Hello Friends,
Hope the IPL fever has gripped on all of you. This month's sporting headlines were definitely ruled by IPL stories. Every year the richest T20 league in the world surprises us with its high intensity games. In fact by every means the buzz surrounding IPL has been lot higher than the T20 World cup that concluded just before the IPL this year. Every year IPL produces new heroes, new inspiring stories, new leaders and what not. This year has not been an exception so far. First half of the competition is over where all the teams have played 7 matches out of their regular quota of 14 matches. Like the previous years this year too by the mid phase we don't have a clear idea of who all will be qualifying for the playoffs.
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| Packed stadiums has been a commonality during IPL over the years Image Credit: Ramesh NG from Bangalore, INDIA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
In a high octane tournament like IPL it's bound to happen that there will be countless ups & downs on the points table till the last league fixture. Great to see last year's finalists Punjab Kings (PBKS) & Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are continuing their winning momentum this year too. Over the years both the teams were mostly regarded as the under performing teams despite being loaded with enough star power. But the current leadership groups in both the franchises decided to become ruthless on performance rather than banking upon star power. And the result is in front of us.
On the other hand it is surprising to witness the downfall or underwhelming performances of three of the most successful teams in the history of the tournament- Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK). It's a real shock for their fans too to witness such lacklustre performances by their favourite teams. Talking about KKR who won their 3rd IPL title couple of years back couldn't win a single game in their first six fixtures this season. CSK & MI too were hot & cold under new captains Gaikwad & Hardik. But nothing happens all of a sudden. Everything is a process. If Punjab & Bangalore's success is a result of lot of strategic planning and even more perfect execution the underwhelming performances of the big three of IPL was due to the lack of it. This month's Sports Talk Of The Month features a detailed analysis of the performances of the big three.
Dull Nights For The Knights
Let's start with the team that has started the season in the most horrid manner possible. SRK's team is struggling for momentum ever since they won their 3rd title back in 2024. If we take this team's example it's a great case study of how an organization struggles when it dismantles the crucial cogs of a winning team without a proper plan. Before the previous mega auction post their triumph in 2024 they surprisingly let go of title winning captain Shreyas Iyer along with two star performers in Mitchell Starc & Phil Salt. Even though we consider the complex dynamics of player retention policies of IPL they still could have worked out a plan B or could go all out in the auction for at least two of them. They kept faith on their veteran duo of Russell & Narine who are almost at the fag end of their careers and unable to produce the impact they used to do during their glory years. KKR's problems have actually started from there. Then they faltered in the auction too where they should have gone all out to get a strong captaincy candidate. Instead because of their own tactical blunders they had to appoint Rahane as the captain.
There is no doubt on Rahane's credentials as a player or a leader. In fact he has reinvented himself as a T20 player post his stint with CSK. But he hardly has any substantial achievement to showcase as a T20 captain. He hasn't seen much success as captain of Rajasthan Royals too.
Prior to this season they appointed Abhishek Nayar as the head coach. Again a debatable decision considering his lacklustre performances as head coach in other franchise tournaments. Overall they have a strong coaching group including IPL winners like Watson, Bravo and Russell. But the performances on the field are far from being ideal. There is a lack of role clarity visible among players. Players' body language wasn't reflecting confidence. I am sure even Rahane himself must be unsure of his place both as a captain & player. Young players across the teams are setting the stage on fire. But in KKR's case they seem confused & lack direction. The way their recent costly purchase Cameron Green was handled was puzzling.
So where's the problem and what's the wayout? Problem lies both on the field & off of it. Planning needs to be lot more smarter and execution needs to be accurate. All the stakeholders need to take the accountability and work out a plan to improve the performance this season along with an eye on the future. It's important to give confidence to the youngsters and allow them to express themselves. It can be very easy for the owners to discard Rahane and appoint somebody else as captain if they fail to qualify for the playoffs this year. But that will neither be a right call nor it will send the right sort of the message to the rest of the players. Hopefully next time they plan for a captaincy change they are more cautious to avoid another blunder like 2024. Team's focus has to be on giving complete performances on the field rather than anything else. Onus is not only on players. It is equally on the coaching group and the management as well to create the right sort of environment where the players can express themselves. I hope irrespective of the results in their remaining matches KKR management will be able to take right decisions in the near future to keep the faith of their players and fans as well.
The Confusing Mumbai Saga
The next team we should talk about is the five time champions Mumbai Indians. Since winning their last title back in 2020 they have been a shadow of their past. Despite the presence of some of the stalwarts of the game both on & off the field they haven't been able to showcase the dominance of past. It is understood that with new teams coming in and retention of the core group becoming a challenge, lot of teams are struggling to build a team from the scratch in an interval of every three years. But that can't be an excuse for a powerhouse like MI. In fact they still have quite a few of their championship winning team members from the past including Rohit, Bumrah, Surya, Hardik, deKock, Boult along with the addition of some emerging new talents like Tilak Varma, Rickelton, Naman Dhir. But that spark is missing in their performances.
