So the teams that finished No. 1 and No. 2 will be vying to get their hands on the coveted IPL trophy. Both have entered the final with impressive wins in the Playoffs. Chennai, of course, had beaten Gujarat in the first qualifier and gone straight to the final. However, the system of rewarding teams that finished in the top two with the chance to still qualify for the final by playing the winner of the match between teams three and four meant that Gujarat got the chance to still make the final. How well they grabbed it will now be part of the folklore of the Incredible Premier League. 

By the way, the suggestion to reward the teams that were No. 1 and 2 by having the Qualifiers, Eliminators came from Adam Gilchrist. I was in the Governing Council (GC) then and had written to all eight captains, asking their suggestions on how to make the competition even more exciting. Five out of the then eight captains replied with their take and Gilchrist’s proposal was accepted from the 2011 season. Before that, there used to be two semi-finals and a final. With Gilchrist’s suggestion, the host broadcaster also got an extra match. At the GC meeting then I was asked who gave me the authority to write to the captains. I replied that I had written in my personal capacity as a former player and only with the intention of getting feedback from those who make the event exciting and who matter the most, the players. We are now seeing the benefits of the system as a top team that has been clearly the best as Gujarat have been this season for another chance after having a bad day and lose and which may not be a true reflection of how they have played throughout the season.