We’re more than halfway through the 4th season of the CPL with the Guyana Amazon Warriors setting the pace at the top of the table. Martin Guptill, one of the two foreigners captaining a CPL side has been exceptional with his leadership, rotating his bowlers well and inspiring his team to put it extra effort to secure a win.
This year’s CPL has garnered more attention than any of its previous editions, with a number of factors playing a part to this increase in viewership. Most notably, India forayed into the CPL with Shah Rukh Khan taking over the Trinidad team and Vijay Mallya having ownership of the Barbados Franchise. It led to a few more stars of the IPL opting to play in the CPL, with AB De Villiers and Shane Watson penning contracts this season.
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The league is set to soon enter unchartered territory, migrating to the United States of America for its final set of fixtures. As we move into the business end of the CPL, it is time for the stars to earn their money and put in match-winning contributions.
Here, we rate the performances of 5 of IPL’s biggest stars in this year’s CPL:
1) Chris Gayle - 10/10
The ‘Universe Boss’ has lit up the CPL up with some astonishing performances so far, inspiring his team to 4 wins and second place after 6 games. He hasn’t skipped a beat and been absolutely destructive, tearing into the opponents bowling attack game after game. What is more impressive this season is that he has generally gone on to make a match-winning contribution. The highlight of the CPL so far was his remarkable 108* against the Trinbago Knight Riders, where his knock helped chase down 192. His team’s only failure came against the Amazon Warriors, where, unsurprisingly, he was bundled out for 0. He exacted full revenge against the Warriors when his unbeaten 45 helped the Tallawahs chase down 129 after being 2/4 at one stage.
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2) Dwayne Bravo - 9/10
Dwayne Bravo is another one who is enjoying a great season as captain. The defending champions have had an indifferent start to the season, winning half of their games and sitting at 4th place in the table. Bravo, has tried his best to inspire his team with tremendous all-round contributions in most of the games. He’s picked up 10 wickets and is only behind the Warriors duo of Sohail Tanvir and Adam Zampa in the leading wickets chart. Largely known for his bowling nowadays in T20s, he’s enjoyed a stellar season with the bat as well, with an unbeaten 66* against the Tridents his highlight so far.
3) AB De Villiers - 8.5/10
The entire complexion of this year’s CPL changed when the Barbados Tridents announced the signing of AB De Villiers, arguably, the best batsman in the world across the 3 formats. ‘Mr. 360’ is at his most dangerous in the T20 format, with his innovative stroke making and ability to accelerate at any point. He has gone about his job with distinction like he generally does, amassing 234 runs in his 6 matches at an average of 58.5, striking at 150. The Barbados Tridents are placed 3rd and poised to make a charge towards the top of the table towards the end of the season. He has saved his best for the SKN Patriots, where he has scored 2 half-centuries to help the Tridents do the double over them.
4) Sunil Narine - 8/10
Sunil Narine is a part of the core of the Trinbago side that is largely starting to resemble its Indian counterparts, the KKR thanks to the ownership. He has gone about his job diligently, restricting the flow of runs at crucial stages and getting breakthroughs at the right time for his team. 8 wickets from his 6 games at an average of 16.12 and an astonishing economy rate of 5.37 is what Narine has to show for his effort so far. His best performance came in a losing cause, against the Tallawahs as he conceded 9 runs and picked up a wicket in contrast to the rest of the bowlers who were taken for plenty.
5) Andre Russell - 4/10
The tall Jamaican has not enjoyed the best time in the CPL so far, struggling with form and fitness. He came into the CPL with a growing reputation for being one of the best all-rounders in the world, but he is yet to make his mark this time around. He was at his best during this IPL, with his intensity alone pushing his team across the line at times. Used sparingly as a bowler in the 4 games he has played, he has picked up only 2 wickets. With the bat, he is yet to make a telling contribution, with a highest score of 34* and is yet to cross the 100 run barrier in the tournament. With the CPL entering the business end of the season, Russell will surely wish to leave his mark.
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