CSK vs RCB

I might have watched thousands of matches since 2005 and played hundreds of ‘em, but this might be the first time I have had mixed feelings about a team’s winning or losing.

I have been a CSK fan since 2008 and like every time, I wanted CSK to win. I was sure disappointed with the loss, but the ending would have been much more beautiful if Dhoni got to lift the trophy one more time.

He wanted to play his last game in Chennai, and I don’t think he will return next season. Like always, I don’t think there will be a farewell. He silently gets back into his shell, and we will only know he is not playing when we don’t see his name on the retention list for 2025.

That doesn’t take away anything from his achievements in the last two decades. 💛 

Speaking of one trophy not taking away anything from a player’s achievements, we have one more person who had achieved all he could and one trophy doesn’t determine his legacy - Virat Kohli.

There is so much talk about how and why Virat deserves to lift the cup, but we gotta talk about the most epic comeback in IPL history. Anyone who has played a team sport understands how stressful the dressing room can get and how low the players’ spirits can go—especially when you lose so many games when you are capable of so much more. I don’t think we can imagine what happens at such a high level.

I always believed fans troll RCB for not winning a trophy for three reasons:

• Making statements like ee saala cup namde

• Large fanbase to reciprocate the trolls

• A champion team actually capable of winning the trophy multiple times and qualifying for playoffs even more

DC, PBKS, and LSG (ignore LSG; this is only their third season) have also never won a trophy, but they were not trolled this badly—in my opinion, it’s probably because everyone thinks RCB is a champion side capable of winning but resulting otherwise.

I am just happy RCB is doing what RCB is capable of doing. Six consecutive wins from where they were is just insane team performance.

…and lastly, yes Virat Kohli deserves the trophy. His talk with the RCB Women’s team about giving 110% when you know you still have a 1% chance is all over the internet now and for the right reasons.

If talent and performance alone were not enough, I have always admired the man Virat is. I really really really hope RCB wins—not only for Virat but for what the team has achieved together this season. ❤️ 

I had a few things to write about but there’s a lot of talk going around RCB vs CSK, so I thought I’d share my opinions too and restrict this issue to IPL.

I’ll come back next Sunday; mostly with a brain dump. See ya! 👋 

Oops, I almost forgot

I have a product idea. I can’t share many details as I still need to sharpen my thoughts, but if you can help me answer one simple question, it’d help me with my initial, surface-level research.

If you want to type your opinion, please feel free to reply to this email.

Love,
Vikra