The nicest thing about the IPL has nothing to do with the match itself. It’s what happens immediately after the match is over, in the brief period between the last ball bowled and the post-match presentation, which has so many people handing out prizes on behalf of the sponsors, that Ravi Shastri once said, tongue-firmly-in-cheek, “For the post-match presentation, we have an entire cricket team here."

I’m talking about the bonhomie between players from rival franchises, players who have just minutes earlier played an intensely close match. There is a pleasant bipolarity on display here. The cricketers from various countries behave like colleagues who practice the same profession. Opening batters, fast bowlers, wicket-keepers, mystery spinners—all share notes, jokes, and laughs. They all belong to the same guild. The atmosphere reminds me of bands hanging out at a music festival after they have played their set or authors at a lit fest.

It makes for compulsive viewing; the close-up cameras capture the bonhomie in all its glory, moving from interaction to interaction. We can’t hear what the players are saying to each other, but from their expressions and gestures, one can make out the camaraderie. The cricketers lounge around on the grass, catching up with each other, talking shop and life, while the perennially dissatisfied Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of Lucknow Super Giants, gives an earful to whoever is captaining the franchise that season. The juniors in the team can become fans for a moment—remember, every cricket player starts out in the game as a fan—and take selfies with their idols, Dhoni or Kohli, or take quick tips in a mini doubt-clearing........

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