IPL: The top 10 statements that punctuated my IPL

After a grueling couple of months, cricket might have left you gasping for breath. An Over-dose of sorts makes you want a break from some cricketing action. But having followed the IPL religiously, that's a hangover that will disappear soon. When India gets back to action, while Dhoni & Raina play in blue, you cant help but to think about this pair clad in yellow. When Sunil Narine bowls to Gautham Gambhir in the T20 world cup, the thought of KKR vs KKR can't escape your mind. Well, that's the side effect of one heavy dose of the Indian Premier League.

But there are many things that would have crossed your mind while watching this season of the Indian Premier League. IPL would have been a part of your daily conversation. The following are the top 10 statements, in no particular order, which was part of my conversation with various people, during the length of the IPL.   

1. It's all fixed !

The moment you see a result go against what you feel, the instant reaction is, "It's all fixed." Be it a strong team losing to a lesser mortal; Be it the best of fielders dropping sitters; Be it strategic decisions gone awfully wrong. Its so easy to say that it's fixed. The next question that immediately rises - "Why watch it then ?" You might not be able to come up with the best of answers to it. That's simply because you feel that the cricket played in the IPL is too good to be true. But this is where cliched phrases of Ravi Shasthri finally emerges true - "Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties."  Fixed or not, you certainly are hooked onto it. You'll crib, cry, whine, abuse or even close your eyes, but I'm sure that you'd still be tempted to mildly split your fingers & watch it hypocritically. That's how addictive this IPL can get. Even if you feel it's fixed, you'll still watch it !

2. How can they lose this one ?!

Truth is stranger than fiction. Don't believe me? Continue reading. 14 runs required off 3 balls; 45 runs required of 12 balls; 5 runs required off 1 ball; 21 runs required off 6 balls. 5 years back you would blindly put your money on the bowling team. But in this IPL, all the above results & many more humdingers have been achieved much to the disbelief of the bowlers who landed those deliveries, batsman who murdered those deliveries & of course all the people who were witnessing it. This often makes you wonder , "How on earth can they lose that match?" With not much time for the scars to heal, the unattended wound tends to resurface on a similar scenario. It has been the case for many teams this season, that leaves you with a thought "Anyone can lose from anywhere!" Ultimately you've got to give credit to the batsmen who have achieved his mission impossible.

3. Where did you come from man ?! 

 

In a game of chess, just after you've removed the queen, the knights, the bishops & a rookie, of the opposition, how would you feel if a bunch of pawns present you with a checkmate ?! Thats how a bunch of unknowns threatened the opposition & caught them napping in this edition of the IPL. Someone like a Mandeep Singh or a Parvinder Awana, might not be the most destructive players, but they certainly proved that they have the power to threaten & demoralize you. Sunil Narine was one such mystery magician, this season. He might have foregone a prospective national debut, but he's certainly made heads turn towards him purely by his craft. But the question "Where did you come from man?" is best suited for 2 occasions this season. Delhi Daredevils asks Murali Vijay after the 2nd PlayOff; Chennai SuperKings asks Manvinder Bisla after the Finals. Truly, where the hell did you come from man ?! 

4. IPL is full of controversies

"I'd prefer to watch SRK during an IPL game rather than on screen" is what one famous celebrity quoted recently. IPL has been controversy's latest child. With claims of fixing, cases of molestation, ugly brawls, retractable bans, this season of IPL has never been short of off-field action. Though you'd say "IPL is full of controversies", with a disgusted look on your face, I'm sure many such people who make those statements are the ones who bask & thrive gossiping on those controversies. With a property which has created a stand-still in the sporting arena, controversies are bound to happen. Even though its a lot of negative publicity, I wouldn't think to say that, these controversies adds more commercial value to the brand of IPL. Spider man's uncle once said "With great power comes great responsibility." Looks like IPL has taken a leaf out of his book & altered it in its own style - " With great controversies come great commercialism"  

5. This has been the best IPL season 

 Off the last 5 seasons, this in my view has been the best IPL season so far. That's because the defending champions, Chennai Super Kings, had much more than just one competitor. In all the other editions, there were only a few teams which looked like contenders & CSK would breeze though. But this time around, barring Pune Warriors & Deccan Chargers, every other team looked threatening. CSK's inconsistency & the rise of KKR & DD meant that every team had to really fight out for their spot in the play-offs. The mid table scramble between Mumbai, Bangalore, Rajasthan, Punjab & Chennai continued throughout the league phase & extended until the last game was played. There were as many as 14 last ball/last over finishes in this edition of the IPL. Generally there is a lull in the middle phase of the IPL, but this around 76 games in 54 days just flew leaving you gasping for breath.

