Yeh Hai IPL Meri Jaan !

The bowler, a young strappy young lad, into his twenties and already with a reputation of being a pacer with a bright future, running in...a perfect run-up leading on to a smooth delivery action which generates quite some pace given his 6 ft+ well built frame...

A batsman waiting patiently on the other side, a battle hardened warrior, who’s had his sun-shine and has gracefully walked into the sun-set leaving a glorious legacy behind...but the hunger in the eyes still intact...

And then the bowler lets go a delivery which on any other day would have been a fairly decent one...but not this time... the batsman shifts his weight flawlessly and in one swift and elegant motion picks the ball over the onside field...the ball goes high and keeps climbing...until its flight is stopped by the top row of the huge stands of the stadium...the bowler stands in awe as his bewildered eyes trace the flight of the ball...soaring as if it had a life of its own...

This for me among many more unforgettable moments sums up the IPL 20-20 tournament held in South Africa this year. The bowler in question...poor chap... was young Pradip Sangwan. He definitely has a very good future ahead despite the narration above. The batter (who literally and single-handedly battered a tough opposition that evening) was Adam Gilchrist, who ultimately went on to lift the winner’s trophy of the 2nd edition of the 20-20 extravaganza.

The tournament which was in the middle of a storm even before it had started due to the controversy regarding the venue (what the...in today’s sat-TV driven world it would have been a great hit even if played in Bwindi National Park in Uganda...corporate objections aside...) started off in style and despite some predictions that this time it would end with a whimper maintained a steady acceleration. But no one could have probably predicted the twist and turns towards the ending stages that lent the tournament its flair. As Kolkata Knight Riders (who forgot to dismount and start playing until it was too late) suddenly jumped to life and sunk two heavy-weights IPL was truly alive and rife with possibilities. Then came the string of upsets as Goliaths like Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils were brushed aside by the last edition ‘s bottom two teams to set up an exciting final.

And what a final it was. As Kumble uprooted Gilchrist’s stump with a third-ball-of-the-match beauty the battle was well and truly on. From then on it was a nerve-wracking see-saw duel between two evenly matched teams until the Baba Gutkha Most Valuable Player of the Tournament Robin –‘I am dumber than the dumbest’- Utthappa came to the pitch and spoilt it all. No offence to Deccan but that worthless display of utter lack of cricketing brains did ultimately take some shine off a brilliant come-from-behind victory. Those last three horrible overs where our ‘Most Valuable Player’ lost the plot and how were probably the only blot in an otherwise spectacular tournament.(Though the closing ceremony was worse and I leave it for another day...)

Nevertheless this edition of the IPL would be remembered for the glorious display of cricketing skills by the veterans...the likes of Kumble, Tendulkar, Kallis , Jayasuriya, Dravid, Gilchrist...the list goes on...who on any given day can still give any team a run for their money. As usual this edition also threw up some exciting new stars on the horizon...Manish Tiwari, Kamran Khan, Karan Goel among others. But the stars of the tournament were players like Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan and Ross Taylor who single-handedly tore into attacks and staged miraculous rescues. This IPL was truly a spectacular extravaganza of skills and leadership and at the end of the day the trophy deservingly went to the best team.

Meanwhile rumours are ripe that our very own Robin Utthapa will be the main attraction of the anxiously awited and soon to be held IPL 20-20...err... International Potato-smashers League. The spectacular tournament will host three super tems- the Ultadanga Ultras, the Bhekulimara Bombers and the Kaanchrapara Komets- captained by ...err...Robin himself. The fourth team which will be an international one is yet to be decided. But based on performance, both Zimbabwe and Bangladesh seem to be strong contenders. The teams will be coached by John Buchanan and Guru Greg will be the chief consultant. Dada is reported to be very disappointed as he again missed the top-job. Meanwhile Robin has already started intense net practice sessions with the fresh-of-the season Chandramukhi Potatoes. The venue is a major controversy but there’s a huge possibility that Bwindi National Park in Uganda will finally have its first cricket tournament.

Dhat silly rumours...