5 instances when IPL teams relied on a single player

The Indian Premier League is one tournament which involves players from around the globe. The International players are the most prized asset to the teams as only four are allowed in the playing XI. In many editions, we have witnessed the importance of the overseas players who have had to single-handedly perform exceptionally well and help their team to qualify for the playoffs. It is their contribution which leads to the team’s success. Here are 5 players on whom their teams depended heavily over the years:

1. Shaun March (KXIP) (2008)

Shaun Marsh topped the batting charts in 2008

Back in 2008, Shaun Marsh arrived in the IPL as an unknown property and outshone some of the biggest names in World cricket. Playing for the Kings XI Punjab, he smashed 616 runs in 11 matches at a staggering average of 68.44 with one ton and five fifties. And with that, he was also the first winner of the Orange Cap in Indian Premier League (IPL) history.

He was the lone star for Kings with the bat in that season and he single-handedly ensured that the team made it to the playoffs. The next best that season for Punjab was Kumar Sangakkara with 320 runs and then came Yuvraj Singh who scored a total of 299 runs. Marsh is one of the few players who have stayed with the same franchise since the first season of the IPL.

2. Chris Gayle (RCB) (2011)

Chris Gayle came in as a replacement

The most destructive batsman in the T20 format, Chris Gayle, had surprisingly remained unsold in the IPL auctions of 2011. He was devastated by the news and started preparing to resume international duties. Later he got a sudden call up from the Royal Challengers Bangalore team management as Australian bowler Dirk Nannes got injured during the IPL.

Gayle’s arrival was emphatic as he blasted the KKR bowlers at the Eden Gardens and scored 102 off just 55 balls changing the fortunes of RCB as they had lost the previous four games. RCB went on to win 9 out of their last 10 games they played in that season and it was all because of the big man, Gayle, who amassed 608 runs in 12 matches at an average of 67.5.

3. Laith Malinga (MI) (2011)

Malinga has been MI’s spearhead for a long time now

Lasith Malinga kept the Mumbai Indians floating in the 4^th season of the IPL and showed what he is made of with some stellar performances with the ball. The slinging right-arm fast bowler rattled the batsmen with his toe-crushing Yorkers. His best figures till date of 5 for 13 at the Feroz Shah Kotla against Delhi Daredevils came in that season.

He went on to scalp 28 wickets in 16 matches at an astonishing average of 5.95 in 2011. The franchise has ensured that stays with them by always retaining him during the auctions.

4. Glen Maxwell (KXIP) ( 2013)

Glenn Maxwell won the player of the tournament award in 2014

Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, over time has established a reputation for having only one solution to every problem - attack. Irrespective of the situation of the game, Maxwell plays his strokes and when they come off, he is a hero.

In the 2014 season, Maxwell played a pivotal role in Punjab reaching their first IPL final. In their tournament opener, Maxwell plundered the Chennai Super Kings bowlers, racing to 95 runs from just 43 balls, and followed it up with a 45-ball 89 against the Rajasthan Royals. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he picked up his third consecutive Man of the Match award, a rare record in the IPL, after scoring a 43-ball 95. In all, in 16 games in the season, he piled on 552 runs, averaging almost 35 with a whopping strike rate of 187.75. Prior to that, he had largely fruitless seasons with Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai.

Punjab’s performances this season highlighted how much they depended on this man last season to make it to the last 4 stage.

5. David Warner (SRH) (2015)

Warner almost carried SRH in to the playoffs this season

David Warner was the mainstay of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting line-up this season. Every time he came out to bat, he made sure he scored runs and provided a good start for the team, thereby making up for the lack of depth in their middle order. His performances almost ensured a berth for SRH into the playoffs but they unfortunately missed out due to their loss in the do-or-die game against champions Mumbai Indians.

Overall, Warner aggregated 562 runs in 14 matches and won the orange cap. Even though the Australian did well, he unfortunately did not receive much support from his teammates apart from Shikhar Dhawan and Moises Henriques.