The dust has just about settled on the Bull Ring, Eddie Grant’s taken his microphone home, so we at setanta.com thought it the right time to dish out our IPL awards.
We champion the good, point the finger at the bad and highlight the downright bizarre and as ever we will welcome your feedback.
Player: Suresh Raina
The IPL was awash with star players but it was a relative unknown who rose to the top of the tree. Suresh Raina was surrounded by players of the stature of Matthew Hayden, Andrew Flintoff and MS Dhoni, but rather than be overawed he proved he belonged in that class. Time and again he showed his class with the bat, Raina made 434 runs at an average of 31, but he put himself in the all-rounder class with his off spin. He became a key figure for Dhoni, taking seven wickets with an economy rate of 5.92, and he showed himself a top-class cover fielder.
Young player: Rohit Sharma
There were a host of youngsters who stood up to be counted and that is a great credit to the format of The IPL. Suresh Raina qualifies for this award but seen as he has been named our player of the tournament, we felt it appropriate to look elsewhere and Deccan’s success tipped the balance in Rohit Sharma’s favour.
Sharma looks to have the world at his feet, he does not look out of place in the highest class with the bat as on numerous occasions he showed nerve that belied his years in steering Deccan through troubled waters. His bowling developed as the tournament went on, Adam Gilchrist was not afraid to turn to the youngster with the ball, and he is excellent in the field. A star of the future for India.
Bowler: Lasith Malinga
RP Singh claimed the purple cap for the bowler who took the most wickets and he played a key part in Deccan Chargers’ push for glory, but Lasith Malinga was a shining light in The IPL. His economy rate was excellent and he led the attack with aplomb despite Mumbia Indians being one of the disappointments of the tournament. The Sri Lankan was given scant support from his fellow bowlers and he looked to be on the way back to his best, following a torrid time with injury.
Batsman: Matthew Hayden
Hayden was the top run scorer in the tournament and rolled back the years with some stunning hitting. Some have argued that he headed into retirement prematurely and his displays in The IPL only gave weight to that argument. It was like watching the Hayden of old, the puffed out chest bullying bowlers of all talents. He led Chennai to the semi-finals and perhaps it was his injury shortly before the end of the league stage that cost The Super Kings, as he looked a little short of his peak in the semi-final with Bangalore.
Fielder: AB de Villiers
As you would expect from the greatest Twenty20 tournament on the planet, a host of top class fielders have wowed the crowds in South Africa. The likes of Andrew Symonds, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dwayne Smith stand up to the closest scrutiny, but they were overshadowed by a local boy. Ab de Villiers is one of those people who are tagged ‘natural sportsman’. He has kept wicket for South Africa on occasions but good though he is, that would be an utter waste of his talents. He can field anywhere and make it look easy, is unflappable under pressure and the sight of him pulling off a stunning catch can only act as a spur for his team-matest.
Captain: Anil Kumble
Adam Gilchrist deserves great credit for transforming Deccan’s fortunes, but it was a senior figure in Indian cricket that stood out. Bangalore were in complete disarray prior to Kevin Pietersen’s departure and there was conjecture as to who Ray Jennings would turn to. Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Rahul Dravid were mentioned, but Jennings turned to Kumble and it proved an astute move. There are few more competitive or respected figures in world cricket than Anil Kumble and he transformed Bangalore’s fortunes. He instilled belief and togetherness in the side, they fought back to go all the way to the final and only RP Singh took more wickets than him.
Catch: AB de Villiers
DeVilliers is well qualified to pick up this accolade, given he has already scooped our best fielder award. There were a number of stunning catches taken at the IPL - Suresh Raina pouched one at point early in the tournament and Harmeet Singh's pressure catch in the final stand out, but this one from the South African almost defied logic. Fielding at first slip is never easy as there is always the chance of the keeper coming across you, but De Villiers showed his natural ability as a fielder when taking a one-handed catch low to his right from a drive off Luke Pomersbach. The ball went at great pace and it was actually behind AB when he snaffled the ball a foot off the turf.
Flop: Sanath Jayasuriya
Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians could well have scooped this unwanted gong, but we felt it wise to look at players. Last year’s sensation Swopnil Asnodkar blew out spectacularly on the pacey South African wickets, Jesse Ryder hardly lived up to his price tag but the huge disappointment was Sanath Jayasuriya. The Sri Lankan was expected to be one of the men to propel Mumbai to glory, but it looked like time had caught up with the veteran and towards the end of the tournament when his confidence was shot, it was sad to see a once great player look so out of touch.
Moan: The Strategy Break
The standard of umpiring left a lot to be desired and came a close second, but without doubt the lowlight of the competition was the much-maligned Strategy Break. I really cannot see a seven and a half minute timeout in the middle of a 20-over innings catching on. It disrupted the flow of the game and served no real purpose, given that sometimes after 8 and 9 overs batsmen were taking on drinks and later in the innings fielding captains were tinkering with their plans.
Moment: Celebrating Sree
Who said The IPL is all about money? It didn’t seem that way when Sree Sreesanth took two wickets in an over against Chennia. The Indian seamer made his return from injury during the IPL and looked out of sorts prior to striking gold against The Super Kings. The second of his wickets, a superb inswinging yorker that proved too good for India captain MS Dhoni, prompted the kind of celebration that would not have looked out of place at a World Cup final.
Comedy moment: Bruno the dog
Very few people will remember who won the first game, Mumbai beat Chennai for the record, but many will remember Bruno the dog taking the IPL by storm. The canine ambled onto the Cape Town surface and refused to be moved. Some 11 minutes passed before the lure of a bone tempted him to exit stage left, but he’d already secured a place in IPL folklore.