The eighth edition of our very own cash-rich, opulent cricketing league – the IPL, trounced its earlier versions in terms of entertainment, viewership and revenues accumulated. Expectations of cricket overdose in the aftermath of the Cricket World Cup compelled several pundits as well as fans to speculate a low-key affair as opposed to the razzmatazz the IPL is known for. The spectre of match-fixing loomed large thanks to the fixing scandals that rocked IPL-6 and IPL-7. However, IPL-8 tossed aside all such speculations. Each subsequent week of the current edition enhanced the satisfaction derived from watching a T20 tournament. If a total utility graph were to be made for the IPL in general, one can fairly conclude that the marginal utility derived from IPL-8 in particular had scaled greater heights.
The just-concluded edition was a cracker of a tournament. Ten days away from the business end of it and yet the playoff line-up was undecided. Barring KXIP, all the other teams were hunting for a berth in the playoffs. Several permutations and combinations were at work. KKR and CSK dominated the points table alternately. One expected CSK to make the cut owing to their 100% track record in qualifying for the playoffs [Previously, CSK had won two editions (2010 and 2011), ended as runners up on three occasions (2008, 2012, and 2013), made it to the semi-finals in 2009 (lost to RCB) and got as far as Qualifier 2 in 2014 (lost to KXIP)]. However, CSK lost out in the finals once again.
We have made a team-by-team assessment of performance this IPL, highlighting what they did right, and what they didn’t. So, in reverse chronological order, here goes.
Kings XI Punjab (8th)
KXIP were perhaps the best T20 side on paper. Sehwag, Bailey, Maxwell and Miller. Each of these batsman can toy with the opposition bowling on their day. And then last finals’ century-maker Saha along with Vijay made for an outstanding team. The bowling boasted of the fiery Johnson and much-talked about Axar Patel. Anureet Singh and Sandeep Sharma bowled with discipline. Both of these bowlers were a treat to watch.
What went wrong?
We have no clue. They just floundered. Kings couldn’t achieve the initial string of victories to get them going. They seemed unwilling to win. The spirit and the knockout punch was lacking. For KXIP, 2015 became annus horribilis. Last year’s runners-up ended at the bottom of the table. Well, that’s cricket for you – a game of glorious uncertainties.
Star player: George Bailey
Dud: Glenn Maxwell
Delhi Daredevils (7th)
The DD team has had a disastrous couple of seasons in the past IPLs. This year was not much different. Despite splurging on a completely revamped squad, the results just didn’t show. However, this time around they can take a few positives home. Most notably is the rise of Shreyas Iyer, who had a fantastic tourney. Ably supported by Mayank Agarwal, Iyer held the DD top order together. JP Duminy, in a triple role as captain, batsman and bowler seemed overburdened, not being able to excel in any of the departments. The leg spinning duo Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir brought some much-needed spirit to the deflated Delhi bowling line-up.
What went wrong?
Yuvraj Singh. The luckiest cricketer in India over the past two years, Yuvraj has scored 624 runs and taken six wickets in the last two seasons of the IPL. For that, he has amassed a mind-boggling 31 crore rupees. A huge white elephant of a player, Yuvraj has been the disappointment of the IPL. Add to this, Delhi’s woeful form at home continued, threatening to even break the longest losing streak in the IPL, earlier set by themselves only.
Star Player: Shreyas Iyer
Dud: Yuvraj Singh
Sunrisers Hyderabad (6th)
Sunrisers had all they could ask for – an opening combo of Warner and Dhawan, middle order solidified by Morgan and Henriques and the bowling duo of Dale Steyn and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. After a few initial hiccups the team managed to gather points and climb the points table. A few crucial wins towards the end almost got them through, to the playoffs. However, consistency wasn’t their strong card.
What went wrong?
David Warner had his Captain Russell moment. I am referring to that moment from the movie Lagaan where, in the climax, Captain Russell realizes that he has caught the bowl in the wrong territory leading to the opposition winning an unlikely game. Well, transport yourselves to the rain-affected contest #52 between RCB and SRH. SRH scored 130-plus runs in eleven overs. Enter rain. Enter Duckworth-Lewis. RCB needed 82 from six overs. After some clobbering by Gayle, RCB get to 77/4 needing six of the last two deliveries. Kohli was on strike. B Kumar bowled. Kohli mistimed his shot. The ball went up in the air. Warner caught it. Hold your breath. The ball was caught just a step away from the boundary line. Warner thought he saved the day and began celebrating. While celebrating, he unknowingly danced his way to the boundary line. RCB won with a ball to spare.
