Page 328 - IPL1

The Trophy:
The obvious way to approach a trophy for a league of this sort was the traditional approach.
A cup, that represented glory, determination, triumph, perseverance and the belief of a team
in themselves that they could and they would win.

That was the fi rst part of the brief, the obvious part! The most important of this brief lay in the
second part.

This trophy must above all, represent India, all encompassing and refl ective of the IPL being
a domestic Tournament. So, after vetoing design after design from a series of well-known
designers and establishments, Radhika and Mona Mehta hit upon the big idea while sipping

innumerable cups of tea between brainstorming sessions. With a carte blanche on design,
they took the two elements they wanted to work with, the map of India and the IPL logo
and the batsman with the reverse swoosh, and began work. A few hours later, they had the
fi rst draft on paper that would be the basis of the trophy. Everything, from the placement of
the eight rubies signifying the eight franchises home locations, to the quality and shape of
the diamonds and yellow sapphires and blue sapphires were agreed upon. The result was a
trophy that some loved while others loved to hate. Yet, with all its bling and kitsch, it was truly
representative of India. The diamond and blue sapphire batsman sparkled in elegance versus
the diamond and yellow sapphire super bright map of India, a good mix of everything that
India is about. Bright, colourful, growing, diverse.

Man of the Series:
The Man of the Series Award is determined by a players performance on every front – batting,
bowling, wickets they took and fi elding.

No one deserved this more that Rajasthan Royal’s Shane Watson. In the 15 matches he played,
the young Australian scored 472 runs at an average of 47.2 with a strike rate of 151.77 with 4
half centuries. He took 17 wickets at an average of 22.53 at an economy rate of 7.08.