In the end, they were only the support cast

The Chennai Super Kings in canary yellow were doing their warm-up drills in a corner as an assortment of Bollywood stars...

The Chennai Super Kings in canary yellow were doing their warm-up drills in a corner as an assortment of Bollywood stars, junior artists in rainbow colours, gymnasts in tight whites, fire-eaters and trampoline performers dominated the playing arena. In the maze of the dream sequence, including smoke screens and fluorescent laser beams glittering in the darkness, MS Dhoni’s men seemed part of the Indian Premier League’s entertainment package before the main cricketing act.

After 44 days of extensive interaction, if cricket and entertainment needed one frame for loving memories, this was it. With BCCI and ICC big wigs in the audience drooling over this new association and about 55,000 witnesses endorsing it, the curtains to the inaugural T20 Indian Premier League was just a beginning of a long innings together.

An excited BCCI president Sharad Pawar spoke of how IPL had provided a family evening out at which kids with pop corn in the hand, and parents with ‘4’ and ‘6’ placards applauded. ICC president-elect David Morgan, though, seemed a bit disturbed by the fanatical support the game’s shortest form was drawing, saying how he hoped the game’s newest supporters would also drop in for other formats of the game.

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The man sporting the biggest smile and a told-you-so expression was IPL commissioner Lalit Modi. His assistants spoke about the few hours of sleep he has had in the last two days and how he was sorting out the ticketing till 5 am tonight. But he looked bright and energetic as he walked around waving to crowd minutes after he had thanked them on the public address system for indulging his brain child.

The early fears of creating fan bases for city-based franchises had been put to rest long back. Today, at the DY Patil, it was once again proved that loyalties for teams were here to stay.

With the Mumbai Indians out of the competition, the crowed acted as neutrals, there to enjoy every creditable effort on the field. They appreciated Suresh Raina’s big hits as well as Swapnil Asnodkar’s stroke play.

Bollywood super star Salman Khan did get an ovation, but it was nothing compared to what Shane Warne got when he lifted the Cup. True, it has been a cricket-entertainment wedding, but it is the cricketers who are calling the shots here.