IPL 2023 Final: Survival of the over-enthusiastic

For all the grandeur of the IPL 2023 final, its spectators were chosen.

Those who could withstand heat, rain and sleeplessness. Those who could stand in long, haphazard queues to get their tickets, those who could save their tickets from getting wet, those who could fix the torn pieces of that paper. Those who stayed back in the stadium in the hope of play resuming, those who slept on railway station platforms hoping rain won't spoil their plans again, those who could afford to pay for the steeper prices of food while being stuck between two open ends of rain.

With nearly half the stadium not providing shelter from the rain, and heavy breeze adding to their miseries, some crammed themselves into small spaces and some embraced the long spells of drizzle. In the end, it was the survival of the over-enthusiastic.

Some who couldn't miss their trains, buses and flights, left after the first day's washout. Those who couldn't miss their schools, offices and sleep, left mid-way through the second day. And yet, at the end of it, when CSK resumed the run chase in the final stretch of play, the massive stadium was almost full.

For many, the irrationality of loving the sport made even pain worthy of intangible pleasure. Those who could dance in the rain and wave their flags soaking in the joy of boundaries and wickets past midnight, will have a story to tell of a rare experience lived.

The cricket, for which they had lightened their pockets and were even willing to endure long hours of discomfort, had become a tease.

A T20 match that was supposed to get over on May 28, eventually finished in the middle of the night on May 30. Through it all, there were three musical concerts, Ambati Rayudu announced his retirement from IPL, MS Dhoni possibly played his last competitive game, a child went missing, tempers flared up in the crowd, and the hospitality industry profited through countless rebookings.

There were also incidents that stretched play. Some more than the other. A side pitch that by mistake held water in the rain break and took more than an hour to dry and be ready to hold play. And a bit lesser by a bunch of people who refused to return the ball from the crowd after Ruturaj Gaikwad had smoked Rashid Khan for a six, till being requested by the announcer.

And of course, there were endless spells of rain, ground dry-up and inspections.

To put the longevity of what was merely a 35-over contest into perspective, even the 2021 Test match in Ahmedabad ended in two days.

There were the broken hearts. A 10-year-old boy, who traveled with his family from Indore to watch the final, but only to return after the rain-washed first day. The experiences that he had awaited, planned by parents, to be there and yet not be able to live. He was not the only one, there were countless others who have a story to tell - of should've been, were there and yet not there. There were also the lucky ones, who got hold of tickets on the second day at dirt cheap prices by those who had to travel back to their home cities.

IPL, a product that's made and profited through television viewership, to be played in the school summer vacation months, has rarely offered a friendly atmosphere for stadium visitors. The endless interruptions of this 2023 final tested even those who were in the comforts of their homes - checking on weather updates more often than the scores.

For whatever bit of cricket that managed to seep through the larger occasion that eventually unfolded, there was Stephen Fleming uncertain about the tactics at the toss - should they be looking at the sky or the ground?

There was Deepak Chahar, who dropped both the in-form GT openers, before being taken apart by them, setting the trend of CSK's poor outing with the ball and on the field. There was a Wriddhiman Saha still showcasing his relevance in T20 cricket, even if shadowing under the glory of his opening partner - Shubman Gill. But he turned up again, becoming the oldest player to score a half-century in an IPL final.

There was Sai Sudarshan, who Tom Moody argued should've been retired out in the interest of the team yet again when he was batting on 17-ball 20, ending up being the standout batter. Much like Gill did throughout the tournament - Sai hyped up conventional cricketing strokes to eventually end up with a 47-ball 96 and help his team to a record total in the final.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway cut through the fuss of pressure and the possible frustration of the delay with an early attack that set the chase rolling their way.

There were the MS Dhoni moments too, the either extremes - the quick whip off of the bails to stump Gill despite not having practiced much 'keeping throughout the season. And then, walking out to bat to a rousing reception in front of the 'away' fans only to fall for a first-ball duck.

Ambati Rayudu, in his last dance, left his own mark - expressed his frustration over the water-logged side pitch before repaying the faith his team had posed on him throughout the season despite a run of below-par performances. In a three-ball assault on Mohit Sharma, he almost threatened to end the chase. 6, 4, 6.

The veteran pacer, however, returned to dismiss him and Dhoni in successive deliveries and extend his reputation in his aging, comeback season.

The game had its own ebbs and flows, shifting naturally with the weather and ground conditions. Chasing 215 even on a chase-friendly ground was a bit too stiff, felt Fleming. The rain spell that halted play three balls into CSK's innings seized the momentum away from GT, also leaving the ground slightly wet to allow CSK to chase the DLS-revised 171 target.

There were also the rarities: Rashid Khan getting troubled by the 'big-game pressure' and getting smashed for 44 runs in 3 overs, Dhoni unable to keep a check on his emotions while Ravindra Jadeja closed down the chase and CSK winning a last-ball final.

In the last two balls, as Fleming had mentioned several times earlier, it was a matter of a few inches that separated the winners from the runners up. The error by a bit in length by Mohit got deposited for a six. The error in line by a bit got edged for a four. In front of a crowd that had split allegiance, accompanying their yellow jerseys with blue flags, it was a Gujarat boy - Jadeja - who guided his Chennai team over the line with a six and a four off the last two balls.

The two most dominant teams of the season played out a thriller in a 100,000-plus capacity stadium in Ahmedabad. And Dhoni, the crowd favorite, picked up the coveted trophy for the fifth time.

The IPL 2023 final delivered a cricketing drama with fancy light-and-sound shows, fireworks and smoke and an equal sporting contest, an entertainment package worth remembering. But it came at its own, unique pace. It was an experience for sure, but not necessarily as merry for everyone.