The eighth edition of the IPL was the most intense in all aspects with six teams in fray for the top four places until the very end. Nobody was sure about their places or their qualification with three days remaining for the conclusion of the league.

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Leaders Chennai Super Kings, second placed Kolkata Knight Riders, third-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad, followed by Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians, were all in fray.

Defending champions Kolkata and Hyderabad were the first to crack under pressure, losing their last two matches and crashed out while Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore and Rajasthan, all won their remaining games to finish in that order.

Chennai finished the league on a high for the first time in eight years and Mumbai, who were gasping at seventh spot for a large duration of the league, made the biggest leap to finish second.

One big factor that created this suspense was due to the assistance bowlers got from the pitches. Bowlers must also be credited for stepping up with clever variations and discipline to unsettle the batsmen. It meant no team could rest on their laurels with Rajasthan being the perfect example. They began with a flash winning five games on the trot but then could only add three wins from the remaining nine, with two matches washed out.

On the other hand, Mumbai started miserably losing five of their first six before winning five at a stretch to make the cut. 

Dwayne Bravo leading the bowling charts (20 wickets) best illustrated the virtues of ingenuity. The Chennai all-rounder’s slow deliveries and variations in pace were a constant threat to batsmen. Such was his bravado that captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni used him as a trump card in the death overs and Bravo delivered every time.

Old hands were also a revelation with the 36-year-old Ashish Nehra leading the way. The Chennai left-arm pacer was the top wicket-taker for most part of the league before others took over. He still had a creditable haul of 18 wickets from 13 games.

Mumbai’s 35-year-old off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, Delhi Daredevils’ 36-year-old left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan (seven wickets in seven games) and Kolkata’s 44-year-old chinaman bowler Brad Hogg (nine wickets from six games), were the other veterans who left a lasting impression.

Exponents of the limited-overs format, Mumbai pacer Lasith Malinga (19 wickes in 13 games) and Bangalore’s left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc (18 wickets in 11 games) too made a big impact.

 

 

Bangalore leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal flew the flag for spinners claiming 19 wickets. The 24-year-old was rarely flustered despite being collared and continued to tease the batsmen with his guiles. Kolkata’s off-spinner Sunil Narine battled suspension over his bowling action and turned in a gutsy display in the eight games he played, picking up seven wickets. 

Openers who get to bat the longest, led the run charge with Hyderabad captain David Warner (561 runs), Rajasthan’s Ajinkya Rahane (498) and Bangalore captain Virat Kohli (481) occupying the top three places. Batting superstars AB de Villiers (446 runs), Brendon McCullum (436 runs), Chris Gayle (423) were not far behind and were the only centurions of the season alongwith Rajasthan’s Shane Watson (337).

De Villiers notched the highest score of the tournament smashing 133 not out off 59 balls against Mumbai while Gayle continued to lead the sixes table with 34 hits. Delhi opener Shreyas Iyer was the most impressive debutant scoring 439 runs from 14 games.

Last year’s finalists Kings XI Punjab were the biggest disappointment finishing at the bottom of the table and Delhi, who showed initial promise, floundered in the second half, losing four games in a row, to end up seventh. IPL’s biggest buy, Delhi all-rounder Yuvraj Singh ($2.67m), was a big flop averaging 19.07 in 14 games and picked just one wicket.