Wisden India Extra issue 8 by Wisden Support

CSK’S CONSISTENCY DALE STEYN INTERVIEW BEHIND THE SCENES WISDEN’S IPL XI TEAM REVIEWS

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I N D I A N

P R E M I E R

L E A G U E

ISSUE 8, MAY 2015

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INSIDE

ISSUE 8, MAY 2015

What‘s Inside Mumbai’s turnaround Caps close contest

There was no one runaway force in IPL 2015 until Rohit’s side decided to correct that anomaly

R Kaushik |

CSK: A byword for consistency

Chennai, the first team to play 150 T20 matches, are a constant in the play-offs, but their fourth final loss will rankle

Karthik Lakshmanan |

second act after glittering debut

Sarfaraz, Hooda and Iyer have lit up IPL 2015, but must avoid falling into the trap of one-season wonders

Sidhanta Patnaik |

TEAM REVIEWS

Akshay Gopalakrishnan

CSK RCB

Better cultural understanding of uncapped players and a longer rope to perform gives Indian skippers an edge over their foreign counterparts

Shashank Kishore |

STEYN: OUT TO OUTwit, OUT-SKILL batsmen

Hyderabad’s South African pacer on sharing a dressing room with Boult, and having to always think on his feet

Saurabh Somani |

The batsman’s T20 figures are stunning, but a tournamentdefining performance in IPL is yet to come

Soham Sarkhel |

Flights, lights, camera and action! Sidhanta Patnaik |

HUMANS OF IPL

Where substance meets style

Kritika Naidu |

Gayle – World Boss, in waiting

For the first time, viewers got four women – former cricketers at that – on the IPL commentary team

Allahabad Eagles OR KANPUR KINGS, anyone? Manoj Narayan | 45

While the bowlers of the Class of 2011 reiterated their control on the craft, Yuvraj, Sehwag and Gambhir had a harder time of it

winning HAND HELD CLOSE TO HOME

The number that doesn’t count Nisha Shetty | 41

Swan songs and second comings

DD KXIP

One team to conquer them all

Shamya Dasgupta |

SRH KKR

Arundhati Sridhar |

“If Test cricket is yoga, T20 is disco dancing“ Sidhanta Patnaik |

Edited by: Karunya Keshav Designed by: Ashish Mohanty

All pictures published as part of IPL e-book courtesy of Getty Images and BCCI

4 IPL 2015

Mumbai’s turnaround Caps close contest There was no one runaway force in IPL 2015 until Rohit’s side decided to correct that anomaly

R Kaushik

t was a carping shame that the final of the most closely contested Indian Premier League had to end in such anti-climactic fashion that the last quarter of the game was reduced to mere academic interest.

It might emerge at some stage in the future that this edition had its fair share of backstage drama and intrigue – raising issues long dead and buried seems to be the in thing these days – but from whatever is obvious, season eight of the IPL will be remembered almost entirely for what happened on the field. There was no one runaway force until Mumbai Indians decided to correct that anomaly; once Mumbai began to fire on all cylinders, the rest of the field was blown away, with not even Chennai Super Kings being able to summon the resilience that has come to be their calling card.

The scramble for play-off berths extended to the final game of the 56-match league stage. Having flirted with elimination almost throughout the competition, Mumbai overpowered Sunrisers Hyderabad to not merely clinch the final slot but also finish second in the league standings, behind perennial powerhouses Chennai. Just as Mumbai’s fairy-tale run that took them from being pointless after their first four games to a second title was the highlight of the tournament, the implosion of Kings XI Punjab, last year’s finalists, was the mother of all meltdowns. Mumbai’s journey from no-hopers to champions is the stuff of dreams. For six games, they huffed and puffed. They switched personnel around, they shuffled their batting order, they hoped and prayed. Eventually, once they started believing

in themselves and once they found some luck running their way, they produced a brand of cricket that was both entertaining and effective, riding piggyback on collective effort that, as this tournament showed, has plenty of value even in the Twenty20 game. Ironically, Mumbai’s fortunes changed owing to

when a team comes back from the dead like Rohit Sharma’s men did, there invariably will have to be multiple heroes. Rohit was the driving force on the field, marshalling his not inconsiderable resources astutely and keeping the flock together during the demanding early phase. Off it, Ricky Ponting was

Storm to the top

Mumbai produced a brand of cricket that was both entertaining and effective.

injuries to two key overseas players. Aaron Finch’s early exit from the tournament with a hamstring injury paved the way for Lendl Simmons to take his place at the top of the tree. And when the muscular Corey Anderson was ruled out with a finger injury, it meant Mitchell McClenaghan, the New Zealand quick, could nail his place in the playing XI. Simmons and McClenaghan were to play key roles in Mumbai’s triumphant march, but

exceptional. The former Australian captain, in his first stint as coach at any level, made it clear to his wards that he wasn’t prepared to be second best. It was a message that hit home; as Mumbai began to stack up one win after another after game six, their all-round strength competed for attention with their character. There were the usual obvious heroes – Rohit, Simmons, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, McClenaghan – but

ISSUE 8, MAY 2015

6 IPL 2015 Mandeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma and Pawan Negi among them – so that the individual charts wore an admixture of performers overseas and Indian, established and promising, celebrated and relatively anonymous. Anonymity and Yuvraj Singh have been mutually

Disappointment

The implosion of Kings XI Punjab, last year’s finalists, was the mother of all meltdowns.

there were also spectacular contributions from the relative lesser lights. Hardik Pandya was the unquestioned revelation, J Suchith held his own in also his first IPL season, and old hands Parthiv Patel, Ambati Rayudu and R Vinay Kumar pulled their weight at crucial times. How’s that for teamwork? Pandya was but one of several young, lesser known Indians to make a name for himself. Rajasthan Royals threw up a gem in Deepak Hooda, Royal Challengers Bangalore unveiled Sarfaraz Khan and Delhi Daredevils offered Shreyas Iyer, the Emerging Player of the Tournament, the perfect canvas on which to showcase his artistry. There were isolated bursts of brilliance from other young turks who have been around for a while –

exclusive since the lefthand batsman announced his arrival in the ICC KnockOut Trophy game against Australia in Nairobi in 2000. Yuvraj has had a roller-coaster run over the last 15 years, and despite a middling season with Bangalore last year, was picked up for an unprecedented Rs 16 crore by Delhi. Midway through the tournament, Hemant Dua, the Delhi CEO, conceded that it was the IPL market and not so much Yuvraj’s value as a player that had dictated that whopping price. Yuvraj didn’t justify his price tag, making just 248 runs from 13 innings and looking ponderous on the field. He topped the list of underwhelming letdowns, though he had several other big names for company. Glenn Maxwell had been the toast of IPL 7 with his fearless ball-striking and exceptional athleticism. Maxwell, David Miller and Mitchell Johnson had been the pillars behind Punjab’s awe-inspiring run to the final last season, where

MUMBAI INDIANS

Highest run-scorer: Lendl Simmons

540 runs in 13 innings; Avg: 45; SR: 122.44

Highest wicket-taker: Lasith Malinga

24 wickets in 15 innings; Econ: 7.40 L

Mumbai made a familiarly horrific start, losing four games in a row. To make matters worse, Aaron Finch and Corey Anderson picked up injuries. But Lendl Simmons and Mitchell McClenaghan stepped up wonderfully. Lasith Malinga was reliable, Harbhajan Singh, high on confidence, did well and Rohit Sharma led by example. Peaking at the right time, Mumbai finished in the top two and brushed aside Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier before outclassing them in the final too to win their second IPL title.

ISSUE 8, MAY

In a team that has had Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Smith, Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma, Corey Anderson and Lendl Simmons, it was Harbhajan Singh who created the record for the fastest fifty when he cracked a 19-ball 2015 fifty against Kings XI Punjab.

8 IPL 2015 they were only felled by a Manish Pandey special. While Miller reprised his heroics of the previous season, Maxwell and Johnson were extraordinarily disappointing. Maxwell mustered 145 runs from 11 hits, Johnson took nine wickets from nine matches and went for 9.37 runs per over, and with Virender Sehwag not even touching 100 runs for the season, Punjab’s goose was well and truly cooked. Just three wins from 14 games was no reflection on the quality of personnel at their disposal, but Punjab suffered from the loss of motivation of Maxwell

Kolkata’s undisputed star, but as a unit, the holders struggled to impose themselves. Sunil Narine’s loss of efficacy following a change in action hurt them the most, while Gautam Gambhir blew hot and blew cold, something that percolated through the ranks. Hyderabad had Orange Cap winner David Warner to thank for keeping them in the hunt, but they suffered from not having enough Indian batting options. Which brings us to Chennai. Far from firing on

Hardik Pandya was but one of several young, lesser known Indians to make a name for himself. Rajasthan threw up a gem in Deepak Hooda, Bangalore unveiled Sarfaraz Khan and Delhi offered Shreyas Iyer. and Johnson after the high of the World Cup success a week before the start of the IPL. Rajasthan began like a house on fire with five wins on the trot but barely scraped into the playoffs, running out of their steam as James Faulkner, their big-ticket allrounder, went AWOL. Bangalore made their first entry into the play-offs in three seasons, the bare minimum you would think for a side that included Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Mitchell Starc, but they were inconsistent and seldom translated their fearsome strike force into tangible results. When they were good, Bangalore were very, very good, but when they were bad, they were extraordinarily so. Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions, were in with a qualification shout till deep into the league phase as much as Hyderabad were, but in the end, both of them fell just short. Andre Russell, the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament, was

all cylinders, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s troops still managed to head the league standings and worm their way into the final, but clearly, they need an overhaul. For the first time in IPL history, Suresh Raina failed to top 400 runs in a season, Ravindra Jadeja was anonymous, Dwayne Smith went off the boil, Dhoni himself fired only in fits and starts. Chennai failed to adapt to the loss of Brendon McCullum just before the play-offs, and were promptly punished by the Mumbai juggernaut, a fusion of grace and power and muscle and finesse and drive and hunger. The cricket wasn’t necessarily of the highest order, but it was gripping nevertheless. Audience numbers at the ground and on television touched an all-time high, not even soaring temperatures and torturous viewing conditions keeping the fans away from venues across the country. The IPL bubble is well and truly intact, don’t worry about pinpricks yet.

