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| Image design: Bala Kumar |
Hello Friends,
Yet another exciting season of the richest T20 league in the world came to an end recently. So how was the IPL experience this year for you all? Did it feel a bit different this time around? I certainly felt it to be a different season altogether. And the stats do say that. Record number of 200 & 250+ scores, highest number of sixes in a season, more individual hundreds, record chase of 250+ score. On a contrasting note there were fewer 5 wicket hauls, no bowler taking 25+ wickets, higher economy rates for almost every bowler. T20 format is known to be batter friendly but this season of IPL was kind of an eyeopener for all the stakeholders to give a serious thought on how to maintain a balance between bat & ball in a slam-bang format like this.
As far as the teams are concerned KKR & SRH were certainly the two most consistent teams of the league this year and it was a fitting final between the two. If Sunrisers Hyderabad created all the buzz for their turnaround from being at the bottom of the table last year to be the finalists this time, one of the most loved franchises Mumbai Indians became the talk of the town for its disappointing performance as well as the way the captaincy change saga took place at the franchise. CSK fans would have been the most disappointed bunch as their team missed the playoffs by a whisker despite being in contention for majority part of the league phase. On the other hand fans of RCB were ecstatic courtesy a remarkable turnaround by their team in the second half of the league phase. Though their spirited fightback ended before the final dashing their hopes of a maiden IPL title once again, the season will remain as a memorable one for the team & fans for an outstanding comeback.
There is not much to talk about the other Royals from Rajasthan who repeated their mistake of the last season by loosing the momentum towards the business end of the tournament despite yet another fabulous start to the season. Same story for Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat Or Lucknow based franchises who were not consistent enough to make it a successful season for them. Let's have a quick look at some of the top stories of the season from a leadership perspective.
Turnaround By The Challengers
RCB's from almost a hopeless situation to making it to the playoffs was the highlight of this season. After loosing 7 out of their first 8 league matches they were literally staring at an early exit from the tournament. But as in past, IPL always exhibited some of the unbelievable comeback stories for the ages. This one is in that category for sure. Their only ray of hope was to win their last 6 games with a close eye on the Net run rate(NRR) and expecting some of the other teams' results coming in their favour. As the old saying goes fortune favours the brave, RCB's stars started aligning with every winning performance. That incredible stretch of outstanding performance saw them knocking their arch rivals & defending champions Chennai Super Kings out on their way to top four.
There was a huge buzz during the second half of the tournament in terms of what prompted such a turnaround. Firstly the belief amongst the entire team that they can do it against all the odds was very crucial. Leading an almost down & out team on and off the field would have been a herculean task for the captain & the entire team management. Having two calm & sharp cricketing brains like du Plessis & Andy Flower at the helm would have helped to a larger extent. The way they were playing in their last six games was seemed to be no less than a fairy tale. All the batters started getting back to their best, same group of bowlers who were being thrown out of the park in the previous matches were looking dangerous, fielding was looking sharp as ever and more importantly that fearless attitude was slowly making them the team to beat.
There had been a lot of talk with regard to Kohli's performance during crucial times. But it was he who performed consistently, lot of times played a lone hand in his effort to turn his team's fortunes. His aggression seemed to be instilled in rest of the team as well. It was completely two different teams during first & second half of the league phase. Viral video of Virat talking about chasing a goal even with a minimal chance of success seemed to be gone really well with his teammates. This comeback by RCB is a perfect example for any organization, team or even individuals on how not to get bogged down during difficult times, instead keep fighting. RCB might not have won the championship but with their effort they have certainly made some additions to an already huge loyal fanbase. Red army can hope that this comeback would inspire their team to achieve greater success in near future.
Balance Between Bat & Ball
Since its inception T20 format is known to be batter friendly. As the format grown into a more dynamic one the batters flourished even more in the shortest version of the game. Even though the debate has been going on a for a while whether measures should be taken to create a more balanced approach between bat & ball. Probably somewhere down the line to keep the commercial & entertainment value intact the stakeholders haven't been mindful of how the format slowly killing a bowler's confidence. Smaller boundaries, flat pitches, batter friendly fielding restrictions & now the addition of impact player rule in IPL have made it a completely one way traffic. Let's take a look at some of the key batting & bowling stats this season through the below mentioned table.
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| Stats credit: cricinfo.com |
Crowd comes to watch scintillating batting performances loaded with sixes & fours. Nobody comes to a T20 match to watch a bowler taking a hattrick or a fifer or a low scoring encounter on a tricky pitch where bat and ball competes equally for the ultimate glory. On the other hand we have witnessed how batters crumble significantly on a slightly bowler friendly pitches or conditions after playing mostly on flat pitches. Ultimately it comes down to the basics of batting technique and how one applies himself on the given conditions. That's why players like Kohli, Rohit or KL Rahul are still thriving in the shortest version of the game. But is this kind of approach right for the future generations? Will we still have players in future who would persevere enough to play 100 test matches or just be taking short routes by being T20 specialists? And what about the bowlers? It's high time when all the stakeholders of the game should come together to give a serious thought on how to make this format a competitive one for batters & bowlers.
Curious Case Of Punjab Kings
Over the years we have witnessed teams' performance graph going up and down across seasons. But one team whose performance has been below par consistently across the seasons is Punjab Kings. Despite having quality players, efficient captain & able support staff this is one franchise whose turnaround has been awaited by their owners & fans year after year. This year was no exception where they were again scrappy throughout the season resulting in another below par season. Very surprising to see a team consistently underperforming in a high octane competition like IPL. What can be the reason/s for such kind of performances over the years & most importantly have the owners taken any substantial steps to address this slide? The answer seems like a big NO so far.
