IPL 2018: Five players who rose up to the occasion when required the most

The league stages of the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was great fun. It provided the fans with a lot of tension and anxiety about the qualification of their favourite teams into the playoffs. This tension lasted till the last game of the season was played and provided some great entertainment to the fans.

Cricket is all about grabbing the chances with both hands. It is about the players capitalising on the chances they get and making the most of it. In the league stages, there were a few players of whom there were not a lot of expectations before IPL started. However, these players have defied all the odds and made most of the opportunities that they got and rose up to the occasion when their teams required them the most. Here are the players who were terrific in the league stages.

1. Kane Williamson | Sunrisers Hyderabad

Talk about grabbing an opportunity with both hands and Kane Williamson has done exactly that this season. He took over the leadership responsibilities of the side in a crisis situation when David Warner was not allowed to play the IPL. Williamson might not have even made it to the starting XI in the first place. However, he has embraced the challenge with both the hands and has done exceedingly well for the team. So much so that the fans actually forgot that their most crucial player, David Warner was not even a part of the team.

Williamson, who is known to be a great player in ODIs and Tests was not known much for his heroics in T20s. However, he proved that T20s can still accommodate classy players and that the format is not all about power-hitting. He has upped his game several notches and has amassed 661 runs in 14 games at a mammoth average of 60. He is most likely to be the winner of the ‘Orange Cap’ and will want to do well in the closing stages of the league.

2. MS Dhoni | Chennai Super Kings

Wicket-keepers have made a merry this IPL and MS Dhoni is no exception. He has come into this tournament on the back of a lot of criticism. There were talks about his diminishing finishing abilities. He found it tough to hit the balls that were bowled at about the wide-line. There were many critics who lashed out at him and wanted him to call it a day.

MSD definitely had something to prove and he couldn’t have asked for a better team than CSK to do so. He didn’t play the Nidahas Trophy and hence had some time off. He made the maximum utilisation of this break. MS had worked on his game as well as his strategies and the results are evident. CSK made it into the playoffs for the 9th consecutive time and he had played a big part in it. MS has scored 446 runs in 14 games and is currently playing the best of cricket he has ever played in the last few years. The knock against RCB to take his team home will definitely standout this tournament.

3. Shreyas Iyer | Delhi Daredevils

Just like Kane Williamson, Shreyas Iyer was given the responsibility of handling a crisis situation. But in his case, things went almost out of hands by the time he was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the side after Gautam Gambhir stepped down. But still, he didn’t fear and relished the responsibility. Although he didn’t have huge margins for errors at his hands, he has done really well in whatever opportunities that he got.

While many might downsize his contribution pointing out the fact that DD didn’t qualify, it was nothing short of brilliant. The team was struggling to get their combinations right and it was only after Iyer came at the helm that they got it right. He managed to win 4 out of the 8 games that he led and could have made a better impact had he didn’t have the pressure of winning every single game.

4. KL Rahul | Kings XI Punjab

KL Rahul was a one-man army for the KXIP team this season as far as their batting was concerned. He has shouldered all the responsibility and almost won quite a few games single-handedly. He has stunned everyone with his consistency and was definitely worth for all the money that was invested on him.

Although Rahul was expected to be retained by RCB, he wasn’t. He didn’t play a single game last year as he was ruled out of the IPL due to a shoulder injury. Earlier in the Nidahas Trophy, he sat out initially and got his chances later in the tournament. He didn’t have the best of tournaments although he made a breezy 24 off 14 in the finals.

Moreover, he was in and out of the Indian team for a while due to poor form and unavailability of the opener slot. But he came back strong this IPL and ended the league stage as the 3rd highest run-scorer. He scored 659 runs in the 14 games that he played.

5. Jos Buttler | Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler has had a very poor start to the IPL this year. Batting in the middle-order, he found it tough to hit the big shots against the spinners straightaway. His IPL this year can be divided into two phases. One before he opened the innings and the other after he opened the innings.

He was at his destructive best after he was made to open the innings. He tore the opposition bowling apart and ensured a win for RR in many games by staying out there till the end. All of a sudden, he found himself amongst the leading run-scorers. But, he had to leave the IPL midway as he was recalled into the England squad. Jos has scored 548 runs in 13 games and his absence is sure to affect RR’s chances in the playoffs.