The IPL is compulsive viewing for a cricket fan and whilst it isn’t the Sports Leviathan’s favourite, it is exciting.  Today the Kolkata Knight Riders set a decent total of 175 and defended it with aplomb…until the last few overs when the wheels spectacularly came off.  Mumbai Indians spearheaded by James Franklin (45 off 23) scored 58 runs off the last 5 overs, needing 21 to win off the last over!  Franklin started the over with four 4’s before Rayudu smashed a six to win the game.  A great comeback for Tendulkar’s men who now play the Knight riders in the playoffs but crucially have home advantage as a result of their win.  I only turned on when the Indians needed 12 an over and immediately I was cheering them on to try and pull off an unlikely victory.  There is something habitually British about supporting the underdog and there is a similar level of excitement when a team or performer produces a comeback or revival from an unlikely position.  This weekend was full of sporting ripostes which seemed to be evident whichever sport I watched.

Starting with Football, it appears Carlo Ancelotti has finally reached his stop on the Oligarch express with the news breaking of his departure – hardly surprising given Abramovich’s merry go round style of employing managers.  With the topic of comebacks high on the agenda and in light of Gus Hiddink claiming today he has been working at Chelsea as an “advisor” for the last two years it may be the canny Dutchman who returns to the helm at the Bridge.

Survival Sunday didn’t fail to disappoint, with team’s fortunes changing more times than Chelsea’s managers.  In fact with 3 minutes to go Wolves were down (and the Leviathan was smiling) but late goals from Hunt and Pavlychenko condemned Birmingham and Blackpool to the Championship despite the Tangerines heroic efforts in Manchester.  Both sides have had an awful end to the season with Birmingham only picking up 8 points after their Carling cup victory against Arsenal, ending with 5 losses and a draw from 6 games.  On New years’ day Blackpool were 8^th!  They only picked up 14 points for the remainder of the season as they produced streaks which saw them lose 5 in a row and then draw once and lose 5 out of 6 games; sadly for Ollie’s band of zesty warriors that is relegation form and their inability to reach the hallowed 40 point mark cost them dear (despite only spending 22 days in the bottom four).  In contrast Wigan were 2-0 down to West Ham last weekend with 30 minutes to go – Half an hour to save their season the commentator noted.  They not only won that game 3-2 but then beat Stoke to survive, somehow Martinez has led a monumental revival and their achievement ranks as one of the premiership’s greatest comebacks.

In Horse Racing a past selection came back in style today.  Misty by Magic was a fancy of mine in the 1000 Guineas but didn’t seem to enjoy things at Newmarket – She had never raced in Britain before, having had all her previous success in Ireland and France.  She was clearly below par on Guineas day and reversed a 17 length defeat to stablemate Together with her victory in the Irish 1000 Guineas today.  There is talk of a tilt at the Oaks but I think she may go to the Diane (French Oaks) at Chantilly instead.  The race is 2 furlongs shorter than the English Oaks, so there will be no issue with her not getting home, and the way she swooped late today illustrates the step up to 1 mile and 2 furlongs looks ideal.  Either way Aiden O’Brien’s string are in great form and that bodes well for Seville, who although disappointed in the Dante will hopefully be spot on for Epsom.  Given his price remained unchanged after the Dante the news regarding him must be fairly positive.   I will be doing a more in depth look at the Derby after final declarations but I am very intrigued by Pour Moi and think, if a confirmed runner ,will shorten in price a fair bit, so it may be worth a little ante post punt to ensure the best odds – He is currently best priced 10/1

A note too on Ian Poulter – He was asked before the Masters why he couldn’t transfer his Ryder Cup form to tournament play.  Poulter said that he was due a win and felt he was swinging the club really well, citing the camaraderie and nature of matchplay events better suited his mental approach.  Poulter seems to thrive in the match-play environment and he duly succeeded in the first matchplay event since his quote!  Sometimes it pays to believe what you read in the press.

The Heineken Cup final on Saturday saw another impressive comeback – the biggest in Heineken cup final history.  Northampton led 22-6 at the interval until Johnathon Sexton ruined the Saints party.  ”We were shellshocked and needed leaders. I said comebacks happen in finals – I knew we could come back.” Said Sexton who, by all accounts was inspirational.  Sexton used Liverpool’s Turkish turnaround as motivation and it clearly worked.  Leinster replied with 27 unanswered points to lift Europe’s premier club trophy.  Having the right mental psyche in situations like this is vital in maintaining your self belief.  The best performers are the ones who can ‘chalk off” their errors and mistakes and not let them effect their future performance.  This is crucial in golf and the match-play format makes it easier to do this.  I would suggest Poulter needs to develop his mental dexterity to ensure he can produce a good swing consistently over 4 days and not let his mistakes get the better of him before he is going to win a major, though is his getting closer.  In rugby and football the half time break provides the ideal forum for this psychological regrouping.  Teams often come out galvanised in the second half and an improvement in performance is immediately evident as a result of a change in their psychological approach – conscious or not .  The process of resting and regenerating our bodies mental capacity is crucial in succeeding in professional sport.

And how else could I end an article about comebacks but mention Bernard Hopkins.  The new Light Heavyweight champion of he world is old enough to be David Hayes father but give him credit; he was impressive against a very disappointing Jean Pascal and at the ripe old age of 46 is the oldest man to hold a world boxing title.  Sometimes the idea of running around like a teenager again fills the mind with excitement, but it seems Hopkins isn’t just thinking it; he’s living it and fair play to him.