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By Prakhar Sachdeo Apr 26, 2023 4:42:59 PM IST (Updated)
The league stage of IPL 2023 has hit the half-way mark. Thirty five matches of the scheduled 70 games in the league phase were done and dusted with the conclusion of the match between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night. With half of the league stage behind us here is a review of the teams' best batsman, best bowlers, surprise players, disappointments, and what they need to do in their next set of seven league games to qualify for the playoffs:
The league stage of IPL 2023 has hit the half-way mark. Thirty five matches of the scheduled 70 games in the league phase were done and dusted with the conclusion of the match between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night.
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Here is how the points table looks at the moment:
Here is a mid-season review of the 10 teams. The review will look into the teams' best batsman, best bowler, any surprise player, disappointments, and what they need to do in their next set of seven league games to qualify for the playoffs:
Chennai Super Kings (CSK):
Current Rank: 1
Best batsman:
Devon Conway
Devon Conway (Image: IPL/BCCI)Devon Conway has slammed four fifties in seven matches and is the team's leading run scorer currently. With his fellow opener Ruturaj Gaikwad not being at his fluent best, Conway has quietly shouldered the responsibility of getting the runs for the team at the top of the order.
Best Bowler
Ravindra Jadeja
Although Ravindra Jadeja has picked two less wickets than Tushar Deshpande, who is CSK's leading wicket-taker so far, but Jadeja has been numerically superior in all other departments.
Jadeja has picked 10 wickets, bowled at an average of 17.60 has an economy of 7.33 and a strike rate of 14.40. Jadeja's good form with the ball has meant that the team has been able to maximize on the home advantage of M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.
Surprise player
Ajinkya Rahane
CSK player Ajinkya Rahane speaks after the IPL match against Mumbai IndiansThere was skepticism around how Ajinkya Rahane will fit in the team's scope of things and how will the team be able to maximize his skill and talents.
But Rahane has answered all the questions as he has hit 209 runs so far and is looking good to add plenty of more runs in the next half of the season. His innings of 71 not-out in only 29 deliveries against Kolkata Knight Riders is one of the knocks of the tournament so far.
Flop
Ben Stokes
There was excitement around Ben Stokes' return to the league and how his skills and experience will further strengthen CSK. But Stokes isn't fully fit and has got to play only two games. A healthy Stokes who can bat, bowl and field would make an already strong looking CSK team an unstoppable force.
Qualification scenario for playoffs
With the team accumulation 10 points from first seven matches, the team is sure to be the one of the top four teams at the end of the league stage, unless their form nosedives dramatically. With the team playing four of their next seven games at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, the team's qualification chances increases manifolds.
Gujarat Titans (GT)
Current Rank: 2
Best batsman:
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill is growing as a T20 player with every passing season. He is the leading run scorer for the defending champions after notching 284 runs. He is one of the most important player in the Gujarat Titans side. With his fellow opener Wriddhiman Saha not having a fluent season, it becomes imperative for Gill to continue to bat the way he has done so far.
Best bowler:
Rashid Khan
With 14 wickets, Rashid Khan currently wears the Purple Floppy at the moment. After a difficult first season with Gujarat Titans where he could not pick as many wickets, Rashid is back to his old ways of claiming wickets almost at will. He also has the first and so far the only hat-trick of the season to his name.
Surprise player
Mohit Sharma
After spending time in wilderness, Mohit Sharma, a one-time Purple Cap winner, is back with a bang! He is bowling like he never missed out on any first team action. With 6 wickets from 4 games an at economy of 6.15, the veteran pacer has maximized on the chances that he has got so far.
Flop
Hardik Pandya
A well performing unit has managed to paper over the fact that Hardik Pandya has not been at his very best so far. The GT captain has picked only 2 wickets and scored only 128 runs thus far.
Qualification scenario for playoffs:
Gujarat Titans are one of the two teams to have won 10 points at the half-way stage. Like CSK, Titans should also cruise through to the playoffs.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Current Rank: 3
Best batsman
Shimron Hetmyer
Shimron Hetmyer (Image: IPL/BCCI)In the limited opportunities that Shimron Hetmyer has got he has proved his mettle. He may have scored only 189 runs, but the pace at which he has got those runs makes him a valuable asset in the team.