One team to conquer them all

Ajinkya Rahane 540 runs, 14 matches, Avg. 49.09, SR 130.75

David Warner 562 runs, 14 matches, Avg. 43.23, SR 156.54

Virat Kohli 505 runs, 16 matches, Avg. 45.90, SR 130.82

AB de Villiers (wk) 513 runs, 16 matches, Avg. 46.63, SR 175.08

Rohit Sharma* 482 runs, 16 matches, Avg. 34.42, SR 144.74

Yusuf Pathan 312 runs, 13 matches, Avg. 44.57, SR 135.06

Andre Russell 326 runs, 13 matches, Avg. 36.22, SR 192.89; 14 wkts, Econ 7.96

Harbhajan Singh 117 runs, 15 matches, SR 160.27; 18 wkts, Econ 7.82

Mitchell Starc 20 wkts, 13 matches, Econ 6.76

Ashish Nehra 22 wkts, 15 matches, Econ 7.03

Yuzvendra Chahal 23 wkts, 15 matches, Econ 8.86

When the curtains were drawn on the eighth edition of the Pepsi Indian Premier League 2015, we went about the usual process of gathering the Team of the Tournament. Halfway through though, we realised the exercise wasn’t as straightforward as expected. IPL 2015 was the most hotly contested tournament yet – as evidenced by the number of teams in contention for play-off spots till the final weekend – and there were far too many players that just had to be ignored despite stellar performances. The four foreign players limit meant neither Purple Cap holder Dwayne Bravo, nor Lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan, who spearheaded Mumbai’s challenge, found a spot. While Shreyas Iyer lost out in the race of the openers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was just about shaded by Ashish Nehra and Yuzvendra Chahal. ISSUE 8, MAY 2015

10 IPL 2015

CSK: A byword for consistency Chennai, the first team to play 150 T20 matches, are a constant in the play-offs, but their fourth final loss will rankle

Karthik Lakshmanan

ndian Premier League is a tournament where seven teams compete to lose to Chennai Super Kings in the final.

Indian Premier League is a tournament where seven teams compete to take on Chennai Super Kings in the final. Indian Premier League is a tournament where seven teams compete to join Chennai Super Kings in the play-offs. The joke changes every season depending on where exactly Chennai finish in the tournament, but you get the picture. There are many things unpredictable about the IPL, but one constant feature through the eight years of the tournamentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existence has been the presence of Chennai in the

final four. In fact, the two-time champions are the only side to have achieved the feat and also the only team in the world to have played at least 150 Twenty20 matches. Add two Champions League T20 titles to the tally, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to see why theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re called the most consistent T20 side. Like every year, Chennai entered Pepsi IPL 2015 as one of the favourites and their performances justified the tag. They were not at their dominant best, but despite that, after the most competitive league stage in the history of the competition, Chennai ended on top of the table with nine wins from 14 games. That they were on the losing side for the fourth straight IPL final that they featured in will be a matter of huge concern for the team, and hard to digest for their fans given their run through the league stages.

Chennai’s consistency on the field is a direct reflection of their consistency in selection and strategy. They are the only team to have the same captain, MS Dhoni, for all eight years and have used the retention policy to the fullest in the player auctions to maintain their core group. Dhoni hardly messes with a winning combination and that was evident this year as well. Chennai used the least

“Other teams have the strategy of keeping guys on a rotation system but my belief is that guys playing consistently can produce results.” Chennai’s on-field performances were as good as ever, but off the field, the scenario was anything but rosy. M Gurunath, the former Chennai team principal and N Srinivasan’s son-in-law, was pulled

FIXED STRATEGY

MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming hardly mess with a winning combination.

number of players among all sides, fielding only 14 members from their squad in the league stage. Even the changes they made were due to external reasons: R Ashwin’s injury and Brendon McCullum’s national duties. “Our strategy is to keep the guys in the rhythm of playing,” said Stephen Fleming, their coach.

up for betting and the controversies grew to such an extent that the very existence of the franchise was debated in the Supreme Court, just months ahead of the season. Fleming had admitted last year that the controversies were a distraction, but this year, it appeared like the players overcame all roadblocks.

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12 IPL 2015

The DEN

Chennai were boosted by the return of their home games to MA Chidambaram stadium.

One factor that probably helped was the return of their home games to the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai, a ground their fans fondly call ‘Den’. Chennai were forced to play their home matches in Ranchi last year due to a tussle between the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and the Tamil Nadu Municipal Corporation over the use of three stands, but had a happy homecoming, winning six of their seven matches at Chepauk. Chennai’s campaign this year was like any other in most aspects, except one. Their victories in the past have been built around their strong batting line-up, but in a variation from the norm, it was Chennai’s bowlers who outshone the batsmen this season. Even more surprisingly, their pacers turned out to be more successful than the spinners, despite the Chennai pitch being on the slower side. The testing conditions in Chennai also meant that their batsmen rarely fired in unison. Suresh Raina, Dhoni, Dwayne Smith and Faf du Plessis

got runs at various stages, but they were not at their imperious best. At the end of the league stages, no Chennai batsman featured among the top five run-getters and only one of them – McCullum – scored in excess of 400 runs.

In contrast, two bowlers – Dwayne Bravo and Ashish Nehra – featured among the top five wicket-takers and Ishwar Pandey made some vital contributions too. The batting might not have been at its best, but Dhoni’s shrewd captaincy and the ability of the pacers to adapt to a sluggish pitch compensated for it, resulting in Chennai defending four sub-160 totals. Of course, it wouldn’t have been possible without the brilliance of their fielders. Raina, du Plessis, Bravo, Jadeja and McCullum formed arguably the best fielding side of the tournament and regularly made targets appear much more than they actually were. Bravo and du Plessis in particular seemed to be in a competition on who takes the most stunning catch. Chennai have probably cracked the T20 dynamics better than other teams, but there is no doubt that with every passing season, more and more teams are catching up. Fleming acknowledged that the other teams are getting smarter, both on the field and in the auctions. In fact, in the final, Mumbai comprehensively out-played them. Chennai have somehow managed to get to the top consistently, but remaining there will be their toughest challenge in the coming seasons.

CSK

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS Highest run-scorer: Brendon McCullum

436 runs in 14 innings; Avg: 33.53; SR: 155.71

Highest wicket-taker: Dwayne Bravo

26 wickets in 16 innings; Econ: 8.14 W

After a brilliant first half where they lost just one game, Chennai cooled off and never looked like the same dominating force. Brendon McCullumâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s departure for national duty came as a blow. Michael Hussey, his replacement, played a good hand in the second Qualifier to guide his team to the final, but with Dwayne Smith faltering, the top order had lost its spark. Ashish Nehra and Dwayne Bravo were brilliant with the ball. But inconsistencies in the batting and Dhoniâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s misreading of the pitch in the final meant Chennai finished second-best for the fourth time.

150

ISSUE 8, MAY 2015

Chennai became the first team to play 150 Twenty20 games. They achieved this in the 43rd match of IPL 2015, against Mumbai Indians at home.

14 IPL 2015

second act after glittering debut Sarfaraz, Hooda and Iyer have lit up IPL 2015, but must avoid falling into the trap of one-season wonders

Sidhanta Patnaik

“I

PL contract dilao, sir” - a 16-yearold Sarfaraz Khan pestered the Indian team manager at the 2014 Under-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. A few of his team-mates had been picked up in the auctions for the premier Twenty20 tournament, and Sarfaraz too had benefitted from Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals experience during a match-defining partnership against Pakistan. Sarfaraz, keen to get on the bandwagon, was not yet eligible for the IPL as he had not represented Mumbai’s senior team then. His turn eventually came through Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2015 Pepsi Indian Premier League, and his cheeky 21-ball 45 against Rajasthan in a rain-curtailed game immediately put him under the spotlight. By then,

Rajasthan’s Deepak Hooda had already gained in stature with two match-winning performances and Shreyas Iyer had successfully carried his Ranji Trophy form into the Delhi Daredevils camp. Samson and Kuldeep Yadav apart, Sarfaraz, Hooda and Shreyas Iyer are the other three from that 2014 U-19 batch to have adapted well to franchise cricket so far. All special talents with a willingness to learn, they were earmarked for higher honours early. However, it is the beginning of a potentially long and arduous journey for them, where there will be more lows than highs. The cameos from Sarfaraz and Hooda were followed by a trough, and indicate a trend youngsters need to be wary of. “When you first come into T20, a lot of people

don’t know you. They don’t know your strengths and weaknesses, especially young players. So you can have a good 20-30 balls in a game. But as you start playing more, teams strategise better,” Rahul Dravid had cautioned during the course of this IPL. And that seemed prophetic when it came to Sarfaraz and Hooda too. The opposition immediately worked out their strong zones, set fields accordingly and dried up

The stay at the top, however, was brief. An injury followed by a poor run allowed Asnodkar only 12 matches for Rajasthan in the next three seasons, before he faded away from the premier league circuit. “I could not give my 100% because of the injury, and by the fourth edition, I did not get enough opportunities for a comeback,” Asnodkar tells Wisden India. “Cricket is so competitive now that if you are not there, someone else will take the chance.”

