Yes yes we all know how "fixed" the IPL is, how money rules everything and bla bla bla from English press, what I feel like telling them "Shuttap". IPL has been done with and so the controversies (at least not seen in main stream media). Chennai has won the third edition (their first in 2 final appearances out of 3 editions in which they made it to Semis each time). Do they deserve it? I don’t know but let’s find out.
Story of Chennai has to be the story of 3 guys, Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay and MS Dhoni.
For one it was becoming a man from a boy, other realized that he can be natural and still be a force to reckon with in this format and for the captain it was realizing just how much this team, these fans, this IPL means to him, having seen ups n downs in one edition. Raina, matured to a great extent this season, played to his potential and broke the image of him being always the man who will look to hit the ball no matter what the situation is. Him being captain for 3 matches helped his cause in realizing what it takes to play for the team. His performance in Final was reminiscent of the likes of Sohail Tanvir in IPL-I. I wish he realizes this for the Indian team as well; sorts out his dislike for the short ball, improve his hook & pull and be part of the Indian Test Squad. After all he could be part of the Fab Four/Five for the coming years (Gambhir, Raina, Vijay, Yuvraj, Sehwag). Vijay was a revelation, if nothing else, this season. A century, couple of 50s transformed this Laxman-like player from the shadows of his own Test nature to a devastating, yet orthodox, classis Indian Batsman. This to me stands out as the transformation of the season to be honest. Just how amazing it is to see him play like that and score at a rate of 145+! He is in Indian team now and started rather well in his debut match. I wish him Luck. Dhoni, after all, is human like his. He has his fears and worries, when he overcomes those he tends to get crazy, sometimes, like many of us. He is definitely one of the more calm players around who normally doesn’t show emotions but in that match in Dharamsala he showed just how much it matters to him to do well for his Franchise. Mind you, Dhoni is a legend in Chennai and its no doubt he wanted to payback in grand fashion to those mad fans. Astute leader of men, Cunning as a fox, brutal bull when it comes to hitting but still calm from outside. Seeing his team written off after the first half of season, he must have felt two different worlds lifting that trophy after the finals. Life, after all, comes full circle and no celebrity is an exception.
As for others, there are stories indeed but to some extent not of much impact as of these three men. Albie Morkel had his moments here and there, Hayden was mostly flop except for one match (against Delhi, why !!), Ashwin, Jakati came good when it mattered most, Balaji and other pacers lack penetration and were all over most of the times. But there lies the fact that CSK pulled it all together even with so many underperformances, absents and injuries. They, I think deserved it more than Mumbai cos Mumbai, I feel, after reaching Semis/Finals, felt like job done, got carried away in the heat of motion (which Raina rightly said before match saying, being played in final before is advantage to us). The only blimp from Chennai to me has to be the non delivery of a single unknown local player like Umesh Yadav or T Suman, Still they deserve the title. Indeed they do.
