IPL Stars to Watch: Week 2
Lookout for these five superstars over the next seven days
There were a few surprises in Week 1 of Pepsi IPL 2014 – defending champions Mumbai Indians found themselves at the floor of the table, while Chennai Super Kings were just one place from the floor. Few surfaces aided the bowlers, while despite longer boundaries, batsmen continued to send the ball into the stands frequently. There are ten matches scheduled to be played over the next seven days. And one can expect plenty of action in Week 2 of Pepsi IPL 2014. Here are five players I am very excited to see in action in the next seven days:
Glenn Maxwell: After his exploits against the Chennai Super Kings (95 off 43 balls) and Rajasthan Royals (89 off 45 balls), Maxwell has already sowed a certain degree of fear among the bowlers – even before they run up to bowl to him. The Australian has been unstoppable – performing equally admirably against pace and spin and has scored runs in all areas of the ground. Against the spinners, he has used the slog sweep and the reverse-sweep to good effect so far. But in the coming week, he will be tested by a far more potent bowling attack; chances are he could face speedsters like Dale Steyn or Morne Morkel, and crafty spinners like Amit Mishra, Karn Sharma or Sunil Narine. Whether he continues to make merry and retain his position as the holder of the Orange Cup remains to be seen.
For all those who’ve had Maxwell in their Fantasy League teams, the Australian has earned more points than any other player in the past week – 424.
David Miller: Killer Miller has so far played two different kind of knocks. In the first match against Chennai Super Kings, he allowed Maxwell to flourish and then stepped on the accelerator once Maxwell departed. In the second outing against Rajasthan Royals, he got into destruction mode almost from the word go. The South African has shown he is versatile; his battles against Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and the crafty Sunil Narine promises to make for exciting viewing.
Kevin Pietersen: An unfortunate injury to his little finger forced Kevin Pietersen to miss Delhi Daredevils’ first couple of matches. DD’s skipper announced he was fast recovering and it was only a matter of time before he took the field. Amidst all the furore back home, the new-look KP will want his willow to make a point or two to his detractors. In his previous IPL stint – with the Daredevils back in 2012 – KP was in smashing form; he notched up his only century in Twenty20 cricket and left Indian shores with 305 runs from eight innings at a strike rate of 147.34. Will he be able to pick up from where he left off last time round?
Virender Sehwag, Mitchell Johnson: There will be plenty of eyeballs on Virender Sehwag and Mitchell Johnson right through Pepsi IPL 2014. Perhaps one of India's greatest match-winners with the bat, Sehwag has said he is keen to win his place back in the Indian team. And scoring runs against some of the world’s best bowlers perhaps is the best way to drive home the point that he still has a lot to offer. The Nawab of Najafgarh has a huge fan following and many Indian cricket fans want him to do well. One only hopes all their prayers turn to blessings, and the Delhi Dasher can answer their wishes in the form of runs from the bat.
Starting with the tour of India last year and before Pepsi IPL 2014, Johnson picked up 67 wickets in 15 matches in various formats of the game – at a startling strike rate of a wicket every 33 balls. He almost single-handedly won Australia the Ashes and then played a huge hand in helping Australia win the Test series in South Africa. With a slingy action, combined with pace and hostility, Johnson has been a nightmare for batsmen in the last few months. However, he has not had the best of times in the first week of Pepsi IPL 2014. His combined figures from his first two matches read 8-0-76-1 – that’s an economy rate of 9.50 runs per over. He has been devastating especially against the left-handers. KXIP’s opponents in the coming week – Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders – have a few left-handers in their ranks, and one hopes that fact acts as a trigger to help Johnson rediscover his form.
Glenn Maxwell: After his exploits against the Chennai Super Kings (95 off 43 balls) and Rajasthan Royals (89 off 45 balls), Maxwell has already sowed a certain degree of fear among the bowlers – even before they run up to bowl to him. The Australian has been unstoppable – performing equally admirably against pace and spin and has scored runs in all areas of the ground. Against the spinners, he has used the slog sweep and the reverse-sweep to good effect so far. But in the coming week, he will be tested by a far more potent bowling attack; chances are he could face speedsters like Dale Steyn or Morne Morkel, and crafty spinners like Amit Mishra, Karn Sharma or Sunil Narine. Whether he continues to make merry and retain his position as the holder of the Orange Cup remains to be seen.
For all those who’ve had Maxwell in their Fantasy League teams, the Australian has earned more points than any other player in the past week – 424.
David Miller: Killer Miller has so far played two different kind of knocks. In the first match against Chennai Super Kings, he allowed Maxwell to flourish and then stepped on the accelerator once Maxwell departed. In the second outing against Rajasthan Royals, he got into destruction mode almost from the word go. The South African has shown he is versatile; his battles against Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and the crafty Sunil Narine promises to make for exciting viewing.
Kevin Pietersen: An unfortunate injury to his little finger forced Kevin Pietersen to miss Delhi Daredevils’ first couple of matches. DD’s skipper announced he was fast recovering and it was only a matter of time before he took the field. Amidst all the furore back home, the new-look KP will want his willow to make a point or two to his detractors. In his previous IPL stint – with the Daredevils back in 2012 – KP was in smashing form; he notched up his only century in Twenty20 cricket and left Indian shores with 305 runs from eight innings at a strike rate of 147.34. Will he be able to pick up from where he left off last time round?
Virender Sehwag, Mitchell Johnson: There will be plenty of eyeballs on Virender Sehwag and Mitchell Johnson right through Pepsi IPL 2014. Perhaps one of India's greatest match-winners with the bat, Sehwag has said he is keen to win his place back in the Indian team. And scoring runs against some of the world’s best bowlers perhaps is the best way to drive home the point that he still has a lot to offer. The Nawab of Najafgarh has a huge fan following and many Indian cricket fans want him to do well. One only hopes all their prayers turn to blessings, and the Delhi Dasher can answer their wishes in the form of runs from the bat.
Starting with the tour of India last year and before Pepsi IPL 2014, Johnson picked up 67 wickets in 15 matches in various formats of the game – at a startling strike rate of a wicket every 33 balls. He almost single-handedly won Australia the Ashes and then played a huge hand in helping Australia win the Test series in South Africa. With a slingy action, combined with pace and hostility, Johnson has been a nightmare for batsmen in the last few months. However, he has not had the best of times in the first week of Pepsi IPL 2014. His combined figures from his first two matches read 8-0-76-1 – that’s an economy rate of 9.50 runs per over. He has been devastating especially against the left-handers. KXIP’s opponents in the coming week – Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders – have a few left-handers in their ranks, and one hopes that fact acts as a trigger to help Johnson rediscover his form.
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