||| IPL 2016: Discussion Thread ||| - Page 12

Malinga-less Mumbai patchy despite strong line-up

Where they finished

Fifth, with seven wins and as many defeats

How they got there

Mumbai Indians entered the tournament as defending champions and one of the favourites to win the title. They had retained the core of their title-winning side from the previous season - including Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh and Mitchell McClenaghan - while adding Jos Buttler, Tim Southee and Krunal Pandya to their ranks. It looked a well-balanced side, packed with batting firepower, boasting pace and spin resources, and carrying a lot of good memories and experiences from seasons past. What could possibly go wrong?

Quite a lot, actually. The side was struck by injury blows early in the season. Lendl Simmons played only the opening match before being ruled out for the rest of the season by a back injury. Lasith Malinga, Mumbai's star pacer and the highest wicket-taker in IPL history, was ruled out without playing a match due to continuing struggles with his left knee. An opening loss to debutants Rising Pune Supergiants kicked off another slow start to a season as Mumbai lost four of their first six matches.

Three wins on the bounce left Mumbai decently placed by the end of April, rekindling hopes that they would once again shrug off early stutters and peak at the right time. It was not to be. The shift to Visakhapatnam as their home venue in May did not work well for them. The batting unit struggled to adapt to the stickier surfaces and turned in two limp performances that led to two heavy defeats. That punctured Mumbai's momentum at just the wrong time.

Mumbai lost their last league match to close out a patchy, stop-start season that never really kicked into top gear. They certainly had their moments and only narrowly missed out on a berth in the playoffs on the last day of the league stage.

Highlight

With promising India allrounder Hardik Pandya already in the squad, Mumbai paid INR 2 crore in this year's auction to recruit his brother Krunal. And what a buy it was. Krunal impressed from the outset with his sparkling strokeplay, his effective left-arm bowling and his energy in the field. He was the centre of many of the best moments in Mumbai's campaign. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede Stadium, Krunal dismissed Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the same over to help limit the target to 171, which Mumbai chased down comfortably. In a crunch match against Delhi Daredevils, Krunal's 37-ball 86 and two wickets were instrumental in Mumbai's big win. Mumbai seem to have unearthed an exciting young allrounder who could serve them well in seasons to come.

Disappointment

Mumbai's principal shortcoming this season was their opening partnership. While Rohit did well - scoring 484 runs at 48.40 while opening - he did not find a reliable partner at the top. Parthiv Patel played 10 matches but managed just one innings of note - a 58-ball 81 against Kings XI Punjab - and, on that occasion, Rohit bagged a second-ball duck. Martin Guptill, drafted in as Simmons' replacement, played just three matches and registered one decent knock. The upshot was a string of poor starts, which often put the middle order under pressure.

Key stats

• Mumbai's average opening partnership of 16.07 was the worst among all teams this IPL. They had just one half-century stand
• Mumbai lost 25 wickets in the Powerplays - the highest among all teams. Their Powerplay run rate of 7.14 was better than only Daredevils'
• When bowling in the closing overs (overs 16-20), Mumbai conceded a run rate of 9.87, joint third-best in the tournament

Best win

Mumbai's penultimate league match, against Daredevils in Visakhapatnam, was a crucial encounter as defeat would have all but ended their playoff chances. They had underperformed in their two previous "home" matches at the venue. This time, they were dominant from the start. Rohit and Guptill put on 46 - Mumbai's second-best opening stand of the season - before Krunal made a blistering 86 that propelled the side to 206. This was followed by a strong bowling performance, headlined by Jasprit Bumrah and Krunal, who took 5 for 28 between them. The 80-run win was not only a statement of intent, but also a timely boost to their net run rate.

Worst defeat

Mumbai's first match in Visakhapatnam was an unmitigated disaster. Poor, indisciplined bowling enabled Sunrisers Hyderabad to score 177 on a sticky wicket where batting was not straightforward. Then the chase went horribly wrong as Mumbai lost half their side for 30. Only some late resistance from Harbhajan helped them limp to a still-embarrassing 92 all out.

