The first week of IPL 15 has seen supercharged action. Three of the seven matches saw scores in excess of 200 – two of these being chased down by teams batting second in exhilarating fashion. Top notch teams like defending champions Chennai Super Kings and five-time champions Mumbai Indians have suffered upset defeats –CSK, in fact, two from as many matches. Royal Challengers Bangalore, after being thrashed by Punjab Kings when they failed to defend 205, eked out a narrow win in a tight match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
It’s been an unconvincing start for the high-profile RCB team still searching for a maiden title, but at least they have got going unlike CSK, MI and SRH, the last name mentioned looking the weakest so far. New teams Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royal have also won a match each as I write this. All this has meant a week of high drama which was reflected in the volatility in the points table, suggesting this could be one of the tightest IPL seasons ever with many twists and turns to come in the weeks ahead.
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Among teams, the most impressive for me has been Rajasthan Royals and KKR. The Royals have shown vim, vigour, verve and intrepidity in the first match they played, subduing SRH in commanding fashion. Those who track the IPL closely see similarities in this team with the one under Shane Warne in the inaugural season of the IPL way back in 2008.
It would be premature and even foolish to predict at this stage that the Royals can win the title this year. There is a long and tortuous road to traverse still, and as seen so often in the past, the Royals settle into mediocrity after a good start. Going by the players at Sanju Samson’s disposal viz Jos Butler, Yuzvendra Chala, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yashaswi Jaiswal to name a few, the talent is rich and the experience, vast. But as always, the important question is whether they have the wherewithal to sustain this level of excellence for 7-8 weeks. The next week should make the picture somewhat clearer.
Table-toppers KKR are not much behind RR. In fact, if it was not for the narrow defeat to RCB, they would have been even more strongly placed. Overseas players have contributed the most to KKR’s success in the first week. The magic and mystery of Sunil Narine’s spin bowling remains undiminished as does Andre Russell’s powerful hitting. In Pat Cummins’s absence, Tim Southee has filled the breach brilliantly, and KKR have looked perhaps the best-balanced team so far. What’s been missing is major contributions from Indian players. Every team knows how important it is to succeed in the Poweplays. The onus is on the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer to step up and build on the initial tempo.
GT, Delhi Capitals, LSG, PBKS have all opened their accounts, leaving CSK, MI and SRH as the laggards on 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 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 all looked lost against Lucknow. Having players who can score runs at No. 7, 8, and 9 has become crucial as the T20 format has evolved, and clearly these franchises made astute purchases in the mega auction.
At the 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, Mohamed Shami and Hardik Pandya have hit the ground running. Among overseas players, Rashid Khan, Tim Southee, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Faf du Plessis have lived up to reputation but Nicholas Pooran, who was paid a fortune by SRH, was a big letdown in the only match played by the franchise as yet.
Some struggling old hands (like Umesh Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane) and relative newcomers like Shah Rukh Khan and Odean Smith have made a strong impact already, showing the importance of judicious purchases in the mega auction preceding the tournament.
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Reading the trend based on the first week, sun-baked pitches are sure to the advantage of batters. Big hits and tall scores should be the pattern. But bowlers are not entirely out of the equation. Umesh and Shami have been the pick of the pace bowlers, striking big blows at the start and end of the innings. After a poor first match, Mohamed Siraj and Harshal Patel found their rhythm and looked far more effective in the next match. Southee as mentioned earlier has been invaluable so far for KKR.
Spinners too have started well and should be playing a more decisive role as the pitches show wear and tear. Wrist spinners certainly will yield influence. Seeing the success of Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bishnoi and Rahul Chahar already, this is an unmistakable trend.
With 10 teams in the fray this season, the talent spread has been wider, and most teams are still working out their best combinations. With core groups of all teams splintered after the mega auction, it will take a little while for teams and players to settle down. Those that do this quickly will obviously benefit more This will entail greater competitive instinct individually and collectively which should make the tournament even more intense and unpredictable going ahead.
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