Aug 24 2009
The Best of the IPL Season One
The Indian Premier League is not just about cricket only. If anybody thinks so, they are grossly mistaken because they just need to look into the months of preparations that go into staging the matches, getting the cheerleaders ready, the clothing designed and stitched, the marketing and media campaigns running overtime and getting the crowds worked into a frenzy. Yes, it wasn’t about the cricket alone and if the first season didn’t impress you enough, just wait up for the second season to enthrall your imaginations.
Meanwhile we are fairly convinced that a lot of effort was put in which was beyond the boundary and therefore that needs to be highlighted as well. For only then will they be inspired onto the next level, presenting probably an even better show this year.
Best Crest:
The identity of the eight teams involved was everything to them. They chose fancy names and needed fancy designs on their crests to symbolize what they stand for. The colours and the name need to fit in fancy fully and live on in the minds of those who not only cheer for the teams but also follow their progress. More than that, they should be unique and recognizable from a distance whenever they are viewed in any part of the country if not the world.
There are a few contenders for the best crest and they are: Kolkata Knight Riders, Deccan Chargers, Rajasathan Royals and Kings XI Punjab. Deccan Chargers could have been the outright winners here but their team didn’t perform anywhere near the charged up bull they display on their badge and therefore miss out – probably next time! Kings XI Punjab is an example where they may have cluttered it up a bit too much for comfort, with two lion manes flowing but there are many unexplained initials on their crest. Knight Riders run the eventual winners close but the Rajasathan Royals are clear winners here for their crest represents what their team, franchise and host city is all about: royalty. Complete with golden hues, crowns and trumpets, there is a kingly feel to the symbol they wear on their clothing.
Oh, by the way, the Bangalore Royal Challengers have the worst one, no thinking going into it, just two plain alphabets, R and C.
Best Clothing:
The Kolkata Knight Riders are the clear winners here. Their black and gold dresses with golden helmets and gear were the most pleasing to the eye, any part of the country one went to. No wonder their merchandise was the one outselling that of all other franchises. It was plain and simple, their design. They were the king’s men and thus the golden hues painted brightly on their uniforms. Plus they were the knights and thus had to be in a shade which not only stands out people but at the same time, doesn’t hide their strong points, rather brings them out in the open. Clear winners in this area, the Kolkata franchise.
And if there is place for a close runner-up, then the Delhi Dare Devils clothing is as close as it gets. The red and black colouring was yet another treat to the eye, making the team look serious about their work on the field and all the more dangerous at the same time. Even the Chennai Super Kings weren’t that bad with a bright yellow hue to their clothing, giving them a pleasant and fun-filled yet business minded look about their antics on the field. The worst: well that was reserved for the Kings XI Punjab who couldn’t get their clothing right from the very start and changed designs and colours atleast three times before one stopped caring!
Best Stadium:
All the franchises did their very best in this respect, for although the tournament was a domestic one, the presence of international stars meant that the whole world would be watching and probably even coming down to watch some of the matches. Most of the existing grounds like Mohali, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore were renovated while some other new ones also came up like the one in Hyderabad. The best one though was host to the most important game of the tournament that is the all important final match. The DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai is a world class facility and one of the best grounds in the country at present. No wonder then that the BCCI chose this particular venue for the finals when the top honchos of world cricket descended into the country. Having said that the worst venue wasn’t far away either, with the Wankhede Stadium across the city, taking the cake for this one! The plight of the common man was beyond words as people were made to sit on wooden slabs and not even proper seats. This is the venue for the world cup final in 2011 and it is only apt that it is being renovated as one writes.
Best Hospitality:
With the best grounds and the stadiums, comes in the hospitality factor. The write has been to a large number of IPL matches as a part of the crowd and as a member of the press, and the experience is entirely different in both the cases. And that is what is wrong with Indian cricket. Unless and until the Board realizes that the people who come in to watch the game are the driving force behind it, and the money that they earn, then only will things improve for the better for Indian cricket and their fans.
Having said that, the crown for the most hospitable hosts has to go to Vijay Mallya! He may not know how to pick a side for T20 match but he does know how to treat his guests. The first match of the IPL, while his team was being tanked to all parts of the ground, people sitting and watching were not only enjoying sumptuous food but also beer from his Kingfisher stable! Beer at a cricket ground is an almost unheard of concept in India, a country where even water bottles are sometimes forbidden past the gates.
