IPL 2021: Indian Premier League came to an abrupt halt when there was a glaring breach in the bio-bubble resulting in a rise in the Covid cases. Despite a gritty attempt from the authorities to drag it to its conclusion, things started falling out of place as soon as the concerns of players’ safety loomed ahead in a glaring apparition.
However, in the limited version of the tournament that transpired before it was called off, there was a brilliant blend of Indian and foreign players who came together to gift us a brilliant brand of cricket that kept us entertained until the very end.
In this story we will be taking a look at five overseas cricketers who had a decent IPL 2021 before the tournament went into a hiatus, waiting for its remainder to be played out.
#1 Abraham Benjamin De Villiers
As the drama in South Africa came to a heart-wrenching conclusion with ABD not really giving a nod about plucking himself out of the retirement, Indians were sadder than his countrymen given De Villiers’ blistering knocks in the ongoing edition of IPL. It is not just IPL 2021 that saw ABD wreaking havoc in the domestic cricketing extravaganza but it has been an evergreen scenario for the Indians since 2011. Given the fact that age is slowly catching up with the Superman of cricket, he still hasn’t shown signs of rust in his cricketing armour. He smoked a flabbergasting 207 runs from just 7 games at a staggering strike rate of 164.28. His average reads a whopping 51.75, a figure that is considered to be sacred in the shortest format of the game.
#2 Jos Buttler
The hard-hitting Englishman has already reached more than half of his preceding year’s exploits with half of the tournament still to be played. He has found himself in renewed vim and vigour as he has been Rajasthan’s solitary glimmer of hope in an otherwise murky season. It has been a difficult outing for the Royals, considering the fact that they were already depleted of two of their most industrious resources, namely Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer even before the fray hit its stride. Buttler has so far shown composure and belligerence with an extraordinary brand of cricket that has seen him amassing 254 runs from 7 games at a fine average of 36.28 and a stormy strike rate of 153.01. If Rajasthan is to come anywhere close to the Play-offs mark, Buttler will have to continue with his dominance.
#3 Jonny Bairstow
Bairstow has been a consistent performer for the likes of Sunrisers Hyderabad that has seen him batting with panache and garnering a few quick runs at the top of the innings. With Warner not really at the peak of his form and Williamson having a chequered kinship with the starting eleven for an enigmatic reason, the burly English striker has displayed exemplary batting in the face of pressure. He has stitched together 249 runs from 7 games at a decent average of 41.33 and a stunning strike rate of 141.71. He also scored a couple of half-centuries in the ongoing edition of the fray with an unbeaten 63 being his best.
#4 Glenn Maxwell
After a disappointing 2020, it left the onlookers watching the IPL auction in 2021 stumped when Maxwell was picked up for a whopping price of Rs 14.25 crores by Royal Challengers Bangalore. It was expected that the big man from Australia will once again disappoint his fellow believers despite a rollicking showdown in the latest BBL and the bilateral series between India and Australia. However, leaving everyone bemused he was back to his former scintillating self, splaying the bowlers at will at a fearsome strike rate of 144.80. He has already gathered 223 runs from 7 games at an astonishing average of 37 which is quite high vis-à-vis his last year’s average of 15. He has been one of the foreigners who have already left a significant impact in IPL 2021.
#5 Rashid Khan
Hyderabad has become ever dependent on the deadly leg-spinner hailing all the way from the land of Afghanistan. Year after year, he has dished out such an exotic brand of cricket with some extraordinary spin bowling, that even the emperor of leg-spin, Shane Warne has emoted his admiration for this man. Even in the ongoing edition of IPL 2021, he has already claimed 10 scalps at the frugal expense of 6.14 runs per over. More to the dazzling figures what makes him an even menacing customer with the cherry in his hand is the wonderful impact that he has on the game.