Exposed on the big stage, their principal challenge is to guard against stagnation, expand their range and be ahead of the opposition’s video analyst. If not, the focus will soon shift to the next future star. the scoring areas. Exposed on the big stage, the principal challenge for Sarfaraz, Hooda and Iyer, among others, is to guard against stagnation, continuously expand their range and persistently be ahead of the opposition’s video analyst. If not, the focus will soon shift to the next ‘future star’, like it happened with Swapnil Asnodkar at the start of the IPL curve.

*** Inducted as an opener in Rajasthan’s fourth match in 2008, Asnodkar, asked by his captain to enjoy his time at the crease, sent the first ball he faced to the boundary. His blistering 34-ball 60 on debut against an international Kolkata Knight Riders attack prompted Shane Warne to nickname him ‘Goa Cannon’. He rode on that confidence and contributed in their title win in the inaugural season.

Asnodkar, 27 when he played his last IPL game in 2011, was the second-highest run-getter in the 2013-14 Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. But he knows he has to be consistently prolific for Goa to have a fair chance of regaining an IPL contract. And the IPL-shaped vacuum has remained. “IPL gave me identity, and it was a good feeling. I miss that today,” he explains. “I watch IPL on TV and feel I should have continued to be a part of it.” Happy to at least own an IPL winner’s medal, he remains optimistic of the tide turning in his favour. It is not difficult to imagine how emotionally perplexing it would have been for Asnodkar to go from sharing a toast with Warne and the crease with Graeme Smith one moment, to suddenly dealing with the loneliness, far separated from the luxuries of the world’s richest cricket league.

ISSUE 8, MAY 2015

***

16 IPL 2015

First steps

Exposed on the big stage, the principal challenge for Sarfaraz (below), Hooda (top right) and Iyer is to guard against stagnation.

Whether Asnodkar possessed the necessary skills to replicate the first season’s success over a longer period does not shadow the larger canvas of IPL’s slipperiness. Asnodkar’s story could be Paul Valthaty’s too. Valthaty won a car on scoring a century for Kings XI Punjab against Chennai Super Kings in 2011, but played just seven matches in the next two seasons. They represent the many who have found it challenging to cope with renewed expectations and made frustrating exits from the league after a few sparkling performances. Their

narratives have been as moving as the emergence of hidden talents in the league’s eight-year history. Asnodkar says he was prepared to handle IPL’s celebrity culture, but he does not belong to a generation for whom the T20 format is the primary gateway to an enriched lifestyle. The surfeit of reality television shows and social media over the last decade has given more currency to the lure of instant gratification, and the IPL is a means to that end.

It is psychologically draining for an ambitious young sportsperson to look through this maze with clarity and recognise the pros and cons of the IPL. In that, access to the experience basket of former cricketers – employed by franchises as coaches, mentors and managers – has been a big positive. It has given the youngsters a better chance to recognise the thin line between perception and reality, identify the different variables of pressure, understand that success is driven by one’s priorities, be aware of the risks involved, dissect fame’s many layers in a detached fashion, insulate themselves from the white noise, and remain balanced under any circumstance. Ray Jennings, for example, streamlined a callow Virat Kohli just when he was starting to flirt with danger, and Dravid put IPL in perspective for youngsters by constantly championing the need to integrate the multicultural experience back into the domestic circuit. “Express yourself. Be yourself,” is Asnodkar’s simple advice to the youngsters. “Don’t get carried away. Just enjoy your game, and remember that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.” To absorb so many nuances at a physical and emotional level within the two-month whirlwind IPL window is what differentiates an Asnodkar from a Kohli, and could potentially shape the future of Sarfaraz, Hooda and Iyer.

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW IPL 2015? Answers on page 53 1. Name the only two teams that bought players during the trading window. 2. Which player, bought for Rs 2.4 crore in the auction, played only one match the whole season, taking the wicket of AB de Villiers? 3. Against Punjab at the Wankhede stadium, who came at No. 8 and scored this edition’s fastest fifty off 19 balls? 4. In the only match that went to the Super Over, which Punjab batsman hit a boundary off the last ball to tie the match? 5. What T20 record was set in the Bangalore v Mumbai match at the Wankhede? 6. Whose record for being the oldest player in IPL did Brad Hogg, making his debut for Kolkata at 44 years and 81 days, break? 7. In the league table, three teams finished with 16 points and Mumbai, in spite of having an inferior net run-rate, finished above Bangalore and Rajasthan. How? 8. Which team started the tourney with a stand-in captain, switched to the designated one once he returned from an injury break, and reverted to the stand-in when the team’s form dipped?

IPL FACTS When Sarfaraz Khan played in Bangalore’s home game against Chennai, he became the youngest to play in the IPL, at 17 years and 177 days.

ISSUE 8, MAY 2015

18 IPL 2015

ROYAL CHALLENGERS Bangalore

RCB

Highest run-scorer: AB de Villiers

513 runs in 14 innings; Avg: 43.63; SR: 175.08

Highest wicket-taker: Yuzvendra Chahal

23 wickets in 14 innings; Econ: 8.86 W

N/R

Mitchell Starc‘s arrival brought an upswing in fortunes after a dull start, as did the rejig in the batting, with Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers making up the top three. Yuzvendra Chahal stood out among the younger lot. Weather, however, turned out to be a constant source of distress. The team made it to the play-offs for the first time in four editions, but couldn‘t make it past Chennai in the second Qualifier.

Bangalore went on to become one of the most entertaining and dominant teams this year. In an away game against Delhi Daredevils, in which the home team was bundled out for 95, Bangalore chased down the target in the 11th over. They had all ten wickets intact and won with 57 balls to spare – their biggest win in IPL by balls remaining.

Gayle – World Boss, in waiting The batsman’s T20 figures are stunning, but a tournament-defining performance in IPL is yet to come

Soham Sarkhel

hris Gayle’s is a name synonymous with Twenty20 cricket, and with good reason. Despite his reasonably successful career in Tests (where he has two triplehundreds) and One-Day Internationals (where he recently got to a double-century in the World Cup), it was with T20s that the big-hitting left-hander from Jamaica found a format in which he could lay claim to being the world’s best. The 20-over game demands fearlessness, and, as many hapless bowlers and his own cricket board would testify, Gayle didn’t lack any of it, his compatibility with the format extending beyond the field of play. But is he truly the best ever T20 player?

Gayle has played 200 T20s, scored 7184 runs at an average of 42 and striking them at a rate of 147. During IPL 2015, he brought up his 14th T20 century, hit the 5000th IPL six, the 500th six of his T20 career and became the first to cross 7000 runs in the format. These numbers are mind-boggling. There is absolutely no doubt about Gayle’s capabilities, but has he done it consistently enough? Has he won tournaments for his team? In all T20s (minimum 60 matches, domestic and international, with a higher value to internationals against Test sides), Chris Gayle is the 11th-highest impact batsman in the world, after Imran Nazir, Suresh Raina, Hamilton Masakadza, Quinton de Kock, Shoaib Malik, Ahmed Shehzad, Michael

ISSUE 8, MAY 2015

20 IPL 2015 Hussey, Farhaan Behardien, Darren Maddy and Kevin Pietersen. To see him so low down the list may be shocking. In fact, in terms of individual batting parameters, he is right up there: he has the second-highest Runs Tally Impact (runs scored in proportion to his team’s runs; after Shaun Marsh), fifth-highest Strike-rate Impact (after Andre Russell, Nazir,

IPL career in two halves In IPL history (minimum of 30 innings), Gayle is only the tenth-highest impact batsman after Hussey, Raina, Smith, Shane Watson, Gibbs, Robin Uthappa, Adam Gilchrist, Marsh and Yusuf Pathan. Here too he features prominently in most impact parameters: He has the highest Runs Tally

Gayle’s highest impact T20 performance RCB v Pune Warriors India, Bangalore, 2013 After 20 overs, 13 fours and 17 sixes, Gayle finished with an unbeaten 175 off 66 balls. Bangalore got to 263 and Pune collapsed for 133. This was the second-highest impact batting performance in IPL history after McCullum’s 158 off 73 balls.

Kieron Pollard and Virender Sehwag), fourthhighest Partnership-building Impact (after Marsh, Masakadza and Jonathan Trott) and the secondhighest Chasing Impact (after Pietersen). However, it is Gayle’s big knocks that bump up his overall conventional numbers. When it comes to consistency as measured by Impact Index, he struggles. Gayle has a batting failure rate (an impact of less than 1 in a match is a failure and the % failure is a good indicator of a batsman’s consistency) of 42% in 195 innings, which is only 25th-best among all T20 batsmen (more than 60 innings). He has only three tournament-defining performances (high impact performances in knockout games leading to his team winning the tournament) in 197 completed T20 matches. Raina, Dwayne Smith, Malik and Nazir top this list with four such performances each. Big-match performances haven’t been Gayle’s forte.

Impact, highest Strike-rate Impact, fourth-highest Partnership-building Impact (after Marsh, Hussey and Sachin Tendulkar) and the third-highest Chasing Impact (after Watson and David Miller). However, much like his overall T20 record, his consistency isn’t the best. He has a failure rate of 38% in 72 IPL innings, only the 15th best. A significant fact about his IPL career, though, is the change in his fortunes after the switch to Royal Challengers Bangalore from Kolkata Knight Riders. In his first two IPL seasons for Kolkata, he played 16 games and had a 50% failure rate, even going unsold in the 2011 auctions. It was only an injury to Dirk Nannes that brought Gayle to Bangalore. Since then, he has been the seventh-highest impact batsman in the tournament after Smith, Hussey, Uthappa, Raina, Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey.

