The IPL 2021 has turned out to be a dual season, with the second leg currently underway in the UAE after a Covid-induced break of 5 months. There have been some brilliant performances in the current edition so far. With regard to batting, some of the much-fancied willows are yet to weave the magic expected of them: Virat, AB de Villiers, Rohit etc. However, some scintillating knocks have come from the blade of unexpected players. So, let us look into some of the bravura batting performances this season.
Rahul Tripathi (74 not out VS MI, Abu Dhabi)
Rahul Tripathi has been performing well in the IPL circuit for a while but he is yet to come out of the shadows of some of his high-profile teammates in the Kolkata Knight Riders. However, in the Abu Dhabi encounter against one of the best IPL teams, MI, his batting effort might have forced the cricketing world to finally acknowledge his immense potential as a batter. Against the bowling attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Adam Milne, the unbeaten 74 was worth its weight in the gold. After this knock, the rival teams would be as wary of Tripathi as they are against Shubhman Gill, Dinesh Kartik or Andre Russel.
Glenn Maxwell (78 of 49 balls VS CSK, Chennai)
The Australian had endured below-par IPL seasons prior to the 2021 edition but somehow managed attractive price tags every season, much to the astonishment of the cricketing world. This time Virat-led Royal Challengers Bangalore bought him for a hefty sum to bolster Bengaluru’s weak middle order. It seems Maxwell has finally found his bearings in the IPL after a long time by crossing 300 runs in the present season so far. His knock of 78 against a potent Chennai bowling attack in the Indian leg of the league in April this year helped RCB win by 38 runs against the IPL favourites CSK. What made this knock even more special was that it flayed the genius tactics employed by the Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Ravindra Jadeja (22 of 8 balls VS KKR, Abu Dhabi)
Yes, ‘Sir’ Jadeja has played more prolific knocks in the current IPL season, especially the unbeaten 62 of 28 balls against RCB in the first half of the IPL in India. However, the modest 22 in Abu Dhabi on September 26 came at a critical juncture and changed the course of the match completely. Chasing 172, Chennai were almost out of the game at 146/6, when they lost both Raina and Dhoni in quick succession, but Jadeja’s 21 runs in the 19th over against Prasidh Krishna sealed the match in favour of the Chennai team. For his stupendous show, Jadeja rightly got the Player Of The Match award as well.
Devdutt Padikkal (101 of 52 balls VS RR, Mumbai)
The Kerala-born young IPL sensation was in superb form in IPL 2020, but in 2021 he could not play a few games after testing positive for Coronavirus. However, once he turned negative for the Covid-19, it did not take many games for him to hit the straps. At Wankhede in April this year, Padikkal scored his first IPL ton against Rajasthan to ensure a comprehensive win for the RCB. Similar to the skipper of the RCB, there is nothing unorthodox about the youngster, who is completely devoted to the cricketing manual while scoring heaps of runs.
Kieron Pollard (87 of 34 VS CSK, Delhi)
The mighty West Indian has not been in his elements before this game in the national capital. But when CSK posted a humongous 219 in May this year in the Indian leg of the IPL, the Mumbai team knew they needed some special efforts from their batters. At 88/3 through the halfway stage, when Pollard walked into bat the game was all over for the MI. However, Pollard unleashed his brutality of the yore against Chennai bowlers in Delhi to script an unlikely victory. Like his Windies teammate Chris Gayle, Pollard simply stood and delivered the match on the platter for the Mumbai franchise through a jaw-dropping display of power-hitting.
