IPL 2021: Team-wise one player who needs to step up in UAE leg

The first leg of the IPL 2021 had ended with only 29 matches played. This means that half of the season was already done and everyone had started having an idea how much in-form the players were. Now, with the second leg of the tournament about to restart in the United Arab Emirates, it is time we look back at the forms of some of the players. 

With all the teams having played at least seven matches in the first leg, it is also quite clear what exactly they need to do to make sure they end up in the top four. In this piece, we will break down the performances of all the key players of each franchise and understand who needs to step up for their team to go out and win the title. 

Here is team-wise one player who needs to step up in the UAE leg:

 1. Chennai Super Kings- MS Dhoni

There isn’t an inch of doubt that MS Dhoni the batsman has been on the decline for quite some time and he is well past his prime. The fact that he hasn’t played a notable amount of professional games since the World Cup in 2019 has also made a difference for sure. And, his form has dropped since the start of the IPL 2020. 

Having said that, the numbers are something which Dhoni wouldn’t even want to have a look at. In the 2020 season, he scored only 200 runs in 14 matches, with a strike rate of 116. This was also a bit surprising, considering that he had arguably his best season with the bat in 2019. CSK’s terrible performances in 2020 could also be reasoned with Dhoni’s lack of runs. 

Now, one can argue that the Chennai team has performed well in the IPL 2021 first leg. They have won five out of their seven games and will more likely than not make it into the playoffs. But, just 37 runs in those games doesn’t justify the incredible talent of MS Dhoni with the bat. This could be his last season and his team would want him to deliver with the bat. No matter how good he is with the tactics, it is time he gets a few runs as well. 

 2. Royal Challengers Bangalore – Yuzvendra Chahal

For the last few years, it has been stated several times that RCB is heavily dependent on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers with the bat. What is often ignored is that there was also heavy dependence on Yuzvendra Chahal in terms of the shouldering bowling responsibility. He has been quite the veteran for the franchise, despite them having an inconsistent and ever-changing bowling unit. 

And whenever he does well with the ball, the RCB’s team performs well. His top three seasons, in terms of the most wickets and having great statistics have come in 2015, 2016, and 2020. There’s one thing in common, these are three rare seasons when RCB has qualified to the playoffs, with the 2016 season seeing them end as the runners-up. 

Now, that explains how much Chahal’s performances mean to the franchise as a team. In the 2020 season so far though, the right-arm leg spinner has taken just four wickets in seven games at an average of 47.50. His economy has been 8.26. These numbers are by far his worst for any season. RCB has still managed to win five out of these seven games. But, as they dream to win the title for the first time, Chahal will have to stand up and perform well.

 3. Kolkata Knight Riders – Shubman Gill

Ahead of the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League, there were a lot of hopes which KKR had pinned on the 21-year-old Shubman Gill. Ever since he was bought by the franchise in 2018, he was sort of the future investment for them. Everyone knew that he could well be one man to lead them in a few years. 

In 2020, he made 440 runs but had batted with a strike rate lower than 120. Between that and the 2021 season, Gill had become India’s number one choice for a Test opener and also had emerged as one of the most talented young batsmen in the world. Hence, a lot was expected out of him and everyone wanted this year to be his breakthrough season. 

However, during the first leg of the IPL 2021, the Punjab batter looked a bit out of sorts. In seven matches, he made only 132 runs and his strike rate was lower than 120 again. The biggest issue from a team perspective was that he failed to give them good starts, which hurt KKR badly. For KKR to even dream of making it into the playoffs, it will be crucial for Gill to make some runs and get back into form. 

4. Punjab Kings – Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle isn’t the same player he was probably a few years back. But, it is quite amazing that his numbers aren’t too bad for a T20 batsman. In the last few years, Gayle has found a way to score runs in T20 cricket, not in the way he was predominantly known for. His strike rate won’t be 160 as it was during his peak, but in the last few years, he has managed to keep it at around 140, which isn’t bad at all in T20 cricket. 

To put into perspective, 2012 and 2013 were the peak of his IPL numbers. In both seasons, he had averages of 61 and 59 while his strike rate was 160 and 157. But, in 2018, 2019, and 2020, he averaged around 40 in each season while striking at 146, 153, and 137. But, in 2021, the issues with his inconsistency started being a bit more prevalent. 

