Along with the excitement, there were also a few murmurs of discontent.
After reaching the Indian Premier League (IPL) final in 2016, on the back of 973 runs from Virat Kohli’s bat, Royal Challengers Bangalore had a miserable time of it in 2017. On a re-laid pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, they won just one of seven home games. Away from the field, KL Rahul, a Karnataka and India stalwart who had contributed handsomely to the 2016 run before missing the last season injured, was let go while Sarfaraz Khan had been retained at considerable cost.
As we waited in line for security check at the turnstile, the two boys in front of me could talk of little else. “Why Sarfaraz?” asked one. “Three Karnataka players in their [Kings XI Punjab] top order,” replied his friend, also name-checking Karun Nair and Mayank Agarwal. Nair made a Test triple-hundred against England in December 2016, while Agarwal enjoyed a stellar domestic season. But like Rahul, they can only get a game 2000km from home.
Sure enough, when Punjab were sent in to bat, it was Rahul and Agarwal that opened and the initial flurry of strokes had plenty of fans nursing mixed feelings. Some cheered openly as Rahul went after the bowling, while others found their voice only once Umesh Yadav, complete with man-bun, took three wickets in an over to derail the innings.
The signage everywhere at the stadium advised you to Play Bold, but there was more than a note of circumspection in the way Bangalore went about chasing a modest target. But the beauty of the IPL also lies in the regularity with which it throws up new stars, and one such moment encapsulated that.
Mujeeb Zadran, who was playing for the Afghanistan Under-19s a couple of months ago, produced a marvelous back-of-the-hand googly to flummox Virat Kohli. Dozens in the posh seats next to the press box rose as one, presumably to applaud the skill involved in the dismissal as much as to acknowledge their captain.
In one of the VIP enclosures next to the dressing rooms, Anushka Sharma, Kohli’s wife, watched glumly. The couple met while shooting for a shampoo commercial five years ago, and her mood certainly wouldn’t have improved if she’d known that Kohli’s dismissal prompted a new anti-dandruff ad on television. The trolls certainly didn’t miss it.
His exit, however, marked the resumption of one of the great IPL love affairs. AB de Villiers may have his roots in Pretoria, but into his eighth season in the red-and-black of Bangalore, he’s venerated as a local hero. Even as he started slowly, the fans didn’t panic. They just knew what was coming.
De Villiers, not a man known for making grand gestures, had already asked the fans to make the Chinnaswamy “our fortress” again. “I have grown to love the place … the atmosphere, the history and, more than anything, the supporters who fill the grandstands every time RCB take the field,” he wrote in a newspaper column. When he smacked two sixes off the hitherto impeccable Zadran to more or less seal the game, the roars that he had asked for duly arrived.
There was still time for one final twist. With de Villiers out, the 18-year-old Washington Sundar had the responsibility of seeing the team home. Sundar is a Chennai boy, and the dismal events that forced Chennai Super Kings to relocate their home matches to Pune have also forced the Indian board to reassess whether Bangalore can host its home game against Chennai.
So rabid are the fringe elements on either side that a flare-up is more than likely, but such nonsense was momentarily forgotten as Sundar, the calmest person on the ground, struck two fours to win the game. A stadium largely full of Bangaloreans rose to acclaim the Chennai boy, just to remind us that sport often has the power to surmount the petty barriers we erect between us. The serenading of an Afrikaner from Pretoria and a young man on the other side of the Cauvery-water divide was a pleasant distraction from the ugliness all around.
IPL shows its power to unite as Bangalore fete Chennai boy Washington Sundar
IPL shows its power to unite as Bangalore fete Chennai boy Washington Sundar
- The 18-year-old remained the calmest man on the field to win it with two boundaries
- AB De Villiers adds to his hero status with 57 off 40 balls
Rodgers’ Al-Qadsiah fall behind in title race as points dropped against Al-Fateh
- The Knights of the East move onto 44 points after 1-1 draw, six behind leaders Al-Hilal
- Julian Quiñones nets 18th goal of the season to move second in goal rankings
RIYADH: Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli will breathe a sigh of relief after Al-Fateh held Al-Qadsiah to a 1-1 draw at the culmination of Matchday 21 in the Saudi Pro League. Al-Qadsiah now sit three points adrift of Al-Ahli, five behind Al-Nassr and six behind Al-Hilal.
Al-Fateh, who continue to rise up the table after a difficult start to the season, entered the encounter with a set of changes made by José Manuel Gomes. Looking to counter Brendan Rodgers’ 5-3-2, the visitors set up in a similar formation, with Sofiane Bendebka operating higher up the pitch to press Julian Weigl.
The match began at a frantic pace, with two goals arriving in quick succession. Al-Qadsiah’s right flank has continued to be a target for opposition sides, with the space behind Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat exposing Jehad Thekri to repeated one-on-one situations.
Naif Masoud dribbled his way into the box before releasing Wesley Delgado down his left. The Cape Verde international squared for Matías Vargas, who finished with precision past Koen Casteels in the eighth minute.
Shortly after, Al-Qadsiah made their way back into the game. While Abu Al-Shamat’s marauding runs can leave space for opposition wingers, his attacking contributions remain a vital part of Al-Qadsiah’s play. A through ball from a tight angle found Julian Quiñones, who finished to equalize and make his 14th goal contribution in 10 games.
Despite the quick response, Al-Qadsiah struggled to find a way back into the game. Fernando Pacheco stood firm in Al-Fateh’s goal, making four saves on the night, as the hosts fired 19 attempts across the 90 minutes.
A final attempt for Al-Qadsiah came in the closing moments of the game, when Nacho found space inside the box, only for Al-Fateh’s defense to close him down and deny a clear shot at goal.
Brendan Rodgers remains unbeaten since taking charge at Al-Qadsiah, as the Northern Irishman led Al-Qadsiah to eight victories and three draws in his 11 matches at the helm. They face NEOM next in a bid to revitalize their title charge.
Elsewhere, surprise package of the season Al-Taawoun continued a difficult run of form, dropping points in a 1-1 draw to Al-Khaleej. Meanwhile, Al-Kholood completed the double over Al-Shabab, with Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa once again proving decisive by scoring a 78th-minute winner in a 1-0 victory.
The Saudi Pro League takes its first five-day break since the league’s return from hiatus in December, with Matchday 22 getting underway on Thursday. As the title race tightens, Al-Ahli travel to Riyadh to face Al-Shabab, while Al-Hilal host Al-Ettifaq on Friday. Al-Nassr conclude the round on Saturday as they make their way to Al-Hasa to face Al-Fateh.
