As I write this I have to point out that Im suffering from serious IPL withdrawal symptoms. I don’t know what to make of my evenings anymore. Ive forgotten what life was like before the notorious IPL began. I see cricket bats and slogans everywhere. The team jingles are stuck in my head and refuse to budge. In a last attempt to prevent myself from ripping my hair off Ive decided to divert my attention with some blogging.
This weekend was spent in Kuwait. My dad was making an official trip and since my mom was in India I decided to join him but of course on one BIG condition- I would tread on Kuwait’s soil only if the hotel we were to stay in had ArtPrime sports. There was no way I was going to miss the IPL semi’s and final after having followed it religiously for over a month. After a check and a few more re-checks, the hotel confirmed the airing of the IPL. Luckily they had subscribed to the channel in anticipation of the UEFA Cup. Football had quenched my thirst for cricket!
We left home at 5:45 am on a warm Friday morning. We whizzed past a sleepy Sharjah into a bustling, almost overflowing Dubai airport. What would have taken a minimum of 2 hours on a usually jammed Dubai- Shj road took just 20minutes as it was a Friday. Once check-in was over we moved to the Lounge. Now, early morning is the worst time to be at the B. Class lounge because that’s when air-traffic is at its height, especially transit flights. We had 45 minutes to wile away but absolutely no place to sit. The DUbai authorities were clearly taking on more passengers than they could handle. Every couch, sofa and chair was occupied. All those who hadn’t found a place to lift their feet up were walking around aimlessly like groggy zombies. Arms outstretched some stood in front of the coffee machine waiting for their daily shot of caffeine. My dad and I managed, after a brief suffocating search in the smoking area, to snuggle ourselves between a man fast asleep and a potted plant. Phew. A hot glass of hot milk later it was time to board the plane and was I glad to leave!
Once in the plane I asked for a blanket, switched on the Radio Channel to Desi Mix and as soon as the flight took off I was fast asleep. A sharp nudge from a caked up air-hostess woke me from my deep slumber. It was time to land. The flight had lasted a short 80 minutes. The immigration finished quite quickly. A car had come to pick us up and drive us to Hilton. It was 8:45am local time and the temperature was already 36 degrees celcius! Shades on and A/C on full blast I was ready to see Kuwait. My first impression was- very townish much like Muscat, very laidback but had a quaint charm about it. The roads were amazingly smooth. Add to that an American car and we were flying. There were lot of similarities with the English road network namely short bridges and narrow highways that cut through open fields, only in this case it was open desert. The buildings averaged at around 7 floors and were surprisingly colorful! The roads were sparsely populated but that could be attributed to it being a Friday.
Once we reached the hotel there were some security checks done on account of the hotel being used frequently by the US army. My dad had moved up a tier to a Hilton Gold card member so we got a sea-facing room. It was a decent sized room and the bathroom was spacious- thats what I cared about. My dad’s colleague and his wife had come over for lunch so we joined them for a buffet. While there was a lot of variety at the Teatro restaurant there wasn’t much for a vegetarian. My dad and I opted for a stir-fry which was quite delicious. Rice, youghurt and Vegetable jalfrezi followed. Then it was time for some dessert and my there were so many to choose from. The chocolate fountain beckoned me, so I returned to my table with heaps of strawberries dipped in melted heaven. Then I had some date-pudding and Umm-ali. We talked for hours(4 to be exact) on everything from travelling in the Himalayas to a career in journalism.
After a brief rest my dad and I hit the gym to burn off all those extra calories we had consumed. Once completely exhausted we reached the room just in time for the first semi’s. Washed and cleaned I was ready to watch some exciting cricket. The first innings was pretty much dominated by the delhi daredevils which worried me because I wanted the RR to reach the finals as they deserved too. I knew Delhi would prove to be an easier team to play if Chennai made it to the finals ( I was sure they would given their track record against Kings XI) but I wanted to see some good cricket being played in the Finals. Moreover,if Chennai won against a worthy team like RR then the success would be sweeter! But once the 2nd innings began Warney’s men completely demolished the Daredevils with their bowling. The match was pretty one-sided and I heaved a sigh of relief although I would have liked to see some nail-biting cricket.