6. What will I do at 8 pm after IPL ?

For all the IPL addicts, 8pm is never going to be the same anymore. After finishing a tired day at work or tuition, the last 2 months have provided some mind-numbing action. It was almost part of our routine to get back home to a TV with the blaring commentary or crowd cheer. You may now surrender the remote to people in your house who were deprived of their daily dose of soapy serials for the last 54 days. The temptation to switch to SET MAX is inevitable to see whether there are any traces IPL. Sadly we've got to tune ourselves to the lack of IPL action & improve our productivity atleast for the next 10 months before we are bombarded with the next IPL.

7. How the hell does this work ? 

Though the experience of watching IPL games live from the stadium is exhilarating, for the people who wanted to beat the heat & enjoy the games on HD, up close with a glass of chilled beer & a group of friends, it has been an equally exciting experience. Apart from the usual dose of funky ads & the never ending Extraaa Innings, the match viewing experience was enhanced by 2 stand-out technological advances. The Spider cam & the Super Slow motion footage. For the people who wonder how one camera can keep floating around the ground, the axis of the spider cam is fixed to the various poles of the flood lights & the camera man handles this cam with a couple of joysticks on the ground. That gives a complete 360 degrees view of the ground, as this cam gives us pictures from any position of the ground, right from the bird's eye view of the stadium to the umpires head. The Super Slow-Mo footage, which captures more than 1000 frames per second, clearly shows every muscle that moves which catching a ball, hitting a shot or even the swaying hair of the cheer leaders.

8. I've never seen such a shot

Necessity is the mother of all inventions. With the advent of T20 format, cricket has no other way than to embrace the innovation that's currently taking place. With a plethora of shots being played, you often wonder whether you've seen such a shot before. The Dil-scoop, reverse-sweep over the keepers head. switch-hit, helicopter shot, french cut, bravo's bazooka & much more are just a handful of crazy shots that have been showcased in this IPL. More than resisting the legality of such shots, you've got to give it to the players who have more less mastered such shots with exemplary practice & timing. Equate this to a special move that every fighter has in Mortal Kombat, you'd realize that batsman too have special powers.     

9. What's wrong with him ?

 This Indian summer has been touted as one of the most hottest in recent history. The temper & temperature, both on & off the field has been quite erratic. With players losing their cool at the drop their hat, the previous IPL seasons were not as hot as this. The culprit guilty in such a case was majorly the Mumbai Indians. It all started with Munaf Patel & Harbhajan Singh almost strangling the umpire for a review of Sangakkara's dismissal. With Munaf smiling while being hit for boundaries & shouting at instance of a misfield, you cant help but to think that he was struck by 'Bi-polar disorder.' Ambati Rayadu in an other instance extended his heroics off the field against Harsh Patel splattering a few words in anger. Ravi Ashwin was also not too pleased with Steven Smith in an effort to 'Mankad' the latter. The war of words continued between Mahela Jayawardena & Gautham Gambhir on a tricky decision which went in favor of the former, where the umpires had to split the bout. Though the tempers fray, at times it did seem a bit unnecessary. But no complaints, we're always ready for a spat !    

10. No da Sidhu !  

While there was so much happening on the field, the pre match & post match programs featuring Navjot Singh Sidhu often left you with a smirk or even changing the channels. No doubt about his credentials to churn out impromptu poems, but at times it did seem a bit mundane & fist clenching. With 'In-studio' cheerleaders & hosts desperately trying their best to keep the cricket & glam quotient in balance, 'Sherry Pa'  seldom gave a chance to the other guests to opine throwing the balance out of sorts. His comparisons have lost the wit & more often than not doesn't fit the situation that he wants to address, prompting you to say "No da Sidhu !"


Bottom Line - Love it or Hate it, IPL is the mother of all forms of entertainment. This Buffet can never get exhausted.