Hayden, Gilchrist, Raina, de Villiers, Dilshan, Duminy, Kumble, Ojha, RP Singh, Nehra and Malinga. That's Travis Hopkins' IPL dream team. Read why on Independent Online.
1 Matthew Hayden (Chennai Super Kings)
The standout performer of the tournament, it was Hayden's consistency that was most impressive. Having retired from international cricket at the beginning of the year, the opener was a picture of calm as he wrought destruction on opposition bowlers and finished top run-scorer in the competition despite missing several matches through injury.
2 Adam Gilchrist (Deccan Chargers)
Another Australian retiree who clearly still has it. More than a year since he last donned his country's colours, Gilchrist remains one of the game's most explosive hitters, best glovemen, and a nifty captain to boot. In his first full season as Deccan skipper he turned them from 2008 whipping boys to 2009 champions.
The IPL 2009 has been a huge success but not quite in the way Lalit Modi or most of the mainstream stakeholders and media would see it. It has been a success because it has brokered a completely unexpected peace between two contradictory parties, writes Sreeram Ramachandran on Holding Willey.
A peaceful co-existence between pure, classical, competitive cricket, and the brash, crass, commercial side of the game was never thought possible - it was always going to be survival of one of the two. Since T20 brought in the money, we had begun resigning ourselves to a world of Yusuf Pathan's and Sunny Sohal's, and a world without Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis.
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