Rookies, a blog, a dog, and Sreesanth
Who did, who didn't, what soared, what fell - a look at the trends, the hits, the flops, the comebacks and more
The Golden Oldies
The other side of 35 is where it's at as Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Anil Kumble - with a combined international experience of 45 years - will have you know. Hayden and Gilchrist topped the IPL's run-getters list and scored five and three half-centuries respectively. Kumble gave Bangalore just the start they needed to wipe out memories of last year's campaign with 5 for 5 in their first game. Gilchrist and he captained last year's bottom-most teams to the final and starred in it as well. Kumble took 4 for 16 to keep Deccan to 143, but Gilchrist prevailed in the battle of the aged with two stumpings and some impressive leadership in the successful defence.The Finds
Many think the IPL is all about the money, but the tournament's organisers have always insisted it's about unearthing talent. This season, several players at varying stages of their career rose from obscurity to make their names (and fortunes) in South Africa. Toilers on the domestic circuit dreaming of fame will be inspired by Chennai spinner Shadab Jakati, who finally hit the headlines a decade after his first-class debut. Bangalore's Manish Pandey was the latest member of the Under-19 World Cup-winning class of 2008 to make a big impact by becoming the first Indian to make an IPL century. Among the overseas players, Dirk Nannes will get to tell his grandchildren he kept Glenn McGrath out of the Delhi line-up, while Yusuf Abdulla's international chances will be enhanced by the manner in which he led Punjab's attack in the absence of Sreesanth and Brett Lee.The Hits
Deft touches and subtle variations are important facets of limited-overs cricket, but the exploits of Lasith Malinga and Ross Taylor proved that at its heart Twenty20 remains a power game. Malinga's unique slinging action is the critical element in his ability to bowl yorkers with great consistency, and he captured a big chunk of his 18 wickets targeting the blockhole. The highlight for him was his 3 for 11, including a double-wicket maiden against Deccan.The Freak Hits
The fakeiplplayer blog was the best entertainment out of the Kolkata franchise - though whether it was, as claimed, authored by a Kolkata player is up for debate.The Duds
A million-dollar purchase, a bad boy with a golden bat, last year's finds, and a most successful coach with a brand new strategy are now part of the don't-mention-on-air list. Andrew Flintoff: price US$ 1.55 million, three matches, 62 runs, two wickets. Jesse Ryder: price $160,000, five matches, 56 runs, three wickets. Swapnil Asnodkar: 311 runs from nine matches in 2008; 98 runs from eight matches in 2009.The Moments
Who won the opening game of the IPL? Don't remember? Okay who invaded the pitch at that game? That's right, Bruno the police dog, who managed to hold up play for 11 minutes and was a bonafide sensation.The Controversies
Chris Gayle, after he got to England for a Test series at the last possible moment so as to play a few more games in the IPL, said he wouldn't mourn the "death of Test cricket".The Questionable Decisions
Sachin Tendulkar pushed himself and Sanath Jayasuriya down the order against Rajasthan Royals after a few failures while opening. He walked in with Mumbai at 23 for 3 and added 33 with Jayasuriya. It wasn't enough as Mumbai lost by two runs. Next game, Jayasuriya went back to opening and Tendulkar batted at No. 4. Mumbai lost again.The Tight Finishes
With the short duration of Twenty20 even-ing up contests, plenty of matches went to the final over, making "nerves of steel" a sought-after commodity.The Comebacks (or not)
For those out of contention for a place in their national teams, the IPL gave a chance to impress. Some did.Nishi Narayanan is a staff writer at Cricinfo; Siddarth Ravindran is a sub-editor, and Siddhartha Talya is an editorial assistant