Andre Russell plays memorable shots, Shubhman Gill and Riyan Parag shine; leg-spinners also deliver at crucial moments
By Rabindra Mukherji
Since its inception, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has changed the very face of Indian cricket, and even influenced other Indian sport to usher in an era of franchise sport in India. The IPL can boast of just about everything, from entertainment to glamour, gossip to some quality cricket. While the IPL is world cricket at its best with many international stars showcasing their talent, it is the manner in which cricket has been packaged to allure the fans that sets it apart from many other leagues in international arena. Media has further elevated the event to the level of a festival that calls for everyone’s participation, forgetting differences of race, class, gender and age. When the matches are going on, the streets of Indian cities invariably bear a deserted look.
A successful journey
The IPL has traversed 12 seasons, yet it continues to enchant the fans no less than when it started its journey in 2008. As is the case across seasons, all the matches were almost sold out and most games were decided on the last ball. The IPL has positioned itself in the hearts and minds of most Indians and is also watched with immense interest in many parts of the cricketing world. Business and commercial aspects notwithstanding, the IPL has emerged as entertainment of the highest quality, in a country where even the Bollywood filmmakers have to pause till the end of the IPL season.
Russell blitzkrieg this season
This IPL season will be remembered for Andre Russell’s exploits with the bat. His brutal power-hitting, scoring at a strike rate of 204, was achieved by hitting every third ball to the boundary. Russell was the highlight of the season and this implies that the bat did the talking more than the ball with even Ishant Sharma flexing his muscles and finishing a game by hitting a last-ball six.
Leg-spinners shine
Even as the carnage was on all around, leg-spinners gave an outstanding performance. Imran Tahir picked up 26 wickets and was a delight to watch. But Rahul Chahar, the young Indian leggie, did not disappoint either. Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan continues to outwit batsmen all around the world with his leg-spinners. Shreyas Gopa, Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla were also supportive with their bowling performances.
If Shubhman Gill of Kolkata Knight Riders impressed the audience, young Riyan Parag of Rajasthan Royals showed that he had enough talent to take on the very best in the world. However, as new stars emerged on the horizon, the old ones seemed to fade away gradually. The likes of Yusuf Pathan and Yuvraj Singh seemed unimpressive this season, to say the least.
A Scintillating Finale
If the IPL is hailed as the most successful venture in world cricket, one needs to go no further than this season, which produced a nail-biting last-ball finish in Hyderabad. Fans across the world witnessed Mumbai Indians as they marched on their way to an unprecedented fourth IPL title. While the Chennai Super Kings may be ruing the fact that they had an equal chance of winning the tense Final, history was, however, never on their side. It is worth noting that all four titles of Mumbai Indians have come in the last seven seasons.