"All good things must end," reasoned Hardik Pandya when he was released by Mumbai Indians last December.
Well Hardik, it seems the good times are back.
On Sunday, at their home Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Pandya captained Gujarat Titans to glory in the Indian Premier League final.
He took 3-17 with the ball and added 34 with the bat in an outstanding effort as the Titans beat the Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets with 11 balls to spare.
Pandya had struggled to stay fit and make an all-round contribution for Mumbai, whose four retentions ahead of the IPL auction were Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard.
How did that work out for them? Well, Mumbai finished bottom of the table, while Pandya picked up the trophy as skipper of newcomers Gujarat, whose maiden season could hardly have gone any better.
Mumbai's decision might – just might – have been a misjudgement.
We all make those. Just ask Yuzvendra Chahal.
What might have happened here if Chahal had clung to a glorious chance from the fourth delivery of the Titans' reply to the Royals under-par 130-9, rather than let the ball escape his flailing grasp?
Shubman Gill escaped that scare off Trent Boult's bowling and went on to carry his bat, cracking the match-winning six off Obed McCoy to finish unbeaten on 45, sharing in partnerships of 63 with Pandya and 47 with David Miller, whose rapid-fire 32 not out from 19 balls steered the Titans to the brink.
Rajasthan's total looked for all the world like a losing score, and it proved that way, but for a while the Royals had to take heart from the fact Mumbai posted 129-8 in the 2017 final and still won by one run against Rising Pune Supergiant.
Jos Buttler made a team-high 39 from 35 balls for the Royals in this game, and that took the Englishman to 863 runs for the season, the second-highest total by any batter in a single edition of the IPL after Virat Kohli's 973 runs in the 2016 season.
But the Royals were looking for more from their talisman, who removed his helmet and shielded his face as he left the field, knowing his team were looking to him to provide an onslaught late in the innings.
Who removed him? Pandya, of course, with Buttler looking to glance away a lively delivery to third man but instead feathering through to Wriddhiman Saha.
Gujarat celebrated with understandable gusto. Buttler hit four centuries in the IPL season, as many as all other players combined, carrying them this far. But he was gone after 12.1 overs, angry with himself, and nobody else stepped up in his absence.
The Titans began their chase slowly but kept wickets in hand.
A dishy delivery from leg-spinner Chahal eventually removed Pandya, edging to slip from a ball that turned extravagantly. Pandya was despondent, but the Titans skipper knew he could rely on others to complete the job.
Pandya finished the season with 487 runs, his highest total in an IPL season, but most importantly he now has a fifth title of his career in this competition, after four with Mumbai.
"For me, my team is the most important thing, whichever team I play for," he said at the end of the game.
The Titans were thanking their lucky stars that Mumbai decided Pandya was dispensable. On this, and the season's evidence, Pandya is anything but.
Webster hits 95* as defending champions Red Force move to two wins from two with seven-wicket victory over Volcanoes at Brian Lara Cricket Academy
Hosts and defending champions Trinidad & Tobago Red Force comfortably defeated the Windward Islands Volcanoes by seven wickets at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Friday to move to two wins out of two this season.
The Red Force first restricted the Volcanoes to 182 all out off 45 overs after winning the toss and bowling first.
Joshua James, Yannic Cariah and Anderson Phillip all took two-wicket hauls for the Red Force while Jeremy Solozano and Sunil Ambris each made 47 for the Volcanoes.
The Red Force then needed only 38 overs to reach 186-3 and secure their second win in as many games this season.
Tion Webster led the way with the bat with 95* off 115 balls including 14 fours and one six while Amir Jangoo hit 31.
Captain Joshua Da Silva finished 21* alongside Webster.
Full Scores:
Windward Islands Volcanoes 182 off 45 overs (Sunil Ambris 47, Jeremy Solozano 47, Joshua James 2-15, Anderson Phillip 2-21, Yannic Cariah 2-35)
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 186-3 off 38 overs (Tion Webster 95*, Amir Jangoo 31)
The Red Force will next play the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the same venue on Sunday while the Volcanoes will next play the Jamaica Scorpions at the Queen’s Park Oval on Tuesday.
Wickham hits 118 to lead Barbados Pride to three-wicket win over Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Queen's Park Oval
The Barbados Pride recorded their second win in as many games in this season’s CG United Super50 Cup with a tense three-wicket win over the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain on Friday.
