Wanna go from drab to fab quickly? Play IPL

India’s largest sporting extravaganza, the Indian Premier League 2022, has ended. The winning team was decided after a whopping 74 matches, which were played over a span of two months. Cricket lovers across the nation had got used to being glued to their screens at 7:30 each and every evening during those days.

Maybe cliché, but you will definitely agree that cricket is a game of uncertainties. Who would have predicted that first-timers Gujarat Titans would pull off the prestigious victory? This has not happened in any football league – seed of the IPL brainstorm – across the world.

‘How’ is sure to follow the ‘wow’, so what’s the explanation? A great combination, with everyone in sublime form, and new ‘captain cool’ Hardik Pandya did the trick… so on and so forth. But you should stand up and applaud the team that no one fancied, for winning the 15th edition. Always expect the unexpected in T20.

How IPL contributes: Contribution of the big franchise tournament goes beyond the cricket field. It has, over the years, helped create a robust sports industry in India. It provides jobs to a number of individuals, not just during the tournament, but beyond the season too. One of the world’s richest sporting products, competing with some of the popular leagues in Europe and the US. IPL has become the template for other sports to emulate. Be it hockey, football, badminton, wrestling, badminton or kabaddi, all want to hop onto the league bandwagon.

RCB’s campaign: Why couldn’t Royal Challengers Bangalore pull off the victory in the playoff? You must be racking your brain for the right answer ever since the team lost. Lack of fire in the belly? Possible. Virat Kohli, going by the argument that he hasn’t won a major title for India as the pressure gets the better of him in big matches? Maybe. Don’t forget Faf du Plessis led the team this season. Of course, consistency from the top order would have produced better results. Too much expectation from Dinesh Karthik after a few scintillating knocks. But he will not win you matches all the time. It’s a team sport. Retrospection may reveal an unwise strategy in auctions. Investing too much on bowlers, while not considering Kohli’s form or the unpredictability of Maxwell. All three who were retained, Maxwell, Virat and Siraj, may be guilty of letting the team down. Letting Yuzvendra Chahal go was another big mistake. His replacement Wanindu Hasaranga leaked many runs for the wickets he took.

Emerging players: Heroics of pace sensation Umran Malik (22), while playing for SRH, earned him an India call-up. The J&K pacer was consistent throughout, knocking stumps off with sheer pace (mostly above 150 kmph). Death-over specialist Arshdeep Singh (23) too made his mark this IPL while playing for PBKS. His ability to bowl yorkers, right in the block-hole, and not giving away too many runs, earned him a place in the national team for the home series against South Africa next month.

But IPL sadly, dwarfs other domestic tourneys; isn’t it unfortunate for a player who has performed exceptionally well in Ranji, Duleep, Vijay Hazare, Deodhar and/or Irani trophies but couldn’t make it to Team India? One good season at the IPL and your chances of being selected are that much brighter. If it has been Dinesh Karthik this year, it was Suryakumar Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer among many more at the previous edition. Wasim Jaffer, the highest run-scorer in Ranji Trophy, has every reason to feel disappointed at the sparse chance he got to don the national colours. A player who doesn’t want to play other leagues but performs well in just the IPL has a high possibility of making it to the national side. It is unfair on those who move up the ranks by doing well in other domestic tournaments, and still don’t make it.