However, while all these batsmen have provided at least one tournament-defining performance, Gayle hasn’t. If we don’t take big-match performances into account, Gayle would be the second-highest impact batsman in IPL history after Marsh. Gayle had a chance to produce a tournamentdefining performance in his first year for the franchise, but failed first in the qualifier (8 off 9 balls) and then in the final (0 off 3 balls), both against Chennai Super Kings. He did produce a big-match performance against Mumbai Indians (89 off 47 balls) in the second qualifier though. He produced another big-match performance against New South Wales (92 off 41 balls) in the subsequent 2011 Champions League T20 semifinal, but failed again in the final against Mumbai (5 off 12 balls).

Success with West Indies and other leagues That elusive tournament-defining performance came when Gayle was representing the West Indians – against Australia in the semifinal of 2012 World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, which they won. Thus, when it comes to T20Is (minimum of 20 matches), Gayle is the fourth-highest impact batsman in the world after Pietersen, Craig Kieswetter and Virat Kohli. Among the other domestic T20 leagues around the world, he has managed to produce two tournament-defining performances. The first was in the Bangladesh Premier League in February

2013 and then in the Caribbean Premier League in August 2013. The fact that Gayle has represented 14 T20 domestic teams and signed up for his 15th, Melbourne Renegades, for the 2015-16 Big Bash League shows just how big a draw he is. The missing silverware in many of the teams’ cabinets means, as things stand, he is one of the best, rather than the best, batsman in T20 history.

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22 IPL 2015

RAJASTHAN ROYALS

Highest run-scorer: Ajinkya Rahane

540 runs in 13 innings; Avg: 49.09; SR: 130.75

Highest wicket-taker: Chris Morris

13 wickets in 11 innings; Econ: 7.40

Dhawal Kulkarni

13 wickets in 11 innings; Econ: 7.91 W

N/R

W W

Rajasthan were riding a wave, winning their first five matches, and it took a Super Over defeat to Punjab to stop them. Momentum derailed and with inclement weather adding to the mess, it came down to a fight for survival in their final group game against Kolkata Knight Riders. A brutal Shane Watson century took them into the final four, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s where their journey ended, Royal Challengers Bangalore thumping them by 71 runs.

The thriller between Rajasthan and Kings XI Punjab that ended in a tie was the third such contest that Rajasthan were a part of. No other team in the IPL has been a part of three tied games.

Swan songs and second comings While the bowlers of the Class of 2011 reiterated their control on the craft, Yuvraj, Sehwag and Gambhir had a harder time of it

Shamya Dasgupta

“I

t’s over when I say it’s over.”

Zaheer Khan, tough and competitive as he is, can’t quite do Clint Eastwood when he mouths the cool line, but the message comes through almost as effectively. Messrs Virender Sehwag, Ashish Nehra, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh must share the same sentiment as the man they call Zak, who was speaking on May 1, two days short of a year from his last competitive match, when he finally returned to action for Delhi Daredevils against Kings XI Punjab. Zaheer had returned 2 for 17 from his four overs – Sehwag and Manan Vohra his victims – as Delhi went on to win by nine wickets. Zaheer had a pretty decent time of it at

the 2015 Indian Premier League. His team was well off the boil, true, but he never did too badly himself, and the 4-1-9-2 against Chennai Super Kings in a surprise (or shock) Delhi win stood out as one of the performances of the tournament. And that would have raised the hopes of Zaheer’s many fans, who must have been wondering where he was off to when they saw him perched on a barstool in a news studio during the 2015 World Cup. Harbhajan was also in a news studio, but even if the other four weren’t, they were together in the club of has-beens, or past-its, of Indian cricket when the 2015 World Cup was being played out. Indeed, there’s a lot that binds the six of them. Five of them, minus the younger Gautam Gambhir, made their international debuts between 1998

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24 IPL 2015

Class of 2011

Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan starred for their teams, but it’s back to the drawing board for Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag.

and 2000. The same five of them were part of the 2003 World Cup team that reached the final of the tournament. Nehra and Gambhir were not in the Caribbean in 2007, but all six of them were part of MS Dhoni’s World Cup-winning squad in 2011. And, at the end of it, they became part of what came to be known as the Class of 2011. But poor form for some, injury and fitness-related issues for others, and the men who played roles of varying degrees of significance through the first decade of the new millennium were waylaid. Out. Not wanted. They dropped out of the BCCI’s list of centrally contracted players. And all of them, even Gambhir, became regarded as senior citizens, old men, past their prime.

Till, out of the blue, possibly because of his performances for Mumbai Indians in the Pepsi IPL, Harbhajan was named in the 15-member squad for the one-off Test match in Bangladesh. “There is this burning desire inside me to make it back to the Indian team,” he said during the 2015 edition of the tournament. His dream had come true. And 18 wickets from 15 games at an economy of 7.82 suggests that even if he isn’t quite at his best, and T20 performances can’t accurately reflect Test potential, he isn’t totally off the pace, he is there and thereabouts. Not so for the other five men, and, of them, Zaheer and Nehra would certainly hope that their exploits in the 2015 IPL would bring them back, in

the selectors’ discussions to start with and then, possibly, in the squad sheet. Nehra finished the IPL at No. 4 on the wicket-takers list – with 22 strikes from 16 games. That he went the whole tournament without a break, with many of us keeping an eye on those infamous ankles, was remarkable in itself. And once the body was in control, so was the line and the length and the variations and the movement. Zaheer wasn’t quite up there with his numbers, but an economy rate of 6.45 from seven games – after he sat out the start of Delhi’s campaign – was impressive, and indicative of how much control he still seems to have over his craft. Remarkable, isn’t it, that it’s the bowlers – two of them pacemen – who have found it in them to lift their games at the age of 36, Zaheer the slightly older of the two. And Harbhajan is almost 35. The three batsmen, meanwhile, didn’t do quite as well in the just concluded tournament. Yuvraj was the one everyone had their eyes on. His story, of his battles with poor health and recovery soon after the 2011 World Cup and subsequent return, had made him a hero (if he wasn’t already), and the Rs 16 crore Delhi dished out for him suggested that there were still enough people who thought Yuvraj could swing matches. It didn’t work out for Yuvraj, or Delhi, at all. He did have a couple of good outings, scoring halfcenturies in decent time, but returns of 248 runs from 14 matches at a strike rate of 118.09 were

just not good enough. It would be for a promising youngster, batting at No. 7 and worth much, much less. Not for Yuvraj. He needed a breakthrough performance. He didn’t, and now it would have to be back to the drawing board for him. Ditto for Sehwag and Gambhir. Sehwag is a legend, one of the men most responsible for India’s glory run in the decade past. And Punjab would have hoped for a lot more than the scratchy 99 runs his big blade produced over eight innings. So off the boil was Sehwag that he had to be dropped from the playing XI as Punjab’s flagging and sagging IPL campaign wound to an unremarkable close. Gambhir, meanwhile, started the tournament well, but his angled bat and pokey ways returned soon enough as his productivity, as well as that of his team, Kolkata Knight Riders, dipped: 327 runs at a strike rate of 117.62 is fine for a back-up batsman, but not the man starting the innings off. Where do these men go from here? Harbhajan’s career might have received a big fillip, but even he would know that a possible good showing in Bangladesh won’t ensure a sustained run with the Indian team. All of them, all closer to the end of their careers than the beginning, need to stay the course. In domestic tournaments, and in whatever other opportunities that may come their way. They have been heroes and they continue to be. The selectors would need convincing, and IPL owners would be keeping an eye on the cost-benefit analyses – the IPL is no playing field for old men, after all.

IPL FACTS In Chennai’s away game against Hyderabad, MS Dhoni became the first Indian to play 200 Twenty20 matches.

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26 IPL 2015

Winning hand held close to home Better cultural understanding of uncapped players and a longer rope to perform gives Indian skippers an edge over their foreign counterparts

Shashank Kishore

n the end, it was another Indian captain who got his hands on the Indian Premier League trophy in 2015. It highlighted yet again the growing trend of local skippers being more successful than their foreign counterparts. After all, it was the sixth time in eight summers that an Indian captain held the trophy aloft; the only exceptions being 2008 and 2009, when the tournament was in its infancy. When Rajasthan Royals defied the odds and caught even their staunchest fans by surprise to win the inaugural edition, they were led by the inspirational Shane Warne. He threw young players into the deep end, exposed them to high-pressure situations and eventually converted the unknown into household names, Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja being the perfect cases in point.

Most importantly, Warne led by example. This year, Rajasthan huffed and puffed their way to the play-offs despite starting the tournament with five wins. They lost momentum in the middle because of change in leadership and eventually fell by the wayside. Shane Watson, the designated skipper, sat out the first four matches, which they won under Steven Smith. But with Watsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s return imminent, the team had to juggle their foreign personnel. Tim Southee, who hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t done much wrong in his limited opportunities, had to make way for Watson. The team looked unsettled and shaky, and there was a feeling that the captaincy shift disturbed the dynamics somewhat. Watson is just one of several high-profile foreign captains who have faced the heat in the past. It

SRH

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Highest run-scorer: David Warner

562 runs in 14 innings; Avg: 43.23; SR 156.54

Highest wicket-taker: Bhuvneshwar Kumar

18 wickets in 14 innings; Econ: 7.87 L

David Warner did much of the heavy lifting with the bat, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar was their go-to man with the ball and Moises Henriques added great value to the outfit. Hyderabad came close to making the final four before a Warner catch that went horribly wrong and a thumping to Mumbai sealed their fate.