What they need most next season

Jos Buttler scored 255 runs this season; Kieron Pollard scored 207. Both averaged in the 20s and had strike-rates around 140. Both chipped in with a few bright cameos, in chases and when batting first. Overall, their returns this season were commendable, but not commanding. If these two overseas stars could find another gear and become regular match-winners next season, it could provide Mumbai with the inspiration and intensity that they mostly lacked this time around.

Frail middle order costs Knight Riders

Where they finished

Fourth on the league table. Crashed out after a 22-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator.

How they got there

For a team that on paper looked supremely balanced, Kolkata Knight Riders slipped up at a critical point of the tournament, winning just two of their last five league matches. At one point, Knight Riders' XI consisted of as many as 10 players who had played some form of international cricket, and yet, never once did they look like the most dominant or threatening force in the competition.

Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa's flourishing opening partnership was the dominant theme of the first half. But their alliance did not transcend to the next level, occupied by the likes of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. The Uthappa-Gambhir combine had veiled Knight Riders' frail middle order. But Yusuf Pathan's timely return to form bailed them out once the duo cooled off in the latter stages.

For an attack that is as spin-heavy as theirs, Knight Riders' bowling numbers weren't too skewed. Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Brad Hogg and Kuldeep Yadav's combined tally of 37 wickets was one short of what their pace quartet of Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Andre Russell and Ankit Rajpoot managed. Chawla, with a quicker, seam-up variation added to his arsenal, was Knight Riders' best spinner, but Kuldeep, the 21-year old chinaman bowler, also made viewers sit up by smartly mixing up his length and pace.

Usually a formidable side at their bastion, Eden Gardens, Knight Riders won four and lost three at home - a stark contrast to 5-1 in 2015 and 4-0 in 2014. That Knight Riders relied heavily on particular individuals became apparent when they struggled to cope with the absence of Manish Pandey when he was down with chickenpox. Their quest to find a suitable replacement at No. 3 even extended to trying Chawla out at that position. They were able to keep their head above water when Andre Russell picked up an ankle injury, and beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 22 runs in their final league match to seal a playoffs berth. But Russell's absence was telling in the Eliminator when they lost to the same opponents by the same margin.

Highlights

A domineering presence in the middle order, Yusuf showed that opponents still had good reason to be wary of him. Yusuf's purple patch began with an unbeaten 29-ball 60 against Royal Challengers Bangalore that fired Knight Riders to an improbable win. Yusuf followed that up with scores of 19*, 63* and 37* before he biffed an unbeaten 52 in their last league match that took his team through to the playoffs. In all, he crunched 361 runs - third behind Gambhir and Uthappa - at 72.20 and struck at 145.56.

Russell was Knight Riders' undisputed MVP. Brute force and an uncanny ability to clear the boundary with ease have made Russell among the most feared finishers in T20 cricket, and he provided an uninhibited display of that. While Russell was duly heralded for his prowess with the bat, it was with the ball that he made a greater impact. Russell worked his way to the top of his team's bowling charts with 15 scalps, and among the main pacers - Morkel, Umesh and himself - was the only one with an economy rate of less than eight.

Disappointments

Suryakumar Yadav had enjoyed a rich vein of form in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy, cracking three centuries and five half-centuries on his way to 788 runs. In the first real opportunity he got in IPL 2016, Suryakumar made it count, striking 60 off 49 balls against Rising Pune Supergiants to help Knight Riders chase down 161 in a last-over finish on a turning track. But Suryakumar wasn't able to stay switched on thereafter, with a lack of opportunities and a failure to capitalise on starts highlighting his campaign. In all, he managed only 182 runs from 11 innings at a strike rate of 127.27.

