IPL gains from on and off-field spice

IPL will reach its climax on Sunday when Kolkata Knight Riders will take on the winners of Friday's eliminator between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils. Rob Bagchi, writing for his blog in the Guardian, says that while the matches have been closer than ever before, the tournament has been overshadowed by events away from the square.

On-the-field matches have been closer than ever before, 18 games going to the last over and 10 settled off the last ball. Tournament records have been registered for the highest partnerships in first, third, fourth and sixth-wicket stands. The bowlers have picked up 26 man-of-the-match awards during the season. In terms of landmarks and drama, then, this has been a memorable tournament but one rather overshadowed by events away from the square that have fed the news as well as the sports pages throughout India.