1000

Warner, who stood up to deliver consistently for his team, went past 1000 runs for Hyderabad, becoming the second after Shikhar Dhawan to do so. With his seven fifties, he went past Dhawan and now has 1090 runs from 28 games at 45.41; Dhawan is slightly behind, with 1041 runs from 38 matches at 30.61. ISSUE 8, MAY 2015

28 IPL 2015 begs the question if foreign players have a shorter rope to perform or if they are easily burned by the hot seat if their form is a primary concern. Adam Gilchrist, the only other foreign captain apart from Warne to have lifted the silverware with Deccan Chargers in 2009, dropped himself midway through the 2012 season. Gilchrist, who was leading Kings XI Punjab, wasn’t at the peak

of musical chairs at different stages – the team was definitely not the winner. “Captaincy means there will be pressure and expectation, whether it is an Indian captain or a foreign captain,” explained Warner, one of four foreign captains in IPL 2015. “From the team point of view, since there are only four foreign players, you don’t want to be in an awkward situation where

Warner: “Since there are only four foreign players, you don’t want to be in an awkward situation where you aren’t scoring runs, but have to play purely as a captain. That isn’t an ideal situation to be in.“

of his prowess. His decision to sit out allowed the team to beef up their bowling stocks by bringing in a seasoned campaigner in Azhar Mahmood, while a slot opened up at the top for a young Indian batsman. The tectonic shift didn’t boost their chances that year. Then there is the curious case of Delhi Daredevils. Mahela Jayawardene and David Warner shared captaincy responsibilities in a disastrous 2013 season where they finished last. Mumbai Indians’ decision to appoint the retired Ricky Ponting as captain also fell flat; he dropped himself midway through the season owing to poor form. Rohit Sharma, who took over the duties, led the side to a historic IPL and Champions League T20 double that year. The revolving door syndrome spread down south to Sunrisers Hyderabad too. Kumar Sangakkara, Cameron White and Darren Sammy played a game

you aren’t scoring runs, but have to play purely as a captain. That isn’t an ideal situation to be in. The only way to ease all those worries is to score runs.” In comparison, Indian captains seem to have got more leeway. Virat Kohli was retained as skipper this season despite Royal Challengers Bangalore faring miserably for three seasons in a row. A wretched run of three ducks to begin IPL 2014 didn’t seem to cast its spell on Gautam Gambhir as he led Kolkata Knight Riders to their second IPL title, with shrewd selection changes and making the best use of the foreign resources being the contributing factors. MS Dhoni, who led Chennai Super Kings to the title in 2010 and 2011, hasn’t been the destroyer we know in 2015. His strike-rate and hitting at the death has paled in comparison to his past records, but as a leader, there has been no doubting his credentials.

It could be said that someone like a Warner or Smith or George Bailey doesn’t always have first-hand information about all members of the squad. Dhoni’s handling of Pawan Negi or Kohli backing Yuzvendra Chahal and Mandeep Singh are examples of captains who have managed local talent on the basis of a strong understanding of an individual’s cultural background.

depression not too long ago, is back on his feet. “Trust is the most important thing,” said Praveen. “When I wasn’t picked in the auction, nobody was there for me. Then when an opportunity came up, Rohit phoned me up. Of course we’re friends, but more importantly he believed in my ability. Those performances were noticed this year and I was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad. If I hadn’t got

WInning run

IPL 2015 was the sixth time in eight summers that an Indian captain lifted the trophy.

That Iqbal Abdulla was his teammate during India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign could have prompted Kohli to press forward his case to the team management during the IPL transfer window. Praveen Kumar, a former India international who found himself in the wilderness owing to bad form and disciplinary issues, was given a second lease of life at Mumbai Indians courtesy Rohit Sharma. Today, Praveen, who was fighting

that call from Rohit last year, who knows where I would have been now? I can’t even imagine what would have been had Mumbai Indians had a foreign captain last year.” Eight years is a considerable sample size to consider. With Indian captains offering more value in terms of the overall package, it makes things easier with respect to team composition and strategies. Unless, of course the foreign captain in question is either Warne or Gilchrist.

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30 IPL 2015

“I Have watched every CSK match at home. Except one.” “Which One was that?” “I got engaged.”

“How old are you?” “As old as the IPL!”

HUM OF

Arundhat

MANS IPL

ti Sridhar

“One of the reasons I like Dhoni is because he has a lot of haters. In India, the surest way of counting Your success is by counting your haters.”

“After KKR, the Chennai and RCB t-shirts sell the most. Since it is a captain versus vice-captain thing. Dhoni versus Kohli.”

“There are so many people in CHENNAI wondering why Suresh Raina did not have a traditional SOUTH INDIAN WEDDING!”

32 IPL 2015

Where substance meets style For the first time, viewers got four women – four former cricketers at that – on the IPL commentary team

Kritika Naidu

n the first season of the Indian Premier League, India had been exposed to a burst of colour and energy on the cricket field, along with the mostly uncharted territory of cheerleaders, celebrities flocking to stadiums, and the close involvement of Bollywood stars – as closely as co-owning teams. Cricket got an infusion of the glamour quotient. And, as the the IPL juggernaut rolled on, we had film stars on a cricket show, fashion statements being made, blaring music playing and pom-poms in the studios. The glamour-focussed strategy helped pull audiences in over the years – and a new, family audience at that, making a cricket fan of the casual viewer. There were more women in the studios – building

on what Mandira Bedi had started during the 2003 World Cup – and, it would seem, more women at the stadiums and in front of the television. As the young woman in the IPL ad this time said, she was there for Preity Zinta and Shah Rukh Khan. According to TAM Media Research, an audience measurement firm, for the first 45 IPL matches, 36% of the 18.2 crore people reached were women, an all-time high and a 1% increase from 2014. “The shorter format gets a lot more people to enjoy it because you don’t have to be a cricket aficionado,” explains Archana Vijaya, one of the presenters at the IPL and a former model. “Coming to IPL is like going out for a movie, 40 overs and it’s done. You throw in the glamour and Bollywood, and it is the perfect spectacle for sports.”

Then, in 2015, the broadcasters steered clear of the tried and tested extravagance. There was an acknowledgement of not only the Shah Rukh fan in the audience, but also the women in the audience who could appreciate a good cover drive and the audacity of a reverse sweep. The ‘style’ associated with IPL remained strong – Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone still showed up to promote

former India captain, who was involved in women’s games, and Chandra Nayudu, daughter of CK Nayudu, who even commentated on men’s games intermittently, were the voices behind the mike for the longest time. But their contribution was in tournaments whose popularity could not match that of something like the IPL; their reach, correspondingly, was on the lower scale.

A FIRST

IPL 2015 had four women on the commentary team. Seen here, Melanie Jones with Virat Kohli and George Bailey.

their latest movie – but the ‘substance’ got a major boost when, for the first time, the Pepsi Indian Premier League 2015 had four women – four former cricketers at that – on the commentary team. *** India has had women cricket commentators now and then for about 25 years or so now, having started off with Doordarshan and occasionally on the radio. The likes of Shanta Rangaswamy,

So, when the premier domestic T20 tournament in the world became the first to have four women – Anjum Chopra, Isa Guha, Melanie Jones and Lisa Sthalekar – behind the mike, the message was hard to ignore. Between them, the women have a combined experience of 32 Tests, 382 ODIs, 89 T20Is and two World Cup trophies. As Jones put it: “It is a great addition to the game without it being tacky or entertaining; it’s purely about the cricket.”

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34 IPL 2015

CHAMPIONS

Lisa Sthalekar (L) and Isa Guha.

Chopra, the former India skipper, believes the broadcasters’ decision can increase awareness of women’s association with the sport. “It’s a great pedestal to showcase women’s cricket,” says Chopra, who was involved with the IPL earlier, but not behind the mike. “When I say women’s cricket it’s not because women are playing,” she is quick to add, “but if we are commentating, it automatically gives the perspective that if girls can talk about the sport, it either means that they are very good students of the game sitting at home, or that they’ve played the game ... It automatically uplifts and identifies that women also play cricket, it may not be at a scale where the crowds throng the stadium, but at least they play the sport.” “I hope that by young girls and even parents

watching the IPL, they see that here is a female voice and understand that all four of us have played for our countries and there is a pathway there for girls and there are opportunities now not only on the field, but off the field as well,” says Sthalekar, an allrounder who retired from the Australian side after they won the 2013 World Cup. *** For the women, most of whom have been lending their voice to the women’s game for a while, the IPL has been a different ball game. “My first game was at Eden Gardens and was in front of 61,000 screaming fans,” says Sthalekar. “It was a different setup. I wasn’t sure of all the

things that went into this kind of production. It is so different from the one back home.” Jones, also from Australia, saw it as an opportunity to learn. “Michael O’Dwyer, our producer, said to us that it’s about the three Es: engagement (with the audience), entertainment and education. I’ve really taken to that,” she says. “The amount of study we’ve put into it has been great, obviously not knowing the Indian players in particular. We chat with the production crew, the other commentators, we’re forever taking notes and all that because it’s not a one-off thing for us; we want to be able to do this year after year. And if they do give us that opportunity, we’re going to get better and better at it.

NEW VOICES

Anjum Chopra: It’s a pedestal to showcase the women’s game.

