Talking points from IPL... so far
Rajasthan Royals impressing with Sanju Samson?s captaincy and batting, Jos Buttler's experience, and Yashasvi Jaiswal's strike rate. Top Indian performers include Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj, while Faf du Plessis and Rashid Khan lead overseas players. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are gaining momentum. Mohammed Siraj's 12 wickets in six matches are his best IPL performance.
We have now had three weeks of action in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Here’s a look at what has caught our attention in the league so far.
Rajasthan Royals on a roll
First, there’s belief. The Rajasthan Royals have usually been a team that impresses in bursts and then fades away as the season goes on. But the run to the final last year has told the team that they can be so much more. Many things have worked for them this season -- Sanju Samson’s captaincy and batting continue to be bright spots, as does the experience and flair of Jos Buttler. Up front, Yashasvi Jaiswal is scoring runs at a good strike rate as well. And the finishing touch has been provided by the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer (185 runs @ SR 177.88). On the bowling front, Yuzvendra Chahal has been among the wickets (6 matches, 11 wickets) and he has received good support from R Ashwin (8 wickets) and Trent Boult (7 wickets).
Table 1
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings get going
There are teams, and then there are Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. When it comes to IPL, only two teams qualify as true royalty and these are MI (5 titles) and CSK (4 titles). But the manner in which the teams go about their business has been very different. Dhoni’s CSK have always been the more consistent. They rack up the wins early and usually book their place in the final four without much fuss. MI, on the other hand, are a streaky team. Once they get going, they can be hard to stop. After losing their first two matches, Rohit Sharma’s team have now won three in a row. It’s still early in the season, but all the other teams will now know that MI and CSK are coming.
Table 2
Siraj finds his rhythm
With 12 wickets in six matches, Mohammed Siraj sits on top of the wicket-takers’ list. He has always had the knack of taking wickets, but his economy rate is usually a cause for concern. A clear problem in the past was that he was getting hit for far too many boundaries. But the pandemic gave him a chance to step back and assess where his bowling was truly at. “The lockdown was really important for me, because I used to get hit for boundaries very often before that. I worked on my plans, my fitness and my bowling and it’s all paying dividends now,” Siraj said in the post-match presentation after a Player of the Match performance against the Punjab Kings. His wicket haul this season, 12, already represents his best-ever performance in a single IPL edition.
Table 3
Top Indian players
The top Indian performers in the league so far have been Virat Kohli, with 279 runs at an average of 55.9 and a strike rate of 142.34, and Mohammed Siraj, with 12 wickets in 6 matches. Kohli has so far recorded his highest strike-rate since the epic 2016 season when he scored 973 runs at a strike rate of 152.03. If he can maintain this pace, RCB will be hard to stop. Siraj, as mentioned above, is having his best IPL season. But the performances of Venkatesh Iyer (234 runs @ SR 168.34), Shubman Gill (233 runs @ SR 139.87), Tilak Varma (214 runs @ SR 158.51), Varun Chakaravarthy (9 wickets @ ER 7.52), and Ravi Bishnoi (9 wickets @ ER 6.97) have been heartening as well. Tushar Deshpande has been among the wickets but his economy of 11.40 shows that he has been leaking runs.
Table 4
Best overseas players
Skipper Faf du Plessis has been superb for RCB. He leads the overall runs table with 343 at an average of 68.6. The 38-year-old is showing that he has truly mastered the format, and his runs have come at a splendid strike rate of 166.5. Four fifties in six matches show that he is a batter that his team can rely on. Leg-spinner Rashid Khan, with 11 wickets for Gujarat Titans, continues to be the reliable star, but the big surprise so far has been the success of Mark Wood (11 wickets) for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Together with Kyle Mayers, he has managed to keep the formidable Quinton de Kock out of the LSG playing XI.
Table 5
