Phew! Even two days after the end of IPL, it is hard to believe what we just saw in the playoffs. Some incredible batting, some intelligent bowling, and quoting Ravi Shastri, Cricket was indeed the real winner.
But the trophy goes to only one team, unfortunately, and it had to be KKR this time. Well, who expected them to win, especially after a mediocre start of the tournament. Their fortunes changed as quickly as Gambhir’s form, who started with 3 ducks and a single, and ended with pretty handsome number of runs, with some 50s in his kitty. But the main driving factor was a rejuvenated Robin Uthappa. Well, he is indeed having a second coming. After a reasonably good Ranji Trophy, his run of 10+ consecutive 40+ scores catapulted him into the selectors’ limelight, and one can expect him to be called up for the shorter versions in England.
But it has been their consistent bowling attack which was the key deciding factor. With the pace department headed by Morne Morkel, the spin department left the opposition team bamboozed. While Sunil Narine continued to spit venom with his variations, Piyush Chawla complimented him well with some consistent leg spinners, mixing it up with wrong ones.
Coming to the runners-up, it can be said that KXIP deserved to get that position, at the least. While the team was considered to heavily rely on the double- Ms, the final was a proof that it wasn’t the case. The entire team contributed to KXIP’s run to the finals, while batting had been their main-stay, their bowling was no less strong, with the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Sandeep Sharma impressing in batting favoured pitches. But probably their true find has been Manan Vohra and all-rounder Akshar Patel.
And then comes our eliminated teams, CSK and MI. Well, CSK had been clinical, as usual. But a blimp of form during the final stages of the tournament denied them a top-2 place. But, they did defeat a confident MI in the eliminator, but lost way chasing a huge target against KXIP. Nevertheless, another consistent show has placed them as one of the most consistent teams of IPL.
MI, on the other hand, will be incredibly happy with their performance, considering the situation they were in the first half of IPL. Their team was hampered by poor auction tactics and national duties(Malinga). Nevertheless, it was a sublime 2nd half from MI. Their chase against RR consisted of all elements of an action movie. MI fans will hope that they will qualify for the CLT20 and defend the title there.
So, it can be concluded that this IPL was truely Indian, especially considering some incredible performances from the youngsters. Going by the form, the Indian Cricket has a bright future.
