IPL’s run-chase rhapsody through Kohli’s brilliance, Padikkal’s poetry and Kishan's lone fight

By K.R. Nayar

Mumbai.  Narrating beyond what you see in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match is a joy. The opening match of this world’s most popular tournament had its own beauty. A packed stadium, enjoying the art of brilliant batting displayed by Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal, along with Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Ishan Kishan, was a rapturous delight. Of course, the bowling by RCB’s Jacob Duffy added to the radiance of his team’s emphatic six-wicket win, with 26 balls to spare, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.


The action began after 11 seats at the stadium were kept unoccupied as a tribute to the 11 fans who lost their lives during RCB’s title triumph celebration at this venue last year. These 11 seats will remain permanently unoccupied. If not for the fans, the IPL would never have been as popular as it is today. Respecting those fans was important, and I am sure those 11 would have been there to watch the opening match had they been alive. Cricket in India is not just a sport but also an emotion.


Most IPL matches will have some record added to the history of this tournament. This is because every match is played with immense intensity. RCB’s win turned out to be the fastest 200-plus run chase in IPL history, as they chased 202 runs in 15.4 overs. Padikkal came in as an impact substitute for Duffy, and both created a huge impact. So, the opening match had everything that makes the IPL special—noise, nerves, and nostalgia.


Sometimes one wonders whether there is anything more exciting than watching Kohli walk out to bat—shoulders relaxed but eyes burning with his unquenchable hunger for runs. At times, when he hits, one wonders whether he is chasing a target or stalking runs like a habitual hunter. The beauty of his knock was that he was in no hurry and even played second fiddle to Padikkal, who was in full flow. A target of 200 or 300 does not matter to him when he is in such rhythm. That knock can best be described as calculated, composed, and simply commanding.



Padikkal’s batting had a rhythm of its own. Some of his strokes deserved a symphony attached to them. Those extra-cover drives were silky smooth. He picked the gaps with such surgical precision that it would have made the best of doctors in Bengaluru proud. It felt as though he waited that fraction longer, even against the fastest deliveries, to whip through mid-wicket and steer past point. Padikkal and Kohli were in such control that one could sense the pride in their dominance over the bowlers. They maintained the tempo required to chase a 200-plus target.


The final score may make one wonder whether it was a one-sided match, but it wasn’t. SRH did fight, but only in bursts and not consistently. Ishan Kishan’s innings was a classy captain’s knock. He walked in after his top order had failed. RCB bowlers were probing for his wicket, but through a fierce cut shot that screamed past point, he announced that he had arrived to lift his team out of trouble. The manner in which he picked the length of the deliveries was superb. He did not slog, but instead lifted deliveries with control. He seemed to be in the same mood as he was during the recent T20 World Cup. His was a calculated and fearless knock, an innings that exhibited power, placement, and pure timing. He deserved a century but fell for 80.


What was also interesting was the effort he put in to give his team a competitive total. He displayed traits of a fine captain from the non-striker’s end, clapping and urging his teammates to keep going. The script he authored with such care unfortunately did not grant him the ending he sought. RCB fans went back home happy with their team getting off to a winning start and carrying beautiful memories of timing and temperament from their players.

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