BENGALURU: Moments before the anthem, both Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad and the capacity crowd observed a minute's silence as a mark of respect for the 11 people who died in the stampede last year during the former's title celebrations. It's why the first match of the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was going to be a pretty significant event for this city and the stadium.
The IPL's first match was also the first ticketed event inside this stadium post the stampede on June 4. Even as both teams warmed up, there were reminders everywhere. 11 seats below the media box were left empty as a mark of respect. The RCB players and support staff practicing with the No. 11 jersey. And the silence.
Outside, security was enhanced. Cops, a lot of them, shouting instructions every minute. "Single line," one of them said. "No standing," chimed in another. "Move or leave." They didn't want to take any chances. Not on this day of days.
But there was also a match to win, something RCB did with unnerving ease. Their batters chased down 202 on a deck which got increasingly good for batting but it was Jacob Duffy who set the ball rolling with 3/22 in his four overs.
Before describing his impact in the game, his story deserves to be told because you don't often come from a town of 500 people. Yep. Lumsden is so tiny it doesn't even register as a dot in New Zealand. It's where Jacob Duffy grew up.
Over the last 12 months, Duffy has emerged as the quintessential Kiwi pacer. Understated. New ball wickets. Nippy but not express. Lovely shape. A very repeatable action. But an output designed for maximalism.
On a pitch with some spongy bounce, Duffy analysed the conditions to maximum effort. Making his IPL debut in front of a capacity crowd, he wasted no time in making an impact.
Perhaps, he knows he doesn't have a lot of it to waste. He's primarily keeping the Josh Hazlewood spot — lead overseas seamer — warm while the Australian brings himself up to speed after reporting for work just a few nights ago.
He cannot control what the franchise decides to do once Hazlewood is back — IPL teams seldom pair two overseas pacers. But what he can do is make them take a decision.
He did that thanks to an opening spell full of life. He opened and bowled four unchanged overs from the media box end — in itself a bit of a thing you seldom see in T20s as you don't want batters to start lining up the bowlers — and ran through the visitors' destructive top-order.
It's fair to say there were admirers within the leadership group before he was acquired for `2 cr. In a video the franchise put out a few days ago, there was a consensus in the camp when they bought him at the auction. While Rajat Patidar liked his outswingers to the right-handers, coach Andy Flower liked his high-release point and sideways movement. They were also fans of his recent numbers.
People who have been tracking his progress over the last 12 months wouldn't be surprised by what he did. He bagged the Sir Richard Hadlee medal. He picked up over 80 international wickets and, at one point of time, was the best bowler in T20Is. By the time he was done, he was applauded off the field.
His night's work had come to an end after 30 minutes — he was subbed off for Devdutt Padikkal — but it was a priceless hand from their debutant. How did he manage to do it even though some of the others travelled the distance?
The 31-year-old found the area to bowl on this surface — that sort of in-between length around the 6m area — and didn't pitch it up. There were no deliveries for the drive. If anything, he focused on getting it up to their chest. It's how he dismissed Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma in the space of six deliveries. The last time he faced Abhishek, it was the biggest match of his career and the nerves meant he was off his radar. But on Saturday, he was on the money as he tucked up the Indian southpaw and it resulted in his downfall.
Even as the other bowlers gave away 177 in their 16 overs, Duffy's share was 22 off his four overs. In the end, the visitors, asked to bat first, made 201 (two leg-byes). It could have been a lot worse but for Duffy.
Lumsden doesn't have a lot of sports personalities. Until recently, their most famous cricket resident was Lou Vincent. Continue in this vein and Duffy, already a noted Lumsden alum, could be their most famous global sporting export.