Key stats

• Knight Riders used eight different batsmen at No. 3 - the most by any team in this IPL. Only Delhi Daredevils have used more players at that spot - nine in 2011 and 2013. Knight Riders themselves had used eight players in 2010.
• Gambhir and Uthappa added 566 runs - the second-most by an opening pair in this IPL after Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner, and the most ever by a Knight Riders pair.
• Knight Riders took 25 wickets in the Powerplay overs of the league stage - the most by any team.

Best win

After half-centuries from KL Rahul and Virat Kohli had lifted them to 185 for 7,Royal Challengers had Knight Riders on the mat at 69 for 4 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Russell joined Yusuf and the duo struggled to middle the ball, and with 81 needed from six overs, the home team was ready to apply the choke. That was until Russell and Yusuf launched a sensational assault, plundering 58 runs in three overs. Russell fell with 21 needed, but Yusuf sealed a remarkable come-from-behind win with five balls to spare.

Worst defeat

Before their match against Gujarat Lions on May 8, Knight Riders were the No. 1 team on the points table, and with a healthy net run rate, a win would have put them comfortably ahead of the rest and consolidated top spot. But an early wobble reduced them to 24 for 4 and it took half-centuries from Yusuf and Shakib Al Hasan, who shared an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 134, to lift them to 158. Dinesh Karthik's half-century and contributions from the rest of the order helped Lions seal the chase in just 18 overs and Knight Riders were displaced from the top. The defeat also began a stumble that ended with Knight Riders having to settle for fourth place and losing an extra chance to make the final.

What they need to do next season

Cut out their dependency on Uthappa and Gambhir to give them a good start, and for Russell to provide the final flourish. Knight Riders need their middle order to take more responsibility. Knight Riders could also freshen up their line-up to avoid becoming predictable and making it easier for opponents to plan against them.

Despite having had a decent season, Sunil Narine seems past his prime and isn't a particularly unsettling prospect for opponents anymore. Knight Riders, therefore, may need to hunt for a new strike bowler.

Lions hurt by inability to defend totals

ARUN VENUGOPAL

Where they finished

Topped the league table, before losing their Qualifier matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

How they got there

New entrants Gujarat Lions were, by and large, the most sorted bunch, and they had results to show for that. They did many things right, starting with the way they put together their squad. While four of their five draft picks were a formulaic assembly of ex-Chennai Super Kings stars, their auction strategy melded experienced pros, proven domestic performers and exciting youngster. With like-for-like replacements for most players, they had every base covered.

But, despite their might on paper, it was playing to potential that made them the pace-setters - with six wins from their first seven games, they were the first to stake a serious claim for a playoff spot. Their victories were mostly set up by booming starts from the top order: five batsmen - captain Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, Dinesh Karthik and Dwayne Smith - aggregated more than 300 runs, while others teams couldn't muster four such batsmen. They were also better than most sides at the clutch, with three of their first six wins coming either off the last ball or by one run.

But their form took a hit with back-to-back reverses at home, against Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils, and they went on to lose four of their last seven league matches. However, they lifted their game at the right time to win their two 'home' games in Kanpur and seal a top-two spot. Their weakness lay in defending totals - of the six times they batted first, they won only once - and it proved costly in the Qualifiers.

Highlights

Dhawal Kulkarni emerged as the surprise candidate for the team's best bowler. Not only did he finish as Lions' highest wicket-taker (18) and the most economical bowler (7.42), but he also achieved those with conventional seam-and-swing bowling and by hitting a good length rather than the format's current fad - wide yorkers. Along with Bravo, who took 17 wickets, and on occasions, Praveen Kumar and Kaushik, Kulkarni ensured the team wasn't overly dependent on its batting.

Dwayne Smith didn't get a game until Finch was injured, but he made himself hard to drop with impactful performances. He blasted three half-centuries and registered the highest strike-rate for any Lions batsman who had scored more than 30 runs. Smith had little trouble adapting when slotted in the middle order, and even delivered with the ball at times.

