The Indian Premier League is about entertainment. It’s not just about the big hits, the wickets, the spectacular catches, though they obviously have a role to play. It’s about those moments which make you watch the screen and mutter to yourself in disbelief, “What in the world is happening right now?”
And the tenth season did not fail in that respect. From maidens draped in black to commentators being accused of “verbal diarrhoea”, it’s been an IPL to remember.
1. Range or brains?
Before we begin, let us take a moment to appreciate Kieron Pollard’s quaint vocabulary:
“Verbal diarrhea (sic).” “Sins of parents.” Wow.
The heart of the matter went way back. It lay, not in the IPL, not in India, not even in cricket, but in the heart of the English language. Sanjay Manjrekar said something when Pollard was dismissed during Mumbai Indians’ match against Kolkata Knight Riders. Pollard thought Manjrekar called him “brainless”.
But...err, he didn’t.
Manjrekar himself also clarified:
Thankfully, it all got sorted out. Pollard actually went on a brilliant run after that. Maybe he’s actually thanking Manjrekar here?
But the former Indian batsman-turned commentator couldn’t resist bringing it up again later in the tournament.
Of course, Pollard remained in the news. Later, in an important match against Kings XI Punjab, he took a short run which looked quite deliberate and led to another round of controversy. He has the full range, doesn’t he?
2. ‘How do you like them apples?’
The IPL likes being innovative. Very innovative. The Eden Gardens, in trying to copy Lord’s this year, has a bell to be rung to start proceedings. But it turns out, that was not only the biblical thing they could think of.
To recap, a maiden draped in black stood with a box of red, juicy apples and a beautiful white ball, tried to tempt KN Ananthapadmanabhan into picking the apples, finally gave him the ball and the umpire departed with a relieved smile.
How do you like them apples, indeed?
3. Kings XI Punjab vs Umpires
This has been a season of umpiring blunders. There have been some nasty mistakes and players, in almost every match, have had a go at the umpire.
But, few had an impact on a match and in retrospect, an entire season. This one, which happened when Kings XI Punjab were playing Gujarat Lions, did.
Sandeep Sharma absolutely lost it when umpire A Nand Kishore called his fifth delivery a no-ball as he hadn’t informed the umpire beforehand about the fact that he was changing to around-the-wicket. Sharma was furious, captain Glenn Maxwell and Gurkeerat Singh Mann also joined in. At the end of the over, he snatched his cap away and was fined for that action later.
But the effects of that bad taste lingered. Punjab dropped Dwayne Smith twice after that incident who’s innings took Gujarat Lions home in a close chase. Ultimately, that loss came to bite Punjab who finished with 14 points. A win here could have taken them to the playoffs.
4. 49 is the magic number
It couldn’t have got any worse for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. A year after rocking the tournament, they arrived for the first few matches with injuries in tow. And they never recovered. The three rockstars, Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers never got going.
The nadir was their match against the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 23. They had bowled brilliantly to bowl KKR for 131 all out and quieten a huge Eden Gardens crowd. But when they came out to bat, they self-destructed. Kohli went for a duck, Gayle for seven and AB de Villiers for 8. Nathan Coulter-Nile was breathing fire and in the space of 58 balls, they were all out for 49, the IPL’s lowest score.
Ironically, on the same day four years back, they had smashed 263/5 in 20 overs against Pune Warriors, the highest ever score in the IPL. From 263 to 49, it has been quite a come-down.
5. Gayle-storm is old. Welcome to Narine-slam
Whatever happens in the playoffs, the abiding image we’ll take from this IPL is Sunil Narine, yes, you heard that right, Sunil Narine, taking the art of pinch-hitting to a whole new level.
First it was Chris Lynn who kickstarted proceedings for KKR, but once he got injured, Narine, who had been wasted away at No 6 all these years for Kolkata, took over. Against Punjab, when he opened for the first time in the IPL, he surprised one and all by hammering three sixes and four fours in an 18-ball 37.
The quick runs continued but then came a problem...Chris Lynn returned. And what did Gambhir paired them together. The result was..insanity.
A fifty off 15 balls, joint-fastest in IPL history. A hundred and five runs in the first six overs, an IPL record. On that fateful night in Bengaluru, Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn made a chase of 159 remarkably simple, swinging through the line in abandon. It remain an abiding memory of IPL 2017.
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