08.08

Sorry guys...I haven't kept up with the pace here over the last couple of weeks. ok ok you know what is coming...another load of the same excuses - too hectic, classes, assignments, blah blah blah....well they are correct you know..only you all at ISB know...when you are expected to be proficient in corporate finance, operations, cost accounting and entrepreneurship within a span of 5 weeks...things are not that rosy.

Anyways now onto some interesting news on the other things at ISB. Last week I attended a session on Leadership by Mr. Shiv kumar who is the VP of sales at Nokia India. It was one of the interesting and thought-provoking talks I have heard in a while. He shared with us ten interesting thought relevant for a leader.

1. Complexity vs Changes
2. Present vs Future
3. Boss vs Friend
4. Job vs Family
5. Do vs Think
6. Detail vs Big Picture
7. Responsibility vs Accountability
8. Popularity vs Respect
9. Good News vs Bad News
10.Self doubt vs Optimism

He shared with us interesting anecdotes regarding each of the thoughts and we also got to hear from him the insider account of his handling of the Nokia battery crisis which happened a couple of years back. One of the best definitions of a leader I remember from the session is that " A Leader is a dealer in hope".

We have Mr.NarayanMurthy(of Infosys fame) coming to campus for a session with us tomorrow morning. I am sure it will be another interesting and insightful talk. So all in all a lot happening on campus. At times you just stop and think for a second....its just mind boggling.

The hyderabad weather is extremely pleasant now and it gets harder by the day to pull myself out of bed in the morning. The good part is that I have classes in the afternoon which means no missed classes. I have a new project on my plate now. It is the experiental learning program at ISB where the students take up a consulting project with a company for about 4 months. I got a project of my choice which is related to formulating the marketing and growth strategy of a new Web 2.0 product. Hope it is going to be an interesting experience.

Anyways time to sign off. Having slept for 7 hours over the last 2 days, I think I deserve a bit more tonight. Ohh I happened to watch the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics...I think all I can say is Wow..Hats off to China.

A Day in Term 3

7:30 AM: I get out of bed after having snoozed the alarm for the last 30 minutes. My eyes are all red as I slept at 3:30 AM in the morning after completing an assignment.

11:45 AM: Somehow manage to read through 80 pages of case and 30 pages of articles before submitting another online assignment for a different subject.

12:00 PM: Rush to meet ISB official to finalize the plan for a high profile speaker(President and COO of Computer Associates Inc) visit in the evening.

1:00 PM: Walk back home after co-ordinating the activities for the evening.

2:15 - 6:45 PM: Classes and Classes.

6:45 PM: Rush to Deans office to receive the guest speaker and show him around the academic centre

7:00 - 8:00 PM: Introduce speaker and listen to the captivating talk on successful technological mergers.

8:00 - 9:00 PM: Check mails and reply to the important ones.

9:00 - 9:45 PM: Attend a meeting with other professional club presidents

9:45 - 10:00 PM : Somehow gulp down my dinner

10:00 - 11:00 PM : Team meeting for status updates of my club

11:00 - 12:30 PM: Discuss and narrow down list of prospective ELP projects to apply

2:30 AM: Doze off to sleep with the casebook still open while reading another case for the next day's assignment due at 10:00 AM next day.

There is pressure and then there is Term 3. Its an uphill battle and will prove to be a test of my time management skills with all the added responsibility. Lets see. Wish me luck.

Here is a picture from the Computer Associates session that evening

The path to Nirvana

Will we ever fully understand ourselves? I guess not. There are times we feel that we know what we are doing. We feel we are doing everything for a purpose. We feel happy, content and lucky. But I wish that life was that simple. Just when things seem too easy, predictable and obvious something changes and all your ideas, beliefs and the obvious are no more and you look like a fool for having been so naive.

Life these days forces me to make a choice in even the most mundane of things. Should I have breakfast at Goel( the cafeteria here at ISB), have it at home or skip it altogether. Should I spend the extra hour on one subject for a lost cause or spend it on something else where there maybe better return on marks. Should I attend a party or catch up on some precious sleep. Choices choices and more choices. I sometimes so wish that these choices were not there. Our lives would have been so much simple. Anyways even before I came here I had to make difficult choices. Should I change jobs and settle down in the US, should I quit my job or take a leave of absence, should I study at ISB or go for Cambridge...the list is endless. And I made each of those choices, worked through them one at a time...fought with my fears and apprehensions but I believed I made the right choices. Well the only problem with the definition of "right" is that it makes us happy. So when the scenario changes, happiness moves further away and then all those decisions do not seem so right anymore.

