The IPL trophy has been going back and forth between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings for the last 4 years, and an end to it was put by Gujarat Titans yesterday when they won the title in their maiden season.
This is a big deal, but also fascinating, especially when you look at the way things worked out in the final. They were eerily similar to the 2011 World Cup that India won in Mumbai.
First of all, Gary Kirsten and Ashish Nehra were both a part of the Indian squad in different capacities. Nehra as a player, and Gary as the legendary coach.
For Gujarat Titans, the role changed for Nehra who was coaching the side. And he did a brilliant job of it, becoming the first Indian coach to win the IPL trophy.
The similarities don’t end, here, though. The 2011 World Cup was won with the iconic 6 by MS Dhoni. Gujarat Titans also won the final with a 6.
Wait, it gets more interesting. Everyone knows Dhoni wore jersey number 7 when playing for India, right?
You can probably tell where I am going with this. Shubman Gill, who hit the boundary to bring the trophy home for Gujarat, also wore a jersey with the number 7 on it.
Lastly, India played the World Cup 2011 final against Sri Lanka, and Kumar Sangakkara and Malinga, were both a part of the runner-up squad.
Unfortunately for them, they were again on the losing end yesterday, except this time, they were contributing as coaches.
These are not even vague comparisons, made for the sake of entertainment. This is real stuff that we’re finding very cool. I have a feeling that we might find more similarities if we look harder.