Overcoming all the possible challenges after COVID-19 wreaked havoc, the Indian Premier League (IPL) finally eventuated under strict restrictions in Dubai. Kicking off in September, BCCI did a commendable job in arranging the tournament. After 56 exciting games, the IPL has reached its final leg of Play-Offs.
While the event was lit up by heavyweights like AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul among others, new faces and rising stars too had their share of the limelight. Deemed as one of the nail-biting contests in its history, the 13th edition of the IPL produced a mesmerizing race for the playoffs.
Here are some takeaways from this year’s IPL:
- Cricket in times of COVID-19: Cricket as we know it is an extremely physical sport. Not only it involves bowling, fielding, and batting, but fist and chest bump too. So, the danger of contracting the noble Coronavirus couldn’t be avoided. So, BCCI and the Emirates Cricket Board were extremely cautious while arranging this event. Players had to be in a secured bio bubble (a measure adopted by sports bodies across the globe). While support staff wore gloves and masks, the players were refrained from shaking hands on the field.
- Sports post lockdown: Due to the surge in the effect of the pandemic worldwide, governments enforced lockdowns. Which kept cricketers away from the game for a long time. The effect was evident as players were fatigued during the course of the tournament. A lot of them looked out of touch and shape.
- Youngsters taking it by storm: New faces and rising players had a commendable outing in Dubai. Players like Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Varun Chakravarthy, Kartik Tyagi, Arshdeep Singh put up an eye-catching show.
- Return of Chris Gayle: The Universe Boss fell short of a comeback hundred by 1 run against Rajasthan Royals. The 41-year-old Caribbean lit up the tournament with three fifties in seven matches. With an impressive strike rate of 137, he hit 23 sixes and became the first in T20 history to hit a thousand sixes.
- An even competition: For the first time in IPL history, all 8 teams salvaged 12 or more points. Six teams were in the hunt after Match 52 (out of 56), where four were in the hunt after Match 54. It cannot get closer than that.
