India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday said that playing in the IPL just after the World Cup was tough and the fans were also “emotionally drained” after the country’s historic triumph of the coveted trophy last month.
“The IPL schedule was tough as it came just after the World Cup,” Chennai Super Kings skipper Dhoni said after CSK won the IPL 4 title by beating Royal Challengers Bangalore by 58 runs in the summit clash here.
“The whole of India wanted the country to win the World Cup and we did. The fans were a bit emotionally drained after the World Cup to come out in large numbers initially in the IPL. But they later came out to watch the IPL,” he said.
Talking about Saturday’s comprehensive victory over RCB, Dhoni heaped praised on the opening pair of Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay for setting up a huge total with a 159-run stand.
“Well you can say we saved the best for the last. Vijay and Hussey gave us a great start and stayed till the 15-16th over. Hence we could maintain the momentum and score over 200 runs,” he said.
“You want to show intent in a final and show you want to win it. That’s what the batsmen did,” he added.
He also praised off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for his impressive 3/16 performance.
“Ashwin bowled really well, he has real heart to toss the ball really well up even with just two fielders outside. Very contributive performance,” he said.
Asked which one was tougher in CSK’s title win between last year and this season, Dhoni said, “Last year we struggled a bit to make the semis, this time it was more comfortable. “I am happy to have also won the fairplay award, people say you need to play hard. We showed you can play fair and still win it.”
I am happy and relieved: Amin
Indian Premier League Chairman Chirayu Amin was a relieved man that the Twenty20 tournament had gone off well this season despite the increased number of games than earlier editions due to the inclusion of two more teams.
“I am happy and relieved with the way the season went,” Amin said after the summit clash which saw Chennai Super kings defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 58 runs.
“This year was different. Two more teams were added and so more games were played. But it went off well and I think it will set the pace for the future editions,” he said.
Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers Kerala were added to the eight teams which played in the last three editions.
This year, the 10 teams played 74 games, including today’s summit clash, in 50 days starting April 8.
