The second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa might not have been a stupendous success with the masses, like it was in the inaugural year, but it certainly made up with some competitive edge and close finishes, which was strictly not for the weak hearts.
Unlike in the first edition, where Brendon McCullum sparkled with a record breaking century, the second didn't get a flying start but the finish witnessed the two faces of Aussie cricket - Champions Deccan Chargers Hyderabad skipper Adam Gilchrist's leadership qualities, which once again proved that the Aussies are born leaders (remember Shane Warne's exploits in the first) and Andrew Symonds' sledging - they are the best in that as well.
That apart, Deccan Chargers, who had finished at the bottom of the points table in the first edition, were truly charged up this time around and were the worthy winners. A team with the likes of Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs at the top and Andrew Symonds, T Suman and Rohit Sharma to follow, looks good to reach 150 on any surface in a Twenty20 match.
Therefore full credit should go to Anil Kumble, the Bangalore Royal Challengers' skipper, who led from the front with a four-wicket haul, for restricting the ultimate champions to 143 despite record holder for highest catches in Tests, Rahul Dravid, dropping a dolly in the slips that too off Andrew Symonds, which according to me was the turning point of the match because Dravid looked totally shattered after that incident and carried that guilt even when he batted while chasing what should have been a modest total.
Probably every human being connected with cricket must have heard the phrase 'Catches win matches' a million times and the IPL final nailed home that point allover again. The Bangalore team dropped sitters while the Hyderabad team converted half chances and were the worth winners despite a lion-hearted bowling by veteran statesman Kumble, whose hunger for victory can be compared with any sports man on this earth.
When the Royal Challengers Bangalore's turn came to chase down the runs, young Manish Pandey was given a lesson or two by Symonds about sledging which prompted TV commentator Harsha Bhogle to say 'Hi, Symo spare the kid and go pick someone of your size and experience to sledge'.
Bhogle's observation was bang on target because the verbal volley Manish received surely unsettled the lad so-much-so that it seemed he was more happy getting off the field than hanging around listening to Symonds' outbursts ball after ball.
Unfortunately for the 19-year-old lad from Bangalore, who had missed a well deserved half century in the semi-finals by a whisker after being the only centurion from India in the second edition, there was no Sachin Tendulkar (remember monkey-gate episode during India's tour Down Under when Sachin stood by Harbhajan Singh like a rock) at the other end to save the baby faced Manish, who was subjected to continuous sledging with millions of viewers watching on their TV screens helplessly before he succumbed to pressures of the finals.
Though the Aussie selectors have lost faith in their all-rounder, who has not even been considered for the Ashes series, Symonds can now hope to get a job as a sledging coach once his career comes to an end which could be sooner than later as he has the knack of getting into off field tangles than any on the field performances of late.
Coming back to the final, the pressure certainly caught up with the Bangalore team after Jacques Kallis, who is no opener in any form of cricket, Dravid, Ross Taylor and Virat kohli literally throwing away their wickets and Robin Uthappa, who proved a misfit in the team despite being persisted with, and Praveen Kumar having no clue about finishing a match on their own.
However, let us give the Hyderabad bowlers - Rudra Pratap Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Harmit Singh and of course Andrew Symonds (two balls, two wickets) -- the credit they deserve and salute the most popular foreign player, Gilchrist, for knitting a wayward but a talented group of young cricketers into a champion outfit.
Hat's off to you guys!
Instead of crying over the spilt milk, Kumble's men will do better with a small party for being in the final after being termed a 'useless Test team' and prepare for the next battle that is the Champions League to be held in October.
If they take this defeat as a learning curve and play their cards right, who knows, they might even win the Champions League.
Better luck next time boys!
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