IPL 2018: Interesting events witnessed in both the IPL and ISL 

Both the Indian Premier League and Indian Super League have contributed much to Indian cricket and Indian football respectively. They have brought a whole new dimension by attracting lots of foreign stars to India. India has attained a global status now in the World of Sports, thanks to the IPL and ISL.

The attention of the World is now upon us during the duration of these two famous leagues. Both the tournaments garnered record viewership in a very short span. The ISL though is just four seasons old compared to the IPL which is now a decade old. Let us now look at some interesting events that took place in both the IPL and ISL.

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#3 Season four finalists- Chennai and Bangalore

2011 IPL final

The fourth edition of the IPL took place in 2011. The Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings were the most dominant sides in the league stages of the tournament. They even went on to meet each other in the grand finale on May 28, 2011, at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chepauk. The Chennai Super Kings batted first and scored 205-5 in 20 overs, thanks to the half-centuries from the openers Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay.

In reply, RCB managed to score 147-8 in 20 overs, thereby losing the match by a margin of 58 runs. The Chennai Super Kings were thus crowned the champions of the IPL season four. The fourth edition of the Indian Super League was played from November 17, 2017- March 17, 2018. The Chennaiyin FC and Bengaluru FC met in the final at Sree Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru.

Two of the country’s best forwards- Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua fought for the season four title in the finals at Bengaluru. The Chennaiyin FC dominated most parts of the game and won by a 3-2 margin. The Henrique Sereno led side were thus crowned the ISL season four winners. Coincidentally, both the Chennai Super Kings and Chennaiyin FC won their second IPL and ISL titles respectively in the fourth edition and against the same opponents- Bangalore.

#2 League expansion and changes in the knockout stages

Pune Warriors India vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala

Both the IPL and ISL consisted of eight teams in the first three seasons. The IPL governing council decided to increase the number of teams to ten for the fourth edition (2011) of the IPL. Thus, two new franchises were introduced- Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala for season four. Similarly, two new teams were added to the 2017-18 ISL season as the AIFF wanted to expand the number of franchises in the league to ten.

The Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC were added for the fourth season of the ISL. The IPL welcomed the playoffs format during the 2011 season, in which the top-two sides from the league stages compete in the Qualifier-1 while the third and fourth placed sides play in the Eliminator.

The losing team of the Qualifier-1 will play the winners of Eliminator in Qualifier-2, whose winner will play the winner of Qualifier-1 in the finals. Also, the ISL welcomed the Away-goal rule in the playoffs for the very first time season four, in which the team that has scored the most number of away goals will be the winner if scores are otherwise equal after the home and away games.

#1 Inaugural finals at the same venue

DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

The final of the inaugural Indian Premier League season was played at the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai on June 1, 2008. The MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings played against the table-toppers Rajasthan Royals in the high-voltage finals. The Super Kings batted first and posted a competitive total of 163-5 in 20 overs.

The Shane Warne led Rajasthan Royals chased down the target in a dramatic fashion, thanks to Yusuf Pathan’s match-winning knock of 56(39) that earned him the Man of the match award. Thereby, the Royals were crowned the first ever IPL champions.

The inaugural edition of the Hero Indian Super League was held in 2014, and the final was played at the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.

The Sachin Tendulkar co-owned Kerala Blasters met Sourav Ganguly co-owned Atletico de Kolkata clashed in the inaugural finals on December 20, 2014. The match was a humdinger and it lived up to the expectations of the fans.

Mohammed Rafique of the Atletico de Kolkata headed home the winner in the extra time (90+5’) and ensured Kolkata’s victory. It was a heartbreak for the Kerala Blasters as Kolkata were crowned the winners of the inaugural ISL season. The DY Patil stadium thus holds the unique record of hosting the inaugural finals of both the IPL and the ISL.