The Leeward batted first after winning the toss, posting a respectable 284-5 from their 50 overs in the middle.
Opener Justin Greaves continued his excellent form to start this year’s competition with a 131-ball 112 including nine fours, following up his 111* in the team’s opener against the West Indies Academy at the same ground on Tuesday.
West Indies Test opener Mikyle Louis supported Greaves well with 55 while Chesney Hughes made 52 off 48 balls including six fours and a pair of sixes.
All-rounder Kofi James also chipped in with a quick 17-ball 34 including a trio of sixes.
Jomel Warrican was the pick of the Barbados bowling with 4-43 from his 10 overs.
The Pride then recovered from being 168-6 in the 33rd over to successfully chase down a tough total, reaching 285-7 with two balls to spare.
Kevin Wickham and captain Kyle Mayers were the main contributors for last year’s semi-finalists.
Wickham batted beautifully on his way to a maiden List A century, 118 off just 103 balls including 11 fours and three sixes while Mayers made 58 off 72 balls including two fours and four sixes in support.
Wickham was the last man to fall, going off the last ball of the penultimate over with the score on 277, meaning the Pride needed eight to win.
The last over, bowled by Hurricanes captain Rakheem Cornwall, saw a single, dot then a single before Dominic Drakes hit the fourth ball of the over for six over long on to seal the win.
Oshane Thomas took 2-35 off six overs for the Hurricanes while Jeremiah Louis also took two wickets while conceding 57 in eight overs.
Full Scores:
Leeward Islands Hurricanes 284-5 off 50 overs (Justin Greaves 112, Mikyle Louis 55, Chesney Hughes 52, Kofi James 34*, Jomel Warrican 4-43)
Barbados Pride 285-7 off 49.4 overs (Kevin Wickham 118, Kyle Mayers 58, Zachary McCaskie 28, Oshane Thomas 2-35, Jeremiah Louis 2-57).
Both teams will next be in action on Sunday, November 3. The Pride will battle the Harpy Eagles at QPO while the Hurricanes will face the Red Force at the BLCA.
In-form Evin Lewis eyes consistency as Windies seek series clinch against England
After a commanding match-winning 94 in the first ODI against England, West Indies opener Evin Lewis is riding high on momentum and aiming to carry his form into Saturday’s second game in North Sound, Antigua.
Lewis’ knock, punctuated by blistering drives and calculated power hitting, laid the foundation for the Caribbean side’s eight-wicket victory, which handed them a valuable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Reflecting on his performance, Lewis credited his partnership with fellow opener Brandon King (30) as crucial to setting the tone for the chase after the West Indies bowlers did their part in dismissing England for 209.
The pair’s composed 118-run opening stand gave the West Indies early control over the game, leaving captain Shai Hope and Keacy Carty, who were unbeaten on six and 19, respectively, with a relatively straightforward path to victory, as they easily got to their revised target of 157 with 55 balls to spare.
“With the new ball, [Brandon] King and I always say once we see what the new ball does, it becomes so much easier scoring deep into the innings. So I just tried to be positive after the powerplay and bat as deep as possible,” Lewis said in an interview with CWI media.
“It is very nice to bat with Brandon King; he is also a positive player like me, and we feed off each other. We have some good partnerships going so far and are looking forward to continuing that going forward,” he added.
Lewis, known for his aggressive style, struck 94 off just 69 balls, including eight sixes and five fours, giving the Antiguan crowd much to celebrate as the rain failed to dampen their spirits.
Now looking to the second ODI, Lewis emphasized the importance of carrying their positive energy forward as they aim to seal the series by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead.
“I think we just have to keep playing the cricket we are playing and be positive in what we are doing. It is important to try and win the second game so that we can close out the series. We have the support from the coaching staff, so we just have to go out there and execute,” the aggressive left-handed batsman noted.
With his confidence high and his approach focused, the Trinidad and Tobago stalwart remains one to watch as West Indies continue to progress as a team.
Knowing his role is pivotal in guiding the West Indies to victory once again, much like he did with a well-played century in the last game of their Sri Lankan tour, Lewis’ sights are set on keeping his form intact.
“I was pretty confident coming into this series after that century against Sri Lanka, and I am even more confident after getting off the mark in the series, and it is important that I keep scoring runs,” he ended.
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