Stray thoughts on an IPL with some big differences

By Rahul Banerji

It is now four days into the 13^th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the first few matches have thrown up some interesting points and happenings in the United Arab Emirates.

The very fact the tournament is happening is in itself a feat. With the corona virus continuing to spread its tentacles across India, the transplanting of the eight-team extravaganza to an offshore venue was a logistical leap of faith.

Of course, there was a playbook in place after the last such experiment, but there were significant additions in terms of quarantines, testing, protocols  and what not, all complicated by the size of the IPL cavalcade.

Money talks

The China angle and its associated sponsorship changes provided its share of tangles to undo but it certainly proved one thing: Money talks.

All of the hassle and expense of locating teams, support, logistic and media staff, et all have been smoothened out without a wrinkle.

And empty stadia and social spacing notwithstanding, the tournament seems to have gathered a fair share of sponsorships.

TV eyeballs too, as figures of a 20 crore (200 million) opening audience have been bandied about by those running the show.

So with the cricket gravy train well under way in the desert sands of the Emirates, here are a few stray thoughts on IPL 13.

Bio-bubbles: You and I were not the only ones affected by the Covid-19 lockdowns, it would seem.

More than a few comfortable waistlines have shown up on the field, leading to some acid comments on player fitness and diets. A suggestion: Go easy on the rice, fellas!

At the other end of the scale of course, there was the super-fit Faf du Plessis, who plucked out two miracle catches at crucial moments for perennial favourites Chennai Super Kings.

Cam for cam: Time was when one camera was reportedly devoted exclusively to IPL commissioner Lalit Modi. It even had a name — Modi Cam.

Now that he’s no longer around, the focus of the camera seems to have shifted and found a new home in Indian cricket control board secretary Jay Shah. Wonder what that camera is called!

Mask mania: Social spacing and mask discipline are key components of the new world order post-Covid, but the word somehow seems not to have spread widely enough.

So far, there has been a near 50:50 split between those who wear masks, and those that don’t. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly sports one, but his secretary is clearly a member of the Donald Trump fan club.

Pace race: The initial games of IPL 13 have made one thing clear. Speed talks.

Mohammad Shami and Sheldon Cottrell picked up five wickets for Kings XI Punjab while Kagiso Rabada (2/28) swung the match decisively for Delhi Capitals in Sunday’s game.

On Monday, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Bhuvi Kumar and Sandeep Sharma were unable provide the sort of hustle Dale Steyn and Navdeep Saini rustled up for day’s winners Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Unwelcome reminder: All three matches so far have opened up a year-old itch, the doings of Messrs M.S.K, Prasad, Devang Gandhi, Sarandeep Singh and Gagan Khoda.

They were the four wise men who sent a team without a full batting lineup to the 2019 World Cup. And Ambati Rayadu, Mayank Agarwal and Shryas Iyer have gleefully taken the chance to underline that bungle in the UAE.

Hopefully, Prasad and Co, in future will not be allowed to pick a cricket team for an inter-house match, leave along anything bigger than that.

Spin wins: As with pace, so also with spin. Already leg-spin wizards Piyush Chawla (CSK), Ravi Bishnoi (KXIP) and Yuzvendra Chahal (RCB) are not just pinning batsmen down but also taking wickets.

And with 50 matches to go and plenty of talent to feast one’s eyes on, yeh dil maange more!

Also read: Celebrating Rohit ‘Hitman’ Sharma’s fabulous World Cup five