Started in 2008, IPL has been disruptive in a positive way. It changed Indian Cricket, Indian sport, and much more. Designed as a league where opportunity shook hands with talent, IPL is sport spiced with entertainment and glamour. High-quality cricket smartly packaged and home delivered at prime time, the formula is eye-catching in every sense.
It was no surprise that IPL took off like a rocket. Fans loved the format and the excitement it generated. Families sat together at dinner in front of television sets and consumed cricket.
IPL impact on Indian Cricket
- IPL is the most attended cricket league in the world and was ranked sixth in 2014 for the same.
- According to BCCI, the 2015 IPL season contributed ₹11.5 billion to the GDP.
- It was the first sporting event in the world to be broadcast live on Youtube in 2010.
- It has given many young stars to Indian team like Virat Kohli and is still bringing young talent in the front like Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and many others.
- With all players together at the same platform, youngsters are encouraged by experienced ones which have made players more innovative.
- The Idea to have World Cup in T20 format was also inspired due to IPL’s success.
Talking about IPL 2019
Twelve seasons later, IPL’s dream run is uninterrupted. Its journey this far has seen more ups and down, in terms of cricket and commercial success. All matches were almost sold out and every other game was decided on the last ball.
After a month and half of the scintillating individual performances and engrossing team shows, MI took the crown. The other teams had their highs and lows making it an exciting season.
Mumbai Indians – IPL 2019 Winner
Players may win you a match but it takes a team to win a championship. No other franchise has practised and perfected it better than four-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians. And with that the art of staying calm, no matter how nerve-wracking the situation, has helped Mumbai Indians lift the trophy twice with one run wins.
The game-changing moment of the match was Malinga’s final over which changed the match. The match came down to the last ball where 2 runs were required. Even if one run would have been made the match would have been gone to Super Over but Malinga kept calm and the ball went unscored with a wicket.
How Everyone Else Fared
CSK – Old, just short of gold
What worked – The ‘Dad’s Army’ gave the youngster lot a lesson or two on grinding out wins right till the final. It wouldn’t have been possible without a stellar set of bowlers, four of whom were among the top 12 wicket takers – Imran Tahir (26 wkts), Deepak Chahar (22), Harbhajan Singh (16) and Ravindra Jadeja (12).
What didn’t – Barring MS Dhoni and Faf du Plessis, the other batsmen were inconsistent. The ageing side also didn’t score in fielding.
DC – Change in name changed the game
What worked – Once Daredevils halted the trend of not reaching the playoffs. Kagiso Rabada’s fiery pace and World Cup snubbed Rishabh Pant’s crucial knocks lifted them up at crucial stages. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw too contributed well.
What didn’t – Overseas batsmen Colin Munro and Colin Ingram failed in the heat of IPL while skipper Iyer wasn’t consistent enough.
SRH – No firepower in the end
What worked – The best opening pair of IP 2019, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow had four-century stands. Spinner Rashid Khan was brilliant as usual
What didn’t – Without their overseas openers, SRH were all at sea. The middle order couldn’t handle the pressure with Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson and Vijay Shankar never firing in unison
KKR – Fighting within
What worked – Andre Russell was the answer to the fans waiting for big hits. The Jamaican’s power-packed shows took the game away from rivals many times.
What didn’t – Team spirit went up in smoke after a string of losses mid-season. The sub-standard show of bowlers was a major disappointment.
KXIP – Work half done
What worked – KL Rahul and Chris Gayle helped Kings XI punch above their weight while R Ashwin and M Ashwin spiced up the bowling.
What didn’t – Without a good all-rounder, KXIP had no plan B if a bowler or batsman had a bad day. Their 5-2 home record meant little as they lost six of their seven away games.
RR – Falling short repeatedly
What worked – As always, domestic players made an impact. Shreyas Gopal was consistent and teenager Riyan Parag stole the show in a couple of games. Jofra Archer’s express pace and Jos Buttler’s few innings too stood out.
What didn’t – Smith being handed captaincy midway and Rahane’s inconsistency hurt.
RCB – Kohli, ABD that’s it
What worked – When a team has Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, one cant look beyond them. Both scored over 440 runs to be RCB’s best batsmen.
What didn’t – No other batsmen be it domestic or foreign, stood up to the challenge. Umesh Yadav too didn’t show control in the death overs.
UNSAVOURY MOMENTS
MANKADING
KXIP Skipper R Ashwin whipped up a storm when he ‘Mankaded’ RR batsman Jos Buttler. Some slammed it as going against the spirit of the game while others defended the spinner as it was within ICC rules.
MSD’s OUTBURST
MS Dhoni barged into the field of play after umpires reversed a no-ball call off Ben Stokes. Usually the Captain Cool, Dhoni went unpunished for his behaviour.
MALINGA’s NO BALL
The umpires were again in the line of fire after S Ravi failed to spot a no-ball by MI’s Lasith Malinga. RCB, who needed six off the last ball, blamed the official after losing the match.
Other than the trophy what the players got
Orange Cap (Most runs in the tournament)
David Warner (692 runs from 12 matches) 1 century and 8 fifties for the Australian batsman in this season. The award carries Rs 10 lakh and trophy
Purple Cap (Most wickets in the tournament
CSK’s veteran spinner Imran Tahir won the award for picking up 26 wickets in 15 matches and bagged the Purple Cap
Super Striker of the season
The KKR all-rounder Andre Russell was awarded a sum of Rs 10 lac and trophy for scoring runs at a strike rate of 204.81
Most Valuable Player of the season
The KKR all-rounder also won the Most Valuable Player of the season award. He was awarded the TATA Harrier SUV for winning the award.
FBB Stylish Player of the season
Kings XI Punjab opener KL Rahul was adjudged the most stylish player of the season for playing some stylish shots all through the tournament.
Perfect Catch of the season
Perfect Catch of the Season award was given to Mumbai Indians’ Kieron Pollard for his brilliant catch of Suresh Raina during the league game against CSK.
Dream11 Gamechanger of the season
The Mumbai Indians’ leg-spinner was a potent weapon for his team in the tournament and changed the course of the game for his team whenever his captain introduced him into the middle.
Paytm Fairplay Award
Though not the winning trophy but Sunrisers Hyderabad undoubtedly got an award for their fair play in the tournament.
Here is DKODING’s IPL Dream XI on the basis of their performances in 2019 with Rohit Sharma leading the squad.
