After the first few days of this IPL season, one might wonder whether there are any English players in India. Nobody thinks such thoughts anymore.
The English batsmen are progressing well and making up for lost time – 11 hundreds have been hit this year, four of which have been hit by Englishmen.
Will Jacks’ stunning 41-ball ton against Punjab left even the great Virat Kohli in shock and he has now truly established himself on the world stage. His agent will be happy: expect him to get a big deal at the next auction!
This came shortly after Jonny Bairstow did what Jonny Bairstow does: fought with a massive chip on his shoulder after being left out of the team and counted out.
The ‘Jonny eyes’ were on full display as he went about his business in a silent, trance-like state until he helped the Kings gun down Kolkata’s 261 – the highest chase in T20 history. I admit, I was one of those who started to doubt the man a little, but I should have known better!
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Jonny Bairstow smashed nine sixes on his way to a century for the Punjab Kings in their record T20 run chase against the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL
Jonny will fly to the Caribbean for the T20 World Cup and the question for England now is where in the line-up he should line up. He loves the opener and the Kings put him there, but England practically have four openers in Jos Buttler, Will Jacks, Phil Salt and Bairstow.
However, he started his T20 career as a middle-order batsman and as he showed in this match when he scored a hundred against KKR, he has lost none of his immense power. I’d bat him at four, with Buttler and Salt opening and Jacks at three. Suddenly England’s batting line-up looks really scary again.
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England T20 hopeful Phil Salt’s showed what he can do against Delhi Capitals as he hit five sixes in a comfortable IPL win for Kolkata Knight Riders
India’s exceptional batting depth while Bumrah continues to be elite
India’s batting has a similar fear factor, although perhaps not quite as strong. The depth is pretty extraordinary – imagine if you could leave out Shubman Gill and KL Rahul?!
In truth, they probably suffered from the fact that Rohit and Kohli were always picked and that meant India had to pick more aggressive batsmen around them. The run-scoring in this tournament has been unprecedented and it will be fascinating to see if it has changed the game – will this be the norm in all T20s going forward?
Jasprit Bumrah of Mumbai Indians gestures during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow
One thing that won’t change is that Jasprit Bumrah is incredibly good. Amidst a sea of carnage, he shone brightly like a sturdy lighthouse.
He is one of the top wicket takers but if you want to see the true value of an elite bowler like Bumrah, look at the economy rate. Its value is a measly 6.4. Of the top nine wicket-takers, only one (Matheesha Pathirana) has an economy rate below nine. If I were to pick a T20 World XI, he would be number one on the team list.
The business end of the group stage: Rajasthan feels comfortable, champions Chennai have to prove their courage
So how does the table shape up as we approach the business end of the group stage? In a word: clogged.
Rajasthan have shown the value of a gun bowling attack and will undoubtedly finish in the top two to be in the first qualifier. Then there is a bun fight. There are only four points between second and eighth place.
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Rovman Powell needed two runs off the last ball to win the game for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL but was caught leg before wicket in dramatic fashion by Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar
The Sunrisers have just pulled off a remarkable last-ball win against league leaders Royals and got back on track after two consecutive defeats, but Chennai’s slump is worrying. They have now lost three of their last four games and the bowling has looked impotent in each of those defeats.
It didn’t help them that they had to bat and bowl first when the dew makes it very difficult, but that’s usually the time when they swell and don’t stutter. The champions will have to prove their skills in the next few days!
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