The IPL ends... And even though I am an avid cricket fan, I think I’m a bit relieved that it did come to an end. It was a strange month for some of us cricket lovers. Like a test of our love for the game.
First week of April, I was still jumping around and telling everyone – “We Won, We Won!”. And I wanted to do so for at least a month. Also, I wasn’t done reading about all the million analysis that proved why India were worthy champions. I wanted more...more photos, more videos, more blogs, and more columns which glorified a historical event which we had just witnessed. I had not seen enough of Dhoni’s last six or Gambhir’s brilliant knock. I wanted to be drenched in Indian victory. So much that I would know everything that happened on every ball in the Final and remembered every player’s score in every match of the tournament.
And suddenly the “De Ghumake” track was replaced by the IPL siren. It all stopped abruptly.
We were forced to stop the celebrations to give way for more cricket. Of course as cricket-lovers we should allow that happily, right? It was a test of commitment to those who refused to embrace this form of cricket and continued to dream about the Indian win, and then move on to the ongoing WI-Pak and SL-Eng tour. But then, everything was connected to the IPL. How far could you go without reading reports about Gayle being ‘dropped’ at home and ‘picked’ in IPL or Malinga being ‘injured’ enough to not play Tests for SL, but be there for Mumbai Indians? Of course IPL had all our attention.
The first 2 weeks was a mess for the viewers who were trying really hard to keep track of which player was playing for which team. Some continued their support for the home-team, while others shifted loyalties to where their favorite players went. I did both. Wanted MI to win, coz I’m from Mumbai, and also supported CSK, because I hugely respect the cricket Dhoni and Raina play. Through the weeks, we also got a chance to watch some young players shine (which as viewers we would not know of otherwise). Amongst all, Rahul Sharma impressed me the most. His attitude matched his bowling, to make a difference. He will go a long way, unless he gets over-shadowed by more fancy players like Paul Valthaty and Saurabh Tiwary.
But it was still too much. Yes, I loved the way MI played against KKR, but was I excited about seeing the man who scored the highest runs in the World Cup final for India, lose? No way... It had barely been a month since Gambhir scored that magnificent 97 on 2nd April. Yes, we love Dhoni for lifting a cup yet again, but not with someone like Virat Kohli being in the losing end. It was all too soon for viewers to divide their loyalties.
All said and done, should we be complaining? IPL was put in front of us like a perfect Lunch Thali. I was prepared for the meal, but was I really hungry?
