Three weeks in and patterns are emerging in IPL 2023. Players are mastering their clutch celebrations (inspired by certain footballers), and glares and stares are coming as frequently as fours and sixes. By somehow keeping up with all the drama of watching grown men manage their egos, we bring to you the Wrong ’Uns, My Kolkata’s weekly awards that promises to honour the brilliant and the bizarre (often one and the same) during the IPL season.
For our third instalment of 2023, we restore two categories and put the White Cap on someone accustomed to taking things off on the cricket field.
The Socrates Award for Best On-Field Dialogue
Fifteen years after Sachin Tendulkar led the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the first season of the competition, his son Arjun earned his first MI cap against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday. After a decent bowling display that helped MI clinch their first victory at home in 2023, the Tendulkars spoke about their unique experience, with a classic dad moment arriving when Sachin admitted to watching Arjun bowl from the dressing room so as not to be seen on the giant screen.
The Yudhishthir Award for Unfiltered Honesty
Harry Brook 'shut them up' alright with the first century of IPL 2023
TT archivesWhat do you do when you are playing in the world’s biggest league with enormous expectations (and an even bigger price tag) at just 24 and get off to a rough start? You compose yourself and let your performances do the talking. But if you are Harry Brook, you can also do some of the talking yourself. After striking the first century of this year’s IPL, for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against KKR on Friday, Brook doubled down against his doubters, expressing his relief at having “shut up” those who were “slagging me off”. Brook no offence, Brook critics.
Most Startling Statistic of the Week
For a change, we are going with not just one statistic for this week, but a whole host of them. For the simple reason that all of them seem to be rather startling. 464 runs in 11 innings at an average of 92.80 and a strike rate of 180.54, with five fifties to boot. Those are the numbers Mahendra Singh Dhoni has at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where he may never play in the IPL again (retirement, anyone?).
Most Outlandish Kit
During their win against KKR, MI sported a different shade of blue, switching to a lighter colour (with orange stripes to boot) for a one-time change in the dress code for the season. While aesthetically dubious, it was an even more baffling decision in terms of principles (or the lack of them). MI players did not alter their kits to stave off the afternoon heat in Mumbai, but rather to promote the cause of women empowerment in cricket. How exactly, you might ask? By having MI’s male players wear the same kit as MI’s female players (from the Women’s Premier League). Talk about an optical masterclass in being tokenistic and patronising at the same time.
The Easter Award for Remarkable Resurrection
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) were 55 for four against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 11th over on Sunday when they lost Riyan Parag, needing another 122 to win off 57 balls. But in what turned out to be another remarkable comeback against GT in Ahmedabad (following the Rinku Singh show), Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer drageed RR back into the game with stunning half centuries. Useful cameos from Dhruv Jurel and Ravichandran Ashwin sealed GT’s fate, as RR wrapped up the once-improbable chase with three wickets and four balls to spare.
Best Almost Drop
To paraphrase Leo Tolstoy, how many fielders does a leading edge require? For the one that came off Wriddhiman Saha’s bat for GT against RR, the correct answer is three. Actually, four. As Saha inadvertently launched a Trent Boult delivery into the Ahmedabad night sky, wicketkeeper Sanju Samson and outfielders Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer all converged in the middle of the pitch to complete the catch. Samson collided with both Jurel and Hetmyer, taking Jurel with him to the floor, as the ball rebounded off Samson’s gloves to land up in the grateful hands of Boult, who was in the right place at the right time at the end of his follow through!
Back with a Bang
Prior to the Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) fifth game of the season, against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), K.L. Rahul had scored just 81 runs in this year’s IPL. That too at a strike rate of just more than a run a ball. With the pressure mounting on him to deliver against Punjab, the Lucknow skipper returned to his flamboyant best with an innings of 74 that did much more for his confidence than it did for LSG’s fortunes in the game. Even though Rahul played some scintillating shots during his 18 overs at the crease, it was not enough on the day as LSG stumbled to their second defeat of the campaign.
The White Cap
Sourav Ganguly becomes the first non-active player to win the White Cap in the history of Wrong ‘Uns
TT archivesFor the first time ever in the history of these awards, the prestigious White Cap goes to a member of the support staff. Although you are not just any member when your name is Sourav Ganguly and your designation is director of cricket (whatever that means) for the Delhi Capitals (DC) . Fresh off five defeats in five for DC in IPL 2023, Ganguly was about to shake hands with RCB’s Virat Kohli, when the latter sidestepped him to keep talking to DC’s coach Ricky Ponting (Kohli’s real spiritual forerunner?). Ganguly quickly sensed the snub and moved on to shake forthcoming hands. This was after Kohli had stared directly at Ganguly after taking a catch during the same game and before RCB’s talisman reportedly unfollowed Ganguly on Instagram. To add insult to insult, Ravi Shastri (no prizes for guessing which camp he is in), who was on commentary at the time, had a jibe reserved for Ganguly in reference to his previous stint as BCCI president: “He (Ganguly) must have thought it’s nice upstairs!”
