30th November, 2021

When the retention lists were made official in the end of 2021, it was not technically a shock for Shreyas, since his team's management had already communicated with him, that however much they regretted it, they could only keep three Indian players, and assured him they would get him back in the auction.

And still, it felt like a shock. It hit him like a train wreck.

Even if it ended up being temporary, he did not belong to DC anymore.

His DC. His team.

The team he had suddenly been made captain of four years back when he was barely twenty three. The team that had shown so much faith in him, right from the start. The team who he had taken up, bit by bit, from one of the walkover teams to one of the teams to be reckoned with.

It suddenly felt like he was homeless.

Because he might not have been captain last season, but he had always taken for granted that his story would begin and end with DC. Someday or the other, he had thought he would've been back as DC's captain...or if not, he would've at least been there.

Once the initial shock wore off, Shreyas tried to get a grip on the panic. There was still a chance, though...still a chance in the auction. Maybe he was just temporarily homeless. DC would get him back in the auction, he knew they would.

Surely he could not stay homeless for the rest of his life.

And there was an unfinished business for him and Rishabh, for their team.

***

Flashback ~ IPL, 2021

Shreyas had dislocated his cursed shoulder just before IPL 2021 and had to go for a surgery. Rishabh was named captain in the meantime, and Shreyas was reconciled to missing the entire IPL, where DC started off on a high.

Then came the COVID break, and by the time the second leg of IPL resumed in September in the UAE, Shreyas had been declared match-fit.

Delhi Capitals decided to continue with Rishabh as their captain, a decision Shreyas fully supported and agreed with. It had been the most normal switch possible, and after all, whether he was the captain or Rishabh, they were both integral parts of their team's think tank.

Their team continued its golden run into the second leg, stormed into the playoffs and finished top of the points table.

"Unfinished business," Rishabh told Shreyas solemnly at the end of the last league match.

"Unfinished business," echoed Shreyas.

That was what they'd been saying for the past three years. They had finished third in 2019, narrowly missing out playing the finals. In 2020, they had reached the finals, but lost. Now, it was time to finish off their final goal.

Unfortunately, the underdogs of that season, KKR, who'd had a horror first leg, but somehow made it to the playoffs through a brilliant second leg, had other ideas. While DC lost in the Qualifier 1, KKR defeated RCB in the Eliminator comprehensively. Suddenly the team that had flown in the playoffs and the one that had crawled into the playoffs were on equal footing-and KKR had form on their side.

For most of the Qualifier 2, KKR seemed to be cruising towards an easy victory. They needed 13 off 4 overs with 9 wickets in hand when Nitish Rana's wicket brought on an unthinkable twist in the game, and somehow, when two balls were left, KKR still needed 6.

From the covers, Shreyas caught Rishabh's eye and nodded.

They were so close...

But the next ball, Rahul Tripathi sent it flying above their heads.

***

It was all well and good to tell yourselves that getting knocked out in IPL wasn't anywhere close to when they played for India-which was the truth-but after all the shaking-hands and formalities and post-match presentation, when Shreyas and Rishabh finally found themselves alone, walking towards the bus, they were both a little teary-eyed.

"It was supposed to be 3, 2, 1, Shrey," said Rishabh. "What sense does 3, 2, 3 make?"

"I don't know." Shreyas slung an arm around Rishabh's shoulders. "I really thought we had it after the seventh wicket. We got so close. So close!"

"But someday, we're bound to get to the trophy, right?"

"Of course, Rish. It stays our unfinished business till then."

Rishabh nodded pensively and put his arm around Shreyas' waist as they entered the bus.

Everything about Shreyas' IPL memories included DC and Rishabh.

The unfinished business was very real.

Someday, they were bound to get there.

***

12th February, 2022

Shreyas watched his auction in the corner of their terrace with his sister, streaming it on the latter's phone. It was going on for quite a while now, with several teams having entered the bidding against DC. Currently, it was KKR.

"Brilliant," cowed Shrestha. "This is awesome, this is crazy, they could have retained you cheaper-" KKR raised a bid and DC promptly raised again. "Yes! Come on!"

Shrestha's excitement couldn't help bringing a grin on Shreyas' face, but as KKR's bid touched 9.25, he felt a shiver of foreboding.

DC raised the paddle for 9.5.

"Nearing ten, bhaiya, ten," shrieked Shrestha.

KKR raised for 9.75.

The camera cut to the table of Delhi Capitals.

They quit.

Shrestha fell silent abruptly.

Gujarat Titans joined in the bidding and it crossed 10, and KKR kept raising the paddle doggedly, but neither of the siblings registered that very clearly as they stared at each other, wide-eyed.

If Shreyas had been in a state to formulate his wishes, he would have wished in GT's favour. Of course, that was not to be. Nothing Shreyas wanted was to be that day. KKR got him at 12.25.

"Of all the teams," muttered Shrestha. "Never mind, bhaiya, it was a good auction, overall. You'll end up in the top five buys."

"Isn't that great," snarled Shreyas. "Isn't that the greatest thing that could have happened!"

Shrestha tried to hug him, but Shreyas was having none of it.

"You were cheering at that stupid team raising the bids!"

"Sorry," said Shrestha, meekly. "I assumed the final bid would be DC's."

"Guess what? So did I."

Shreyas stormed off the terrace and locked himself inside his room and stayed there till in the evening, he got a call from KKR's management, informing him that he would be their captain.

Whereupon he stormed down the stairs where his family was having dinner, so he could shout at Shrestha some more. Since the two hot-headed siblings were well-versed at being each other's punching bags, Shrestha wisely listened to it quietly.

But no amount of shouting at Shrestha could reverse the reality, that Shreyas had lost his home, and was now captain of a foreign team, the one which had defeated them in the last Qualifier 2.

Rishabh would be the captain of their team now.

It was late at night, after hours of overthinking his plight, when Shreyas got the first stirrings of resentment.

Rishabh had been part of the team's decision-making in the recent years, yes, but he had become captain of a runners-up team. Not like Shreyas, who had started captaining a team that always used to finish in the bottom three.

And yet, their team chose Rishabh and rejected Shreyas, and Rishabh got to stay with DC while Shreyas had to now go and captain an unknown, alien team which had reduced them both to tears in the immediate-previous IPL game they had played.

How could it ever be called fair?

But then again, who said anything in life had to be fair?

DC had chosen Rishabh and rejected Shreyas, and Shreyas would have to live with that knowledge, because there was nothing else he could do.

_________________

A/N: Couldn't help describing the most traumatizing match of my life and my brother's in more details that necessary. The scorecard says it all.

I remember everything from that day, but most clearly the panic attack right after Tripathi's six, collapsing on the floor unable to breathe, then sobbing in screams out of the window with my parents trying to calm me down and my brother sitting like a stone. I hope such a match never comes in our life again, even if the end is good :)

That 6 was one of the reasons certainly why losing Tripathi in the 2022 auction felt like losing a limb :)

With the auction coming in 15 days, every bad memory suddenly feels high def :) :)