Eleven days into the IPL, how do the teams line up? These are early days and it is too early to call but as they stand no team appears dominant. Hyderabad is ahead with 3/3, defending champs Mumbai at the bottom with 0/3. A coach broke down team strategy during the IPL. It is simple, he said: The IPL is a marathon because each team plays 14 matches over 6 weeks. So it must have endurance and energy and think long term, not just what just round the corner. The IPL is also a sprint to make the play-offs. Successful teams need two things - stamina of Mo Farah and the explosive speed of Usain Bolt.

In the initial phase, teams set themselves short term goals. The journey from base camp to summit is long but the first target is to win 8 games, the magic number to make the cut for the playoffs. The trick therefore is to play ball by ball, one game at a time and not get too far ahead . To get there, teams search for momentum, the happy but elusive feeling of getting off to a good start and staying ahead. Just as a sound opening partnership is crucial for scoring big, wins in initial matches lift spirits, boost confidence and spread fear among competing teams.