While the cricket world was left mesmerized by the wizardry of batting stars such as Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and David Warner, there was one man who went about his business in an unflinching manner. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the highest wicket-taker in the IPL, was one of the major reasons behind Sunrisers Hyderabad’s path to victory.
Suitably, the 26-year old seamer attracted enormous attention from his skipper in the aftermath of the summit clash against the Royal Challengers. Speaking in the post-match press conference, SRH skipper Warner credited Bhuvneshwar for leading the bowling attack with aplomb.
The Australian batsman asserted, “Obviously Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar) is in and out of the Indian team, but he is a world-class bowler. With the new ball as an opening batsman, I would like to come up against him on a wicket like this because he sets the tone from ball one.”
An integral aspect of Kumar’s performance was his execution of one accurate yorker after another in the death overs. Warner noted, “I have got utmost faith in him (Bhuvneshwar) and the way he plays his cricket. He is passionate. He loves the game and I always rely on him towards the end.”
The left-hander reserved some praise for the young Mustafizur Rahman too. Awarded the ‘Emerging Player of the Tournament’, the canny Bangladeshi bowler was utilized brilliantly by his captain.
Warner affirmed, “Obviously, Mustafizur Rahman is a promising player for Bangladesh. It is a credit to him that he has played outstanding cricket along with Bhuvi. Hope he keeps fit and strong for future games.”
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When asked about how he dealt with Chris Gayle’s onslaught in the final, the opening batsman revealed, “Our quest was to maintain composure while Chris Gayle was going after our bowling. I spoke to the bowlers to bowl wide and slower balls but despite that he was striking the ball with power.”
He added, “But we knew if we could get quick wickets, it would be hard on the next batsmen to play shots. Warner was also effusive in his adulation for rival leader Kohli’s remarkable exploits in the competition.”
Reflecting on lifting the trophy in RCB’s fortress, the aggressive cricketer felt, “Look we knew, we had to get 200. Virat Kohli – What a great leader. I can't take it away from him. He set the benchmark this season. We knew we had to win three straight games. To win in Bangalore, we were underdogs. But, we batted well, bowled and fielded well.”
Immensely satisfied with the efforts of his team-mates, Warner enthused, “It was a fantastic team achievement. To lead this side and the support from the players, me pulling my weight with the runs, it has been a hard journey. It's a team effort. To have the perfect game, we needed to gel. For us, the key was a team effort all the way.”
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