And we bring the IPL shutters down

It wasn’t a surprise that the final match went down to the wire. The last over finish was needed to keep up with the tournament’s custom this year.

Overall, this season was a complete package; everyone got their fair share out of it. There were some amazing performances, new stars were born, old heroes faded with teary eyes, apart from that we also had controversies — our moments to cringe, our moments to treasure.

Manvinder Bisla’s brilliant effort (89 off 48 balls) to power Kolkata to victory was needed when it came. Bisla won’t forget it for years to come. But this was just one of many incredible performances the fringe players have put up this year.

Performers

The list is long. It stretches from Parwinder Awana (17 wickets), Rajat Bhatia (13 wickets), Piyush Chawla (16 wickets), Ajinkya Rahane (560 runs), Mandeep Singh (432 runs), Ajit Chandila, Shahbaz Nadeem, Pawan Negi and far beyond.

However, unlike other seasons there was no clear hero emerging from the Indian contingent. The likes of Valthaty and Saurabh Tiwary who had generated a lot of hoopla were mum this year.

On the other hand, the foreign recruits lived up to their pre-season hype. Faf du Plessis almost single-handedly pulled Chennai to the playoffs and Sunil Narine from KKR bagged the player of the series. Chris Gayle (733 runs) looked unstoppable during the league phase, Pietersen was excellent in the matches he played and AB de Villiers was ever-dependable for Bangalore.

Still India has some reasons to cheer about. Openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir had been long out of touch, but in the IPL they played as if the dip in form never came. While Gambhir with 590 runs remained one of the best batsmen, Sehwag was his destructive self in the matches he played in.

Farewells

We may have seen the last of Gilly

Australian legend Adam Gilchrist might just have played his last IPL. After Kings XI Punjab lost their ticket to the playoffs, Gilchrist made an announcement that will make millions of hearts bleed. The former Australian vice-captain said, “I would say I’ve played my last game of cricket just there.” He says he can’t feel “that fire burning in my belly” like he used to. With Gilly’s retirement comes the end of an era. But there’s more bad news to follow.

Rahul Dravid is unsure about his IPL future and has indicated that he is ready to handle the baton over to some younger players. Though clearly vocal, Dravid said, “I really don’t know (about future). I will have to think it over.” Dravid, who has recently retired from all forms of international cricket, scored 462 runs from his 16 matches this season.

Then there is Sourav Ganguly who isn’t likely to get an IPL contact next year. The former Indian cricketer’s dismal outing for Pune showed he is way past his prime. But it is hard to make a player realize the same. It is harder when we are talking about Ganguly. He isn’t ready to call it quit yet because he “won’t even be 40 next year.” In an article published in Mid Day, Ganguly vehemently opposed his detractors saying, “Many captains have failed (in the IPL) but it’s Sourav Ganguly who always makes the headlines.”

Memorabilia

Shah Rukh Khan's somersault

There were events in the tournament which made headlines — some for the right and some for the wrong. Sourav Ganguly’s mad run after dismissing Kevin Pietersen, in one of Pune’s matches against Delhi, was a moment to capture. Ganguly provided more drama. In another match his failing to grab a catch, albeit a valiant attempt, and in the process injuring himself, made us sit awestruck.

Gayle, who tormented the bowlers in this tournament, showed a rare soft side of his character. In a match in which the giant West Indian plundered Pune Warriors hitting five sixes in a marathon innings, one of his shots landed into the gallery and hit an 11-year-old girl on her nose. The kid had to be taken to a hospital, where she received a pleasant surprise. Gayle personally visited her, and is said to have held her hand, planted a kiss and apologized for the incident. To which the victim, Tia Bhatia replied, “It’s an honour to be hit by you.”

There were rumors about the league being under the influence of match-fixers. Indian news channel, India TV, performed a sting operation on a few cricketers. According to their footage, some of the cricketers were found happily agreeing to throw away games for money. While the accusations remain unproven, five players — T. P. Sudhindra, Mohnish Mishra, Abhinav Bali, Amit Yadav and Shalabh Srivastava — have been barred from participating in cricket matches till a formal investigation gets over.

Kolkata Knight Riders‘ owner Shah Rukh Khan, faced a lot of flak after being reported for misbehaving with a security guard in the Wankhede stadium, Mumbai. Shah Rukh Khan claimed that the guard had mishandled his kids forcing the situation to go out of control. But the Mumbai Cricket Association has already slammed a ban for a period of five years on the noted Indian actor, during which the actor won’t be allowed to enter the stadium.

Whatever may be the case, Shah Rukh’s anger must have receded after his team lifted the prized trophy for the first time since its inception. He showed his satisfaction both vocally and physically. He was breathless while speaking in the post-match ceremony, later he performed cartwheel inside a packed stadium to show his admiration for his team’s performance.