Disappointments

When James Faulkner picked up for INR 5.5 crore at the player draft, was expected to deliver as a finisher, apart from being a gun end-overs bowler. Faulkner, though, disappointed on both flanks - he tallied 77 runs from five innings and picked up only two wickets from seven matches at an economy of 9.82 - and was subsequently dropped.

Ravindra Jadeja had an underwhelming season, particularly with the ball. Despite a few tight spells, exploiting the long boundaries in Rajkot, he registered only eight scalps. That Raina didn't bowl Jadeja in the second Qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad pointed to a lack of faith in his striking potential.

Key stats

• Lions were the only team to score 70 or more in the Powerplays till the end of the Qualifiers. They achieved the feat on four occasions.
• They are the first team in IPL history to top the points table while having a negative net run rate.
• Dhawal Kulkarni took 14 wickets in Powerplays - the most by any bowler this IPL.

Best win

Lions were cruising to what looked like a big win in Delhi before Chris Morris unleashed a stunning late assault. With 18 runs required off 12 balls, it took a top-drawer, yorker-heavy 19th over from Praveen for Lions to steal a one-run win.

Worst defeat

After snapping a three-match losing streak with a win over Kolkata Knight Riders, Lions ran into Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Lions opted to field first and were buried under the weight of centuries from AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. Six of their seven bowlers conceded more than 11 runs an over. Chasing 249, Lions folded up for 104 to hand Royal Challengers the record for the biggest margin of victory for a team in the IPL.

What they need to do next season

Throughout the season, Lions struggled to find a hard-hitting batsman in the lower middle-order, and played Ishan Kishan, Akshdeep Nath and Eklavya Dwivedi at different times. With Bravo and Jadeja inconsistent, it was a slippery route when the top-five batsmen didn't click. They would need to either blood one of the aforementioned three uncapped Indians in the role or find a competent finisher.

In his first full season as captain, Suresh Raina seemed to be on auto-pilot mode when his batsmen were on song, but withered when things deviated from plan. His field placements in the second Qualifier against a raging David Warner were questionable too, but it is possible he will be wiser for the experience.

A record-breaking year, but no title for RCB

VISHAL DIKSHIT

Where they finished

Runners-up for the third time

How they got there

When the season started, the Royal Challengers Bangalore line-up looked like a gym enthusiast who never showed up for legs day. Their top half was heavy and frightening, but they had almost nothing to show at the bottom. Samuel Badree and Mitchell Starc were part of the squad but injuries would soon rule both match-winners out of the entire tournament.

Having won only two of their first seven matches, they could not afford to lose more than one of their remaining seven. Their batsmen were firing, barring Chris Gayle, but whether they scored 185 or 191, they simply weren't able to defend, and were unable to settle on a bowling combination. It was like running on a treadmill - they weren't going anywhere.

From that point on, they banked on their home matches. Four of their last seven matches were at the batsman-friendly Chinnaswamy Stadium and their batsmen blazed away to such an extent that their bowlers were left with not much to do. Gayle regained form, while Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, arguably the two best batsmen in the world, reached unreal heights. Kohli hadn't scored a single T20 hundred before this season; now, one century was followed by another, and another, and a fourth one too. Kohli and de Villiers hammered Gujarat Lions,thrashed Kolkata Knight Riders by nine wickets, and Royal Challengers scored three 200-plus totals at home to march unstoppably into the Playoffs. Having been on the brink of being knocked out at one point, they sealed a final berth before anyone else.

Light bowling attack? Weakish middle order? Split webbing for the captain? No problem. By now Royal Challengers' bowling also fell into place. Chris Jordan was roped in, though perhaps later than he could have been, S Aravind was economical, Yuzvendra Chahal's legspinners and floaters were getting him wickets, and Shane Watson led the attack with his cutters and pace variations.

In the final, Royal Challengers ran into the most consistent team of the tournament, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and were trooping towards their target of 209 thanks to a big opening partnership between Gayle and Kohli, but quick wickets and big-stage nerves took over and they ran out of steam.

