IPL 2018: The hits and the misses

The 11th edition of the Indian Premier League had some of the best international cricketers in one place. While some had a telling impact on their teams’ fortunes, many had a tough time of it.

Here’s a selection of some of the best, not in any particular order.

The Hits **Kane Williamson (Sunrisers Hyderabad)**With David Warner out of IPL 2018, Williamson found himself in the thick of things. However, he took to the job brilliantly, ending the tournament as its highest run-getter. For someone who is not known to be a power-hitter, he amassed 735 runs in 17 outings at a strike rate of 142.44 with a highest score of 84 and was instrumental in taking Sunrisers Hyderabad to the final.

**Shane Watson (Chennai Super Kings)**The veteran Australian all-rounder was one of the members of the Chennai side that made the team such an experienced outfit, a team with so much experience that critics called it the Dad’s Army. They won in the end, and Watson had a big influence with two swashbuckling centuries, one early on and one in the match that mattered the most, the final. Overall, 555 runs at a strike rate of 154.59 and quite a few overs with his medium pace made Watson one of the stars of the tournament.

**Rishabh Pant (Delhi Daredevils)**It’s probably too early to mention the 20-year-old wicket-keeper batsman in a list with some of the most glittering names in the world game, but he has played four Twenty20 Internationals, so he qualifies. He qualifies also because he was perhaps the most impressive young batsman in the IPL, the only shining light in an otherwise poor campaign for his team. Pant scored 684 runs in 14 games at an incredible strike rate of 173.60. His 128* against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he took on the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan with nonchalance, was a viewers’ delight.

**KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab)**Rahul's campaign was in a lot of ways similar to Pant's. With not a lot of support from the batsmen around him, the stylish opener almost single-handedly took Punjab to the brink of the play-offs only to see his side falter in the key moments. Rahul finished with 659 runs in 14 outings at a strike rate of 158.41. He scored six half-centuries with a highest of 95* against Rajasthan.

**Ambati Rayudu (Chennai Super Kings)**The lad from Hyderabad was a big reason behind Chennai winning the trophy for the third time. Rayudu was a force to reckon with, finishing as the fourth-highest scorer with 602 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 149.75. He was one of the few centurions this year, his 62-ball 100 in the group game against Hyderabad giving his side an easy eight-wicket win.

**Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)**Dhoni has had critics breathing down his neck the past few years, people questioning his finishing abilities, especially in T20s. The former India captain, however, showed his detractors what he is still capable of by playing a lead role in guiding Chennai Super Kings to the title. Dhoni led from the front with the bat, scoring 455 runs in 16 games at a strike rate of 150.66 with a best of 79* against Punjab, and masterminded win after win from behind the stumps.

**Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals)**The hard-hitting England batsman started the IPL for Rajasthan with moderate success lower down the order, but asked to open, Buttler blossomed. He cracked five consecutive half-centuries, equalling Virender Sehwag's record. His 548 runs in 13 innings before he left for England duty not just helped Rajasthan secure a place in the play-offs but was one of the highlights of the tournament.

**Rashid Khan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)**The 19-year-old leg-spinner from Afghanistan was picked up by Hyderabad – his old team – for a huge price and he proved to be worth every penny. He finished the tournament as the second-highest wicket-taker behind Andrew Tye, with up 21 wickets in 17 games at an outstanding economy rate of 6.73. Often foxing the batsmen with his fast leg-breaks and deceptive googlies, Khan was the trump card for Williamson as the team reached the final.

**Umesh Yadav (Royal Challengers Bangalore)**The speedster was in his element, providing Bangalore with wickets up front almost each time. He was quick, but more importantly he bowled in excellent areas, often not giving the batsmen a lot to work with. Yadav was exemplary in the Powerplays and finished the tournament with 20 wickets in 14 games, striking at 15.95 with a decent economy rate of 7.86.

**Andrew Tye (Kings XI Punjab)**The Australian seamer has been a revelation. Despite his side not qualifying for the play-offs, Tye finished as the highest wicket-taker with 24 scalps to his name in 14 matches at strike rate of 14.00 and a more than acceptable economy rate of 8.00. His subtle changes in pace coupled with a well-disguised knuckle ball made life extremely tough for the batsmen throughout.

Honourable mentions **Batsmen:**Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers (Bangalore), Suresh Raina (Chennai), and Dinesh Karthik, Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine (Kolkata).

**Bowlers:**Trent Boult (Delhi), Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai), Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav (Kolkata), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Punjab) and Shakib Al Hasan (Hyderabad).

And now, five players who were expected to do a lot more than they did.

The Misses **Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)**Sharma had perhaps his most disappointing IPL season with the bat, failing to cross the 300-run mark for the first time in 11 seasons, which was a major reason why Mumbai failed to qualify for the play-offs. He was unable to nail a position for himself in the batting order and failed to get going. He finished with 286 runs in 14 outings with just two half-centuries.

**Glenn Maxwell (Delhi Daredevils)**He was the marquee player for Delhi and came into IPL 2018 on the back of some solid performances in the Trans-Tasman T20I tri-series earlier this year where he was named Player of the Series. But at no stage did he look threatening with the bat. His failures with the bat – 169 runs in 12 matches with a best of 47 – was a big reason behind Delhi's stuttering campaign.

**Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians)**The big Trinidadian isn’t the player he used to be, and it was evident this season. Unable to bowl, Pollard couldn’t do enough with the bat either and was dropped on more than one occasion. He hit one half-century in nine games, returning with a modest 133 runs. His fielding remains top-notch, though.

**Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)**The England all-rounder was a star for Rising Pune Supergiant last year and it came as no surprise that Rajasthan broke their bank for him this time. Eventually snapped up for INR 12.5 crore, Stokes became the most expensive buy this season. However, the 26-year-old was unable to live up to his billing, failing to get going with both bat and ball. He could only churn out 196 runs in 13 outings at a strike rate of 121.73 while with the ball he picked up just eight wickets.

**Aaron Finch (Kings XI Punjab)**Another player his franchise depended heavily on, Finch, like countrymate Maxwell, was rather disappointing. Having missed the initials few games because of his marriage, Finch never really managed to get going once he got in. He returned a modest 134 runs in 10 outings with a highest score of 46.