Had SRH won that day both RR and MI would have been out. Who knows what the playoff story would have been then. Hard luck to SRH. Maybe Warner can gain solace from the Orange Cap that he won.
Star Player: David Warner
Dud: Dale Steyn
Kolkata Knight Riders (5th)
KKR, the defending champions started off the season well. Gambhir and Uthappa managed to lend the team steady starts. Manish Pandey, Yadav and Ryan ten Deoschate solidified the middle order. Yusuf Pathan lent depth to batting line-up. Shakib-al-Hasan, Umesh Yadav, Piyush Chawla and Morne Morkel provided for good bowling options. Chawla and Hasan came handy as batsmen too. But Andre Russell was the real star. He changed the course of a couple of matches on his head and secured crucial victories for his side. He had to his name the quickest fifty this IPL. Additionally, this team had a Dravid-like giant mentoring them – Jacques Kallis.
What went wrong?
The curious case of Sunil Narine. Narine joined KKR after having his bowling action corrected. His altered bowling action failed to add teeth to the Riders’ bowling line-up. Akin to RR, KKR had a game washed out and another reduced to ten overs which they ended up losing. Secondly, the Azhar Mahmood gamble. Why would Gambhir play a 41-year-old with little to no match practice in a crucial knockout? The writing was on the wall by then. Mahmood conceded 41 runs in his 3 overs. He scored six in seven deliveries. The defending champs lost the game and were sent packing.
Star Player: Andre Russell
Dud: Sunil Narine
Rajasthan Royals (4th)
The tournament began with the Royals’ domination. They won their first five matches amassing ten points in no time. Ajinkya Rahane was in a meditative state, amassing runs at regular intervals. He ended the season as the second-highest run-getter. In Rahul Dravid, RR have found a master strategist. His moves paid off – unleashing Deepak Hooda, opting for Chris Morris instead of Tim Southee who had just scalped 15 wickets in the World Cup (including a ferocious 7/33 against England), handing over the reins of the team to Steve Smith from Shane Watson (resulted in Watson scoring an exhilarating century in a key knockout contest before the playoffs) and of course, regulating his trump card, James Faulkner, in the course of every single match. In an era where all the teams have opted for multiple coaches handling a plethora of departments, Dravid has held his ground, skimming smoothly through several roles – choosing favourable, economical players in the auction, mentoring the team, acting as media spokesperson of RR, coaching and what not. He’s reminiscent of Billy Beane from Moneyball.
RR is the mine from where diamonds like Jadeja, Pathan, Asnodkar, Samson, Binny, Cooper, Morris and Hooda have been excavated. As always, RR were a force to reckon with this season. No team could strike a better balance in terms of team balance and the playing XI. Rahane and Watson opening, the middle order line up boasting of in red-hot form Steve Smith, the ‘annual Dravid find-of-the-IPL’ Hooda, super Samson, and fantastic Faulkner. Morris, Binny, Southee, Kulkarni and Tambe made for balanced bowling line up aided by Faulkner and Watson.
What went wrong?
For one, RR had no fixed batting positions right till the end. Without Watson for the first few games, Samson opened. But when he returned, Samson was pushed lower down the order. Faulkner, at times, was sent as late as the fall of the fifth wicket, after Binny and Nair. Deepak Hooda lost his flamboyance as the season progressed and an inconsistent Nair hurt the interests of the team. Royals couldn’t find the ideal bowling combination till the very end. Tambe failed to deceive the batsmen in his spin web as he did last season. Binny looked off-colour. Kulkarni enjoyed sporadic moments in the season.
Two – Mother Nature. Rajasthan had two of their league games washed out. Only the rain Gods could stall their winning streak. Three, they had no fixed home ground. They shuttled between Ahmedabad, Mumbai and other teams’ grounds. Lastly, they peaked too soon. In the second half of the season they managed only three wins. Being in the top three for more than forty days and then going on to play the eliminator may have unsettled the team psychologically.