Highlight

In the 1990s, Old Trafford echoed with the chant "Giggs will tear you apart", celebrating a man who wore red and terrified oppositions. Replace Giggs with Kohli, and the Chinnaswamy could have done the same this IPL season. And he didn't tear oppositions apart all by himself. The bulk of Royal Challengers' weight-lifting was done by Kohli and de Villiers as their record-breaking stand of 219 against Lions underlined how two top batsmen with different styles could deflate any opposition. Together they scored 58% - 1660 runs (Kohli 973 and de Villiers 687) - of the 2863 that Royal Challengers scored off the bat. Kohli alone struck four centuries, a feat that surprised even himself, and stitched four century stands with de Villiers.

Disappointment

A team that had dismissed oppositions three times last season did so only once this time, while defending 248. They only restricted opponents to under 150 three times, towards the end of the tournament. They also struggled to settle on a bowling core they could rely on, with several changes made during the tournament, and all this amounted to an attack that was not all that threatening.

Key stats

• Royal Challengers' run rate of 9.62 this season is the highest for any team in an IPL campaign. The previous best was also by them, 9.17, in 2015
• Yuzvendra Chahal is the only spinner to feature among the top 10 wicket-takers this season. Chahal has been the top wicket-taker for Royal Challengers in successive seasons - 23 wickets in 2015 and 21 this time
• KL Rahul became the first Royal Challengers wicketkeeper to score more than 300 runs in a season; he ended with a tally of 397

Best win

It was conjured when they needed one win after another. The record-breaking144-run win against Gujarat Lions not only revived their season but also gave them confidence to go all the way to lift the trophy. Almost.

Worst defeat

Having kicked off their campaign with a total of 227 against Sunrisers, Royal Challengers looked to be headed for a second win when they posted a commanding 191 against Delhi Daredevils, but went on to lose as they came in the way of a Quinton de Kock hundred. That loss characterised the early part of the team's season, when their bowling seemed powerless to defend even imposing totals.

What they need most next season

Apart from a menacing bowling arsenal to complement their batting, Royal Challengers need a broad-chested middle order and pool of domestic talent. The final showed that their middle order was perhaps not fully equipped for a day when Kohli, Gayle and de Villiers would not see them through. For how long can Royal Challengers rely only on these match-winners? They could also rope in a couple more Indian bowlers to give them more flexibility given the limit on overseas players in the XI. And lastly but perhaps most importantly, they need a genuine wicketkeeper. KL Rahul is an excellent batsman, but he showed on a number of occasions through the season that the big gloves fit his hands uneasily.

Sunrisers' surge crafted by Warner's talent, bowling grit

ALAGAPPAN MUTHU

Where they finished

Champions, by winning a hat-trick of knockout matches.

How they got there

The Sunrisers Hyderabad story isn't quite Moneyball as much as it is 300. The Spartans lured the Persians into a nook between the mountains where the strength of numbers was useless. David Warner was one peak, their fast bowlers formed the other and rarely was an opposition allowed to breach. Sunrisers were able to ward off teams more powerful than themselves in this fashion, like Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final.

To further the analogy, there was plenty of bravery from the players as well. Warner opted to bat first in two must-win matches when the flavour of the season was to chase and while knowing he had to provide most of the runs.Bhuvneshwar Kumar kept faith in his yorkers when he had begun the season bowling six full-tosses in a seven ball over that cost 28 runs looking for that elusive delivery. Shikhar Dhawan weathered a slow start to the season and became one of five players with 500 runs in the season. Ashish Nehra, failing body or not, was their bowling leader, hitting speeds of 140 kph and mentoring the other fast bowlers in the squad.

Sunrisers began with two losses, but won seven out of the eight games that followed. They waylaid the defending champions Mumbai Indians twice, stunned Gujarat Lions thrice, capsized Royal Challengers twice and bested Kolkata Knight Riders' big-game instinct in the Eliminator. Every one of those teams knew taking out Warner and tempering the impact Bhuvneshwar and Mustafizur Rahman have would have given them a grand chance to win. None of them were able to do so well enough.

