Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
56 matches and and 44 days of T20 action and we’re now officially in the home leg of IPL 2018. Yep, there are just 4 more matches before we have an IPL 2018 Champion.
But before we forge ahead into the qualifiers and eliminator — here’s a wrap of the IPL that's passed us by.
1. The Numbers Game – Dhoni vs Virat
Chennai Super Kings have reached the final four of the tournament once again. That’s 9 times in their 9 seasons. Captain MS Dhoni has ensured he doesn’t disappoint his CSK fans – or stop the entertainment. He promoted Ambati Rayudu up the order and we had a regular orange cap holder this season and on Sunday, while chasing, he sent in Harbhajan and Chahar at 5 and 6. Why? Because it creates chaos he said!
With the bat as well, Dhoni was among the runs this season, scoring 446 in 14 innings — compared to the 290 last year or the 284 in 2016 and Thala really entertained.
Though, the same can’t really be said about current Indian skipper Virat Kohli whose RCB were the second team to be knocked out of the tournament this time. With stars like, well, Virat himself and AB de Villiers, a lot was expected from RCB this season but at the end of IPL 2018, Virat Kohli now is the captain with the WORST WIN PERCENTAGE in IPL history. In the 96 matches he’s captained, Virat’s managed to win just 45 and lost 48. Needless to say, none of the wins were an IPL final.
2. Indians Make a Mark
Indian Batters – Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul
From captaincy numbers to the chart topping numbers! In a league full of the world's best, 3 Indians stepped up and ensured everyone took notice. Rishabh Pant, Ambati Rayudu and KL Rahul were the top stars with the bat this season.
With 684 runs in 14 games, Rishabh Pant finished as the top scorer and also with the most number of boundaries. He toppled Robin Uthappa to set the record for most runs by a wicketkeeper in an IPL season.
And Pant shared the responsibility of scoring runs with KL Rahul, who along with Ambati Rayudu wore the orange cap quite often in the last few weeks. Rahul in fact was forced to NOT share the batting load at Kings XI Punjab with big hitters like Yuvraj Singh and even Chris Gayle eventually fizzling out. He actually scored 31.7 percent of Kings XI Punjab's total runs this season. Did anyone say England?
3. Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill: U-19 Stars Shine
From the top performers to ones we'd hoped would come into their own at this IPL. The stars of the under-19 world cup.
Prithvi Shaw was the big star of the Ranji trophy and captained India to the title in NZ. After warming the bench at the start, Shaw managed to make the most of Gautam Gambhir leaving the openers’ slot empty. He scored 245 runs in 9 matches that included two half-centuries.
Man of the series from the Under 19 world cup, Shubman Gill was picked up by KKR but he could not find a footing at the No 7 or No 6 spots he was sent in to bat at. But an injury in the team gave him a chance to bat at number four, and Gill made the most of it by scoring a 32-ball half-century.
And with performances come rewards – both Shaw and Gill will be part of the India A squad touring to England in June-July.
4. Big Fails?
And now we come to my favourite bunch of guys. The cricketers who were most sought after at the auction, but failed to justify their ‘price tag’.
Ben Stokes, the most expensive player for the second year in a row, was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 12.5 crore. And that was the last time Stokes was in the news. Because 196 runs and 8 wickets in 13 matches isn’t something to write home about and did I mention home is where he’s headed now and will miss the rest of the tournament to prepare for England's Test series against Pakistan?
But that was not the end of Rajasthan Royals’ miseries. Because Jaydev Unadkat – the most expensive Indian at this year’s auction at Rs 11.5 crore – managed to pick up just 11 wickets in 14 matches.
5. Bidding Farewell?
And now from disappointments to the possible farewells. Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir – yes, all three big names – may have just had their last shot at PLAYING in the Indian Premier League.
Gambhir, who returned home to Delhi Daredevils as their captain at the start of the season, ended up playing just six games. And the 36-year-old stepped down from captaincy after Delhi lost 5 of those. Not only did he never return to the playing eleven, but apparently even forewent his entire Rs 2.8 crore salary.
And Gambhir’s India teammate Yuvraj Singh, though given enough opportunities, failed to have even one decent outing this season. In the 6 innings that he played, Yuvraj managed to make just 65 runs – 20 being his highest score.
Four teams and four matches – Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals – will be competing for the IPL 2018 trophy over the next few days. Who do you think will come out on top? Tell us in the comments section below.
(The Quint is now on WhatsApp. To receive handpicked stories on topics you care about, subscribe to our WhatsApp services. Just go to TheQuint.com/WhatsApp and hit Send.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)