“I think we’re a bit conservative at the moment and still getting used to commentating with people we’ve never commentated with before and when people jump in and there are three in the commentary roster in a jam-packed four overs, you sort of have to give each other space and those sort of issues. It’s a massive learning curve and we have real nice people around us who are genuinely excited that we’re there and supportive.” *** With Guha being part of commentary teams around the world, including on BBC Test Match Special, and a Women’s Big Bash League being planned, the opportunities for women cricketers

can only increase. But whether it is a viable career option is something that would be only identified in time. “It’s a bit soon to tell whether it will impact women’s cricket, especially here in India,” says Sthalekar. But, as they say, if you educate a man you educate an individual, but when you educate a woman, you educate a community. Chopra points out that at the end of the day,

man or woman, they’re all just doing their jobs. One 47-day tournament might not drastically bring the acknowledgement the women’s game needs, but perhaps, just perhaps, the new students of cricket, the young girls who until now heard Ravi, Ramiz, Rahul and Sunny on TV, and now Isa, Anjum, Lisa and Mel, could help build that community to make the game that much richer.

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36 IPL 2015

KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders Highest run-scorer: Robin Uthappa

364 runs in 13 innings; Avg: 30.33; SR: 131.40

Highest wicket-taker: Andre Russell

14 wickets in 13 innings; Econ: 7.96

N/R

Despite a lack of consistency from the top and middle order and an errant Sunil Narine, the defending champions had a play-off spot in sight, peaking at the right time with three consecutive wins and two games left. But they fell off track in those two final games, and duly paid the price to finish on 15 points and fifth place.

Andre Russell’s big hitting gave Kolkata strong finishes on several occasions. Against Kings XI Punjab, with Kolkata faltering in a chase of 184, Russell blasted a 21-ball 51. He got to his fifty in just 19 balls, equalling the record set by Harbhajan Singh – also against the same opposition – for the fastest fifty in the IPL. His blitz helped Kolkata win by a wicket.

STEYN: OUT TO OUTwit, OUT-SKILL batsmen Hyderabad’s South African pacer on sharing a dressing room with Boult, and having to always think on his feet

Saurabh Somani

here are few sights in cricket that set the adrenaline racing quite like a fast bowler at the top of his game, steaming in. Dale Steyn, one of the undisputed kings of the breed, has been the flag-bearer for modern-day pacers, with 396 Test wickets at 22.56 and a strike-rate of 41.7, numbers that are far above and beyond anyone else in the past decade. Steyn, who has been the master of homing in on batsmen’s weaknesses, is part of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, one of only two players the franchise retained ahead of the 2014 auctions. He took time off during the 2015 edition to speak to Wisden India on a range of issues. Below are excerpts on his thoughts on the evolution of pace bowling, the allure of left-

armers and sharing his experience with Trent Boult at Hyderabad and his mastery of late swing.

How has fast bowling evolved from the time you came on the scene to now? When I was 16, my coach was a guy who was playing cricket with me, and he realised I could bowl fast. So his big thing was I must just bowl fast. I must run in and just bowl fast. Batsmen will make mistakes and I’ll scare them and get them out, especially in club cricket. When you go to a higher level, what you start to learn is how to control your speed, how you are going to package that and condense it, and then start landing the ball in a consistent area over and over and over again. Which is what guys like Glenn McGrath and Shaun Pollock did. So there comes that phase in

ISSUE 8, MAY 2015

38 IPL 2015 your cricketing career where you are just practising getting the ball in the same area consistently, over and over and over again. Very boring. But exciting, because you’re bowling at 145-150 clicks an hour! And then comes this phase now. I wouldn’t call it the back-end of my career, but what I’m starting to learn now is that batsmen have changed and you have to evolve with that. Guys are not allowing you to bowl consistently in the same area. Out of nowhere they’ll play a scoop or a reverse lap. Hawkeye will say it’s a great delivery, but it still goes for six! That’s where bowling has come to now, you have to start using your mind a little bit more now. You have to have the skill, but you have to be smart. In the olden days you ran in and bowled the odd inswinger with five away swingers and the batsmen might leave it and get bowled. Nowadays, guys will lap you and stuff, so you have to start thinking about how to outsmart, outwit and then out-skill players. You’ve got to have all the deliveries – slower ball, slower bouncer, slower yorker, straight yorker, wide yorker.

You spoke of out-skilling and out-thinking a batsman. Any dismissal you remember? There’s been times where you’ve bowled to inform batters and gotten them out. The ones that I remember are the funniest ones where they fall for the oldest trick in the book, where you bowl two bouncers and a yorker, and they’re caught hanging back and you hit the pads or get bowled. Or you’re waving your arms at deep square-leg and

you pretend you’re going to bowl a bouncer, but you bowl a wide half-volley and somehow he nicks it. So it’s not a great delivery, but the thinking behind the delivery is what counts.

How do you prepare before a match? Are you focussed on opposition batsmen or do you just trust your own skills to do the job? It’s a combination. I know what I can do, and then I try and figure out how I can use my skill to get a certain player out. Somebody who’s a very smart cricketer said to me not too long ago, that the best thing to do was to look at how a batsman has gotten out in the last ten innings. There’s no point in watching what a Mahela (Jayawardene) or (Kumar) Sangakkara did ten years ago, because they are different players today. You want to watch what they have done in their last ten innings; is there a pattern how they’ve got out? And then you try and replicate that with your own skill. Players are also all different. You’ve got a Kieron Pollard and then a Sachin Tendulkar. If you bowl the ball in the exact same place to both of them, one is going to cover drive you for four and the other is going to late cut you because it’s on the back foot. So you have to try and figure out if you bowl the ball in the same place, where you are going to put the fielders. Those are the kind of things that I do. Other than that, I’m just really relaxed. I back myself, maybe listen to the music. Hopefully I’ve prepared well and just go into the contest mentally strong.

IPL FACTS This year, Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner became the first opening pair to feature in three 100-plus partnerships, in Hyderabad’s home game against Kolkata.

How has it been with Trent Boult at Sunrisers Hyderabad? Do you see him as your successor in terms of being the fast bowling standard in years to come?

it’s a lot more stylish. And he (Boult) oozes style in everything he does, as well as skill. He’s got great skill and he’s young. Him, Mitchell Starc – left-arm again – there’s something different. I can name you 20 right-arm fast bowlers who can land the ball in the right place and bowl at 140. I can only name you three or four left-arm quicks who can do the same. They’re a rare breed, beautiful to watch and difficult to play.

Bowling smart

Dale Steyn: “Somebody said to me that the best thing to do was to look at how a batsman has gotten out in the last ten innings.”

He’s great. I’ve always been a fan of left-arm bowlers, always. If I have a son, hopefully I can just make him do this (imitates bowling with left arm). As a matter of fact, I actually like everything lefthanded. I don’t know why, but just artistically, lefthanded batsmen always look better than righthanded batsmen. There’s just something about it,

He and I hang out a lot, at training, chat and we pass ideas. I think he’s still learning his trade and he’s going through what cricketers call a purple patch right now. It doesn’t matter if he bowls a wide half-volley, it doesn’t go for four, it tends to hit bat and go on to the stumps. But he’s also consistently landing the ball in the right areas and getting wickets with good balls. It’s all going his way right now and he’s loving the hype at the moment, and he should – because that’s what’s going to make him a better bowler. Because when times get tough, he can look back and realise what he was doing right during this purple patch and gain confidence from that and continue to do well. Good player, good ideas, and also a nice guy.

Allan Donald said you’re the best South African bowler he has seen. I think there’s no better way to draw any confidence than when a hero of yours speaks so highly of you. That just makes you feel like superman, doesn’t it?

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Delhi Daredevils

Highest run-scorer: Shreyas Iyer

439 runs in 14 innings; Avg: 33.76; SR: 128.36

Highest wicket-taker: Nathan Coulter-Nile

15 wickets in 11 innings; Econ 7.55

Imran Tahir

15 wickets in 10 innings; Econ: 8.84 L

N/R

JP Duminy did a wonderful job of leading a team with depleted resources. It was Shreyas Iyer, the 20-year-old Mumbai batsman, who emerged the hero. Imran Tahir was reliable with his leg-breaks, but Yuvraj Singh hardly turned up while Angelo Mathews was far from impressive. After beginning their campaign in familiar fashion, Delhi notched up important wins, but failed to keep up the intensity and had to settle for seventh.

Shreyas Iyer made himself several fans with his consistent performances. Against Hyderabad, he scored a superb 60 off 40 balls. Iyer was just 20 years and 133 days when he played that innings, becoming the youngest Delhi Daredevils batsman to score an IPL fifty.

