Camaraderie palpable in the league of gentlemen

Bridges have been built, friendships struck, misgivings dispelled and fallacies destroyed as people from different cultures and backgrounds have rubbed shoulders alongside one another.

Zaheer Khan going flat out against Sachin Tendulkar has been matched for effect only by Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds embracing each other at the fall of a wicket. It’s debatable if Monkeygate would have been an event at all had the IPL been in vogue before India’s ill-fated tour of Australia in 2007-08.

Sometimes, as is inevitable in the high-stake cauldron of competitive sport, tempers do fray and lines do get blurred. That’s when something like Slapgate surfaces, but by and large, the IPL has been a platform for fostering friendship, understanding and, in some cases, long-standing relationships.

Best buddies Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir came up against each other on Thursday in their respective capacities as captains of the Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders. Brothers Irfan and Yusuf Pathan squared off in the same contest, and while the spirit of competitiveness and the desire to win were all too obvious, the camaraderie too was hard to miss.

There have been numerous instances already in IPL IV of players playing against, and punishing, their former franchises. There have also been occasions when players have delivered in front of their home crowds while turning up for an away team, like Virat Kohli did the other night in New Delhi.

The Delhi lad scored a sparkling half-century, his man-of-the-match-winning knock propelling the Royal Challengers to a three-wicket win over the Daredevils. He celebrated his fifty with gusto, but revealed later that he was driven to perform mainly because he was playing at his home ground, and in front of people that were dear to him.
“I have nothing against the Delhi team,” Kohli pointed out. “I wanted to do well at that ground in front of my home crowd because I haven't done so well in an international or IPL game in Delhi. I am a local from there, so I had the support of the crowd as well. There is nothing I hold against Delhi, but it’s always a good motivation to do well in front of your home crowd.”

Good mates also come up against each other in the IPL, like Kohli and Pune Warriors skipper Yuvraj Singh on Friday evening. Is there any scope for friendly banter in such situations? “Ya, why not?” Kohli offered. “It is not a war out there. You are playing a competitive game, but at the end of the day, you are playing against your good friends.
“Obviously, you don't want to joke around while bowling or batting but in between, there are light moments in the field and you joke around with them. T20 is about that, you are enjoying the game. It is not something very serious where you abuse each other or get into sledging or whatever.  You enjoy the game, you play hard, play with intensity. The friendship remains and you can't change that.”

Warming to the topic, the young but seriously mature right-hander went on, “There is competition and as professional cricketers, we understand that we can't joke around when someone is bowling or batting. But we can have a talk between overs. That happens in the international level as well, not just in the IPL.”