Rohit Sharma to Yuvraj Singh, the Hits and Flops of IPL 2015
IPL 2015 turned out to be yet another season of glorious ups and downs. Some old stars ignited the last remaining spark in the careers while a few new ones arrived at the horizon. Some big names succumbed to pressure while few others failed to live up to the hype and reputation.
After 60 enthralling encounters, the curtains have come down on yet another successful and entertaining season of the Indian Premier League with Mumbai Indians clinching their second-ever crown.(IPL 2015: Full Coverage)
Similar to all the previous editions, IPL 2015 too turned out to be a season of glorious ups and downs. Old stars re-ignited the last remaining spark in the careers while a few new ones arrived at the horizon. Some big names succumbed to pressure while some failed to live up to the hype and reputation.(IPL Final: Blog)
Here are the top five hits and flops of the season.(CSK vs MI: Top 5 Battles)
Hits
- Rohit Sharma
In Mumbai Indians' dramatic turnaround for the second time in two IPL seasons, Rohit Sharma has stood tall as the anchor of the ship in tempestuous waters. Mumbai's campaign took a while to take off but once it did, Rohit played a key role ensuring there was no looking-back. Rohit has amassed 432 runs in 15 matches this season, earning the distinction of scoring the highest non-century score in the tournament when he finished on 98 not out against Kolkata Knight Riders.
- Ajinkya Rahane
Cool, calm, composed and consistent - The four C's to Ajinkya Rahane's mantra have kept him in the spotlight across formats. Over the last few seasons, Rahane has gone a long way in redefining the role of a T20 opener - with crisp cover drives and pull shots along the ground in a league of batsmen obsessed with aerial strokeplay. Rajasthan Royals bowed out in the eliminator and Rahane finished with 540 runs at an average of 49.09.
© BCCI
- Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal, the scrawny leg-spinner from Haryana, has thrived and excelled in a rather lop-sided bowling attack in a batsman-heavy Royal Challengers Bangalore. Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli have hogged the limelight all through, but it was Chahal who has been highly impressive with the ball to strike a much-needed balance for the Bangalore side. Chahal has not been afraid of tossing the ball up against some of the meanest hitters in the league, and that's where lies the 24-year-old's succes. Chahal finished with 23 wickets in 15 games, only one short of the current leading wicket-taker Dwayne Bravo.
- Andre Russell
Big bats, bigger swipes and swagger - Andre Russell has all the ingredients of the new-age 'entertaining' cricketer. Russell has a modest tally of 326 in 13 matches but his astonishing strike rate of 192.89 - the highest in the league this year - paints the true picture of his brutality.
© BCCI
- David Warner
The World Cup-winning pugnacious Aussie star carried forward his winning mentality to his Sunrisers Hyderabad side and came very close to powering his side to the playoffs. Leading a side heavily reliant on their foreign stars, the onus of performance in each of the 14 matches was on Warner's shoulders. Foreign recruits Moises Henriques, Ravi Bopara, Eoin Morgan and Trent Boult contributed alternatingly but Warner had been the constant. The day he failed, Sunrisers slumped to their lowest score of the season and were knocked out. With seven fifties in the season, Warner topped the list of leading run-scorers this year with 562 runs.
Misses
- Yuvraj Singh
New season, same disappointing show! For the second time in two seasons, India's World Cup-winning star failed to justify the hefty price tag on his name. After Royal Challengers Bangalore had paid Rs 14 crore for him in IPL 2014, the Delhi Daredevils went one step ahead and bid a whopping Rs 16 crore for the dashing left-handed batsman. The big-name punt, however, proved too costly for the Delhi franchise. Dropped catches, lackadaisical fielding and failure with the bat sums up Yuvraj's horrendous 2015 season where he finished with just 248 runs.
© BCCI
- Dale Steyn
South African speedster Dale Steyn's World Cup disappointment carried over into the IPL as he failed to create an impact with the ball for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Steyn lost his spot in the side to an in-form Trent Boult - who finished joint-highest wicket-taker in the showpiece event Down Under. In the six matches he played, Steyn managed just three wickets.
- Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag's perennial struggle with the bat all through mirrored Kings XI Punjab's abysmal show. After the highs of reaching the final in 2014, Punjab earned the wooden spoon this season. Sehwag, who had smashed a century in IPL 2014, managed just 99 runs in the whole of IPL 2015 at a forgetable average of 12.37.
- Robin Uthappa
With eight consecutive 40-plus scores and a mammoth total of 660 in 2014, Kolkata Knight Riders opener Robin Uthappa set the bar too high for himself. A year later, Uthappa struggled, scoring just 364 runs in 13 games - including only a single half-century.
© BCCI
- Glenn Maxwell
Entertainer, audacious hitter and one of the most sensational stars of IPL 2014 faded away to oblivion in 2015. Glenn Maxwell arrived with the massive hangover of World Cup title win and never seemed to recovered. He attempted his trademark sweeps and reverse hits, only mistimed them most of the times. Maxwell scored just 145 runs in 11 games at an average of 13.18.