By Javagal Srinath
Sunday’s IPL final at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore had all the elements that go to make Twenty20 cricket the most exciting and entertaining form of the game. For a long time now, cup finals have tended to be one-sided affairs not befitting the occasion, across disciplines. Finally, we found the finish that the tournament deserved.
I was particularly delighted to see a distinct Indian stamp on the final. The international cricketers that play in the IPL are the cream and they are generally bought for a premium. Their talent is already measured and equated before they are bought.
But when it comes to players like Akshar Patel and Sanju Samson, generally what franchises do is trust their instincts and buy them, not sure of what their potential is or how they will respond to the pressures of a high-profile tournament like the IPL.
It is when these guys deliver on the big stage that franchises feel vindicated. They will take great pleasure in the success of all their players, of course, but both franchise owners and support staff, and cricket lovers in general, will appreciate the performances of the so called lesser lights more than they will the performances of the international stars.
Whether these successes are translated on to a more advanced stage remains to be seen, but for now, we must celebrate the efforts of the Indian players who have broken through during this IPL.
Hearteningly from the perspective of Indian cricket, there have been several such performances throughout this year’s tournament, culminating in Wriddhiman Saha, Manan Vohra, Karanveer Singh, Akshar Patel and Manish Pandey all standing tall in the final and grabbing the attention even as most of the established names, the ones expected to make the difference between victory and defeat, fell a little silent during the last couple of matches of the competition. Now, that is the variety that makes this game so exciting.
While a lot of hearts will go out to Kings XI Punjab who were excellent under the able and understated leadership of Sanjay Bangar, Kolkata Knight Riders really stand out for what they have done in the second half of the tournament, after beginning with just two wins from their first seven games.
The way they have gone about structuring their team, and getting Wasim Akram back into the fold, has been exceptional. Wasim is good enough to be able to share his knowledge, but he must also have the talent delivery system for his knowledge to be made the most of. More than his wisdom, his temperament and his positive outlook have worked wonders for the confidence of the bowling group. He is someone who can empathise with the bowlers when the going is tough, as it has sometimes been on flat tracks, and his counselling has made a huge difference to Kolkata’s bowlers.
Then, there are Trevor Bayliss and Vijay Dahiya, who have been associated with the team for a while now, and WV Raman, who came on board this year.
Additionally, Kolkata also benefited from having Adrian le Roux as the physical conditioner and Andrew Leipus as the physio. Apart from being at the top of the charts in their respective vocations, these two men are also wonderful sources of support with their demeanour and their life skills.
Kolkata, it is clear, had all the ingredients that go into the making of a successful unit.
In terms of the competition itself, this IPL has reinforced the confidence within the Indian players. The delivery mechanism for winning is how you shape the seven Indian players in the playing eleven. Most of the franchises have realised by now that the real key to success is how the seven Indians perform, and the weightage has shifted from the overseas players to the Indian players.
I can see in future more spending on the Indian names. There was a time when the four foreign players would be picked, then the seven Indians. I see that changing. I see the Indian players becoming more and more crucial from a franchise’s point of view. I won’t be surprised if seven or eight Indian players are picked first, and then complemented by the overseas players. In that regard, Indian cricket has overall gone one level higher.
Of all the seven editions thus far, this IPL has been the most balanced and competitive one, with teams well matched and several close finishes eventuating. You could call it a good beginning to IPL 8, in a way.