Kerala Ranji Trophy old hand Raiphi Vincent Gomez, and thousands of home fans under the bright lights at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, experienced what big-league Twenty20 cricket is all about. Unfortunately, the first glare of the limelight was a blinding one. In a span of three balls, Raiphi — a known name in this part of the world but largely unnoticed elsewhere — went from turning into an unlikely hero in his biggest match to date, to someone who will now be remembered for bowling the most expensive over of the first IPL game hosted on his home soil. In the third ball of the 18th over — Raiphi’s first and only one of the game — well-set Saurabh Tiwary tried to slog one into the stands, but was caught at covers by Mahela Jayawardene. Raiphi, wearing a black headband, seemed more than just pumped up. In the crunch, after being carted for a six off the second ball of this over by Royal Challengers Bangalore’s AB de Villiers, the local boy was on the verge of turning a close finish in his team’s favour. But what followed from de Villiers’s blade was two consecutive sixes and a Man of the Match award. In all, Raiphi conceded 20 runs in his only over. The torture lasted just five minutes, but it turned the match on its head for good.
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