A triumph for Kohli may redeem IPL after difficult few weeks

What will be the lasting memory of the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League that ends in Ahmedabad next week?

Until India and Pakistan started lobbing bombs at each other, it might have been Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 14-year-old wunderkind.

Or even Virat Kohli possibly lifting the trophy with Royal Challengers Bangalore for the first time, weeks after retiring from the Test format.

Or perhaps MS Dhoni flailing against the dying of the light? 

The problem for the IPL is the volatility of the region where it is played and the political impasse between two of cricket’s major nations — countries which are responsible for the sport's most widely viewed match. 

Like the IPL, the Pakistan Super League was postponed, though it is concluding this week.

But the sight of overseas players making hasty exits from both India and Pakistan was not one that painted either country in a particularly good light. 

The IPL is entwined into the political framework in India, with many of the team owners, allies of the country’s ruling party the BJP.

The venue for the final is named after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then there was the International Cricket Council’s new chair declaring his support for India’s armed forces when fighting broke out with Pakistan two weeks ago. 

Jay Shah’s stance was defended by many in India — understandably — but frowned upon by those outside India, asking why the head of the ICC was taking sides in a conflict when, given his position, he should remain neutral. 

Couple that with Shah not setting foot in Pakistan during the Champions Trophy — which in theory was being hosted by Pakistan — and it places the 2025 IPL in a perspective where it can be argued that politics has come to dominate cricket. 

Caught up in all this have been the foreign players in the league.

This year, the South Africans who are contracted to franchises have had to balance fulfilling those obligations with chasing the World Test Championship title.

Thankfully the talks between Cricket SA and the Board of Control For Cricket in India have ensured the players will be returning to the country before departing together for the UK at the end of the month.

Shukri Conrad’s plans for the WTC final won’t be interrupted and the players can focus entirely on preparing for Australia. 

The tournament has certainly proved beneficial for Proteas opener Aiden Markram, who seems to have regained his fluency at the top of the order for the Lucknow Super Giants.

More than just the number of runs — 409 at averages of 34.08 — it’s the consistency he’s found, that will please both him, Temba Bavuma and Conrad ahead of Lord’s. 

Markram made just two fifties in 12 Test innings last summer and one in six ODIs, lacking the kind of output his talent warrants. 

But heading into the WTC final, where he is one of South Africa’s most experienced players, the confidence he’s gained will stand him and his opening partner for the final, Ryan Rickelton, in good stead. 

Rickelton was due to play a crucial match for Mumbai Indians on Wednesday, where a win would secure their place in the play-offs, but he will miss it because of the WTC final. 

But the experience he’s gained from being involved with the most popular team in the IPL, will help with the pressure that will ramp up as the clock ticks down to Lord’s. 

Even Kagiso Rabada, after a troubling few weeks dealing with a positive drugs test, has returned to bowling again, getting in some competitive reps ahead of the London final, which it is understood he’s had one eye on since before the IPL started. 

All the players, according to Conrad, have been closely monitored by the Proteas' training staff and away from preparation for their IPL teams have also had to maintain workloads — especially for the seam bowlers — to keep them Test match ready. 

It may be then for the South Africans that the IPL will be remembered for its role in assisting them for the WTC.

Which would align with the IPL also not being recalled for what it produced from a cricket perspective, but actually how much it highlighted how close to the edge it is tinkering in a volatile region where cricket has long ago become a political tool.