My series on India experience continues and this time it is about IPL. IPL for those who don’t know is the Indian Premier League of Cricket. The IPL finals got over last night and it has been a huge success in India and overseas. I have been to small Ranji level (state level) cricket matches, but I have never had a chance to go see an international level cricket matche. So when I got the opportunity to see Bangalore – Mumbai, league match in Bangalore I got really excited. As a cricket fan, getting a chance to watch the great cricketing stars one has followed and watched over the years is a once in a lifetime chance. For the women,  I can compare my excitement to their excitement if, let’s say, Shaan was performing in your backyard.

 

I was looking forward to seeing the big stars like Tendulkar, Jayasurya, Pollock, Steryn etc. The match was in Bangalore and even though the stadium was 15 min walking distance from office, we decided to take the car. After an hour in the traffic, we finally managed to get there and we still had to walk 10 minutes to get to the gate. It was raining in the afternoon so we were all worried that match might get cancelled, but the rain gods were with us and we were told that match will start but an hour late. We had great seats and since the match got delayed by an hour, we got a chance to eat Samosa’s and have some booze before the match (I wasn’t brave enough to try Pani Puri or Bhel from the stalls in the stadium). In the practice session before the match, I had goose bumps when I saw Tendulkar and Pollock came into the stadium. IPL is so much different then cricket we remember. The grounds are lush green even in India, there is loud music, live performances and of course the cheerleaders. Bangalore has a pathetic team, but the Kingfisher owner Vijay Mallya who owns the team dished out a lot of money to get cheerleaders from Washington Redskins team. The atmosphere was lively and the practice before the match was lot of fun to watch. In the practice session, they were using regular tennis balls like we do when we play. Unlike us, Pollock and Steryn were bowling the ball so fast even on grass that the wicket keeper was collecting balls 20 yards behind the stumps. On top of that, Pollock put three small markers on the grass and with every ball he was hitting different markers. It was friggin’ unbelievable. 

The match was one sided and Mumbai won easily, but Mumbai had an amazing bowling display. The regular cricket ball on the pitch comes so fast that even though our seats were side ways, if you are leaning forward in the seats you lean back as the ball is pitched. It is great to be armchair cricketers and coach the pro’s on how to play, but when you watch the match live you realize there is no time to react. I am amazed at how the batsmen pick up the balls they do. Mumbai batted very well and we got to see Jayasurya’s 4 bottom handed sixes and Tendulkar’s fine touch with batting. I was sad when Prakash pointed out over the phone that I might have seen Tendulkar for the last time. It was a great evening and I enjoyed every minute of it.