The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai was a cauldron of neon lights, thumping bass, and the restless energy of 60,000 screaming fans. It was March 12, 2010. The opening night of the Indian Premier League, Season 3.
The IPL had evolved. It was no longer just a cricket tournament; it was a cultural phenomenon, a collision of Bollywood glamour, international music royalty, and high-octane sport.
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The stadium lights dimmed, plunging the massive arena into darkness. Then, a single spotlight hit the center stage.
The smooth, soulful voice of Lionel Richie echoed through the humid Mumbai air.
"Hello... is it me you're looking for?"
The crowd swayed, thousands of mobile phone lights creating a sea of stars in the stands. Richie, the legend, transitioned effortlessly into "All Night Long," turning the sentimental atmosphere into a carnival. The energy was infectious. Even the players, standing near the dugout, were tapping their feet.
Next came the reggae beats of UB40. The iconic "Red, Red Wine" had the crowd singing along in a massive, disjointed chorus. Then Björn Again, the ABBA tribute band, took the stage, bringing a wave of nostalgia with "Dancing Queen." It was a surreal mix of genres, but in the IPL, everything made sense.
But the roof truly came off when the Bollywood queen, Deepika Padukone, ascended the stage.
Dressed in a shimmering silver and gold outfit, she moved with a grace that captivated the entire stadium. Pyrotechnics exploded in sync with her steps. Lasers cut through the smoke. It was a visual feast, a statement that India had arrived on the global entertainment stage.
As the performances ended, the captains of the eight franchises walked out to sign the Spirit of Cricket pledge.
Adam Gilchrist, leading the defending champions, the Deccan Chargers, walked tall. He looked at the trophy sitting on the podium—the trophy they had won in South Africa.
Sourav Ganguly, the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The Prince of Kolkata looked determined. KKR had struggled in the first two seasons; they were hungry for redemption.
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Ravi Shastri (Pitchside): "The music stops, and the war begins! Welcome to the DLF IPL 2010! We are live from the DY Patil Stadium. It's the champions, the Deccan Chargers, taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders. The noise is deafening!"
Sunil Gavaskar: "It's a fresh start. KKR has a new look, but Deccan has the swagger of champions. And they have the man everyone is talking about—Siddanth Deva. He dominated the international season, and now he's back in silver and blue."
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Gilchrist and Ganguly stood in the middle.
Gilchrist flipped the coin.
Gilchrist: "Heads."
Heads it was.
Gilchrist: "We'll have a bowl, Ravi. There's a bit of dampness in the air, might get some swing early on. And we like chasing. We have a deep batting lineup."
Ganguly: "We would have batted anyway. Put runs on the board and pressure the champions. We have a good side this year."
1st Innings:
The Atmosphere
The Deccan Chargers ran onto the field. The dark blue and silver jerseys glistened under the floodlights.
Adam Gilchrist tossed the new white Kookaburra to Siddanth Deva.
The crowd roared. "DEVA! DEVA!"
He marked his run-up.
Over 1
Striker: Manoj Tiwary.
Non-Striker: Brad Hodge.
Ball 1.1: Deva ran in, his action smooth and rhythmic. He hit the deck hard at 145kph.
The ball shaped away slightly.
Tiwary, perhaps nervous or just over-eager, tried to drive on the up immediately.
He didn't account for the late movement.
EDGED.
The ball flew straight to first slip, where VVS Laxman took a sharp, low catch.
WICKET! M. Tiwary c Laxman b Deva 0 (1).
Harsha Bhogle: "WHAT A START! First ball of the tournament! Siddanth Deva strikes gold! The crowd has gone ballistic! You cannot write a better script than this!"
Ball 1.2: Sourav Ganguly walked in. The Dada of Indian cricket. He defended a sharp inswinger. Dot.
Ball 1.3: Dot.
Deva didn't respect the reputation. He bowled a fierce, rising delivery on off-stump.
Ganguly tried to poke at it, looking to guide it to third man.
The extra bounce surprised him. It kissed the shoulder of the bat and lobbed to gully.
Herschelle Gibbs swallowed it.
WICKET! S. Ganguly c Gibbs b Deva 0 (3).
Danny Morrison: "DOUBLE TROUBLE! The Prince of Kolkata goes for a duck! The Deccan Chargers are on fire! Deva is breathing dragon fire!"
The rest of the over was a blur of pace. Pujara defended for his life.
KKR: 0/2.
Over 3
Deva continued. Pujara and Brad Hodge were trying to rebuild.
Deva gave nothing away. He bowled tight lines, cramping the batsmen.
They managed to squeeze 3 singles.
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Gilchrist took Deva off to save him for the death or a partnership break.
Chaminda Vaas and RP Singh bowled well, picking up Brad Hodge (13) and Pujara (10).
KKR was reeling at 35/4.
But Owais Shah and Angelo Mathews dug in.
They started to counter-attack. Shah was particularly aggressive against the spinners, Pragyan Ojha and Rohit Sharma.
The partnership crossed 50. Then 80.
KKR reached 89/4 in 11 overs. They were threatening to post 170.
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Gilchrist looked at Deva. He nodded.
Over 12:
Deva returned. Mathews tried to attack him, but Deva varied his pace beautifully.
He conceded just 6 runs, stifling the momentum.
Over 14
Owais Shah was on 39. He was looking dangerous.
