The Style League

Whether it is Virat “bad boy” Kohli's undercut or MS “captain cool” Dhoni's mohawk, sportspersons have been one of the forerunners in setting trends. While IPL is a much-needed platform for cricketers to prove their mettle, it is equally possessed with a glamour and style quotient; and players do not hesitate to bring their unique style quirks to the game.

This year’s first crazy look came from Yuvraj Singh. Be it fighting cancer, leading India to victory during the World Cup or his style, Yuvi has always inspired. This season, he shocked his fans with his crazy new look, which sadly did not work in his favour and fans ended up mocking him on the internet. Yuvi is sporting a permed hairstyle with a sharp undercut.

Even though he played a scintillating inning of 62 runs from 27 balls featuring seven fours and three sixes, it was his hairstyle that caught the eyes of commentator and former player Sanjay Manjrekar. When Yuvraj came on the stage in post-match presentation, Manjrekar started the presentation saying, “I have to start with your hairstyle tonight, if you don’t mind. This is interesting, something new?” Yuvi’s witty answer was, “Every IPL you gotta bring something new. I think you learn from the youngsters. So, again hopefully it works well for me.”

Interestingly, the chocolate boy of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Bhuvneshwar Kumar made a “bold” choice though the sharp razor slit to his hair on the right. The bowler, who currently holds the “Purple Cap”, awed all fans with his new look. While Bhuvi is having a wonderful season, fans are praying that the new look doesn’t come at the cost of runs he may give away.

Imran Tahir of Rising Pune Supergiant was another interesting style player with his “Turkish” beard. Tahir, who changes his hairstyle every other season, teamed with his beard with golden streaks and a soft undercut to his hair. The leading wicket taker for his team, Tahir is enjoying a good season not only in cricket, but also in gathering compliments for his look.

The midst of IPL saw a viral trend, #BreakTheBeard and it was Ravindra “brute” Jadeja of Gujarat Lions, who shocked everyone with his look. Jadeja, who has been Team India's official moustache king, revealed his new look where he was seen shedding his thick beard for the 70s anchor look."Change the game on the field. Change the look in the dressing room," he tweeted.

Following in the footsteps of Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane of Rising Pune Supergiant tried the trend and was subjected to mockery on the internet where most Twitter users called him “a school going boy.” Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya from Mumbai Indians too joined the trend.

Sadly, Kohli decided not to join them in getting the clean-shaven look and the reason behind his decision could be his girlfriend Anushka Sharma. The Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper took to his Instagram handle to reveal that he's in no mood to shave. "Sorry boys but I am not ready to break the beard yet. Great job on the makeovers though. Kudos," wrote Kohli.

Although, his team has had a terrible season, Kohli’s tattoos did not go unnoticed. Kohli has connected with the fans with his Gen-Z demeanour and attitude. The stylish player is flaunting his three tattoos; his left shoulder has a Japanese samurai with a raised sword, another tattoo describes his zodiac sign, Scorpio and the final one is a tribal tattoo. Speaking of tattoos, other players flaunting inked arms were Ben Stokes. Shikhar Dhawan, Chris Gayle and Mitchelle Johnson.

#BreakTheBeard
It all started with “SIR” Jadeja breaking the dressing room boredom and the country’s beard fascination with his #BreakTheBeard look that stands tall on style quotient and uniqueness. Ravindra Jadeja says “Everyone in the dressing-room looked the same, so I thought I will try something different. Something that is unique to me. Once, Anil Kumble walked up to me when I was sitting with my face down, he thought I was KL Rahul and started speaking in Kannada. Beards in general have created a lot of confusion in the team.”

Giving a quirky response to Jadeja the dashing young Mumbai Indian cricketer, Hardik Pandya too changed his look. This dapper guy revealed his avatar with absolute flair. Hardik says, “I completely agree with Jaddu’s point. Sometime back almost all of us in the team had a similar kind of beard and this created a lot of confusion.

Men need to have unique looks and try different things with their facial hair. I think this helps maintain individuality and look different also at the same time.” Captain cool, MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina were also seen ‘Breaking The Beard’ and looking sharp and classy in their new look.

By Meghana Reddy