The next morning on my way to the restroom I just happened to glance upon a golden sunrise,an amber gem frolicking on the waves. I was so tired from the workout the previous night that I didn’t have enough energy to pry my eyes open so slept through the beautiful sunrise. I awoke, much to my dismay, to an overcast sky that had blended with the ocean. Suddenly,as if by magic the sun peeked through the clouds and the dull sea sprung to life-a shimmering ocean of satin. It was divine.
The rest of the day was spent pretty much in the room, reading and watching TV. The Kuwait Times isn’t a very interesting paper to read, not much news. The food in hotel was disappointing as well mainly because there was hardly any vegetarian choice-2 items to be exact.Shocking. So I had to have spaghetti for two days as I was trying to avoid pizza, the other item on the list. That evening my dad’s college friend invited us to his house for dinner and the match. We reached just in time,Chennai had lost the toss and was fielding and as we entered the house Ntini had struck in his very first over. I was thrilled. What a match that was. GOny,Ntini,Morkel,Murli, all clicked. Kings XI were falling like a pack of cards. It was comical and saddening at the same time. I would have expected much more from Yuvraj’s Kings. I guess it was Super Kings’ day!
Oh well, that night I went to bed a happy girl. The next morning after hitting the gym and a continental breakfast I went to the beach. It was the best time of the day. The morning heat was just catching up and the beach was empty. I threw my shoes and ran into the waves and what a feeling it was. I was going to a beach after 5 whole years! It was like the meeting of two long-lost lovers. While the waves caressed my feet, the ocean breeze wrapped me in its warm sultry arms. I was a 5 year old again. I wrote on the sand, made a make-shift castle and ran from one end to the other. My dad was watching, amused, from the canopy.Then it got too hot to bear so I returned, grudgingly, to my room.
That day too was spent reading .In the evening was the Grand Finale of the IPL. I turned on about half an hour into the closing ceremony as I wasn’t aware of its scheduling. It was impressive but boring. I’ve never found trapeze artists and men jumping through fire hoops interesting. The Mumbai crowd gave a thunderous response though. I watched with envy because I knew I could have been there had my trip to India not been cancelled. Anyway, at least I got to watch the match on TV.
The final toss of the IPL and Dhoni lost; never mind I thought, Chennai had won matches where they didnt chase. In anycase, Dhoni’s smile always makes me happy 
Captain cool’s team had a good start until Vidyut fell but Raina and Parthiv took on the reigns. However, this match was just too unpredictable to written off that early. It swung like a pendulum with both RR and SK giving a good fight. The last 5 overs did slow down a bit but a score of 163 seemed defendable on the DY Patil Pitch. The second innings was a script writers dream. While Ntini, Morkel and Gony weaved some magic, sloppy fielding( Yusuf’s dropped catch proved extremely costly) and Balaji undid for Chennai. The match even saw a rare animated Dhoni who seemed to get in a minor verbal tussle with Umpire Billy Bowden over a “caught behind wicket” decision. WIth 7 wickets down RR did look in some trouble but Pathan proved to be a match winner. The super Kings did put up a good fight though dragging it to the very last ball. Balaji’s wide ruined it 
At the end of the day the consistent side won. I was disappointed but yet glad that at least Chennai lost to such a worthy opponent. While the triumphant Royals were jubilating, my eyes were drawn to the Super Kings. Their skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni led his entire team to a huddle which just went to show the level of unity and camraderie in the Chennai side.It was thrilling end to a brilliant, exciting and entertaining series.
The next morning there was just enough time for a quick shower and breakfast before catching the flight back to Dubai. I bid adieu to my home of three days and the ocean and with a heavy heart boarded the plane. It was truly a relaxing weekend.
