The night Shah Rukh Khan co-owned Kolkata Knight Riders beat the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL V final,one man stood out with his match-winning knock. It was Manvinder Bislas stunning 48-ball knock of 89 runs that did the trick for KKR. After serving Deccan Chargers in 2009 and Kings XI Punjab the following season,Bisla joined KKR in 2011,and though he only got limited opportunities,he was the unlikely hero in the 2012 final. In a chat with Sportline,the 32-year-old Bisla who is in Chandigarh to take part in the All India JP Atray cricket tournament for Air India,talks about life after IPL,Shahrukh Khan's words of encouragment,his shift from Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association to Goa for the upcoming season and his eagerness to take part in the Champions League. Excerpts: How was the whole experience of playing a match-winning knock in the IPL V final? Your fan base must have increased manifolds after that epic innings. Taking on the defending champions in the final was always a big task. If the experience of taking on the home team in front of thousands of spectators was like a dream,then beating them on their ground was like a dream come true. I just played attacking game and I am happy that my knock could help my team win the title. And as far as fan base is concerned,it feels nice when people recognise and applaud your performance. The KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was quite pleased with your effort. What were his words after the triumph? Has he kept in touch with you since then? Yes,he liked my innings. He takes keen interest in everything. He was always encouraging and motivating the team. He told me to enjoy the feeling of being the champion,and said it was just the beginning. We have spoken on few occasions after the final. It was memorable to attend the KKR parade in Kolkata in SRKs presence in front of lakhs of fans. How has been life after the IPL V high? What were you up to in the past months? Life has been quite normal after we won the IPL. Nothing has changed. I do normal things. It is just that more people have started recognising me. In the last few months,I had been playing for Air India in few tournaments at Delhi. Then,I took a vacation to England and now,here I am for JP Atray tournament. Will you be appearing for Himachal Pradesh this Ranji season? I would be turning up for Goa Cricket Association in the upcoming season. I have shifted from HPCA to Goa as a professional cricketer. In fact,I am looking forward to playing for Goa in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments. The Champions League is also around the corner. Being the IPL V champions,KKR will be competing in the T20 tournament. How are you looking at it? It will be an experience of a lifetime to take part in the Champions League. Taking on top teams of the world will be a different experience. I would like to keep scoring runs for KKR in the Champions League and keep the momentum going. What goals and challenges have you set for yourself in the coming cricket season? Playing for GCA will be new experience for me. I want to take every tournament one by one. My focus will be to remain fit and go for big scores. Right now,JP Atray tournament is on my mind,everything else will follow after that.
