What's been the best game? Who is the best Englishman?
Tuesday 25 April 2017 16:34, UK
So we're halfway through another helter skelter IPL season - Monday's clash between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant is the 28th match of 56, before we enter the unpredictable world of the playoffs.
Once again the tournament is living up to the hype with a mix of big scores, close finishes, screaming fans, huge sixes and hat-tricks. But who has stood out amidst all the chaos?
Here are my mid-season awards of IPL 10...
Rashid Khan. What a story! An 18-year-old from war torn Afghanistan - where the average annual salary is around £350 - gets picked up for a life changing £465,000 and not only that, he looks worth every penny. He's already bamboozled some of the best in the game with his superb googly - 10 wickets at 19.50 so far, with an economy rate of 6.96 - and has given the reigning champions Sunrisers Hyderabad something they were lacking last year - a top quality spinner. One of the counties should sign him up, quickly.
There have been a few crackers, with Mumbai's fantastic chase of 178 to beat the Kolkata Knight Riders, and Steve Smith's match-winning 84 not out for Pune against the Indians sticking in the memory. But, over the weekend we saw a master get back to doing what he does best - having had a very lean tournament up until then, MS Dhoni (61no off 34 balls) got his Supergiant side over the line against the Sunrisers with a sensational last-ball chase. He can still finish!
There isn't a single stadium in the competition lacking in atmosphere and some, like the Wankhede in Mumbai and Chinnaswamy in Bangalore are rocking for every game they host. Eden Gardens certainly has it's moments too and when KKR bowled out the mighty Royal Challengers Bangalore batting line-up for just 49, the noise levels were unbelievable.
It's been a fairly low-key first half of the tournament for the eight English players involved. Ben Stokes has had his moments with bat and ball, Sam Billings has been consistent for Delhi Daredevils, and Chris Woakes has started to find his feet with a fair few wickets - his economy rate of just over nine runs-per-over not reflecting how well he's bowled. But it's Jos Buttler's blistering 77 against Kings XI Punjab that gives him the edge on the rest as he finally produced the type of innings we have seen numerous times for England. Opening in T20 cricket seems to agree with him, so I wonder what Trevor Bayliss is making of it?
One of the most enjoyable things about the IPL is witnessing young Indian talents announcing themselves on the big stage. This year, 19-year-old Rishabh Pant has impressed - the Delhi man is undoubtedly a future star and potential long-term replacement for Dhoni with the national team. He also already has a first-class triple hundred, so can clearly play the longer format too. However, Nitish Rana is the one who has really stood out after a series of crucial innings' for Mumbai - three fifties across their first seven games. A classy left-hander, the 23-year-old's slog sweep is as sweet as Yuvraj Singh's.
In my opinion, the Indians, Knight Riders and Sunrisers look head and shoulders above the rest. I do think Delhi could get into the mix, as they have a good bowling attack, and RCB could still make the playoffs if they get on a run like last year. But if I had to, I'd put my house on Mumbai right now. They have a very settled line-up, an attack that can afford to leave out Lasith Malinga, and Rana has added further to their already impressive batting. Imagine how good they will be once Rohit Sharma hits form!
As for me, I've had to take a couple of weeks off after knee surgery but I'm back in the studio on Wednesday. I can't wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for us!