Punjab Kings (Previously Kings XI Punjab) has been the house to many stalwarts of the game over the years. They have been one of the strongest sides on paper most often than not. But in comparison with other teams their performance has never been the one to talk about. The root cause seems to be underlying deep down the franchise set up on how the culture has been set inside the team. Have they been able to create an environment where every member of the team is inspired to do well? Probably high time for them to take a clue or two from their counterparts CSK, MI or even KKR.
They haven't been able to create a core group of players over the years. It's always tough for any team to rebuild every now & then in a competition where a fruitful team bonding can lead to astonishing results. The blame should not go only to the owners or team management, lot to be asked from the players too. If we take this season for instance their foreign players didn't rise to the occasion throughout the season. Barring a miraculous record breaking chase against the eventual champions KKR the Punjab based side was never looked like a team on a mission. A player of Mitchell Starc's calibre who holds such high standards for himself didn't have a favorable first half of the tournament. But his comeback during the later stage of the tournament specially his performances in the knock out games proved to be pivotal. Why such kind of character not shown by the Punjab Kings players? Time has really come for their management to take some stern steps to ensure better performances from players.
The Leadership Switch Fiasco
One of the most talked about topics this season has been the captaincy change in Mumbai Indians and the subsequent events resulting in an extremely disappointing season that saw the five time champions languishing at the bottom of the table. The obvious question comes here is could this entire turn of events related to change in leadership have been handled in a better way without affecting the team performance? Answer to that is probably yes. Waiting for another year till the big auction when teams will be reshuffled could have been an ideal time for any sort of change in leadership. By doing so the management could have taken the players as well as the outgoing captain into confidence on how they are taking such a step keeping an eye on the future.
On the other hand probably it is fair to say that Hardik Pandya did not realize that his decision to switch franchises all of a sudden could have such implications. Getting criticized by the fans and not getting enough support from the fellow teammates would have been devastating for a leader who has led a newly formed franchise to back to back final appearances including a championship win on the first attempt itself. On paper Pandya's performance both as a player & captain has been disappointing as that is mostly measured in terms of numbers. But if we look at from a leadership perspective it is fair to say that the decision of captaincy change backfired for Mumbai Indians and the entire leadership group should be held accountable for that, not individuals. Below mentioned are Pandya's batting & bowling stats for the season which are way below than his performances in the last two years.
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| Stats credit: cricinfo.com |
If we think from Pandya's perspective he would have learnt his lessons while building the Gujarat Titans team successfully for couple of years. But he didn't have to face any resistance there from the players as he was the first captain of the team & was involved in the team building and culture setting process from day one. But handling the Mumbai team as a captain would have been a different ball game altogether as here there was already a culture set and players were accustomed to that. How Pandya dealt with that sort of an environment probably decided his leadership fate this season. No surprise that the outside noise affected his individual performance big time. From being an inspirational leader & leading allrounder in Gujarat Titans he turned out to be an average player & an equally unimpressive leader this season.
Nevertheless the season is gone and it's time for some introspection for both Pandya as well as Mumbai team. As rightly mentioned by their coach Mark Boucher in a recent interview that this experience will turn Pandya into a better leader. It would be interesting to see what future holds for Indian vice captain in the cash rich T20 league. At the same time Mumbai Indians fans will be eagerly waiting to see how the owners of one of the most successful & loved franchises handle this crisis.
Abki Baar KKR
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| Shreyas Iyer led from the front throughout the season Image Credit: 247 Entertainment, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
This post will not be completed without the mention of the men in purple who won their third IPL title after a decade long wait. Without a doubt Shahrukh Khan led franchise has been the most consistent team of the season. Despite having a formidable team most often than not they haven't been able to crack the code of lifting that elusive trophy since the departure of their maverick captain Gautam Gambhir. 2021 season was yet another heartbreak when they would have felt so near yet so far after a tremendous turnaround under the leadership of Eoin Morgan that saw them ending the season as the second best team. But this year it seemed like all the broken pieces of the puzzle are coming together for the men in purple. Gambhir's appointment as the mentor, Shreyas Iyer's comeback as the captain, a good enough auction including a record breaking bid for Starc, some tactical masterstrokes in terms of team selection & overall approach saw them end their decade long drought of trophies.
Let's have a quick look on the major decisions that turned out to be vital cogs in their winning campaign
- Sunil Narine's elevation as the opener and his aggressive partnership with Phil Salt at the top of the order.
- Getting a champion fast bowler like Starc who could lead the pace bowling attack consisting of young Indian pace bowlers. Backing Starc all the way till the finals despite his unimpressive performances during the first half of the league was a masterstroke that paid off eventually in the big games.
- Forming a strong middle order consisting of Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Russel, Rinku, Ramandeep was key to consistent batting performances throughout the season.
- A bowling unit with adequate flavour of youth & experience well led by veteran coach Bharat Arun was crucial in a season where run making seemed easier than ever.
- Last but not the least allowing a young captain like Shreyas Iyer to operate at his aggressive best. Iyer proved his mettle as a leader in the most competitive T20 competition in the world.
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| Gambhir has been instrumental as a mentor this season Image Credit: Kolkata Knight Riders - Official, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
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