Best Cheerleaders:
The other part good about the Bangalore team were the girls they had in their cheerleading squad. They brought in the girls from the Washington Red Sox for the opening game and a few of them stayed back for the length of the tournament. Even the new ones brought in weren’t a shade on the ones they replaced and throughout the duration of the championship, there was one din which when heard could only be associated with the Royal Challengers: the test team in T20 clothes with the best cheergirls!
No one could figure out what it was with poor teams and best cheer girls for the Deccan Chargers had Russian troupers flown in for the IPL. Needless to say, they had the second best girls of the lot, while having the worst team in lieu of points scored in the league.
The worst cheerleading squad was of the Mumbai Indians as they, as per their name, decided to go local and hired from the city itself. The end result was some pathetic artistry every time a wicket fell or a boundary scored. Why, there were even boys in their troupe!
Best Entourage:
This one has to go Shah Rukh Khan. He conjured up the Knight Riders which will surely get more tag-awards but this one was the most unlikely one they would have got. But considering that the Eden Gardens had more than twenty thousand tickets reserved for the members of the Cricket Association of Bengal, this was one party that couldn’t be topped. And as if it wasn’t enough, SRK had his personal friends and family following him around all over the pavilions and the grounds. Even the usual culprits the DDCA were not able to dole out as many free passes and tickets for the GMR people kept a strict watch and checked back the numbers to just around five thousand.
Best Campaign:
It is the Delhi Dare Devils who trump up every one in this category. The GMR group came up with some really decent and innovative ideas when it came to bridging the bond between the fans and their local heroes. All the teams got their local catchment areas’ newspapers and radio stations on board, that was a given. But the Daredevils went one step ahead.
First things first the team bus didn’t have tinted windows like any other cricket team bus in this country. The logic was simple: the public should be able to see that their heroes are sweating it out, going for practice sessions or on their way to the grounds for the battle to commence. And with the bus in tow, many would also follow them to the stadium. The other initiative that really caught the eye was in collaboration with their official radio partners, 104 FM. The cricketers actually went to the contest winners’ residences to award them free tickets and give out a personalized invite to the Delhi team’s matches at the Feroz Shah Kotla. In a country where a cricketer is but a demi-god, this was definitely a once in a lifetime heavenly experience for all those lucky contest winners to find the likes of Sehwag and Gambhir knocking on their doors!
Best Crowd:
When it comes to watching, and appreciating, cricket in India, there is no better place in the country than Mumbai. And quite simply then, they have the best crowds rushing in to watch each and every cricket event, or a sports event for that matter in their vicinity. Sure, they may not always be very well behaved, booing home heroes and uttering monkey chants at times, but then that is part of the spirit that Mumbai brings with it to the grounds, where they wear their hearts on their sleeve.
Even Rahul Dravid was surprised to hear complete silence when he hit a boundary in his match against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede and therefore that alone is testament to the fact that the crowds who thronged the three stadiums in the cricketing capital of the country, took the city rivalry theme of the tournament quite seriously!
Best Song & Dance:
Quite clearly there is only one man who could have beaten himself to being the best in this field and that is SRK. For he is the number one, and the only, showman to have bought a team in the IPL! And he spared no expenses in making sure that the masses, especially the Bengali ones, take to his charm and his team. Dressed up in gold dhotis with damsels in equally glittering get-ups, SRK danced his way to glory on the tunes of Bappi Lahiri, the cult Bengali singer-music director. And from that moment on the tunes of Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo were on the wagging tongues of every cricket and SRK lover in this country, and not just Bengal.
Best Ambassador:
The franchises really spared no expenses as one after the other famous personalities were roped in to promote the team amongst the billion strong cricket fan base in this country. Be it Kareena Kapoor with Saif Ali Khan in tow for Mumbai Indians, or Katrina Kaif for Royal Challengers, or the daredevil Akshay Kumar himself for Delhi DareDevils, the stars kept popping out at almost every occasion, like clockwork. Some teams didn’t really need the props thanks to star power ownership and they were the ones who really promoted their franchises and teams to the hilt, taking the honors in this category. Preity Zinta made it a point to be ever present at each match, be it at home in Mohali or away, hugging one and all, high fiving Lalit Modi on her team’s journey to the semi-finals. Even SRK did his best until he was impeded by the ICC from entering the pavilion and then he got busy with his shooting. With Shilpa Shetty joining in the circus this year, it will be a good cat fight between the new entrant and the feisty Zinta!
