The action that unfolded on the first and last ball of every IPL season

The coveted trophy which the winner takes home

The Indian Premier League is the biggest festival in the domestic Indian circuit and it brings with it moments of greatness and entertainment, some of which go deep down the memory lane.

The showbiz surrounding the opening ceremony which precedes the first match of the tournament beautifully sets up the stage for the entire season to unfold. All eyes are on the first ball that gets things underway. Similarly, the last ball happens to be one which officially decides the champions for that season and ends what had been an eventful two months of cricket.

Let us have a look at the action that unfolded on the first and last ball of each season of IPL.

2008

First Ball

Praveen Kumar of the Royal Challengers Bangalore will go down as the bowler who delivered the first ball in Indian Premier League history. The batsman facing him was Sourav Ganguly who ran a leg-bye at the insistence of his partner, Brendon McCullum, as Praveen strayed on to his pads. What McCullum did thereafter is written in the golden pages of IPL history.

Last Ball:

Warne's inspirational leadership took Royals from underdogs to champions

With the final match of IPL’s inaugural edition going down to the wire, the encounter had lived up to it’s billing. Laxmipathy Balaji of Chennai Super Kings had to defend a solitary run as Rajasthan’s Sohail Tanvir (Purple cap holder that season) pulled a short delivery through the mid-wicket region and he completed an easy single with captain Shane Warne at the other end. Considered to be the underdogs at the beginning, Rajasthan Royals scripted history.

Also Read: ipl-2018-man-of-the-match-performances-across-a-decade-of-ipl-finals