So the dust has settled on cricket’s largest extravaganza. We've had over 70 games spread over close to two months of high-decibel, high-octane, DLF-maximum-filled, glamour-soaked entertainment – lest we risk calling it 'cricket'!At the end of it all, the finest team did win. Kolkata Knight Riders were the best team of the tournament, and while a CSK win would have been a great advertisement for ‘a come-from-behind story', I think the majority are satisfied with the outcome.
So, what were the hits and misses this IPL?
The mystery: Why some high-quality players were benched, throughout the IPL. It's difficult to fathom why the Pune Warriors never played Tamim Iqbal, who was in superb form before the tournament. It’s not as if they were up to the seams with batting talent, anyway.
The dispensable extravaganza: The opening ceremony was like Mayawati's statues - just glitz, needless, and the money saved could have been used for so many better purposes. The sight of Dougie Bollinger trying to 'get some' with Katy Perry was the first facepalm moment of the tournament.
Text: Deepak Gopalakrishnan
Images: AP/AFP
