IPL 2022: Week one in review

A week into the 15^th season of the Indian Premier League, and we’ve seen some exciting contests mix with expected and unexpected patterns. Here’s a recap of the big moments from IPL 2022 so far.

IYER’S CAPTAINCY TO THE FORE FOR KKR

One of two teams to play three matches in week one, last year’s runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders have been quite something to watch. Equally bewitching and frustrating, depending on where your loyalties lie. When Sheyas Iyer was acquired by the franchise for Rs 12.25 at this year’s mega auction, and subsequently named captain, it was widely speculated that his style of leadership and sparkling batting – his recent scores for India are 80, 25, 57*, 74*, 73*, 27, 92 and 67 – would define KKR’s season.

So far, Iyer’s batting has not translated into success but his captaincy has been very good. In the tournament opener versus defending champions Chennai Super Kings, Iyer rotated his bowlers well to keep the opposition to 131/5, a total which was overhauled with six wickets remaining. Then, defending a low total of 128 after a terrible batting display, Iyer went into Test-match mode with his pacers Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee to leave Royal Challengers Bangalore fighting harder than they would have wanted to. He also used Sunil Narine well, and shuffled his attack around to make a chase of 129 tougher for RCB. KKR lost that match, but Iyer’s leadership won praise.

Kolkata’s second win was set up by some more good bowling from Umesh and Southee, backed by Iyer’s tactical acumen, but a chase of 138 needed fireworks from Andre Russell who walked in at 51/4 in the seventh over and smacked 70* from 31 deliveries, which included a 30-run over from Odean Smith.

MUMBAI MAINTAIN EARLY LOSING TREND

One of the truisms of the IPL is that Mumbai Indians will struggle at the start of each season. Habitually poor starters, MI have lost both their games in IPL 2022: to Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals. Rohit Sharma’s team has not looked good at all, with the lack of a world-class spinner and Australian import Daniel Sams failing to take wickets.

Of course, the absence of the recovering Suryakumar Yadav for these two matches is a factor, with his replacement at No 3, Anmolpreet Singh, failing to deliver. Ishan Kishan, bought back for Rs 15.25, has scored consecutive half-centuries but has not found support barring the young Tilak Varma. Against Capitals, a cracking unbeaten 75-run stand in just five overs between Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel made short work of Mumbai’s 177 after they had their opponents at 104/6, and then after a week’s gap the five-time winners were stunned by Jos Buttler’s century and fell short by 23 runs.

Still early days, fans of the franchise will say, but something looks off about MI this season. Rohit has to stand up – his lean batting run continues from his otherwise successful start as India’s all-format captain – and Suryakumar will need to get off the blocks running once he slots in against KKR on Wednesday. With Sams and Tim David not convincing yet, Mumbai might have to look at Riley Meredith and Dewald Brevis sooner than anticipated.

GUJARAT IMPRESS IN SUCCESSIVE WINS

Of the two new IPL franchises, this writer’s opinion before the tournament started was that on paper, Lucknow Super Giants had the better team as compared to Gujarat Lions. As it now stands, Gujarat are 2-0 having beaten LSG in the two teams’ first meeting.

On opening weekend, Rahul Tewatia heaved Gujarat over the line with two deliveries remaining, with 40* from 24 balls, with help from skipper Hardik Pandya and South Africa’s David Miller, who both contributed 30s. Lucknow had earlier recovered from 29/4 to post 158/6, and in their chase the Titans managed just 19 runs from over 11-15. But Tewatia and Miller ransacked 39 from the next 12 overs to set up a thrilling last-over win.

The Titans then pipped Capitals by 14 runs in Pune, after hitting 171/6 around Shubman Gill’s 84 from 46 deliveries and camoes from Pandya and Miller. Where in game one it was Mohammed Shami’s upright seam position that set helped Gujarat make early inroads, here it was New Zealand quick Lockier Ferguson’s pace and bounce that unsettled Delhi’s batsmen. Ferguson struck twice in his first over and later took two more wickets, and aided by Shami’s 2/30 the Gujarat franchise kept a strong Delhi lineup to 157/9.

On paper, the Titans possess only four to five genuine match-winners, but as witnessed by the contributions of Tewatia, rookie Abhinav Manohar and Matthew Wade – who is back in the IPL after 11 seasons – this is a team capable of punching above their weight.

COULD THIS BE RAJASTHAN’S YEAR?

Just two matches have been won by the team batting first so far in IPL 2022, and both times the winner has been Rajasthan. This a team that often struggles to start well, but by beating Mumbai by 23 runs and Sunrisers Hyderabad by 61 runs, Rajasthan has made a statement.

They began by posting 210/6 versus SRH, with skipper Sanju Samson hitting 55 from 27 balls, new recruit Devdutt Padikkal 41 off 29 and Shimron Hetmyer a 13-ball 32. Then it was over to an entirely new bowling unit comprised of Trent Boult (2/23), Prasidh Krishna (2/16), Yuzvendra Chahal (3/22) and R Ashwin (0/21) to apply the squeeze on SRH. Then against MI, a rollicking 68-ball 100 from Buttler and 35 off just 14 from Hetmyer pushed RR to 193/8 at the DY Patil Stadium, a total which Rohit’s team never came close to chasing. Chahal has proven an instant hit at his new IPL home with five wickets in two matches and Boult has been an admirable and incisive leader.

Samson has often started IPL seasons with breezy fifties only to stumble, but if he can keep scoring consistently and the likes of Hetmyer, Padikkal and Yashasvi Jaiswal chip in, this is very formidable batting lineup.

DHONI ROLLS BACK THE YEARS, BUT CSK STUMBLE

This is not looking good. Three matches, three losses for CSK who languish at ninth place ahead of SRH, who have played two matches fewer but own a poorer net run rate. The batting has been sloppy, the bowling erratic and the fielding has let CSK down as well. When you see Moeen Ali drop easy catches, you know something is amiss.

This year marked the first time in IPL history that CSK lost their first two matches, and now, after Sunday’s 54-run loss to Punjab Kings, the franchise is 0-3.

How many would have expected MS Dhoni, nearing 41, to top-score for defending champions CSK in their first match of the tournament? Well, that is what transpired in the IPL 2022 opener between CSK and KKR at the Wankhede Stadium, where the latter won a low-scoring contest by six wickets. Dhoni, who passed on the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja, rescued CSK from 61/5 to 131/5 with an unbeaten 50 from 38 balls and then in the second match versus LSG, he put the finishing touches on a total of 210/7 by hitting 16* off six.

But CSK lost both matches, and Sunday’s poor performance against Punjab has exposed CSK’s weaknesses further. Against LSG, with dew playing a big role in negating CSK’s spinners Jadeja and Moeen, the 19^th over was bowled by Shivam Dube and went for 25 runs. Game over. Then against Punjab, having done well to pull their opponents back to 180/8 – this included a stunning run-out by Dhoni, diving full stretch – Chennai’s batting came apart. They lost four wickets inside the Powerplay, another in the eighth over, and by the time Dube departed for 57 off 30 balls in the 15^th over, the asking rate was far too much.

Chennai’s problems are multiple. On flat tracks and with dew a factor, their spinners have struggled. Last year’s breakout star, Ruturaj Gaikwad, cannot buy a run. Ambati Rayudu is not looking fluent. Jadeja’s all-round form has been disappointing. A team lacking quality pace options relies too much on Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan and Dwaine Pretorious. If the trio can get it right, this is still a franchise that could push other teams. But something has to change, immediately.