IPL 2020: Jofra Archer's Bihu dance proves the IPL has helped break cultural barriers

The impromptu Bihu dance which Jofra Archer broke into while celebrating a wicket in this year’s IPL serves as a reminder that the franchise-based league has helped break cultural barriers, while celebrating cricket every year.

It happened during match number 30 in IPL 2020 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. Delhi Capitals won the match against Rajasthan Royals by 13 runs.

Jofra Archer dismissed the Delhi Capitals opener, Prithvi Shaw, on the very first delivery of the match. He then chose to celebrate through a Bihu dance, a traditional dance form of Assam in Northeast India. Thanks to the IPL, cricket fans got a flavor of Assam from the grounds of the UAE itself.

#IPL2020 How good is this from Jofra Archer? Thanks to Riyan Parag, the Bihu dance is catching up in the #RR camp! 🎥 IPL / Twitterpic.twitter.com/0nhBJXdrJ1

— The Field (@thefield_in) October 14, 2020

Jofra Archer and Riyan Parag: A special bond of friendship, courtesy the IPL

Riyan Parag who taught Archer how to pull off the Bihu dance hails from Assam Photo Courtesy : iplt20.com

Jofra Archer, one must not forget, is a member of the England cricket team. He was, however, born in West Indies, and had even represented the Caribbean side at the under-19 level. Yet, he found prominence as an international cricketer while playing for a 'cosmopolitan' team like England.

Fellow Rajasthan Royals cricketer Riyan Parag, who taught Jofra Archer how to pull off the Bihu dance, hails from Assam. No cricketer from the state of Assam has represented the senior national team of India till now.

But thanks to the IPL, Parag can not only share the dressing room with a World Cup-winning cricketer like Jofra Archer, but also befriend him. For the record, Parag himself is a promising young talent who is slowly and steadily establishing himself as a name to reckon with in the IPL. He is one for the future.

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Riyan Parag's Bihu dance: the inspiration for Jofra Archer

Riyan Parag celebrates by doing the Bihu dance Photo Courtesy: iplt20.com

Rajasthan Royals played Sunrisers Hyderabad on October 11. At one stage of the game, the Royals were tottering at 94/5. But the duo of Parag and Tewatia took their team home. With 2 runs needed from 2 balls, Parag finished things in style with a six.

Parag then celebrated the win for the Royals, which came after four consecutive losses, with a display of his Bihu dancing skills. It certainly inspired Jofra Archer to learn the dance form.

Interestingly, the Rajasthan Royals were supposed to play at least a couple of home matches in this year’s IPL at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, Assam.

But owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the IPL had to be shifted to the United Arab Emirates. Yet, the magic of IPL is such that cricket fans all over the world got a flavor of Assam from the grounds of the UAE itself.

The IPL has brought cricketers and fans from different cultures together

Kagiso Rabada has proved to be an enigma for opposition batsmen this season Photo Courtesy: iplt20.com

The Indian Premier League, since its inception in 2008, has captured the imagination of cricket fans all over the world. The greatest thing about the franchise-based league is that it has brought cricketers and their fans from different cultures closer.

In these times of crisis when the world is united in the fight against Coronavirus, the ongoing IPL 2020 is doing its bit to provide a healing touch through cricket.

One thing is for sure — modern-day cricketers will continue to shatter boundaries, be it on the cricket ground or between people. A lot of the credit must be given to the IPL.