Twenty20, by its nature, allows individuals to dictate its course. And Sunrisers proved if those individuals took control of key stages during a match enough times, glory cannot be far behind.

Highlights

The empowerment of the bowlers. Mustafizur may not have always understood what was told to him, on account of his "problem" with English, but he knew he was Sunrisers' trump card. He had three men in the ring on the off side, even in the slog overs, poised for the cutter that produced the outside edge. Moises Henriques, who is known more for his batting, was given his full quota of overs almost as much as the frontline bowlers. Team mentor VVS Laxman had had a chat with Bhuvneshwar to ensure he did not stray from his pursuit of the blockhole. Ben Cutting, who got to play back-to-back matches only in the knockout stages, was asked to stick to his strengths - back-of-a-length bowling to cramp the batsmen is natural for someone who is 1.92 m [over 6 feet] tall.

The productivity of the captain. Warner expected himself to score quickly in the Powerplay. Then he had to temper himself so that he could bat as deep as he could. So well did he pace his innings that only four times was he stopped from making a fifty once he had crossed a score of 20. To be the kick-starter and the finisher, and to do it as often as he has knowing there wasn't much firepower behind him, showed the growth in his batting and his penchant for leading from the front.

Disappointments

The middle order. Often it seemed taking out the openers meant taking out Sunrisers' chances of a competitive total. Their Nos. 3 to 5 averaged 17.48, the worst among all teams this season, although it improved in the later stages of the tournament. Yuvraj Singh returned from injury to play a couple of vital cameos. Cutting's assault on Sunday night when Sunrisers were slipping away was particularly pleasing, because he did not let his team panic and, instead, instigated panic in the opposition.

Key stats

• Warner scored 468 runs while chasing in this IPL, the most by a batsman in a single season
• The Sunrisers fast bowlers took 82 wickets in 2016, the joint second-most for a team in a single IPL season. The Rajasthan Royals quicks took 89 in 2013.
• Their six wickets taken by their spinners is the least for any team in an IPL season
• They were the first team to finish outside the top two in the league stage and yet take the trophy, since the Eliminator and Qualfiers were added to the IPL schedule.

Best win(s)

There were two, and both of them featured a quality that has defined Sunrisers. Resilience. They went into Qualifier 2 without Mustafizur and that may have contributed to Warner preferring to chase; to give his bowlers a chance at facing less pressure. After all, two days ago he had said he liked having runs on the board in knockout matches. Gujarat Lions set Sunrisers a target of 163. Sunrisers crumbled to 84 for 5 and an irate Warner needed to vent. It was a quiet kind of anger, barring the outburst with Tom Moody. It was the kind of anger that fuels a person's resolve and makes him dangerous in a fight. By the time Warner was done, he had 93 unbeaten runs and his team was in the final.

The final, where Sunrisers got into a middle-order muddle and got out of it. And where they took blows from Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, and still came out on top.

Worst defeat

They gave Rising Pune Supergiants one of their five wins in the competition. Andit had everything that can give nightmares to a Sunrisers fan. Warner was out for a duck and only three batsmen made double-figures. They were put in to bat, slipped to 32 for 5 and could only manage 118, their second-lowest total in all IPLs. Steven Smith then bullied Mustafizur and denied Sunrisers even the notion of a comeback.

What they need most next season

They seemed to have back-ups ready for most of their key players. When Mustafizur was unfit, Trent Boult came in. With Kane Williamson and Eoin Morgan misfiring in the middle-order, they had a decent replacement in Cutting. In the same way, they bought Yuvraj Singh and Deepak Hooda to strengthen the middle order but the former is on the wane and the latter hasn't displayed the skills to bat long. An experienced player who can control the innings from No. 4 - preferably accustomed to Indian conditions - should be on their shopping list.