The opening week of the Indian Premier League had everything for everyone!
Runs for IPL colossus’s MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. Majesty of a Shreyas Iyer cover drive. Runs for impressive Ishan Kishan. Wizardry of Wanindu Hasaranga. Authority and confidence of a resurgent Rajasthan Royals. Dramatic win for LSG. Raw pace of Umran Malik.
Some teams trying to find new combinations with bat and ball. Inevitably some sides will find their feet quicker than others which is very evident in the match between Rajasthan and Hyderabad. Sanju Samson is a very impressive player and leader, he looks comfortable in his role.
Add the experience and genuine wickettaker in Trent Boult who’s added bite to their attack. Their top-four is as good as any other if not better. Injuries and absentees aside they look a side to watch out for.
By contrast a stuttering Sunrisers certainly won’t panic after a disappointing start. Strong management and leadership will ensure they get the best out of their team. Umran Malik is a must watch bowler who with careful handling could become a real asset to Indian Cricket. A repeatable action a gift to bowl fast. He will be at his best in a few years. It will be an interesting journey to follow.
Let’s talk about the pitches. They have been excellent. A covering of grass creating pace and bounce, not much spin yet, that will come. Bounce is a spinners asset. Wanindu Hasaranga, Yuzi Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have excelled and are fine acquisitions for their franchises.
Shreyas Iyer cover drive is a thing of beauty. A rare talent who will light up this edition, leaving former players and fans to wish they too could play like him. Early stages of the tournament with teams finding combinations with new players and new leaders.
CSK will find their feet soon. Ravindra Jadeja gets comfortable with his new role. The best all round cricketer in world in this format needs to shine with bat and ball if his team are to prosper. Runs for MS Dhoni will lift a side below their best in their first two matches, although their batting is shaping up with the return of Mooen Ali. 14 group games may prove handy for a team in transition.
LSG’s run-chase was a confidence builder for the team, featuring batting heavyweights KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock and Evin Lewis. It’s a great sign for the tournament with 210 and 205 being chased down in the first week though perhaps that adds more focus on the toss with sides desperate to chase.
In the meantime, Mumbai’s notoriously slow start continued. Ishan Kishan out of the blocks quickly but it was not enough for a team with so many quality resources. Getting Tim David and Kieron Pollard batting position is crucial to their success.
Delhi look strong and will only get better. David Warner will add class and power. Axar’s all-round talent crucial. It will be surprising if they don’t make the Playoffs.
Great to see young talent Ayush Badoni shining on debut for LSG. When his team was in trouble he showed talent, character and temperament and with the backing of Gautam Gambhir, he is certainly one to look out for.
Battle of the newbies won by Gujarat Titans. Winning crucial for confidence but to win tight games even better as that adds more self-belief when games get close as often do in this format. Great start for Hardik Pandya who showed good signs, calm and composed as leader.
A high scoring thriller and low scoring thriller at DY Patil stadium. Punjab kings showed great fight and resilience with Odean Smith’s heroics capping a great evening to beat RCB. Punjab have a number of gamechangers and plenty of power with the bat. Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh need to fire with the ball to give Mayank’s side potency.
It was a missed opportunity for early points for Faf’s team as their death bowling so reliable last year stuttered and stumbled. RCB bowlers were back on song a couple of days later against KKR. This was a brilliant game. A pitch both sides struggled to adapt too. A match that was decided in the last couple of overs. Key moment in the game was David Willey and Sherfane Rutherford’s partnership as read game situation well and RCB held back Dinesh Kartik as experience is key in tense run chases. DK calmly finished it off for 2 points.
In the first week itself the teams showed promise and made it a tournament players want to be involved in, commentators want to work on, most importantly fans want to watch.
So much to look forward to over the coming weeks.