Best Bowler
Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal is the only Rajasthan Royals bowler to hit the double-digit mark thus far. Chahal has claimed 12 wickets and has carried his IPL 2022 form into this season as well.
Surprise player
Dhruv Jurel
Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel (Image: Rajasthan Royals Twitter)Playing his debut season, 22-year-old Dhruv Jurel is a great addition to the squad as a finisher. Unfortunately, his two of the best knocks of the season could not help Rajasthan Royals win those matches.
Flop
Riyan Parag
Looks like Rajasthan Royals have run out of patience when it comes to Riyan Parag. For the longest time Parag held his place in the team as a powerhitter who could go big in the death overs. But Parag's knack of throwing away his wicket at crucial juncture has finally led to his ouster.
Qualification scenario for playoffs:
Rajasthan Royals have a chance to be one of the top two teams at the end of the group stage considering their net run rate is better than that of CSK and GT.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Current Rank: 4
Best batsman:
Kyle Mayers
243 runs at a strike rate of 150.93 and hitting three fifties in the process highlights how well Kyle Mayer's debut season is going. Mayers has forced Quinton de Kock to warm the benches. Mayers is also the surprise player from the LSG squad thus far.
Best Bowler
Mark Wood
Mark Wood has missed three matches but still has 11 wickets from four matches. He picked the season's first five-for. LSG would love to have him back in the playing XI.
Flop:
Avesh Khan
Avesh Khan is unable to match his high standards from IPL 2022. He has picked 6 wickets in 6 outings with three of those wickets coming in one match. His economy and average need to improve.
Qualification scenario for playoffs:
Lucknow Super Giants are the most volatile of the top four teams. On even days they successfully defend 154 and on odd days fail to chase down 136. Expect them to miss out the playoff berth this time around.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Current Rank: 5
Best batsman:
RCB captain Faf du Plessis has the most runs this season and proudly wears the Orange Cap. His 405 runs have come at a healthy strike rate of 165.30 and encompass five fifties. du Plessis also has hit the most sixes (25) and second most number of fours (33).
Best Bowler
Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj has 13 scalps and is the team's leading wicket taker. He is also the only RCB bowler to have a four-for this term. Siraj continues to do what he does the best, pick wickets in the Powerplay. His 4/21 helped RCB register a crucial win over Punjab Kings.
Surprise player
Vyshak Vijaykumar
26-year-old Vyshak Vijaykumar has carried his good domestic form into IPL where he has quickly become one of the important bowlers for the team. Faf du Plessis has acknowledged that Vijaykumar adds something different to their bowling.
Flop
Dinesh Karthik
The team's top three run scorers have 405, 279 and 253 runs respectively. Dinesh Karthik is the fourth highest run getter but only has scored 61 runs in 7 outings. This dramatic drop doesn't bode well for the team and could hurt the team at some point. DK needs to be more productive with the bat.
Qualification scenario for playoffs:
The team is in form and if the likes of Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj continue to perform well then it can sneak into the playoffs at fourth spot. The team needs a big win somewhere in the second half to improve its net run rate.
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Current Rank: 6
Best Batsman
Shikhar Dhawan
Old warhorse Shikhar Dhawan has kind of played a lone hand when it comes to batting in the first half of the season. Punjab Kings will hope that Dhawan recovers from his injury and is back at the top of the order.
Best Bowler
Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh breaking middle stumps twice on successive deliveries is one of the highlights from the first half of the season. He won the hearts of the IPL fans irrespective of the teams they support. His numbers are great too! 13 wickets, at at economy of 8.16 and a best bowling effort of 4/29, top notch!!
Surprise Player
Prabhsimran Singh
Jitesh Sharma has been a livewire at the top of the order helping Punjab Kings to fast starts.
Flop
Rahul Chahar
After playing 7 matches bowling 23 overs Rahul Chahar was expected to pick more that 2 wickets. Naturally his average and strike rate have also suffered.
Qualification scenario for playoffs:
The team will need to fire all cylinders in the second half of the league stage. Their net rate is better than that of Mumbai Indians' and that could help them in their pursuit.
