IPL 2018: 'Left' Was Always 'Right'. Did You Realize That In A Decade?

‘Lefties’ are an asset!

Well, they are a tribe that makes the simplest of things look oh-so-extraordinary. And they do it with a lot of nonchalance, as it comes to them naturally. With bowlers, they find a very uncomfortable angle to bowl at, which comes to them naturally, where their stalk ball leaves the right-hander and comes back into the left-hander, cramping him for space.

The Indian Premier League 11 is hours away and we are already brainstorming about the team combinations, permutations and who are the frontrunners for the title. It may be unfair on the teams and players but that is what keeps us as Indians going, literally! Doesn’t it?

Over the ten seasons of IPL we have witnessed how the lefties contributed to their team’s success, be it a Sohail Tanvir or a Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra (both bagged 100+ each). So yes, it is no more a mystery, lefties have niched a space for themselves in the world of IPL.

So who are the lefties, who can create a bulldozing impact in IPL 2018?

Jaydev Unadkat:

Unadkat, the 26-year-old Gujarat went for a whopping Rs 11.5 Cr to Rajasthan Royals. That is a huge amount, considering they are a team that wants to make a  huge comeback after 2-long years, and has to hence pick wisely (be conservative in liberal terms). He has played 47 IPL matches and picked up 56 wickets at the average of 23.25, which is decent.  

Unadkat is a bowler who will always surprise the batsman with his change-ups and he will be an asset for a depleted Rajasthan Royals, (especially in Indian conditions, where the ball grips). In 2017, he picked up 24 wickets, two short of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who ultimately won the purple cap (2016, 2017). This guy is not far away, 2018 could be his year, what say?

Mustafizur Rahman:

He is 22 and he is still young. It seems the left-armer from Bangladesh has been around for a long time but is has just been 3 years. He would be playing for Mumbai Indians, a team he has not been a part of in the past. In 2016, he picked up 17 wickets in 16 matches, at a strike-rate of 21.52, which is really good. He could be the key to MI’s success in 2018, as he brings that left-arm option to the table, giving them variety, along with Mitchell McClenaghan.

Mitchell McClenaghan:

The Kiwi has been an asset for Mumbai Indians in their past three campaigns. He was instrumental in Mumbai Indians title run in 2017, where he picked up 19 wickets in 14 matches. He is a T20I specialist, who also has the change of pace, which is the key in T20’s. He will come into IPL, fresh from his PSL stint, which would have got him accustomed to the low-slow pitches. He is someone who can bowl at the start, during middle-overs and can also bowl in the death. Which makes him of great utility for Mumbai Indians.

Trent Boult:

Boult has not created the impact he was expected to during the past 3 seasons. He picked up a total of 15 wickets from 14 matches, which certainly does not justify the bowler Boult is. DD captain Gambhir has seen Boult at the KKR camp, hence he knows the potential of the guy, that helps going forward. He is way better than the stats suggest. 2018 could be his year of arrival at the IPL stage and I say that because he has been in emphatic bowling form, of late. Recently, against a formidable English batting line-up, the Kiwi picked up 15 wickets in merely 2 Tests, which helped him bag the Man of the Series award. So, teams beware of Boult!

Here is the video of the day