A different ball game

Jasmine Singh

About the friendships in Bollywood, we aren’t sure! The weather has become so uncertain; politicians are swinging like the pendulum…amidst all these uncertainty, if there is something which is a sure shot, is the frenzy around cricket. It’s the season for IPL 8 after all.

Even if you don’t know the roll out of the teams, you can at least enjoy the entertaining-glamorous game, which has a generous seasoning of equally glammed-up, stylish cricketers. The religious fans of IPL miss charming Brett Lee and sexy Kevin Peterson, and now the radar has shifted on to others who carry to the field the art of the game and oodles of oomph!

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Not many girls would stay mute hearing the name Virat Kohli! The stylish cricketer from Royal Challengers Bangalore is undoubtedly raising the temperature with his subtle yet visible fashion quotient. Soham Bakshi, a fitness trainer with Bodywise-21 copies Virat’s style to the hilt. “To begin with Virat has a killer smile, something I can’t copy, second he keeps changing his style which says a lot about his fashion sense. From handle bar moustache, a bohemian hair style, and some awesome tattoos, this player is a delight to watch in the field.”

When it comes to the stylish Indian cricketers of IPL 8, this tall player with his trademark handle-bar moustache is another shining example. Shikhar Dhawan of Sunriser Hyderabad is the man to watch out for. Sonali Mann, a Punjabi school teacher in Mohali, who has also acted in Punjabi film Sikander, is a die-hard fan of this lanky cricketer. “He is the most stylish player in the IPL presently. Shikhar has a magnetic attitude. With his short hair and pierced ears, he looks rough and tough and classy at the same time,” she says. More than anything else, Shikhar balances the weight of style on his sexy moustache.

The handle-bar moustache seems to be the ‘style check’ for quite a few of our Indian cricketers. Ravindra Jadeja of Chennai Super Kings is yet another rough-it-out IPL player. Manmeet Prasher, a financial analyst with Mehar & Co, Patiala, had wanted to marry Ajay Jadeja. “I had a crush on him for a very long time, now I see this new player Ravindra Jadeja who looks equally sinful.” Manmeet laughs, “I like his attitude. He is hip-happening with those pierced ears, and awesome moustache, but he comes across as someone who is oblivious to all this.”

Not to miss the cool dude, Murli Vijay of Chennai Super Kings, with a cool tattoo instead. To Manmeet, he is the next stylish player of IPL. “If you look closely, not on his game, but style, you’d fall in love with him. A small pendant hanging from his neck and a tattoo often visible is simply groovy.”

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Kevin Petterson…indeed, his style and game both are being missed in the IPL now…Now, it is Dale Steyn (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Glen Maxwell (Kings XI Punjab), Mitchell Johnson (Kings Xi Punjab), Brendon McCullum (Chennai Super Kings XI), David Miller (Kings XI Punjab) and Chris Gale are carrying the baton of style. “Dale Steyn’s Mowhak hair cut and a never-ending tattoo on his arm and not to miss his mischievous smile, I cheer the Sunrisers because of him, totally,” Atharv Baluja, film and video director from Mohali, singles out his most stylish player of IPL. Mitchell Johnson is another player whom Atharv finds is one hell of a stylish cricketer. “One his drooping long moustache and a super tattoo on his arm, he looks more like a Harley Davidson rider than a cricketer,” he adds. Brendon McCullum’s tattoo on his bicep makes him another adorable player. Are we leaving out Chris Gayle in all this! He is a style walkie talkie.

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