After a few weeks of scores that would have delighted India’s Opposition parties, the IPL seems to have reverted to mean, meaning there is no need for bowling machines in the competition just yet. With the business end (denoting the time when most teams are out of business) of the tournament approaching, the Wrong ’Uns returns to remind you that the IPL deserves to be much more than ambient TV (the kind you pretend to watch while pretending to read emails).
For our third instalment of 2024, we bring back a category that is all about thickness (of friendships) while transferring the White Cap to a man who has seen very little of the white ball in recent times. Without any further ado, here are our winners for all things brilliant and bizarre (often one and the same thing) from the last two weeks of the IPL.
The Socrates Award for the Best On-Field Dialogue
In a refreshing break from victorious teammates flattering each other, the Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) fielding coach Jonty Rhodes struck up a conversation with Atharw K. Gupta, the teenage ball boy who took a composed catch off a Marcus Stoinis six at the Ekana Stadium when LSG hosted the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Rhodes quizzed Atharw about his technique (no reverse cup!) and gave him some valuable tips about staying light on his feet. For his part, Atharw was abreast with some Rhodes’s trivia and seemed completely at ease in conversing with one of the finest fielders of all time.
The Jai-Veeru Award for the Best Camaraderie
When Shah Rukh Khan planted a hug and a neck peck on Sourav Ganguly, the kind he usually reserves for his heroines, the KKR-Dada fan base (still one and the same thing?) got split in two. There were those who felt that SRK was doing nyakamo (English lacks the subtlety for an accurate translation) and there were others who resonated with the apparent affection of the moment, melting in nostalgia. Whatever be King Khan’s intentions, the fact remains that seeing two of modern India’s biggest icons hug it out was further proof of their mutual respect and admiration notwithstanding some rocky times in the past (as in when SRK refused to attend Dadagiri’s season finale for the 18th time).
The ‘I Know Better’ Award for Peak Uncle Behaviour
Gavaskar did not hold back in calling out Virat Kohli
TT ArchivesFor his second successive win in this category, Sunil Gavaskar took on Virat Kohli and Star Sports (the very platform on which he was speaking!) while standing at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Reacting to Kohli’s comments a few days ago about commentators calling out his strike rate, Gavaskar chided Star for replaying the clip more often that Gavaskar has replayed his best forward defences. And then, just when it seemed that the conversation would move on to something else, Gavaskar rebuked the man who has 50 more white ball centuries than him in international cricket (yes, we believe in selective stats): “... If you come and open and then have a strike of 118 when you get out in the 14th or the 15th over, I mean, if you want applause for that, that’s a little bit different…”
The Easter Award for Remarkable Resurrection
Since our last instalment, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have shown more urgency than the CEO of a Bengaluru start-up who is running late for their meditation session. RCB have also registered their biggest achievement till date, hitting 14 million followers on Instagram! On the field, having won each of their last three games convincingly, RCB are making a beeline for the playoffs, which is reason enough for their legions of fans to brush up on their maths. Having said that, RCB still have three more league games to play, which is enough time for a familiar feeling of disappointment to return.
The Oops Award for the Most Awkward Viral Moment
When Mahendra Singh Dhoni asks you to run, you should run. But when Dhoni tells you not to run, you must not run. Unfortunately, Daryl Mitchell did not get the circular before CSK’s encounter against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Chennai. In the last over of the CSK innings, Mitchell ran two off a Dhoni stroke while Thala stood still, insistent on retaining strike. This led to the internet falling out of love with Dhoni for all of seven seconds while we assume that Mitchell’s anger would have lasted slightly longer.
The White Cap
Rachin Ravindra has not played for CSK since late April
TT ArchivesVery much the second-best Ravindra at CSK right now, Rachin takes over the White Cap from Glenn Maxwell after warming the Chennai bench for the past fortnight. Following a rollicking start to life in the IPL, Ravindra’s last five CSK outings have yielded only 50 runs, which have duly seen him axed from the lineup. Then again, the White Cap has served as the perfect tonic for several out-of-form cricketers, so maybe the 24-year-old will rediscover his touch after all. Unless, of course, Ravindra likes his latest possession so much that he takes it back with him to the Kiwi camp, where it would make for a compelling combination with an all-black kit!
