Twenty matches, two venues done and dusted. Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to move on to the to the next forty matches, across the other four venues. Before that, here are some highlights from the past week.
Best absentee: A country reeling under a pandemic
Whether the IPL should have continued with India writhing under the Covid-19 wave is debatable. Some think it is too insensitive to go on at this point. Some want it to continue, for it is the only respite for fans. What is beyond debate, however, is that the tournament and cricketers could have played key roles in combating the pandemic, even if by sending out simple messages. That did not happen prominently until 25 April, the last day of the week.
Best performance: Sir Jadeja doing Sir Jadeja things
It began against Rajasthan Royals, when he took a couple of wickets and held four catches. But against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Ravindra Jadeja took things to another level. He scored 36 out of 37 in an over from Harshal Patel (Purple Cap holder, remember), en route to a fifty. Then he took three wickets, bowled a maiden, and inflicted a run out with a direct hit. He was everywhere.
Worst scare: Cummins hitting Buttler
Rajasthan had already been hit by the withdrawal of Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, and Jofra Archer. They were in real scare of running out of overseas cricketers. Thus, fans had their hearts in their mouths when Pat Cummins hit Jos Buttler on the helmet and the medical staff performed concussion tests. Thankfully, Buttler continued.
Best celebrations: Riyan Parag
During the same match, Cummins holed out to Riyan Parag at deep mid-wicket. Rahul Tewatia ran to congratulate him from deep square-leg. Riyan took out an imaginary camera from his pocket, stood next to Tewatia, and clicked an imaginary selfie. Perhaps something only a 21st-century cricketer could have come up with.
Best quote: Jimmy Neesham
“Hey let’s super [over] go to bed and pretend like this isn’t a thing.” – Kane Williamson getting involved in a Super Over does not evoke happy memories.