The ICC World T20 2016 had everything you want in a big tournament – close matches, ridiculous innings (yes, Virat Kohli, you), brilliant bowling, outstanding catches and, most importantly, that unpredictable factor only a T20 tournament can provide time and again.
Who can forget the India vs Bangladesh finish or the India vs Australia do-or-die match; England's fantastic chase against South Africa, led by Joe Root or the manner in which Angelo Mathews nearly stole a game for Sri Lanka, which would have knocked the eventual finalists out of the tournament.
The India vs Pakistan match, which turned into a Kohli show again or the two semifinals, when England completely outclassed a previously unbeaten New Zealand side and when the West Indies pulled off a brilliant chase, leaving a billion and more in tears.
After almost every big tournament, there will be a story or three along the lines of "wow, what a tournament. This is what it is all about. An unforgettable number of weeks, that gave us cricket of the highest order." For this World T20, though, it really was all that and more, with every bit of that hyperbole justified.
The standard of cricket was of the top draw, and the close matches and brilliant innings and ridiculous run outs and outstanding catches and wonderful bowling performances kept coming with every passing match. The West Indies ended up being champions of the World T20, but, to be honest, any one of the four semifinalists would have been deserved winners.
New Zealand were far and away the best team of the Super 10 stages, England played the most fearless cricket, West Indies were, well, West Indies -- pure joy -- and India refused to give up, even when everything seemed lost. At the end of the day, while everyone will marvel at West Indies' stunning victory against all odds, India will quietly reflect on what might have been. This should have been their title to win, and if not for a no-ball or two, maybe it would have been them up on that pedestal lifting the WT20 trophy after becoming the first team to do so for a second time.
But, it wasn't to be for India and their players, and so the focus switches to the new season of the IPL. MS Dhoni has a new team to mould, Kohli has to find a way again to get the best out of the underachieving RCB, Rohit Sharma will be keen to show his captaincy chops for the Mumbai Indians one more time, AB De Villiers will want to get over the disappointment of another early South Africa exit, while the forgotten, discarded and once-they-were-greats will want to show they still have it.
The World T20 2016 was all about the cricket, the battle between bat and ball, with very little outside noise to interrupt the proceedings in the middle. The IPL will not be that. There will be plenty of entertainment (if you want to call it that) off the pitch as well. The celebrities will join in, the owners will make their presence felt, there will be plenty of singing and dancing (and not just of the 'Champion' kind) and amidst it all, there will be some brilliant cricket.
With two new teams – Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions – set to make their debuts in the competition, IPL 2016 promises to be a humdinger of a competition.
If the World T20 2016 was the 50-year-old scotch of T20 cricket, the IPL 2016 will be the 15-year-old scotch – still quite refined, still tasty, still one to savour.
