As the IPL heads towards the business end of the year, we still can’t help but wonder whether this has been the best season in terms of quality cricket being played and for the drama, excitement and fights for the last two spots among five teams.
One constant among the chaos has been Sunrisers Hyderabad. With 18 points in 13 games, Hyderabad have surpassed all expectations.
Before the start of the season the star batsman of the Sunrisers, David Warner, was banned for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal while star bowler Billy Stanlake was ruled out of the IPL. Even Shikhar Dhawan, the star Indian batsman, hasn’t contributed much in this year.
But amid a brittle middle order comprising Wriddhimann Saha, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan and out-of-form Manish Pandet, Kane Williamson has been the shining light, with 625 runs in 13 matches with a best of 84.
Kane has more often than not led batting for Hyderabad on the tricky pitches they have played, and he has handled spin and pace equally well. Kane has lacked support from the other end, leaving the bowlers par or below par totals to defend.
(AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
But bowlers led by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan have defended scores of 119, 132, 146 and 157. He has captained the side equally well, shuffling up and down the order to make up.
One example of how good he has been came in the game against the Mumbai Indians while sending 119. There were a few moves, such as asking left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan to have a go at Rohit Sharma in the last over of the powerplay, persisting with a slip for almost the entire game or attacking Kieron Pollard when walked out to bat with a short-leg.
Even Yusuf Pathan, the low on confidence in the opening few matches, looked a different player after the backing he got from the skipper.
SRH looked thin after David Warner was banned, but Williamson, the only foreign captain, did the trick for the team, which will finish in top two in the group stages.
For his inspiring captaincy, splendid batting and optimum usage of resources at his disposal, Kane Williamson should be the MVP of this year’s IPL whatever be fortunes of SRH in knockout matches.
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