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Lynnsanity & other IPL stories

While the Knights had the last laugh, the seventh edition wasn't short of its share of moments of glory, shame and amusement. Rutvick Mehta lists some of the memories that will remain

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Moment of the season
To borrow a phrase from Twitter, it was 'Lynnsanity'. It was a catch that defied physics at many levels. KKR's Chris Lynn slipped, arched backwards and pulled off a stunner just inches from the boundary line to dismiss RCB's AB de Villiers and win KKR the match. It was the most talked about moment on social media over the next few days.

Oh, forget it
Last we knew, cricket was a gentleman's game. Not if you saw Kieron Pollard and Mitchell Starc at the Wankhede. After a heated exchange of words, Pollard pulled out while Starc was running it. But Starc still bowled, and then all hell broke loose. The West Indian threw his bat at Starc. Thankfully, it missed him. If it hadn't, one can only imagine what would've happened.

Find of the season
With only 19 first-class matches under his belt, Sandeep Sharma was just another Punjab bowler before this IPL. That is till now. Not only was the 21-year-old among the wickets (18 in 11 matches), it was the manner in which he got the ball to swing that made everyone sit up and take notice. He troubled even the best with his movement. Ask Chris Gayle.

Game of the season
It looked straight out of a Bollywood script. Chasing 190 in 87 balls, it all came down to two runs off one ball for MI to qualify. But all Ambati Rayudu could manage was a single. Heartbreak struck the Wankhede. But wait, there was hope. A boundary off the next ball could do it. Aditya Tare answered the prayers with a huge six. Sachin Tendulkar ran out smiling, Rahul Dravid threw his cap in disappointment.

Dud of the season
Yes, we all love Chris Gayle. When he smacks the ball, it stays hit. When he dances, it's a hit. But it seemed he concentrated more on the latter this season, for runs deserted him. Nine matches, 196 runs is not what Vijay Mallya expected from the man he retained after his exploits last year. Time to let the bat do the talking, Chris. But keep the Gangnam going too.

Celebration of the season
No, that isn't a male cheerleader. It's not even a young KKR fan. It's a 48-year-old Shah Rukh Khan, who danced, jumped and even did some somersaults after KKR won on Sunday night. Some might say he stole the limelight from the players. But let's be honest, we all loved it. Wonder how Preity Zinta would've celebrated had KXIP won!

They set the stage on fire
Best innings:
Suresh Raina
Raina just loves the IPL, doesn't he? Who wouldn't, if you can score a 25-ball 87! The southpaw came out like a man possessed against KXIP in the Qualifier 2 at the Wankhede. Out of the 25 balls that he faced, Raina hit boundaries off 18 (12 fours and six sixes). He looked well on course to overhaul an unlikely target for CSK, but a run-out did him in. Maybe next time.

Best spell: Pravin Tambe
You got to give it to this 42-year-old Mumbaikar. Age seems to be just a number for him, at least when he is bowling those leggies. His hat-trick against KKR had all the varities – a googly, a flipper, a return catch – and his spell engineered a dramatic KKR collapse, who lost six wickets in nine balls. "He just keeps going and going," skipper Shane Watson said. Well, he doesn't look like stopping!

What was he thinking?
You got it right. Ravi Shastri was at it again. His commentary has been a butt of all jokes on social media lately, and he added one more feather to the cap. Just as MI's Tare hit that all-important six against RR at the Wankhede, Shastri roared, ""And it's Ambati Rayudu once again." Oops...Mr Shastri, maybe you can use that writing pad once in a while.

Honey, I changed my role
Now we all know some cricketers graduate to become commentators. But going the other way around is rare. After going unsold in the IPL-7 auction, David Hussey decided to lend his voice to the tourney. Nothing wrong in that, but he was later snapped up by CSK as a replacement for Dwayne Bravo. And he didn't do bad, either. Wonder if Navjot Singh Sidhu is heading to the nets.

Quote of the season
There's no reason for you to be unhappy. We have taken the competition away from you
—MS Dhoni tells commentator Danny Morrison at the toss why CSK chose to add David Hussey to their squad

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