Their problems also started with some debatable decisions before & during player auction. Their management let go of quite a few exciting names during the auction who are now performing well for other teams. On the other hand they selected players who are hardly having any substantial performances even in the domestic circuit. Despite that they are able to form a formidable playing eleven if not a fearsome one. But most of the individual performances are questionable and disappointing. Another big debate that erupted their fans couple of years back was that of removal of Rohit Sharma from captaincy in favour of Hardik Pandya who was traded from Gujarat Titans. Though Hardik too has an IPL title to his name as captain representing Gujarat Titans in their inaugural season but his performance both as a captain and player has been disappointing to say the least. To keep the team in a good shape both mentally and tactically the management formed a strong unit of support staffs headed by former championship winning coach Mahela Jayawardene. But a simple fact is boardroom planning needs to be executed by the players on the field and that's not happening.
Leadership shuffle has been a major factor behind their inconsistent performances in the recent times considering it seemed like a rushed one. Even their arch rivals Chennai Super Kings too had a leadership shuffle but that was done keeping a long term perspective in mind and systematically. Removing a captain of Rohit's stature all of a sudden was a decision which will be debatable for a long period of time. It's a fact that he was short of runs with the bat and heading towards the fag end of his career. But the matter of succession could have been handled a lot better by their management. Kind of reception Hardik got from their fans in his first year upon return to MI camp tells how the decision was received by the fans.
But it was great to see the team management backing their decision to appoint Hardik as the long term leader and getting their acts together to ensure that the new captain gets all the required support to take the team forward. He is in his third season as MI captain now but he seems to be completely out of sorts on the field. Some of his decisions during the games seem to be completely beyond understanding adding to his woes of own performance. Though it is not fair to pinpoint only Hardik for the team's debacle but a captain's role in T20 cricket is of utmost importance to hold the team together. Even when Rohit was struggling with his own performance he ensured that short of runs with his bat doesn't affect his way of leading the team. Winning the championship can't be the sole factor to judge a captain, Rohit surely had a lot of influence in building this team & managing the same which Hardik at the moment seems to be failing at.
What could be the possible wayout for the five time champions to add a sixth one to their tally? In short all the stakeholders together need to be lot more ruthless in both planning & execution. Tough calls have to made if they want a quick turnaround. Playing eleven should be selected only on the basis of current form and not past reputation. Every individual should be hold accountable for their own performance. Youngsters need to be backed lot more and most importantly the senior pros need to show the way. Captain's role is definitely crucial but at the same time all the other senior members of the team need to come up with some game changing performances. They can't afford inconsistency anymore. It's now or never for the men in blue. I am sure they are working hard on their crafts to come back stronger. But considering the time is running out for them in a cut throat tournament like IPL, they have to make a move sooner than later. They have to perform at least for millions of those fans all over the globe who are cheering for their beloved team.
Thala Magic Is Missing
The third team in the list is definitely another five time champions Chennai Super Kings. They too have been inconsistent since their last triumph back in 2023. This year too they haven't been at their best so far and lying at the bottom half of the points table. Like their arch rivals MI they too had a change in leadership where we witnessed Ruturaj Gaikwad taking over the reins from maverick MSD. It was a planned event though keeping the future of the team in mind. Ruturaj is a calm & composed character with a fair bit of knowledge of leading a team. But it won't be exaggerated to say that he is yet to settle down in his role. He too had his share of setbacks during the journey so far. Sometimes he missed the majority of the season due to injury, at times key players got injured resulting in disrupting the balance of the team combination and this season so far players' performances including his own has been far from being impressive.
By the time this post is being published Ruturaj has got back to scoring runs but a collective team performance is yet to come. They have been hot & cold so far in this season starting with three consecutive losses followed by two back to back wins. But overall they too seemed like shadow of their past. In this team too accountability by players is the need of the hour. Some of the youngsters may be given some time to get used to the pressure of a tournament like IPL. But rest of the players who are experienced at domestic or international level need to buckle up quickly. It's fair to say that CSK took some time to get accommodated to the ultra aggressive mode of modern day T20 cricket. They too need to realise and act on the fact that their mode of operation over the years may not be good enough to bring the success in near future. In fact they have already started working in that direction by including some young exciting talents in the team who can be the brand ambassadors of fearless cricket in the coming days.
Absence of MSD due to injury has been added to their woes since his inputs on the field could have worked like magic. Including the new Mr. Dependable Sanju Samson was a masterstroke with an aspiration that he could very well be playing the role of the mentor to the younger lot in the future just like MSD. He has been a solo bright spot in their batting line up with twin centuries to his name after the injury setback to another young exciting talent Ayush Mhatre. In CSK's case probably the management's reluctance for a mindset shift as per the demands of the format can be termed as a reason for their inconsistent performances off late. They had a horrid season last year when their tried and tested method of depending on experienced players failed miserably. They had no way but to lean on the young shoulders of emerging talents. It seems now that they are fully committed to that philosophy and ready to build the team for the future keeping a younger core at the centre. Adaptability is such an important factor in the modern game not only for the players but even for the team managements too.
In CSK's case it is also needs to be remembered that since inception they were led by once in a generation kind of a leader who was more like a one man show. But for someone like Ruturaj it's a whole new world of learning curve where he will learn more from downs rather than ups. But still he needs to be lot more proactive and lead from the front both as a batter and captain. Expectations will surely surge considering the stature of the person he has replaced. But he needs to find a way to create his own aura and that has to start from this season itself.
By the time this post is getting published KKR have already won two back to back matches and Gaikwad has got some momentum with the bat . Fans of these teams will hope for much improved performances from their beloved teams if not miracles.
That's all for this month. Stay tuned for more exciting sporting insights.
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