George Bailey letters, and the impact of 'Sehwagology'

Latest on Once Upon An IPL Final is Karanveer Singh, who reminisces Kings XI Punjab's glorious run to the final in 2014.

In the 2014 IPL final between KKR and KXIP, Karanveer Singh was hit for six sixes. Just glancing at the number of sixes that were clubbed off the legspinner's bowling, it would seem as if he had a chastening experience with the ball in hand. However, such is the unpredictability of T20 cricket that Karanveer also bagged four wickets. He was rewarded for tossing it up and even got the prized scalp of Manish Pandey in his final over...

Saha bhai, Manish, Manan all played great knocks that day. It was a very good batting track, and all of them played superb knocks. All of them were hitting the ball very nicely. And regarding my bowling that was the game plan (tossing it up). My plan was that I will go for wickets and Axar (Patel) will contain the runs. And that is my strength too, to loop the ball and try to get batsmen out.

Just before we were about to bowl, in a pep talk George Bailey told us to play fearless cricket, and just go and express ourselves, about how this is a very good opportunity for youngsters to prove themselves, so it really motivated all the players. And they always gave us a free hand to express ourselves and that was the funda of that year. He (Manish Pandey) hit me for a couple of sixes in that game but they (coaching staff) always told me to go for wickets. During the break in the final, Bailey backed me and told me that I should go for wickets. Otherwise, if Manish had played till the end, the match would have finished one over earlier. So, I was also backing myself. Even if I was getting hit for sixes, I was still going for wickets and that was the plan and that was told to me by captain Bailey in the strategic time-out or before that over.

Unfortunately for KXIP, Piyush Chawla spoilt the party by cracking an audacious pull off Mitchell Johnson and then provided the finishing touches by collecting a boundary off Parvinder Awana. From the cusp of hoisting the trophy to despair. The bittersweet symphony of sport...

Yes, it was the final twist when Piyush hit Mitchell Johnson for six runs. But till the last run was scored, we were having hopes that we could still do it. But when Piyush hit for the last boundary, it was all over. The mood of the camp was obviously a little disappointed because that was our goal before the tournament that we were going to win the trophy, but at the same time, we were also proud of ourselves the way we had played cricket throughout the tournament. We were number one in the league stage. In the knockout stages, in the finals, especially with the T20 game, it isn't always the best team that wins. I'm not saying that KKR wasn't the best. But it is always unpredictable and you can't bet on any side. So it was a bit of both. A little bit of disappointment and we were proud of the way we had played our cricket through the tournament. We were also proud of the fact that in 2014, Kings XI had shown to their fans and everyone in the world, they have a brand of cricket in them which is world class.

KXIP reached the summit clash on the back of defeating the formidable CSK side in a hard-fought game in the Qualifier 2. However, in the final, they were about to lock horns versus a team that had beaten the Punjab franchise in the Qualifier 1...

Chennai was a very big team to beat in the semifinals (Qualifier 2) of the IPL and we were really happy. And we were very well prepared before the Chennai game that it was going to be a tough match and it was a tough match. But going into the final, it was a big thing as Kings XI were playing their first final since the IPL started. I think it was the biggest match for Kings XI Punjab. So, going before the final, owners... not only owners, everybody... players, the coaching staff was super excited to play the final. And the owners were very supportive and they didn't put any pressure, they were supporting us 100%, they were backing us, they knew that we were giving our best.

And before the final match, the owners and the coaching staff also mentioned that we have played the whole tournament like champions and it doesn't matter if we win or lose. So, there was no negative pressure before the game started. Obviously, KKR were a big side and we lost the first qualifier against them. So pressure was obviously on us as it was a big match but it was a very good pressure to have as a player. As a player, this is what we want, it is the beauty of the game. It was probably the best match of my life which I enjoyed. In the team meetings also it was only motivating talks.

Bailey, the captain of the franchise, also showcased his leadership skills before the final by writing a letter to each of the cricketers in the set-up...

But one very beautiful gesture was done by George Bailey. So it was that just before the final he wrote a letter to every individual in the team. He wrote that it doesn't matter we win or lose, we played like champions. And he literally thanked everyone for giving his best. And he was very nice to me and wrote very good things about me. And that letter also gave me very good confidence before the game and prepared me well for the match.

Virender Sehwag, the legendary batsman, also shared valuable inputs with the youngsters...

Viru Paaji was a great help during that tournament. Obviously, we know that he is the legend of the game and he has so much knowledge in the simplest ways about cricket. And he explains it so beautifully, so simply that you understand things so well. So, when our IPL camp started, before the IPL, Viru Paaji had been giving me tips. Not only me but to every youngster. During the game also whenever we used to meet he used to tell what should I be doing. Small little things have helped me a lot... during a couple of matches he told me that batsmen would go after you as you're an inexperienced bowler, so you have to bowl according to that. And he used to tell me what should I be doing in that situation and that helped me a lot.

Even though KXIP had a great run in 2014, the franchise wasn't billed as one of the favourites at the start of the tournament. KXIP had finished a lowly sixth in the IPL 2013. The franchise then decided to overhaul the set-up, with Bailey being named the captain and Bangar taking over from Darren Lehmann as the coach. The strategy of playing with freedom worked as KXIP won five of their first six league matches and topped the points table.

For the 2014 season, KXIP was almost a fresh team because most of the guys who were playing were representing KXIP for the first time, including Maxwell, our captain George Bailey, domestic players, there were many fresh faces at that time. The mood of the camp was very healthy and positive before the tournament started. Then also we were doing our bits whatever we could do, practice, training sessions. And we got off to a very good start. Maxwell was in prime form, he single-handedly won a couple of matches for us. The team was winning and everybody was contributing. So, the mood was very positive and healthy and that also helped us to reach the finals because we got the momentum in the early phase of the IPL and that helped.

The tournament was also a great opportunity for Karanveer to showcase his skills. The legspinner was picked by KXIP in the auction in January that year for 10 lakhs. After getting picked in the auction, a lonely athlete trained in his own workshop under the watchful eyes of Bangar...

Regarding the preparation, I want to say that since the time I got picked, Sanjay Bangar sir was keeping a very close eye. He used to give me targets per every week; weekly targets regarding my fitness and my bowling. He used to tell me how many balls I should be bowling and he used to guide me that I should be doing some mental preparation as well before the tournament. I was playing first-class for the Himachal team. And the IPL is obviously a big platform, a big jump from first-class cricket. So, he wanted me to get prepared mentally as well. We were constantly on calls about how should I prepare. I should be bowling, keeping in mind that batsmen like Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni... they are batting and I should be bowling according to that. It was a big help before coming to the tournament, it helped me a lot, and during the tournament too he was giving us goals. So, the preparation before the tournament started went very well.

Preity Zinta, the popular actress and one of the owners of the franchise, is known for her constant and passionate support. Karanveer shares a special moment from that time...

Preity ma'am always used to cheer us up, and she was always behind us (backed us). And she was very friendly with all the guys and used to make everyone comfortable. She used to make a conscious effort that everybody in the team would feel relaxed and the atmosphere is light. She is a very positive lady and my best memory with Preity ma'am is that during the tournament I invited a couple of my teammates to my home for dinner. And then she herself called me asked, 'Am I not invited?'. That was a very special moment for me and my family that ma'am along with many of KXIP's players came to my home and we had dinner together.

As told to Bharath Ramaraj