The mid-season summary of the IPL-15 has a few highlights. Gujarat Titans, one of the two new teams, have done very well and that’s why they sit atop the table with 10 points from six matches. Five-time champions Mumbai Indians have suffered seven straight defeats, making their season a virtual write-off. But there’s a bigger picture. Some players are on the path of revival, while a few young talents have emerged. Here’s the lowdown…
Hardik’s revival
After the auction, as this correspondent was having a conversation with the chief executive of a franchise, he appreciated Titans’ auction strategy and predicted a good tournament for them. Titans’ have thrived on a robust bowling attack, but the real positive for them, and Indian cricket, is Hardik Pandya’s revival. The allrounder is leading from the front, batting up the order and bowling his full quota of overs. After the T20 World Cup last year, as Hardik was dropped from the Indian team, the message from chief selector Chetan Sharma was clear, that the allrounder had to be bowling fit to return to the Team India fold. So far, Pandya has bowled 18 overs in five IPL matches and with another T20 World Cup is to be played in Australia six months down the line, this is excellent news for Indian cricket. Hardik has a dubious fitness record and the challenge for him will be to stay fit. Fingers crossed.
Return of Kul-Cha
Kuldeep Yadav cried on the field after Moeen Ali took him to the cleaners in an IPL game at Eden Gardens three years ago. Things went downhill for the chinaman bowler after that. Kolkata Knight Riders offloaded him. A knee injury, which needed surgery to fix, made matters worse. He lost his place in the Indian team and missed out on a BCCI central contract this year. This IPL is witnessing Kuldeep’s fightback, playing for Delhi Capitals. With 13 wickets from six matches, he is one of the leading wicket-takers in the tournament. His old pal, Yuzvendra Chahal, is topping the charts with 17 scalps from six games. Chahal wasn’t picked for the T20 World Cup last year, as the selectors preferred Rahul Chahar, for being quicker through the air. It was a mistake. Chahal, in this form, would be one of the first names on the Indian team sheet and suddenly, it feels like a rewind to the phase between 2017 and 2019, when Kul-Cha had formed a very exciting and potent wrist-spin pair.
Malik’s thunderbolt
If any coach ever advises Umran Malik to cut down his pace and concentrate more on line and length, his coaching licence should be revoked. Anybody can be a dibbly-dobbly line-and-length bowler, but pace cannot be bought in supermarkets. To make it a bit anecdotal, a former West Indies fast bowler of the 1970s vintage was once asked to assess a slow pitch. His reply was sharp: “You can make it as slow as you like, but the air is still mine.” Malik, the Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler, can give you goosebumps when he hurls his 150-kph thunderbolts. The national selectors are monitoring him closely and an India selection seems to be round the corner. “Umran Malik will play for India very soon … If I was the @BCCI I would be sending him to play some County cricket this summer to help him develop first though,” former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted a few days ago. Greener pastures beckons for the 22-year-old from Jammu & Kashmir.
A blessing in disguise
After a fantastic 2021, the law of averages seems to have caught up with Rohit Sharma. Apologies MI fans, but from Indian cricket’s perspective, this could be a blessing in disguise. Bubble life is not easy and it can affect performance. Rohit, in all likelihood, will have a longer break before the England tour, where he would be leading his country and would be the team’s batting mainstay. India need Rohit in top fettle in England. A longish break would allow him to work on his game apart from making him mentally refreshed. As for MI’s slide, Rohit’s off-form is certainly a factor. A lightweight bowling unit has compounded their problems.
The finisher forever
A somewhat stale IPL – TV viewership is significantly down – needed a last over finish from MS Dhoni to become exciting again. His retirement becomes the raging question before every IPL. Last year, he guided Chennai Super Kings to their fourth title. This year, with 16 required off four balls against MI, the old man showed he still could roll back the years. Never write him off, ever.
