The eighteenth edition of the Indian Premier League has been made memorable by a number of achievements. For instance, the IPL crown had eluded the king of cricket — Virat Kohli — despite his best efforts on 17 previous occasions. Jersey Number 18 — Mr Kohli’s signature shirt — has now claimed the IPL 18 trophy: little wonder then that the former Indian captain and one of the masters of the modern game stated that he would now be able to sleep like a baby.

Mr Kohli’s joy will be shared by the players and the management of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which won its maiden IPL title. RCB may have won the crown but Punjab Kings — it floundered on the final hurdle — will take heart from its showing as well. The team was a consistent performer throughout the tournament. Its head coach, Ricky Ponting, has said that the team, buoyed by this performance, will come back stronger in the next season. A new champion would certainly add to the IPL’s unpredictability and consequential charm. It is also a sign that the league is no longer the fief of a handful of franchises and that each participating team has an opportunity to shine. This, in turn, also perhaps suggests that the game in this particular format is developing on an even keel across the corners of India. Is there then a case for the Board of Control for Cricket in India to mull a further expansion of the IPL to increase the number of contestants? The idea has its proponents. It must be remembered that IPL 18 unveiled a wonder boy in the form of Vaibhav Suryavanshi who has become the youngest-ever centurion in the history of men’s T20 cricket. The possibility that other such boy wonders await their turn with the bat and the ball from remote parts of India cannot be dismissed. The IPL now serves as a feeder channel for India’s cricketing talent. There is, however, an additional benefit of this competition that often goes unnoticed. Consider the following fact. Parts of Calcutta rooted for RCB and PK, with Mr Kohli being a top draw among young fans, even though the Kolkata Knight Riders is considered to be the local favourite. This pluralist ethos among India’s cricket followers, the regional pride notwithstanding, testifies to the diversity of the nation itself.

But triumph has turned into tragedy with several people dying in a stampede in a victory parade in Bengaluru. Those responsible for such a criminal lapse must not go unpunished.