IPL 2018: 5 senior players who rose to the occasion

The tournament that Cricket fans wait for every year with bated breath, the glamorous affair called the Indian Premier League (IPL) is about to come to an end for this year. The eleventh edition of the tournament was a delightful roller-coaster ride, full of thrilling cricketing action and nail-biting encounters. The final game of the season will find the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday (May 27).

From unexpected underdogs bringing glory to their team to senior players going all out to aid their team’s efforts, IPL 2018 has been nothing short of an array of scintillating performances all around. Several senior players, in particular, have exceeded all expectations in making their respective teams proud. Let’s take a look at some of the senior players who rose to the occasion in this season.

1. Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu has had such a stellar run in the IPL this year that it forced Michael Clarke to get confused about his age and term Rayudu “a young talent” after a match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The 32-year-old has been the highest run-getter for CSK this season with 586 runs to his name till now, ahead of the second contender on the list by a margin of more than a hundred runs.

The CSK team management had been heavily criticised during the auctions for picking up players on the wrong side of 30 and the squad had been branded as an “oldies team”. Rayudu has successfully proven all critics wrong by putting his experience into good use. His 62-ball hundred against SRH which was a combination of clever batting and flamboyant shots will definitely be remembered for quite some time.

2. AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers stunned the world with his unprecedented move to retire from all forms of international Cricket a few days back. What made the decision even more surprising were his sensational knocks for the RCB. Not only did the 34-year-old save his team with the bat from the doom of batting collapses several times, but also dove around the field with a 20-year old’s energy, saving precious runs for the RCB.

Mr. 360-degree sported a mind-boggling average of 174.55 throughout the tournament as he accrued 480 runs in 11 innings. Although his heroics were unable to see his team through to the playoffs, AB de Villiers put his heart and soul into his efforts and in addition to his prolific batting, saved innumerable runs on the field and took 6 catches. His ‘Spiderman’ catch of Alex Hales against the SRH once again proved that age is just a number for this man!

3. Andrew Tye

Somehow we have developed this misconception that fast bowlers don’t remain quite as effective as they age. Take a look at the list of the highest wicket-takers of IPL 2018. The man sitting at the top of the rankings is 31 years old. That’s right! Australian pacer, Andrew Tye has been one of the most successful players for the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) this season and he’s not let age dull his shine one bit.

Not only has Tye bowled at a consistent pace while maintaining good line and length all throughout the tournament, but he’s also emerged as a ‘death-over’ specialist for his side, plucking crucial wickets out of nowhere and restraining the opposition’s run-flow at the same time. With 24 wickets in 14 matches, Tye became the first Australian ever to hold the Purple Cap in the IPL, and that too, with his team only having made it till the league stage.

4. MS Dhoni

Very few tournaments have taken place till date where MS Dhoni has played but not created a record. IPL 2018 saw the former Indian captain scale new heights with the bat, behind the stumps and with his captaincy. Leading his team from the front, MSD has taken CSK to the finals of the league for a record seventh time, speaking volumes about his prowess as an able captain. In particular, his knock worth 70 runs off 34 balls that helped CSK chase down a mammoth target of 205 runs against RCB will definitely figure as one of the best IPL knocks of all time.

At 36 years of age, the hollering to have him quit the game has never bothered MSD as the man is supremely confident in his own ability. IPL 2018 has been a case of ‘ageing like fine wine’ for MS Dhoni as he’s smashed 455 runs in 15 games and effected 13 dismissals from behind the stumps. That he’s scored most of his runs down the order with only the last few overs at his disposal makes his feat even more awe-inspiring.

5. Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine made his debut into the foray of the IPL back in 2012 and was promptly dubbed as the ‘mystery spinner’. What the Caribbean player has done successfully over the years is to widen his horizon of proficiency to batting while maintaining the ability to confuse the best of batsmen with the magical spin web he weaves around them.

30 year-old Narine falls amongst the criteria of ‘senior players’ in IPL 2018 and he’s another one of those talented cricketers who’s not allowed age to act as a barrier to his cricketing abilities. Playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Narine contributed heavily with the willow as well as the ball to help his team onto the second qualifier. On the bowling front, he scalped 17 wickets in the 16 games he played. Narine also played the role of an explosive opener for his side to perfection as he recorded 357 runs at a strike rate of 189.89, helping KKR to set a solid foundation more often than not.