M A I N   N E W S

Hisar’s Bisla is Kolkata’s hero
Vaibhav Sharma/TNS

Chennai, May 27
A packed Chepauk Stadium, with 35,000 of the most partisan fanatics, roared everytime the Super Kings took charge. It moaned everytime Kolkata fought back. But they stood, screamed and celebrated as Manoj Tiwary hit the winning runs for the Knight Riders, who won their first IPL title by defeating defending champions Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets. Their team had lost, but the sport, almost in a clichéd manner, had won.

An Australian, Mike Hussey, set the tone for the day. A lad from UP, Suresh Raina, made it a party. And ultimately, a boy from Haryana, Manvinder Bisla, and a South African, Jacques Kallis, had the final say. If cricket was looking for an endorsement as a binding force, this just had to be it.

But the day was about Bisla. The 27-year-old, who was born in Hisar, and plays his domestic cricket for Himachal Pradesh. Just like his team, he turned a corner with this win. He has been part of Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab earlier.

After losing Gambhir in the first over, Bisla changed gears with ease. He never really looked like throwing away the chance, and he didn’t. His running between the wickets was perfect, and apart from the couple of low-percentage reverse sweeps, he had a perfect day at office.

The match turned out to be the closest final in IPL’s short history. It was the highest run chase in an IPL final, and also only the second time that a team batting second had won the title.