The number that doesn’t count Hogg, Hussey, Nehra and Zaheer have showed that even if you’re on the wrong side of 30, you’re only as old as you feel

Nisha Shetty

n the front of the glittering Indian Premier League trophy is a quote in Sanskrit: Yatra pratibha avsara prapnotihi – where talent meets opportunity. But it’s not just talented youngsters who are making the most of the opportunity, a few men on the wrong side of 30 too have shown that experience counts for a lot, even in a so-called young man’s game. At 44, Brad Hogg is the oldest player in the IPL. But the Australian left-arm chinaman bowler is more than a trivia fact in Pepsi IPL 2015. He was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in the February auction and when Sunil Narine was reported for his action midway through the competition, he got his first game. He took 1 for 18, but it was in his second game against Chennai Super Kings

where he truly shone, grabbing 4 for 29. When Chennai were looking ominous at 64 for 2 in five overs, Hogg removed Brendon McCullum with his first delivery to turn the match in Kolkata’s favour. And if that wasn’t enough to get the crowd into a frenzy, he showed he still had the moves, busting into a dance. The toughest part about playing cricket at 44? “Knowing that my days are numbered and wishing that I had the relaxed mental approach that I have now for the game, when I was younger and playing at international and first-class level,” Hogg tells Wisden India. The best part, according to him, is “the younger players’ skills are taking the game forward in a more entertaining aspect”. The torchbearer for the players in the older age

ISSUE 8, MAY 2015

42 IPL 2015 Nehra was the tidiest of the lot. In Qualifier 2 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, he kicked it up a notch, knocking over Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in a single over to finish with 3 for 28 and a third Man of the Match award in the season. Injuries have kept him out of the longer form of the game, but he insists he still has what it takes to keep going in the 20-over game. “It is not that Ashish Nehra has changed,” he said after the win over Bangalore. “People are noticing it more because I am 36 and a guy at this age is doing something unbelievable in T20s. But I have been doing the same things that I have been doing over the last ten years.”

Late start

Kolkata’s Brad Hogg, 44, became the oldest cricketer to play in the IPL.

bracket at the moment is Ashish Nehra. He’s 36 years old, he last played international cricket in 2011, but he’s been key to Chennai Super Kings’ success, picking up 22 wickets in 16 games. He might be the butt of many unfortunate jokes, but he’s also Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s go-to bowler in times of crisis. Whether it’s bowling with the new ball, in the Power Play overs, or at the death, ‘in Ashish Nehra we trust’ seems to be the unofficial motto of the franchise. Experience is especially useful in the knockout scenario. In Qualifier 1 against Mumbai Indians,

But Nehra isn’t the only Indian who’s shown there’s still some gas left in the tank. Zaheer Khan has missed most of Delhi’s campaign due to fitness issues, but in the seven games he’s played, he’s shown glimpses of why he was worth the gamble at the auction. Critics had written him off, but he hit back with 2 for 9 to help Delhi tame Chennai in their own den. In those 24 deliveries, there were an astonishing 19 dot balls bowled, the most by a bowler in one innings in IPL. He finished with seven wickets at an economy rate of 6.45. What does Zaheer think of the suggestion that he’s past his prime? “It is the media’s job to write. They are doing their job, and I am doing my job. I

know it is over only when I say it is over. Ultimately, when I do well, they have to write good things about me too. Playing cricket gives me a high, and I am going to continue to do so till I feel I can do it right.” Clearly, the bowlers are ageing like fine wine, but batsmen may find it more difficult to keep up

because it requires more attention to detail with one’s hand-eye coordination.” Of course, there’s someone like Michael Hussey. A few days short of his 40th birthday, he came out for Chennai all guns blazing at the business end of the tournament, hitting a vital fifty against Bangalore in the second Qualifier.

Mentor

His Delhi team-mates say sharing the dressing room with Zaheer Khan has been educational.

with the pace. “As a bowler, it is easy to train when you are having a break between tournaments, you can ring up local teams and ask if they want net bowlers, or you can just go down to the nets and practice by trying to hit targets placed on the wicket,” explains Hogg. “As for a batsmen trying to find net bowlers between tournaments to keep up your skills, it is a lot harder. “Also, as you get older, your reflexes start to deteriorate, which affects batting a lot more

Ultimately, a player’s sell-by date in cricket mostly boils down to attitude. For Hogg, who has “never been happier than the last five years”, the secret is simple. It’s about staying fit, setting achievable goals and striving to be the best, he says. Of course, the likes of Hogg, Nehra and Zaheer won’t be around forever, but their performances this year are a strong reminder that you’re only as old as you feel.

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KXIP Kings XI Punjab

Highest run-scorer: David Miller

257 runs in 13 innings; Avg: 32.45; SR: 134.21

Highest wicket-taker: Anureet Singh

15 wickets in 14 innings; Econ: 9.00 L

Lack of a solid opening partnership, a misfiring middle order, an indifferent Glenn Maxwell, and an inconsistent David Miller – almost everything went wrong for last year‘s runners-up. Sandeep Sharma was one of the positives and proved he can be replied upon. He found some support in Anureet Singh and Axar Patel, but their performances hardly made up for the uninspired showing of the rest and the result was an unflattering last-place finish.

Punjab‘s win in the Super Over against Rajasthan Royals was a rare memorable moment for them. It was Punjab‘s second win in the Super Over as they equalled the record for the most number of wins in the shoot-out. The team they share the record with is the one they beat.

Allahabad Eagles OR KANPUR KINGS, anyone? With audiences outside big cities lapping up IPL, maybe the next step is to base franchises out of there

Manoj Narayan

head of the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced an interesting initiative. They were to set up ‘Fan parks’ around the country, where crowds could assemble and watch matches on the big screen, all the while eating, dancing and having themselves a merry family picnic. They targeted the smaller cities – the Agras, the Allahabads, the Kanpurs and the Coimbatores – all second or third-tier cities. The aim was to make the glamorous tournament more accessible beyond the metropolises, to provide a “stadium-like” feel and bring in “newer audience, especially families”. From the BCCI’s own reports, the initiative has been a success.

The IPL has always modelled itself on the English Premier League, the expertly marketed domestic football league that has been a benchmark for similar ventures the world over. In many ways, the IPL, in just eight years, has surpassed the EPL – Sporting Intelligence’s 2015 Global Sports Salaries Survey (GSSS) stated that with an average yearly salary of over £2.5 million, the IPL was the secondbest paid league in the world, after the NBA. Keep in mind that unlike most other leagues in the list, the IPL is a tournament that runs for just under two months. That the IPL was a lucrative tournament was common knowledge, but these figures show to what extent it is so – in terms of wages for time spent, the IPL is a more attractive prospect for cricketers than the EPL is for footballers. That said,

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46 IPL 2015 part of the charm of the EPL – and the FA Cup to a greater extent – is that there is representation from all parts of the country and a small-town team stands toe-to-toe with the biggies. Now that the IPL is almost universally accepted in metros, perhaps the next step for the tournament is to spread its wings to the smaller cities in India, not just by hosting matches there but by basing franchises. During the 2015 edition of the tournament, Ahmedabad turned up in thousands at the Sardar Patel stadium, and though the ‘designated’ home team was Rajasthan Royals, they – for reasons fairly obvious – didn’t associate with a team bearing the name of an altogether different state. It was similar in Visakhapatanam, Sunrisers Hyderabad being the designated home team, but fans more than happy to support whoever they took a liking for that day. At the same time, Ranchi, miles away from Tamil Nadu, is as much a ‘home’ to Chennai Super Kings as it can get. This has a lot to do with the MS Dhoni factor, but it also shows the interest levels cricket piques in these parts – these are markets waiting to lap up whatever bit of the event they can come by. Embracing the smaller cities is a strategy that leagues of other disciplines have adopted, and quite successfully at that. Ranchi Rhinos, the Hockey India League champions in 2014, were a

hit and played in front of packed audiences, while the likes of Patna Pirates, Jaipur Pink Panthers and Telugu Titans were instrumental in the huge success that was the Pro Kabbadi League. Charu Sharma, cricket commentator and a founder of the PKL, explained why initiatives work in tier-II cities. “There is generally less going on there, so it’s easier to be the centre of attraction. It is easier to ensure people turn up in very large numbers because their options are fewer,” he said. “They won’t have to compete with 820 other things going on, which is the case in big cities like Mumbai. In smaller towns, it’s more like: Haan chalenge yaar, bada maza aayega. They tend to be stronger in their support as well.” One of the few good things to come out of India’s massive population is the potential for virality in the market. When it comes to cricket, ticket sales aren’t an issue in tier-II cities, where there isn’t enough supply of the sport to saturate demand. Besides, a majority of the top-class cricketers come from second-tier cities – from the 15-man India squad that contested the World Cup, only four players were from metropolitan cities – and enjoy impressive following in their hometowns. Even if just 10% of the local population turn up for matches, it’s enough for a 30,000-seater stadium to be sold out. And though a large portion of IPL’s revenues come through TV ad sales –Television Audience Measurement’s (TAM) latest findings show there is around a 25% growth in viewership

IPL FACTS The match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai was the 500th IPL game.

Expansion

With their ‘fan parks’, the BCCI took the IPL to smaller cities, bringing the stadium-like feel to new audiences.

from IPL 2014; the going rate for advertisements was Rs 20 lakh for a 10-second spot newspapers reported – the sold-out sign is important for the simple reason that advertisers on TV don’t want their brands associated with the negative image that an empty stadium portrays. That said, it isn’t as straightforward as installing readymade franchises into these cities. There are roadblocks, commercial and legal ramifications to consider. Will the eight existing teams agree to a smaller percentage of the revenue pie? What about the cautionary tales of Pune Warriors India

and Kochi Tuskers Kerala? There will then need to be discussions on logistics: the IPL is already a hectic tournament packed into two months with lots of travel; can the small cities, some with poor connectivity and hospitality services, even host large contingents? These are issues for the governing council to consider. From nervous beginnings and through many controversies, the IPL has braved its way into a working system. It would be foolhardy now to rest on laurels. The time is ripe for it to broaden its scope. A second tier – the IPL’s gotta have it.