Star player: Ajinkya Rahane
Dud: Pravin Tambe
Royal Challengers Bangalore (3rd)
RCB consisted of Gayle, de Villiers and Kohli. End of debate. The rest of the team doesn’t matter. And it didn’t, because the three of them scored more than double the runs the remaining team scored. Gayle did his bit. AB produced sterling performances (especially the one that sunk MI). Kohli anchored his innings (in most matches) allowing the other two to express themselves. But it was Starc (carrying his deadly WC form to the IPL) that gave RCB the much-needed victories. Yuzvendra Chahal stole the show. The diminutive player amassed 23 wickets in his kitty by the end of the season, just behind Bravo and Malinga. 17-year old Sarfaraz Khan was a delight to watch in the scintillating 21-ball 45 that he scored against RR. However, he didn’t get many opportunities to express himself. Surely a talent to watch out for in the future. David Weise produced magic with both bat and ball. Harshal Patel and S. Aravind bowled well.
What went wrong?
Over-reliance on the batting trio has been the biggest complaint against RCB ever since the ‘Royal’ troika got together. They just have no middle order. Mandeep Singh’s 54* in the Eliminator did spark hopes that RCB could do with the openers failing. But again, routine set itself in. An out-of-form Karthik was a waste of space in the team, as well as of money. RCB never found the right balance. Relying on star players can win you some matches. But it is the team effort that wins trophies.
Star player: AB de Villiers
Dud: Dinesh Karthik
Chennai Super Kings (2nd)
What can be said about Chennai that’s already not been said? Putting N. Srinivasan aside, Chennai have been the most consistent team throughout the history of the IPL, and this year was no different. They easily managed to top the group stage, without any major hiccups on the way. The least tampered-with side over the years, CSK keep getting rich dividends by keeping their core squad nucleus intact. With a top-order boasting of Dwayne Smith, McCullum and Raina, followed by Faf and MSD, you don’t need to be a cricket enthusiast to know that it doesn’t get any better than that in T20 cricket. Dwayne Bravo was in red-hot form as usual, amassing 26 wickets and picking up his second Purple Cap of the IPL. In the bowling department, Ashish Nehra turned out to be a revelation (once again). Nehra is the kind of guy who either has a brilliant day or a horrible one. However, this IPL was all brilliance. Despite this, though, Chennai managed to make a meal of the knockout stages once more. Their brilliant season was marred by two horrible playoff games, leading to their fourth loss in the IPL finals.
What went wrong?
In the group stages, Chennai was a well-oiled machine. They topped the table despite the fact that this was the most competitive league stage in IPL history. In Qualifier 1, however, they faced a mammoth task against Mumbai at their home ground. Mumbai having amassed 187, Chennai lost Dwayne Smith for a duck. They never recovered from there, as, MSD followed with another duck leading to a 25-run loss.
While they bounced back well against RCB in Qualifier 2, it just wasn’t good enough against Mumbai. Also, eyebrows were raised when MSD decided to send Mumbai in to bat after winning the toss. On a tricky Kolkata pitch in a high-pressure game as well as without McCullum, it seemed ill-advised to chase. Especially considering the fact that they had failed to do so against Mumbai just five days back.
Star Player: Dwayne Bravo
Dud: Ravindra Jadeja
Mumbai Indians (Champions)
This IPL was all about MI’s resurgence. It can be described in a single word – supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. What a dream run. MI lost the first five league matches. Hope seemed lost. Corey Anderson who took MI to the eliminator last year flew back home with an injury. Finch failed. It took nine matches to find the right team, getting rid of S. Gopal and Unmukt Chand. The new prince of Kolkata – Rohit Sharma (scored 177 on Test debut, 264 in an ODI game, 98 in first IPL-8 match and 50 in the IPL-8 final, all at Eden Gardens.) proved a worthy commander-in-charge.
What went right?
The opening combo of Simmons and Parthiv ensured steady starts. The inclusion of Suchith and Pandya in the team led some much-needed domestic player support. For a change, Kieron Pollard was consistently in-form. Bhajji spun his way back into the Indian Test squad. Malinga’s clinical spells took him to the top of the wicket-takers list. And Rohit Sharma ably led the team with his bat, showing how well he’s evolved as a player over the past couple of years. Lastly, the coaching and support staff of the team have to be given due credit. What earlier looked like a ‘too many cooks’ situation, guided the team to its second IPL title.
Star player: Kieron Pollard
Dud: Aaron Finch
This year’s IPL has been a tremendous success, against all odds. Bereft of any scandals (at least, so far), the focus has been on the cricket (if you can call T20 that). The quality of play has improved as well, with quite a few more competitive games. Let’s hope the IPL can maintain this standard as the next edition rolls by.
– Kasab & Aakash
Blasphemous Balderdash 