The first week of IPL 15 has seen supercharged action. Three of the seven matches saw scores of over 200 – two of which were chased down by teams in spectacular fashion. Top teams like defending champions Chennai Super Kings and five-time champions Mumbai Indians have suffered defeats—CSK, in fact, two out of two matches. Royal Challengers Bangalore achieved a narrow victory in a tight match against Kolkata Knight Riders after Punjab Kings failed to defend 205 runs.
It has been an unconvincing start for the high-profile RCB team still in their quest for a maiden title, but at least they are going unlike CSK, MI and SRH, with the last name mentioning the weakest look so far. New teams Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals have also won one match each as I write this. All this meant a week of high drama which was reflected in the volatility in the points table, suggesting that it could be one of the toughest seasons of the IPL with many twists and turns to come in the coming weeks.
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Among the teams, the most influential ones for me have been Rajasthan Royals and KKR. The Royals displayed vigor, vigor, vigor and fearlessness in the first match, subduing SRH in a commanding fashion. Those who watch IPL closely, see similarities in this team with Shane Warne in the inaugural season of IPL in 2008.
It would be premature and even silly to predict at this stage that the Royals might win the title this year. There is still a long and difficult road to cross, and as has often been seen in the past, the royals settle into mediocrity after a good start. Going to players like Sanju Samson like Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chala, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yashasvi Jaiswal, the talent is rich and the experience is vast. But as always, the important question is whether they have the means to maintain this level of excellence for 7-8 weeks. Next week the picture should be somewhat clearer.
Table topper KKR is not far behind RR. In fact, if it were not for the narrow defeat of RCB, they would have been placed even more strongly. Foreign players have contributed the most to KKR’s success in the first week. The magic and mystery of Sunil Narine’s spin bowling is nothing less than that of Andre Russell’s powerful hitting. In the absence of Pat Cummins, Tim Southee has filled the breach brilliantly, and KKR look to be perhaps the most balanced team ever. What is missing is the major contribution of the Indian players. Every team knows how important it is to be successful in Powplay. It is the responsibility of players like Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer to go ahead and build the starting momentum.
GT, Delhi Capitals, LSG, PBKS have all opened their accounts, leaving CSK, MI and SRH behind in the points table. Wins for DC, PBKS, LSG and GT came against heavy odds, which shows that they have the resources to take them ahead in the tournament.
DC and GT showed depth in the batting which should serve them well. Against Mumbai, it was Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav who saw DC home from a tough situation. For Gujarat, Rahul Tewatia and David Miller came to the rescue when against Lucknow all looked a loser. Having players to score runs at numbers 7, 8 and 9 has become important as the T20 format has evolved, and clearly these franchises have made smart buys in the mega auction.
On an individual level, some marquee names like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli have failed to live up to their star billing, some like Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya . start work. Among overseas players, Rashid Khan, Tim Southee, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Faf du Plessis have lived up to the prestige but Nicolas Pooran, who was paid a fortune by SRH, has so far featured in the only match played by the franchise. There was great disappointment. ,
Some struggling old hands (like Umesh Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane) and relative newcomers like Shah Rukh Khan and Odeon Smith have already made a strong impression, indicating the importance of prudent buying in the mega auctions ahead of the tournament.
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Reading the trend of the first week, the batsmen are sure to benefit from the sunbathing pitches. There should be a pattern of big hits and long scores. But bowlers are not completely out of the equation. Umesh and Shami have been the choice of fast bowlers, who have hit big blows at the beginning and end of the innings. After a poor first match, Mohammad Siraj and Harshal Patel found their momentum and looked far more dominant in the next match. Southee, as mentioned earlier, has been invaluable to KKR so far.
The spinners have also started well and should play a more decisive role as the pitches are showing wear and tear. The wrist spinners will definitely make an impact. Considering the already successful success of Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bishnoi and Rahul Chahar, this is an unmistakable trend.
There are 10 teams in the field this season, the talent spread is wide, and most teams are still working on their best combination. After the mega auction the core groups of all the teams are separated, so it will take some time for the teams and players to settle down. Those who do it quickly will obviously benefit more. This will necessitate a more competitive trend both individually and collectively, making the tournament even more intense and unpredictable going forward.
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