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Flights, lights, camera and action! From manic travel to watching, talking cricket with Sunny and Sidhu – Gaurav Kapur and Archana Vijaya on the life of an IPL presenter

Sidhanta Patnaik The Indian Premier League, for everyone involved, is a mad two-month window of cricket – and also of lights, camera and action. Wisden India finds out from Gaurav Kapur and Archana Vijaya – two of the four hosts of the official IPL television broadcast – what the tournament is like behind the scenes and beyond the sixes, being around the stars, and how they retain a smile for the camera throughout. Edited excerpts:

IPL and you How I look unfortunately always takes precedence over everything else. For the last couple of years, though, people have moved beyond my looks. It is good to be looking almost perfect in a visual medium, but when people appreciate you for the real job you do, it is a satisfying experience. The challenges of live presentation without retakes are completely different. You just have one shot. This year, I have tried to be as bilingual as I can be to reach a far greater audience. Archana

Being a live broadcaster, this gig was not a hard one in terms of the medium. As for the cricket, the problem with Indian audience is that they are comfortable to box you. They want you to do the same thing, but they will ask ‘what’s different?’ It’s a fascinating dichotomy. But I had faith in my understanding of the game and I knew I would gain credibility given time. The only thing I wanted to do was to make the shows more approachable. gaurav

Working with cricket stars Sunny G (Sunil Gavaskar) is extremely encouraging and Rahul Dravid also came up to me and said to keep going. Archana

It’s surreal actually to be sitting with some of my childhood favourites and talking about the sport I have been obsessed with. The teamwork comes with respect. My job is to get the best out of them because, for the show to be good, everyone has to look and sound good. Sunil Gavaskar, my absolute favourite, called me the ‘king of repartee’. That felt pretty special. To have conversations with fascinating minds like Stephen Fleming and gaurav

Gary Kirsten, for example, has been exciting. Also, anyone would be fortunate to call Rahul Dravid a friend.

Sharing the studio with Navjot Sidhu We get along famously now. I have spent more time with NSS this year than with my wife. It wasn’t easy to start with, as I was a flat track bully and he was the Perth pitch. But, slowly I adapted to him. With others you have to draw out content, with him you have to sculpt it. gaurav

In awe of My first cricket assignment was back in 2007 when MSD (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) and all these boys were still young. So we have pretty much grown alongside each other. The only person I actually get weak in the knees for is Sachin Tendulkar. Even today, I am nervous talking to him. I think he knows it because they all joke about it. Archana

Beating the clock I have taken close to 40 flights this season. It’s a real challenge. I was never a big coffee drinker, but now I have taken to it because the caffeine kick keeps you energised. There is not much partying during the IPL, which makes my job a lot easier. But, having said that, the mental drill and rush overrides everything else as you are looking forward to presenting live. Every time, after a match, I can’t sleep for at least an hour because of the adrenaline. It takes a while to unwind. Archana

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50 IPL 2015 Also, getting to taste different cuisines in different cities of India is an aspect of my job that propels me. I enjoy going to Hyderabad for the biryani and to Chennai for the dosa. There’s not been much travel for me because I am in the studio mostly. I get to come home most days, and that’s gold in a hectic tournament. But even when we travel, we are pampered like princesses. gaurav

IPL lessons Archana

My friendship with cricketers has nothing to do with my profession. I maintain neutrality.

Once I was wearing an off-shoulder dress on a hot day and Sunny G wanted to be funny. So, he took off his jacket and wore half of it. That was an absolutely hilarious segment because he caught me by surprise on camera. Had Danny Morrison done it, it would not have been half as funny.

MOST EnjoyABLE TO WATCH Virat Kohli. I had a chat with him recently and saw such clarity of thought. You could tell that he is coming into his own. He is still young and has the fun side to him. As the interview ended, I told him, ‘Cheeku, ek cheeky smile de ke chale jaa’. Archana

Situations are very dynamic and the need is to adapt. You have to change with situations to extract the best out of you and the situation. Adaptability is the only constant in the jungle of variables that is sports broadcasting.

So many. (Brendon) McCullum, (Suresh) Raina, Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh), Virat (Kohli), (Chris) Gayle, AB (de Villiers), Sunil Narine, (Mitchell) Starc. I should stop or else it would be a list longer than this edition.

Funniest experience

Handling post-IPL withdrawal symptoms

gaurav

This season, one Fan of the Day contest winner started to sing Honey Singh songs to me and serenade me. That was quite funny. I thought they are supposed to be fans of the game. Archana

“Once I was wearing an off-shoulder dress on a hot day and Sunny G wanted to be funny. So, he took off his jacket and wore half of it. That was an absolutely hilarious segment.”

gaurav

Mentally you can go on, but physically you are tired by the time the league ends. However, once you have two days of rest, you realise life is really slow now. ‘I was supposed to be in three cities in one day, why is it not happening to me!’ I am going off to Europe for a holiday; so I don’t think the withdrawal symptoms would last long. Archana

gaurav

It’s like driving at 80kph for two months and then suddenly going into a wall.

FAN SPEAK

“If Test cricket is yoga, T20 is disco dancing’’ Rahul Bose on why he likes the IPL, the humour of the Wankhede crowd, and how both filmmakers and franchises live to fight another day Sidhanta Patnaik A reputed film and theatre personality, an activist and an avid sportsperson, Rahul Bose was a part of the first Indian rugby team in an international event. A thoughtful individual, his deep love for cricket is well known. Even as he was preparing for the 2015 TCS World 10K run in Bangalore, he had a candid chat about the Pepsi Indian Premier League with Wisden India. Edited excerpts: ISSUE 8, MAY 2015

52 IPL 2015 You have always described yourself as “half Bengali, one-fourth Punjabi and one-fourth Maharashtrian”, but supported Mumbai Indians. I have a house in Himachal Pradesh also. I could have easily had divided loyalties, but Mumbai is home. Playing, studying, working – all my memories are linked to Mumbai. It would have been a great temptation to support a team that Sachin Tendulkar was mentoring, but in this case it’s a happy marriage. Which format of the game do you relate to the most? I am an out and out Test cricket tragic. I started watching live Test cricket in 1972 when Tony Greig‘s England were here, and I was at the Chepauk when India beat West Indies in 1975 in that memorable match where GR Viswanath made 97. One-day cricket remains a grudging compromise for me. I like T20 cricket because I treat it as a separate creature. If Test cricket is yoga, T20 is disco dancing. I like IPL, Big Bash League and the Caribbean Premier League. Each of these leagues asks the cricketers for very specific things at the highest level. What attracts you the most in the IPL? IPL completely neutralises any inflated sense of nationalism and jingoism among the players. I like that enormously about all sporting leagues where national boundaries are dissolvent because players from four different countries are part of one team. The other thing I like about IPL is that slowly but

steadily over a decade – we are almost there – we have got a different set of people who have started to respond to the ebb and flow of a T20 game. And, every IPL team has got some sheer jaw-dropping talent, who we would go miles to see. Who is your favourite IPL cricketer? Just by sheer dazzle, AB de Villiers could have played for his country in four different sports. AB and Virat (Kohli) are just the two most incredible cricketers in the world right now. I just cannot name a bowler because IPL is just so bowler unfriendly.

What’s has been your most memorable IPL experience? I haven’t watched an IPL game from the ground for two years now, but I do remember I was there when Mumbai won in 2013. I remember feeling a great sense of sadness because that was a very controversial and marred IPL. That was memorable in a very non-sporting and a very grim way. I cannot understand how someone cannot have integrity in sport.

Being a Mumbai fan, could you describe the crowd at the Wankhede stadium during an IPL game? It’s one of the [most] mischievous crowds in the world. There is a sense of humour, hostility, impatience and knowledge with the Wankhede crowd. Either you like this mix or you don’t. It works very well for me because I take it with a bit of laugh. In IPL, it just gets amplified because

everybody there somehow seems to be in a higher sense of awareness and energy than they would ordinarily be during last two overs before lunch in a Test match. What do you think IPL can do away with? I would just remove the strategic time outs. Everybody knows that it’s for the television. IPL has enabled leagues in other sports. Do you think a rugby league will also have good television impact? It won’t happen for the next five years but rugby‘s time will come. When it happens, the league will be genuine, attractive, interesting. It’s a sport that will quickly catch fire. Would you have taken a crack at cricket had IPL been there when you were in school?

As a sportsperson, I would not like to play the IPL. I would love to play Test cricket. Of course, I never made it even at the club level. In rugby I have always preferred playing 15s as opposed to 7s or 10s. My heart lies with any sport in its form that challenges every single skill set of yours. What can film stars learn from cricketers and the IPL?

much shorter. Perhaps in a half-joking fashion, I can say that IPL works through half the summer, but a lot of shootings take place abroad that time because of the heat. Maybe it’s one thing we can learn. If they can sweat it out in 45°C, then we can sweat it out in 40°C too. The film industry has used IPL as a commercial platform to promote movies. How do you view the arrangement? It is the nature of the creature and they both deserve each other. Everybody knows that it‘s a marketing exercise and as long as it’s transparent I am fine with it. To give the actors and filmmakers credit, they are upfront about why they come to the Extraaa Innings show. This promotional exercise becomes a part of the jamboree and the masala. If it starts happening in Test cricket, I would abhor it.

QUIZ ANSWERS

From page 17

1. Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore 2. KC Cariappa (Kolkata Knight Riders) 3. Harbhajan Singh 4. Axar Patel 5. Highest partnership for any wicket in T20s by AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli (215*) 6. Pravin Tambe 7. Position in league tables was based on

(Laughs) Both of us live to fight another day! Our fates are decided in a matter of few hours on a Friday night. Of course, in the IPL it happens every evening of the week. We know what it feels like to be up there one day and down the other day. Our cycles are longer, while IPL cycles are

number of wins. MI had 8 to RCB and RR’s 7 8. Rajasthan Royals

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