Performance analysis of the top 4 teams of IPL 10

#2 Rising Pune Supergiant

After a dismal show last year where they finished second from the bottom, the Pune-based franchise completely turned the tables and ended up being second on the points table. They earned 18 points from 14 matches after winning 9 and losing 5. They consistently had a negative net run rate which turned positive only after the big win in the last game against KXIP. They finished with +0.176 which was still the least amongst the top 4 teams. But that’s all in the past and what matters now is that they occupy the vital second spot and will have two bites at the cherry.

The team management made a big decision before the start of the league as they handed over the captaincy to Steve Smith from MS Dhoni. Another big move was to spend a whopping INR 14.5 crore to buy Ben Stokes from the auction. The results have gone their way after that ended all the criticism. The skipper led from the front and after the first stage, he ended up being the leading run-getter for the side. They found a handy batsman in the form of Rahul Tripathi who impressed one and all. Dhoni was inconsistent but Stokes and Manoj Tiwary filled in for him big time.

A big turnaround in the fortunes happened when Mitchell Marsh was ruled out for the entire league owing to an injury and they drafted in Imran Tahir as the replacement who had gone unsold in the auction. He bowled magnificent spells at crucial times and picked up 18 wickets in 12 games. Jaydev Unadkat and Ben Stokes were the other two who played pivotal roles in the team’s success with the ball. Daniel Christain, Shardul Thakur and others turned up with useful contributions at crucial stages.

Top Performers

The skipper Smith was the best batsman of the side who batted at an average of 42 which is phenomenal in the shortest format of the game. But the batsman who made the limelights was Rahul Tripathi. Ajinkya Rahane had an indifferent form this season but Tripathi made sure there were no major impacts of that. He has scored 388 runs in 12 games with 2 fifties that included a score of 93. The right-hander provided wonderful starts that provided great platforms for the middle order.

There were so many expectations from Stokes after he became the costliest pick from the auction this year. In the first half, he could not live up to the expectations but came to the fore with an excellent 103 against Gujarat Lions that came during a chase. That knock literally turned the tables and he ended up being the most valuable player of the side. He has 316 runs with the bat to go with 12 wickets with the ball and totally did justice to the price tag.

The leading wicket-taker for them is currently Jaydev Unadkat who has accounted for 21 wickets in just 10 games. It’s in the second half of the league that he raised his game a few notches. He picked up a hattrick as well as a five-wicket haul and is now the second highest wicket-taker in the league, 4 wickets behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar. His abilities with the new ball as well as during the slog overs have been mighty impressive.

The Path ahead

RPS will face MI in the first Qualifier and they will back themselves to achieve the third win on the trot against their neighbors. But it won’t be easy as they will now play in the absence of Ben Stokes and Imran Tahir who have departed for their national duties. They still could be a force to reckon with and the opposition will not take them lightly by any means. The road to the final will be difficult still they possess a side that could go the distance.