The tenth edition of the Indian Premier League has panned out exactly the way an IPL is expected to pan out. There have been hundreds, excellent catches, a super over, and hat-tricks.
But these are some usual ingredients that make a great IPL season. This time, there have been some unusual instances which has taken the game to another level.
Gautam Gambhir’s masterstroke of sending Sunil Narine as an opener has worked wonders for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
But, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s AB de Villiers, who averaged over 45 in the last two seasons, has managed to score just one fifty in this season.
The Quint takes a look at the five unusual things that have happened in IPL 10.
1. Sunil Narine Promoted to Opener’s Slot
Kolkata Knight Riders’ star off-spinner Sunil Narine has shook this year’s IPL not with his bowling skills, but with the bat at the top of the order.
After Chris Lynn sustained a shoulder injury during the match against Mumbai early in the competition, KKR needed a hard-hitting batsman at the top.
Conventional captains would have gone with Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa, but the KKR team management decided to promote Narine.
And it turned out to be the best move ever.
Narine, who opened thrice for the Melbourne Renegades last season, has scored 222 runs as an opener at an average of 18.5 in this IPL season.
With his carefree approach, Narine takes a lot of pressure off from the big guns in the KKR team.
In the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Narine notched the fastest fifty in IPL.
He equalled his teammate Yusuf Pathan’s record of scoring a half-century in 15 balls.
2. Aaron Finch – The Case of Missing Kitbag
Gujarat Lions’ Aaron Finch probably became the first player in the history of the game to be dropped from the side because he didn’t have a kitbag.
When the team arrived at Mumbai to play a game against the Mumbai Indians, Finch’s kitbag was still in Rajkot.
So, he went to the ground without a kitbag and was left out of the side.
Nobody knows how Finch’s kitbag stayed behind.
He didn’t forget his gear, that’s for sure, but his gear didn’t make it from Rajkot. Finchy was pretty disappointed about that, and I’m pretty sure that won’t happen again. Finchy’s gear will be the first one on the bus.Brendon McCullum told Cricket.com.au
According to reports, he couldn’t use his teammates’ gear due to sponsor commitments.
3. Deepak Hooda’s Special Shot
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Deepak Hooda came out with a special shot against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first match of this season.
When RCB’s Aniket Choudhary bowled a yorker, Hooda smartly went behind the stumps and converted the ball into a fuller length ball.
However, Hooda managed to notch just one run by flicking the delivery on the leg-side.
4. What’s Up With ABD
Royal Chalengers Bangalore’s star batsman AB de Villiers has been one of the most consistent batsmen in the IPL.
He has averaged above 35 for five consecutive seasons since 2012. But, somehow, he couldn’t manage to get going in this edition.
The South African made a smashing comeback into the side with a score of 89* against Kings XI Punjab, but has recorded a highest score of 43 since then. He missed the first two matches due to a back injury.
Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle have also had a terrible season, but these two players haven’t been as consistent as the South African in IPL.
5. Gambhir’s Juggles
The Kolkata Knight Riders had already dropped a number of catches and misfielded on many occasions, until the last ball of Kings XI Punjab’s innings at the Eden Gardens.
In the last ball, when Varun Aaron gave a high catch to Gautam Gambhir at cover, the skipper had to make sure he holds on to it.
The captain ran backwards, failed to get into a good position by the time the ball came down, so he couldn’t get a hold of it. He, then turn around, juggled the ball two more times and then finally caught it.
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