IPL Fever Ends

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The IPL fever which had gripped the cricketing world for a month came to end yesterday after a dramatic victory of Hyderabad Deccan Chargers over Bangalore Royal Challengers. The outcome of this year’s tournament couldn’t have been better as the teams which finished last & second last in 2008 finished first & second this year.
Deccan Chargers were my favorite ever since the team was announced last year. They were the best team on paper but they weren’t able to get anything right last year. But this year they were consistently good & hence they lifted the cup which they rightfully deserved. The Bangalore Royal Challengers also did a great job by climbing the points table from the near bottom to the top.
The arrangement of the closing ceremony was incredible. It was breathtaking to see the night sky adorned with lanterns & fire crackers. The laser show also made for a pretty interesting sight. This however was not reflected in the performances organized. It was disappointing to see Akon lip-synching to his own song & appearing disinterested throughout the act. Even veteran singer Eddy Grants performance became repetitive to the point that it seemed boring. And the worst part was the so-called dance performance by Katrina Kaif on the Pussycat Doll’s version of ‘Jai Ho’. That was an enormously bad representation of Bollywood dance on an International Platform.
It is needless to say that the biggest winner of IPL 2 is South Africa. It earned a considerable amount of revenue hosting it, not to mention the enormous amount of donations made by the franchise owners & BCCI to the charitable organizations in SA. The same money could have made much difference in our own country considering the vast number of people suffering of poverty in India.
The positive part of taking IPL to SA was that it added a truly global touch to it. Since, SA has a substantial Indian population the spectators were just as passionate as in India. Can’t wait for the next IPL, till then I hope all the Indian team players recover from the fatigue caused by this before the T 20 world cup..