Predicting the IPL is like calling election results where everyone seems to know what's going to happen, which way the wind is blowing and who is likely to win. Every cricket fan, observer, expert or guru feels he has cracked it but the game delivers unexpected googlies to prove them wrong.
This season, the IPL has unfolded in a quirky manner, defeating common wisdom and defying the conventional. Here are things that no expert or fan saw coming .
1. Collective Failure of India's Stars
The triumphant Indian stars who vanquished England and Australia collapsed in a heap in the IPL. Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja and Wriddhiman Saha (except in the last match against Mumbai Indians) ran out of oxygen, their bats went cold and left no impact. Rahul and Ashwin pulled out with injuries and Ishant was not good enough to merit a regular place in Kings eleven's eleven.
This shows that the IPL is not an easy format to master. Also, however good one is, there is no room for complacency. Cricket, especially T20, has this nasty habit of biting the mighty.
2. The Decline of Foreign Stars
Gayle, AB de Villiers and Shane Watson bossed over previous IPLs but this season they were pale shadows of their past and struggling to find form.
3. The Sudden Emergence of 'Nobodies'
There was none more dramatic than the arrival of Rashid Khan who teased, tormented and deceived practically everyone, and strode through the IPL as if he owned the stage. When Hyderabad picked him for Rs 4 crore, people thought it was a crazy buy to acquire an exotic asset, just as Mashrafe Murtaza was for KKR long back.
Rashid dazzled everyone with his brilliance ; two instances of pure magic stand out.
1. Rohit Sharma bowled through the gate, defending, unable to pick the googly.
2. Kieron Pollard, looking suspiciously at every delivery, clueless which way they were going. Beaten ball after ball.
Not since Sunil Narine came on the scene with his wonderful bag of tricks has a bowler made such a profound impact on the IPL.
Chris Lynn announced himself as the IPL's new power hitter with raw aggression at the top of the order. When the field is in, and bowlers have little protection, Lynn will hit with brutal force. And if he bats 25 balls out of 120, KKR is up and running, beyond the reach of opponents.
4. 'New India' Made Headlines
In contrast to the slump of superstars, it was heartening to see the emergence of new young stars nobody really fancied. Before the IPL, Rahul Tripathi was unknown even in Maharashtra where selectors thought him not good enough for the Mushtaq Ali squad. Tripathi exploded on the IPL like a nuclear bomb smashing runs at a strike rate that puts even David Warner in the shade.
Likewise Nitish Rana, who was almost shown the door midway during Ranji by Delhi. Sanju Samson had issues with the Kerala team and missed a few games 'in protest ' before sanity was restored enabling his return to first class cricket.
Rishabh Pant's climb was expected after an outstanding Ranji season when he thrashed bowlers across the country. The buzz about Ishan Kishan was equally positive, as was for Shreyas Iyer. Among the new batch of young Indian batsmen, the only one to disappoint is Karun Nair who scored a triple hundred in tests but failed to do justice to his ability in the shorter format.
5. The Decline and Fall of RCB
Nobody saw this disaster coming. The RCB this season was like a blockbuster film that tanked in its opening weekend despite featuring a mega star cast. The fall was unexpected and dramatic, more self-inflicted than created by strong opposition. The team collapsed under its own weight, wrecked by repeated failures of its marquee players.
6. The Puzzling Inconsistency of Delhi
The only IPL team not to play the final in ten years, Delhi once again underperformed and demonstrated it had monopoly rights over bad luck. Built around strong Indian batting talent (Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant ) and overseas fast bowling firepower, Delhi promised much but stuttered and stumbled at crucial moments to miss out once again. It enjoyed some magic moments (chasing down 208 against GL in 17.3 overs) and suffered some absolute horrors, such as losing to MI by an embarrassing margin.
Coached by Gary Kirsten in the past and mentored now by Rahul Dravid, Daredevils is a team that is impossible to call. You can never tell which way it will swing.
7. Sunil Narine – Surprise Hit of IPL
The biggest surprise of the IPL is the transformation of Sunil Narine – from mystery spinner to dreaded opener. Initially, his promotion up the order was a tactical experiment to unsettle the opposition but Narine made the opener slot his own by bludgeoning a 15-ball 50 – the fastest half century in more than 500 IPL matches.
Narine's methods are disarmingly simple. He either hits through the line or heaves forcefully to mid wicket, remaining completely expressionless during this brutal demolition job. No pumping of fists, no excited high fives, no killer looks directed at the bowlers he is destroying.
The question is: Who discovered Sunil Narine's unique gift with the bat? It couldn't have been coach Kallis or captain Gambhir or any normal human being. More likely a yogi, a guru, an enlightened soul who could read the future. Someone with a third eye and a seventh sense!
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