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Current Rank: 7
Best batsman
Tilak Varma
Tilak Verma (Image: IPL/BCCI)For a second straight season, Tilak Varma is emerging as Mumbai Indians best batsman. The youngster has scored over 200 runs at a strike rate of 154.22. He can mix aggression with calm in equal measures and that is his greatest strength.
Best Bowler
Piyush Chawla
From being an IPL pundit to be back on the field in the thick of action, Piyush Chawla has had a roller coaster ride in the last few years. The veteran refuses to budge and fade away. He is MI's best bowler across parameters and is also the pick for the team's surprise player.
Flop
Ishan Kishan
At this stage, Ishan Kishan is proving to be a very expensive investment for the team with little to diminishing rate of returns. Only 183 runs from 7 outings at an average of 26.14 and a strike rate of 129.78 is unacceptable from an opener.
Qualification scenario for playoffs:
The loss against Gujarat Titans have made life tough for the five-time champions for the remainder of the campaign. They need to put together a string of wins to be in the playoffs, something that they have done in the past.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Current Rank: 8
Best batsman
Rinku Singh
Isn't hitting 5 sixes in 5 deliveries to clinch a win enough to stamp his authority as the best batsman of the side?
Best Bowler
Varun Chakaravarthy
After a few seasons of struggle, Varun Chakaravarthy seem to have found is mojo back. He is the team's highest wicket taker with 10 scalps and is also the leader of the spin troika comprising of him, Suyash Sharma and Sunil Narine.
Surprise Player
Suyash Sharma
The 19-year-old leg spinner had a debut to remember as he picked 3 wickets in his maiden IPL apperance. What adds to the young leg spinner's myth is the fact that he did not play a professional game before featuring in the IPL. From having no professional experience to picking 7 wickets in IPL is some journey!
Flop
Andre Russell
With every game it becomes more and more evident that Andre Russell is way past his prime. The sooner KKR comes to term with this reality, the better it will be for them.
Qualification scenario for playoffs:
KKR's qualification scenario could be best understood by revisiting the final over of their match against Gujarat Titans. 28 needed in 5 balls looked impossible, but somehow out of no where they scripted a miracolous win. In the same way, the team's qualification is out of question, but can the team collectively do a Rinku Singh?
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Current Rank: 9
Best batsman
Harry brook Sunrisers HyderabadHarry Brook walks away with the award for being the best SRH batsman so far. He wins this for hitting a great hundred against Kolkata Knight Riders. But that is just about it. Brook doesn't have much to show before and after that ton.
Best Bowler
Mayank Markande
Mayanak Markande is the star of the SRH's bowling line up. He has picked 8 wickets and has a best bowling peformance of 4/15. His economy of 6.3 is the best economy among bowlers who have bowled over 10 overs this season. He is also the pick of being the Surprise Player from the SRH squad.
Flop
Mayank Agarwal
Sunrisers splurged Rs 8.25 crorers to gain the services of Mayank Agarwal. But the batsman has flopped so far as he has managed to score only 164 runs, which by the way is most by any SRH batter so far in IPL 2023. SRH had high hopes from the opening batsman.
Qualification scenario for playoffs:
Impossible.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Current Rank: 10
Best Batsman
David Warner
David WarnerDavid Warner has scored four fifties and accumulated 306 runs to be the team's leading run scorer. To put Warner's contribution in some context, the next two top scoring batters in DC have together hit two half centuries and their collective runs stand at 313.
Best Bowler
Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav is not the sharp bowler that he was last season. He has claimed 7 wickets at a healthy economy of 6.95, enough to be declared as DC's best bowler so far.
Surprise Player
None. Sad to say this, but none of the Delhi Capitals player have stood out yet.
Flop
Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw had the scores of 12, 7, 0, 15, 0 and 13 before Delhi Capitals took the tough call to drop him. There were hopes that Shaw could show his class this season but that has not been the case.
Qualification scenario for playoffs:
Delhi Capitals chances of qualifying for the playoffs were over before they won their first match of the season.
First Published: Apr 26, 2023 4:41 PM IST
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