STARS NEVER FADE!

What a start! Two of the oldest players -- Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble -- in their ranks conjured a magical performance on a South African evening to give Royal Challengers Bangalore a thumping start to their campaign in the Indian Premier League 2.

For me, their victory over Rajasthan Royals and the display of these two modern day legends is an emphatic evidence of the value of experience even in T20, perceived to be meant for young legs.

In the first match of the IPL 2, it was Sachin Tendulkar's composed fifty played

a pivotal role in Mumbai Indians win over Chennai Super Kings. Even in defeat, it was Shane Warne for Royals and Matthew Hayden for CSK came up with some spirited performances. I know it is too early to make a prediction. But we might see experience stealthly moving ahead of exuberance in this tournament.

Glenn McGrath, Sanath Jayasuriya and Adam Gilchrist could still give youngsters a run for their money. Watch out!

One of the former cricketers shared that opinion with me. "The pitches in South Africa has bounce and movement and in such conditions you cannot ignore the experience of players like Dravid, Tendulkar and Kumble. These guys have performed in different parts of the world over the years. A commonsense approach and ability to adapt is a must any sports, even T20 is not different. These players have those ability in abundance, and I am sure they will play a huge part in this edition of IPL."

But when I interviewed RCB coach Ray Jennings a few months back, his initial days as the team's coach, the South African told me about the role of seniors. That time Ray seemed to be a bit sceptical about the ability of seniors to stand up to the rigours of this furiously paced game.

"My job is to make the seniors understand the significance of fielding, and prepare them for the T20 mindset. I want to be part of this team for a while, and get some good results. It's a challenge for me." So, both the parties -- Ray and the seniors -- have won on the first day.

I hope, they will continue to write more success stories in the coming days. It will not be a victory for RCB alone, but statement from a generation of players who will shine forever like the Pole Star.