The IPL Avengers

Many people go through a phase when their favourite cricketer is also their mentor, their role model and their hero. But then their heroes make human mistakes and your faith cracks. So what if your heroes were actually heroes? What if they were like superheroes?

If the IPL was not enough entertainment for this summer, Marvel’s Avengers arrived to make temperatures soar. And connections were slowly made. Heroes were everywhere – some were fighting intergalactic enemies and others were fighting some exceptional play on the cricket field. And all everyone wants is to win. And who better to win than a team of super-cricketers – players who are almost super-heroic? All you need to do is look a little carefully and you’ll have your own IPL Avengers – a team that makes an almost impregnable force.

Every troupe is made up of people of every kind. Some flashy, some humble, some intelligent, some muscular, some followers and some leaders. And the IPL Avengers are no different.

Think of flashy, loud, arrogant even, and you think of Ironman. What distinguishes Ironman from the rest of his colleagues? The fact that he proudly reveals his real identity in an industry where most players prefer anonymity. The reason is simple – Tony Stark loves self adulation. Added to that is his not-so-easily-damaged exterior, his fearless attitude and his ever popular repulsor rays. You think of all those qualities and Chris Gayle comes to mind. The Ironman of the IPL is not daunted by the onslaught of fearsome bowlers (his arch nemeses). He uses his bat like a repulsor ray held in his gauntlet, smashing away to glory, and he loves his adulation too – why else would he want to replace Salman Khan as Bollywood’s star? And it may be a coincidence, but he does sport the red and gold emblem.

But where you have flashy, you also need that one member who believes only in his duty and not much else. You need that quietly leading one. An experienced strategist, a man at the peak of human potential, a leader in the time of need and a fearless warrior – these qualities make the super soldier that is Captain America. What you’re looking for then is a man, a player, who is a consistent cause for his opponent’s concern. What you naturally get is Virender Sehwag. Attired in the colours of the Star Spangled Banner, this Captain of the IPL lives up to all the qualities you love in the superhero. He’s consistent in giving his opponents, or enemies, a run for their money. He’s the one you look at as a player to watch out for in almost every match. And the question of his expertise as a strategist is answered by the position at the head of the points table that his team holds.

And which team is complete without the larger than life figure that’s almost God-like? A member who is great, but quietly so? A humble God, Thor can use his Mjolnir (his hammer) to channel the power of lightning – which only translates as devastating on those that cross his path. In the religion of cricket, one man commands the status of God – Sachin Tendulkar. All he did was play with passion, and the adoration followed. Labelled as one of the greatest batsmen by Wisden, the Bible of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has made his bat his Mjolnir, using it to channel one success after another. Like Thor who is devoted to his duty, Sachin Tendulkar is devoted to the game of cricket, and not many do a better job at it than him. All you need to do is take a look at the hairstyle he is currently sporting – very Greek God inspired it is.

Every team has that one loose cannon that can’t be controlled. All he knows is to eradicate the enemy. He’s not what you would call a traditional superhero. Traditional heroes don’t stomp around breaking everything in their path. Large, angry, green and mean – that’s the Hulk in a gist. The mild mannered Bruce Banner only needs a bit of provocation to turn him into a smashing hurricane. The IPL favourite it brings to mind is Lasith Malinga. He’s not all that daunting off-field and even looks like a mild tempered individual. But put him on a pitch and out come the weapons of intimidation – his blonde highlights that turn his regular appearance into a mean spirited one that requires people to run for cover. Whether it’s the stumps, or the unwitting batsmen’s toes, they all crumble under Malinga’s swing that is beyond any traditional style. Curbing his natural, but unorthodox, style of bowling is like expecting Bruce Banner to display Hulk’s aggression – it just doesn’t work. Like the Hulk, he needs to be free to do his own thing – increase his temper and smash the stumps. All his opponent can do, is brace himself and hope for the best.

Last come the two characters that border on being super. The Black Widow and Hawkeye. They’re not superheroes, they’re extremely talented individuals with a skill set par excellence. They’re also the only duo that works together from the get go (once Hawkeye gets all the Loki out of his system, that is). It’s quite reminiscent of the duo of Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa. They partner often and are even second highest on the best partnership statistics. But they’re just that little bit short of being superheroes. They have the capability and a lot of the required aggression too. But they’re just inside of the line that turns a hero into a super; and with every passing opportunity, they get the chance to get that much closer to making it over that line.

The IPL Avengers, like the Marvel Avengers, are successful superheroes individually; put them together and it might be like a volcano waiting to erupt. But what can be expected is that once they iron out the wrinkles, they will become a formidable team that might occasionally stumble, but will probably never fall.