Indian Premier League Awards
India - June 06, 2008

So, the inaugural IPL tournament has has ended, leaving us all to wonder how we will fill the rather sizeable void in our lives.

What we can do is look back on a competition that has provided more glamour, more drama, and more hard-hitting action than any previous cricketing event.

Player of the tournament: SHANE WATSON
Our six-man panel all came up with one name for The IPL’s top award, whether it was with bat or ball, Shane Watson rarely failed to deliver. An average of 47 with the bat, including a superb half century in the semi-finals, was backed up by a stunning 17 wickets with the ball. Taking a leaf out of compatriot Brett Lee’s book, Watson gave everything for the Rajasthan cause, and his ‘effort balls’ towards the back end of the innings proved absolutely vital. Well done Shane.

Match of the tournament: THE FINAL
Imagine the discussion amongst the tournament organisers when writing an ideal script for The IPL final. “Let’s have the biggest spenders v the underdogs. Let’s have Indian icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni v spin legend Shane Warne. Let’s see it go down to the final ball, with the batting side needing a run to win.” Of course, they were just dreaming. The reality was something very special.

Best catch: YUVRAJ SINGH V MUMBAI INDIANS
We’ve considered many ways of describing Yuvraj’s moment of brilliance, but we think the best way is simply to refer to the setantasports.com live commentary: “WICKET! Yuvraj has produced THE moment of the match! A one-handed catch, at the peak of his leap - Pollock's astounded! Yuvraj may as well retire - I'd walk off the pitch if I was him. Nobody deserves to walk in his shadows...” Take a bow Yuvraj.

Find of the tournament: SHAUN MARSH
Be honest, who predicted Shaun Marsh would prove to be the batsman of the tournament? With Adam Gilchrist, Graeme Smith, Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya on the table, who went with Marsh? I don’t believe you! 10 innings, 593 runs, at an average of 74.12 – the Aussie was undoubtably a cut above. And he only cost $32,000 at auction too!

Innings of the tournament: BRENDON MCCULLUM
What a way to start the tournament! Brendon McCullum took his time settling into the IPL format, waiting until the second over before he hit his first boundary. After that, the New Zealander went wild. 158 off 73 balls – the highest knock of the entire tournament, some 41 higher than nearest rival Andrew Symonds. Quality.

Best captain: SHANE WARNE
It had to be Warney didn’t it. Leading a heavily unfancied team, who spent little at the pre-tournament auction, Warney formed a unit that won 11 of 14 group matches, as well as a semi-final and the thrilling final. His use of the bowlers proved most inspirational, chopping and changing to unsettle the opposition batsmen at every opportunity. He also stood tall in the middle at the end, guiding Rajasthan to victory.

Funniest moment: SREESANTH
It’s not often you see a 25-year-old sports star cry, and even less often do you see one blub like Shanthakumaran Sreesanth did! The former Indian breakdancing champion wasn’t even shedding tears out of emotion, he had merely been the victim of a slap from Harbhajan Singh. What a bully Harbhajan. Has anyone seen Sreesanth’s mummy?

Biggest waste of money: JACQUES KALLIS
Four wickets in 11 matches at an average of 77, costing nine runs an over. There was little to be proud of in Kallis’ bowling effort. Maybe his batting would justify his $900,000 fee? Well, a measly average of 18 would suggest otherwise, if only Bangalore had gone for Marsh – He cost $868,000 less!

Best value for money: MANPREET GONY
The toughest award to decide for our ‘experts’ in the office, Manpreet Gony gets the nod – although Shaun Marsh certainly deserves a shout. Variety is the spice of life though and, considering we are dealing with the INDIAN Premier League, we decided spice is exactly what we were after. 16 wickets for Chennai, just six less than the leading wicket taker, Gony proved an astute buy at $50,000.

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