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India bowled over: IPL's 20 defining moments
Published on Tue, Jun 03, 2008 at 08:00, Updated at Tue, Jun 03, 2008 in Sports section
Tags: Indian Premier League, Lalit Modi
BATTLE ROYALE: The IPL climax was befitting of all the hype the tournament generated.
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IPL backs off on media curbs
IPL chief Lalit Modi is believed to have informed the news agencies that all restrictions have been lifted.
After a month-and-a-half of thrills and spills, the Indian Premier League came to a grand conclusion on Sunday.
Curtains came down on a concept that has arguably changed the face of cricket forever. The much-anticipated competition was not without its moments that left cricketers spellbound.
CNN-IBN picked the 20 most enthralling moments that defined the cash-rich league. The panel included CNN-IBN's editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai, former India pacer Javagal Srinath, former India cricketer Anjum Chopra, senior journalist Anil Dharkar and a man who lived it through all, co-owner of the Kings XI Punjab, Ness Wadia.
Following are the top 20 moments that probably defined the IPL and would be remembered for time to come.
Number 20: Gautam Gambhir
A man who got India off to brilliant starts in the company of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, who enhanced his reputation. The belligerent southpaw displayed why he is considered one of India’s most exciting new talents as his willow did produce some daredevilry.
Number 19: Golden oldies
They say T20 is a game for the old but there were some golden oldies who made the stage their own. They say T20 is a game for the old but there were some golden oldies who made the stage their own. The likes of Shaun Pollock, Sanath Jayasuriya, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist showed why age should not be a concern.
However, Javagal Srinath though impressed with the veterans still believed that the young blood dominated the IPL T20 tournament.
"Age should not matter but it all depends on the kind of cricket, you play. Shaun Pollock was a great success, Sanath Jayasuriya found his bearings a bit late in the tournament and McGrath was as good as ever. All the golden oldies stuck to their jobs though some of them like Dravid struggled and even Tendulkar was not at his best. Experience did have a role to play but the fresh legs made all the difference in the tournament," stated Srinath.
Number 18: Hat-tricks strike thrice
And there were the bowlers who were supposed to provide cannon fodder for the batsmen but there were three of them who picked up hat-tricks to disband that theory. Makhaya Ntini, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Amit Mishra took three in three in a format that is known to be ruthless for the bowlers
Number 17: Cheerleaders
When it came to the cheerleaders the opinion was split through the middle. Some said that they would add to the glamour of the T20 format while others believed this would take away from the game.
"At the start of the tournament, there was excessive focus on what was happening off the field and the cheerleaders, unfortunately became part of the excessive focus on events off the field. I think at one level cheerleaders are part of the sporting extravaganza and the spectacle. It happens in the west with the NBA and NFL because once sports becomes part of the entertainment industry, then along with it comes off the field activities including the cheerleaders. At the start of the tournament, there was too much focus on them but by the end of the tournament the focus went back to the game of cricket and the cheerleaders became incidental and I found that the clothes that they were wearing were a lot more. So there was a shift in the tournament from the cheerleaders to cheering for the cricketers," said Rajdeep Sardesai.
Former India captain of women's cricket team, Anjum Chpora agreed that everybody got more serious with the tournament progressing and hence the cheerleaders were left alone.
"I think that everybody got involved more because inherently it is cricket all throughout than anything else. There were lots of Bollywood icons and corporate honchos involved but cricket was the real hero from ball one till the end of the tournament. Whether it was cricket that was driven with Bollywood or vice versa but it was cricket that was the real winner. There were a lot of apprehensions about IPL but at the end looking at the grand success, it is cricket all the way," stated Anjum Chopra.
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