He tried to step out and hit Deva over long-on.
[System Skill: Chronos Perception (Micro-activation)]
Deva saw the foot movement. He rolled his fingers over the ball.
The Knuckle Ball.
Shah was through his shot way too early. The ball dipped and rattled the leg stump.
WICKET! O. Shah b Deva 39.
Ravi Shastri: "The partnership is broken! Just when KKR looked like they were getting away, the Devil returns to claim his soul! That was a masterful slower ball."
Deva conceded 5 runs in the rest of the over.
Deva Final Figures: 4-1-14-3.
An absolute match-winning spell.
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Angelo Mathews played a lone hand, scoring a fighting 65.
KKR scrambled to a respectable total.
KKR Finished: 158/6 (20 Overs).
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2nd Innings
Target: 159.
Required Rate: 7.95.
Adam Gilchrist and VVS Laxman walked out.
Laxman, usually the Test specialist, was in a mood to silence critics.
He played three gorgeous drives off Ishant Sharma.
Cover drive. On drive. Flick off the pads.
He raced to 22 off 14 balls.
But in the 4th over, he tried to clear mid-off against Ashok Dinda and mistimed it.
WICKET: VVS Laxman c Hodge b Dinda 22.
DC: 41/1.
Enter Deva
Siddanth Deva walked in at Number 3.
The DJ blasted the Deccan Chargers anthem: "Go Chargers! Go Chargers!"
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This was the partnership the fans wanted to see. The Legend and the Prodigy.
Gilchrist was the aggressor. He smashed Murali Kartik for a massive six over mid-wicket.
Deva played the smart game. He pushed singles, converted ones into twos, and punished the bad balls.
They added 50 runs in quick time.
Over 10:
Gilchrist reached his 50 off 33 balls with a cut shot for four.
But next ball, trying to sweep Brad Hogg, he was trapped LBW.
WICKET: A. Gilchrist lbw b Hogg 54 (35).
DC: 95/2.
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Deva was on 37.
Herschelle Gibbs joined him.
The equation was manageable: 64 runs needed off 60 balls.
Deva decided to anchor the chase. He didn't panic.
He reached his 50 off 38 balls with a glorious straight drive off Angelo Mathews.
He raised his bat to the dugout. The Nike logo on the blade gleamed under the lights.
Gibbs struggled a bit with timing. He scored 19 before being caught at deep square leg off Ajit Agarkar.
DC: 130/3.
Andrew Symonds walked in. The Big Man.
Equation: 29 runs needed off 24 balls.
Deva (on 52*) walked up to Symonds.
"Let's finish this early, Roy. I'm hungry."
Symonds grinned. "Righto, mate."
Over 17 (Ishant Sharma):
Symonds smashed a four through covers.
Deva pulled a short ball for SIX over deep square leg.
Over 18 (Ajit Agarkar):
Deva on strike. 59 runs.
He saw Agarkar attempting a yorker.
He stepped back in his crease, opening the face of the bat.
He sliced it over point.
The ball raced to the boundary.
FOUR.
DECCAN CHARGERS WIN!
DC: 162/3 (18.2 Overs).
Result: DC won by 7 wickets with 10 balls remaining.
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The DY Patil Stadium was bathed in silver confetti. The Chargers were hugging on the field. Deva high-fived Symonds.
Harsha Bhogle stood ready for the presentation.
Harsha Bhogle: "A comprehensive victory for the defending champions. They started with a bang with the ball and finished clinically with the bat. Let's have the captains."
Sourav Ganguly (KKR Captain): "We lost it in the first over. Losing two wickets, including myself, put us on the back foot. Mathews and Shah fought well, but 158 was maybe 20 runs short."
Adam Gilchrist (DC Captain): "Great start to the campaign. The boys were hungry. Deva with the new ball was exceptional—that first over set the tone. And the way he batted through the innings showed great maturity."
Man of the Match
Harsha Bhogle: "3 wickets for just 14 runs, and an unbeaten 63 to guide the chase. The Man of the Match is Siddanth Deva."
The crowd cheered wildly.
Deva accepted the trophy and the giant cheque.
Harsha: "Siddanth, you seem to have carried your international form straight into the IPL. A wicket on the first ball of the tournament... did you plan that?"
Siddanth: "Not really, Harsha. I just wanted to hit the deck hard. The ball swung a bit, and Manoj nicked it. Getting Dada in the same over was a bonus. It helped the team settle down."
Harsha: "And batting at number 3? It looks like you cemented your position there in domestic and international stage."
Siddanth: "I don't care where I bat as long as the team wins. If the team wants me at middle order, I will be happy to do so."
Harsha: "You looked very comfortable alongside Adam."
Siddanth: "Batting with Adam is easy. He takes all the pressure off. I just had to rotate the strike. We wanted to start the tournament with a win, and I'm glad we did."
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As the broadcast faded, a montage played of the night's events.
Deepika dancing.
Deva's first ball wicket.
Ganguly's dismay.
Gilchrist's six.
Deva's winning boundary.
The IPL 2010 had begun, and the Deccan Chargers had sent a message to the rest of the league: The Champions are not letting go of the trophy easily.
And at the centre of it all was the 19-year-old who owned the night.
Deva walked back to the dressing room, the sounds of "Ola La La Le O" blasting from the speakers.
It was going to be a fun season.