Now when this happens what do you do? You feel disoriented, frustrated and helpless...and just wish someone would help you...You stretch your hand out in the hope someone will hold you and guide you out. But it is India where nothing can ever be right and just like the Hindi movies there is no help when you need it. The police always arrives late.

So I resolve to keep fighting. I resolve to wade the shit and come out on the cleaner side where the lawns are picture green, the water is crystal blue and the air is pure and fragrant. Hope that would after all make me Happy. Would it? The personal battle wages and end is not in sight....adios

Living Life Fast Forward

Have you ever felt like you are desperately trying to catch up with things but it is always a step ahead of you? Well this is the exact same feeling I am having ever since Term 2 kicked off. Term 2 is a totally different beast compared to Term 1. Every other day there are group assignments, DMOP homework, Markstrat decisions and to top it LDP presentations. The list is endless and it is relentless. Every moment I feel that I am rushing through everything even sleep...can you believe that? even sleeping in Fast Forward.

Classes are not very interesting this term. Some of it has to do with the subjects but a lot of it also has to do with the profs teaching them. Although they boast of some incredible credentials, when it comes to teaching I think they have quite a long way to go. Markstrat is one of the highs of this term and is playing a big part in sucking away every one's time. We have adopted a nice policy related to Markstrat. We have decided not to spend more than 3-4 hours on each decision. Given that your company's results are not correlated to the amount of time you put in the game,it does not really pay to put in long hours. I am happy that this strategy paid off quite well with decision 3 and we did much better with lesser effort. A lot of buzz is going around campus with one of the groups having so much inventory left that they are planning to stash them in their quads and studios to avoid holding costs. But I must admit that the Markstrat game is a beauty. It has unleashed a competition on campus like never before and it is really funny at times to see people hyped about their company's reults as if they are really going to get a raise.

Its not just all these acads, its the football as well. I really wish I was not so passionate about the game. I have to give it another 2 hours each noght. I was upset to see Germany limp through to the Quarters. Tonight they play Portugal and I am really apprehensive of their chances. The German fan inside me is getting prepared for the worst. But then Germany still it is....We will know tonight.



I just hope Ballack shines tonight.

As if all this was not enough, I decided to contest for the post of President - Business Technology Club (one of the many student clubs at ISB) and luckily enough (or unluckily only time will tell) got elected. So now this new responsibility will also demand time from me. I just hope I can live up to the expectations of the people who have expressed their faith and voted for me. Ahh well we will see....So many people have survived this rigorous year and I am confident I will too...but right now I just want life to go even faster so that this freaking Term gets over and I can just relax for a day.

Salvation Awaits

I happened to take a walk around campus a while back and believe me there was not a soul to be seen. The final exams for Term 1 begins tomorrow and for many of us its the last hope of salvation. Though I must say that each one of us have our own view of salvation. No matter how much many of us say that grades don't matter and that we don't care, the fact is all of us do. And it is not because we are obsessed about it but it is because we all are used to being successful. I mean all of us have been in the top bracket either in acads or work and the very thought of being resigned to mediocrity is a huge blow to our morale. Its a bitter pill to swallow. I can really feel what is going through most of our minds. Thinking about it, I feel that coping with these mental blocks, inhibitions and challenges and coming out on the better side of it would be an important takeaway for me from B School.

It is also true that having a support net of close friends is essential to survive through these difficult times. Each of us need that space where we can let go of our emotions,speak our mind and have others listen, understand and empathize. I have always been a firm believer that people whom you want to be with when you are feeling down, are the people whom you value the most. For those of us who have family on campus, the support system is in place and for others - the sooner we find it the better it is. As for me, I just want to say thank you to you all...you know who you are...>:)<

On a lighter note, I watched the IPL finals what a grand finish it had. Being a neutral I enjoyed the match even more without having to go through the angst of a supporter. Kudos to Warney and his team for proving the law of averages wrong and outperforming everyone else throughout the IPL.