May 29–June 2, 2017 | Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi
RCB wins the IPL again. Ishaan Verma stands at the heart of Indian cricket's media storm — celebrated, dissected, adored… and burdened.
🎇 Scene 1: Bengaluru — Welcome Home
The flight from Ahmedabad landed late at night. But even at 1:47 AM, Kempegowda International Airport was swarming.
Fans thronged the barricades. Drums. Red flares. Placards reading:
"Welcome Champions!"
"Ishaan = Fireworks"
"Gabba to IPL — Our Star!"
The RCB team was whisked to a waiting bus — but Ishaan barely made it to the door before getting mobbed by a sea of arms reaching for selfies, shirts, and handshakes.
Kohli whispered as they climbed aboard:
"This is the price, champ. The lights never go out again."
📸 Scene 2: The Aftermath in Flashbulbs
June 1 – Taj West End Hotel, Bengaluru
The post-title party had turned into a media circus.
Cameras tracked Ishaan's every move.
12 brand offers in 36 hours.
2 billboard shoots scheduled before noon.
Endorsements from a headphone company, mineral water brand, and luxury watch label.
"You're India's new heartbeat," one executive said, sliding over a ₹5 crore deal for a digital ad campaign.
📰 Headlines Swarmed:
The Hindu: "Verma's 76 rewrites RCB folklore."*
Cricbuzz: "From Adelaide to Ahmedabad — the boy becomes a storm."
Mid-Day: "Emma Congratulates Ishaan Again. What's Brewing?"
India Today: "Poster boy or pressure cooker?"
🟥 Scene 3: Conversations in the Shadows
June 2 – Early Morning, RCB Gym Facility, Bengaluru
Ishaan was the only one there. Lifting quietly. Hood over his head. Music off.
Virat walked in, sweaty from a run, and tossed him a cold bottle of water.
Kohli: "You've been quiet."
Ishaan: "Just tired."
Kohli: "Not from cricket, though."
Ishaan: "…No."
The silence between them lingered.
Kohli: "Let me tell you what happens next. They'll plaster your face on 300 hoardings. They'll ask for opinions you never gave. And the moment you fail, they'll say: 'He was distracted.'"
Ishaan sipped, still silent.
Kohli (softly): "You're not a poster. You're a player. Don't forget it."
🧠 Scene 4: The Cost of Stardom
That afternoon, Ishaan skipped an endorsement shoot in Mumbai.
Instead, he visited his old childhood cricket ground in Noida.
Just to sit.
Just to remember.
Two kids were practicing. One looked up, eyes wide.
"Are you… are you Ishaan Verma?!"
Ishaan smiled, nodded.
"Can I bowl to you?" the kid asked.
He padded up. No cameras. No coaching.
Just a fifteen-minute knock under fading sunlight. When the boy bowled a yorker that struck his pad, Ishaan fell down laughing.
"You'd make Bumrah proud."
💬 Scene 5: The Emma Noise
Back in his hotel that night, Ishaan opened his phone.
There were four thousand unread messages.
But one had ignited the nation again.
Emma Watson's Instagram Story — a shot of a cricket bat beside a glass of wine, captioned:
"Still watching."
News anchors jumped in.
"Is Emma Watson watching Verma's rise from afar?"
"Bollywood and cricket? Or Hollywood and Verma?"
"What does this mean?"
Social Media Exploded:
"#EmmaVerma" began trending.
A meme had her replacing Anushka in the RCB balcony.
Ishaan's phone buzzed constantly. Until he finally turned it off.
He tossed it onto the bed, sat at the edge, and whispered:
"Is this what winning feels like?"
📞 Scene 6: A Voice From Silence
That night, the phone rang. Not a manager. Not a sponsor.
Dhoni.
Dhoni: "You awake?"
Ishaan: "Yeah."
Dhoni: "Saw your six off Malinga. Brought back memories."
Ishaan (laughs): "Thanks, Mahi bhai."
Then silence.
Dhoni: "You need to slow down."
Ishaan: "Media?"
Dhoni: "No. Inside your head."
Dhoni: "You're leading people without even realizing it. But don't let it bury the kid who once played for joy."
"That kid is your spine. Protect him."
📃 Scene 7: BCCI Confirmation
The next morning, a press release shook the cricketing world.
"The BCCI confirms Ishaan Verma will be retained centrally across all three formats of Indian cricket until 2020. He is eligible for all ICC tournaments, including the Champions Trophy in England next month."
Ishaan looked up from the news on his tablet.
Kohli winked.
"Better start packing. England's next."
🎭 Scene 8: The Mirror Moment
Before leaving Bengaluru, Ishaan passed through a metro station with a massive poster on the exit wall.
His own face. Towering. Arms folded. Bat resting on his shoulder.
Tagline: "The Fire That Lit Bengaluru."
He stood for a minute, letting the people brush past him without realizing who he was.
Then took a photo from a distance and saved it.
Caption (drafted, unsent):
"This isn't me. Just the reflection of a few good days."
🎧 Final Scene: Night Before England
He lay on the hotel balcony that night, earphones in.
He replayed the final over of the IPL in his head, but instead of commentary, he replaced it with silence.
No crowd.
No cheer.
Just the sound of bat meeting ball.
And a quiet message from somewhere deeper:
You're not chasing fame. You're chasing freedom.