In the first eight matches of the first leg, he made 178 runs with no fifties. His strike rate has been 133, which isn’t in the bad category yet. With the Punjab Kings batting being extremely vulnerable in the middle, it becomes important that a senior top-order player like the Universe Boss himself scores important runs for his team. 

5. Rajasthan Royals – Rahul Tewatia

Rahul Tewatia was one of the big revelations of the 2020 season of the IPL in the United Arab Emirates. He ended the season with 255 runs at an average above 40 and a strike rate around 140. He also had 10 wickets to his name, which made him stand out. His performances also made him get a call-up for the Indian T20I squad. 

But, in the 2021 season, Tewatia didn’t seem to be in a similar touch with the bat or with the ball. His performance had dropped significantly and in some ways, it also affected his team’s whereabouts in the league points table. He scored 86 runs in five innings with a strike rate of about 130. But, he managed to pick only two wickets in seven innings with the ball. 

His economy was 9.75 while his bowling average was around about 100. With these kinds of numbers under his belt, Tewatia might be under a bit of pressure going into the second half of the 2021 season. But, he could well take some confidence from the fact that he had his best season in the UAE. 

6. Sunrisers Hyderabad – David Warner

The first half of the Indian Premier League 2021 was a bit too chaotic for Sunrisers Hyderabad and more so for David Warner. In fact, we can go as far as to say that when the tournament was initially called off, no one was more pleased than Warner. There was a sense of a rift within the SRH camp but nothing was confirmed. 

Warner has been the most influential batter in the IPL and it is quite simple, he has carried the batting unit of Sunrisers on his shoulders ever since he came into the side. There has been a heavy dependence on him. And it all came down crashing in the 2021 season when Warner himself was not looking in the best of his forms. 

In the first half, Warner made 193 runs at a good enough average of 32. But the issue was mainly due to his strike rate, which was 110. He was dropped from the team as a player and a captain. Maybe, the break between then and now can help him to bounce back. He also has a good record in the UAE. Sunrisers might not be able to turn around their fortunes this season, but they can make themselves a roadmap for the next season. 

7. Delhi Capitals – Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin is arguably the best spinner in this generation. But, a lot of his success and grand performances have come in red-ball cricket. In white-ball cricket, Ashwin has been a shade better than an average spinner. It might seem a bit harsh on him given his ability, but it takes a very intelligent skipper to use Ashwin in T20 cricket to get the most out of him. 

Ashwin certainly could do it when he was captaining the Punjab team but now with his move to Delhi, his role has changed. In the UAE season of the IPL in 2020, Ashwin was used quite smartly by Shreyas Iyer. He ended that season with 13 wickets while managing to bowl at an economy rate of 7.66. 

In the 2021 season though, despite Ashwin coming into the season full of confidence, he failed to get wickets. He kept things tight as always but got only one wicket in five matches. He had pulled out of the tournament midway citing personal reasons but he could well return to make a mark for himself in the second leg in the UAE, where conditions can be expected to be conducive for spinners. 

8. Mumbai Indians – Hardik Pandya

Over the last few years, Hardik Pandya has become a pillar for the Mumbai Indians team. He has been in good batting form for the past few seasons and looked ever-improving. To put his work with the bat in numbers, he scored 402 and 281 runs in the 2019 and 2020 seasons respectively. In 2019, his average was 44.66 and his strike rate was 191. In 2020, he had an average of 35.12 and a strike rate of 179. 

These two seasons need attention because both the times Mumbai Indians ended up winning the title. It should also be noted that in 2019, he has also picked up 14 wickets. But, in the 2021 season, the story was quite different in the first leg. Pandya had not bowled, making him Mumbai Indians play him as a specialist batter. 

Now, that is fine when he is scoring like it happened in the season before. In 2021 though, he managed to score only 52 runs in seven matches at a strike rate less than 120. His average has been 8.66. Given these numbers, Mumbai Indians would want him to show some improvement. If his team has to do a historic treble, it will be crucial that he is back in form.