A fitting end to a great tournament

The majestic Wanderers in Johannesburg was the setting for the IPL final as glitz and glamour icons from all across the world descended on the bull ring. The final of this year’s edition pitted two teams against each other who had occupied the last two slots in the previous year’s edition. Such is the unpredictability of T-20 cricket. Life had come full circle for both of these teams who had tottered at the bottom of the table last year. It was a tale of two captains who had taken over battered teams and inspired their teams to the doorstep of glory. Only the last frontier remained to be conquered.

The Royal Challengers of Bangalore had won the first mini battle by winning the toss and choosing to field. Their team is littered with batsmen and their ploy of chasing totals had gained ground in the past few matches. Their team is a perfect mix of batsmen who can bowl which is why they have always been comfortable chasing. But a final is after all a final. It is played more in the mind than on the field. For many of these young players in both the teams, it was the biggest moment of their lives. It remained to be seen which team could master pressure and achieve glory.

The Chargers were dealt a severe blow as their talismanic skipper Adam Gilchrist was sent back to the pavilion by his opposite number, Anil Kumble in the very first over of the match. From there on it was always a case of repair work for the Chargers as they fought on to make a decent total of 143, mainly because of Herschelle Gibbs carrying his bat through the innings. A very significant moment of the match came when of all people, Rahul Dravid dropped a dolly to give Andrew Symonds a life very early in his innings. Although Symonds could not make a big total, his quick fire 33 proved to be a major contributor to the Charger’s meager total. Every total in a final automatically gets increased by some 20 to 25 runs because of the pressure factor. And it is precisely because of this reason the Charger’s total was competitive.

The Royal Challengers’ innings had a fractured start and it required some blistery hitting from Roland van der Merve to bring them back on track. Since the required run rate was always around the 8 run mark, it was a match for the Royal Challengers to lose rather than the Deccan Chargers to win, given the Challengers bat deep till number 9. But they made a mess of the total as all the batsmen threw away their wickets at critical moments in the match. The momentum of the match fluctuated like a sine curve and it was clearly a matter of holding the nerves at the big moments. Champions are those who never give up even while they are losing. And it was the Chargers who latched on to the chances given by the Challenger’s batsmen as they sneaked through in the end to become the Champions of the IPL.

What a turnaround— from being last the previous year, they have ended up being the champions this year. The beauty of T-20 cricket that it negates the concept of pre-tournament favourites. And the Chargers and the Challengers, with their performances have lent more credence to this notion.

Another glorious feather was added to the already colourful cap of the great Adam Gilchrist as he plotted one of Sport’s most remarkable turnarounds. Fittingly he was given the man of the tournament. Anil Kumble also deserves a pat in the back as he has led like a man possessed and has been an inspiration to all his team mates. These two veterans of world cricket have proved to all and sundry, that age is no instrument to measure a player’s ability to play in formats alien to him. Irrespective of the results, it was a victory for the game of cricket as it is not possible for both of these fantastic teams to win— somebody has to lose.

Three cheers to the South African Administration for providing a fairy-tale organization of such a huge tournament at such short notice. As the IPL changes shores next year, it has left behind a legacy of joy and pride in the Rainbow nation, which would again be playing host next year— this time to the biggest sporting extravaganza of the globe— the World Cup Football. Our best wishes go out to the people of South Africa who have set a precedence of friendship and hospitability of the highest standard for posterity to emulate.