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Note: All facts and figures accurate up to 21st April, 2013
29 games have been played across three weeks of the Indian Premier League and two Super Overs have already been played – the same number that has occurred across the first five editions of IPL. There have been unbelievable turnarounds this season, with more than half the number of matches streaming into the last over of the game. And with that, let us have a look at the nominees for the Player of this Week.
1. Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings)
The ‘Sir’ tag seems to have had his effect on the Indian all-rounder, as he seems to get better with every match that he plays under MS Dhoni. He has donned the role of a finisher in the Chennai line-up, with Dhoni making himself comfortable in the middle order. After his last over heroics that clinched the match from Bangalore last week, he single-handedly distracted the Knight Riders from closing on a win at Kolkata, as Jadeja smashed 36 runs off just 14 balls, including three sixes and three fours, to ensure that CSK got to an easy win with five balls to spare. In the same game, he also took three crucial wickets with ball, giving away just 20 runs, to be rightly named as the Man of the Match.
2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Pune Warriors India)
The Indian pacer, who has already made a huge impact with the new ball at the international level, seems to have acquired that habit in the IPL too, with magnificent spells with the ball against CSK and SRH. Against CSK, he bowled an accurate line and length, dismissing Anirudha Srikanth and Suresh Raina, along with a maiden over, and conceding only twelve runs off his four overs. When PWI took on SRH, Bhuvi was bang on target, exposing Hyderabad’s middle order, showcasing his ability to swing the ball both the ways. He took 3/18 to trigger a batting collapse for SRH.
3. Manpreet Gony (Kings XI Punjab)
Formerly with the Chennai and Hyderabad franchises, Manpreet Gony, a lost talent, was on the fringes of the Punjab team this summer. And when he got his chance against KKR, he was in to face the first ball after Sunil Narine’s hat-trick that pegged back KXIP’s hopes of posting a huge total. Gony casually walked in and thwacked Balaji and Narine for a cluster of sixes over mid-wicket and long-on, including 23 runs off the mystery spinner’s over to hit a quickfire 42 off just 18 balls. He did not stop with that, as he first sent back the well-set Gambhir with the ball, giving away just 2 runs off his last two overs (wides) to steal victory for Punjab from an unlikely situation.
4. Virender Sehwag (Delhi Daredevils)
Viru-pa seemed to have gained weight and lost some of his eyesight that brought talks of his retirement. But the Viv Richards effect worked really well as Sehwag made an astute knock in the typical Viru fashion, announcing his arrival to form with a thumping knock against the Mumbai Indians at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Sunday. Every shot in Sehwag’s book was in place, as he took on the hapless MI bowlers from the very beginning of the innings. Chasing 161 for their first win of the tournament, along with Mahela Jayawardene, the swashbuckling opener made an unbeaten 95, as DD were home in the 17th over to spoil all the good work done by Rohit Sharma and Tendulkar.
5. Amit Mishra (Sun Risers Hyderabad)
Probably the best leggie in the country at the moment, he has been at his very best this IPL season, chipping in with wickets at critical situations, remaining the chief destructor with the ball for the new franchise. Against PWI, when they were cruising with 14 runs required off the last two overs with four wickets in hand, and with two proper batsmen at the crease, Mishra came in to bowl the penultimate over and had captain Angelo Mathews caught at long-off off his second delivery. Then he unveiled his magic with the ball, as he ripped through the tail in the last three balls, dismissing all three batsmen for golden ducks, thus taking his third hat-trick of the Indian Premier League.
6. David Miller (Kings XI Punjab)
The little-known South African was selected ahead of Dimitri Mascarenhas to play in the game against a revamped Pune Warriors India on Sunday. Pune posted 185 on board, their third highest total of the IPL. Punjab were on the back foot pretty early in the match, after Gilchrist, Vohra and Mahmood were back in the hut with the scoreboard reading 58/3. Miller joined Mandeep Singh in the middle with a daunting task ahead of them. While Mandeep was busy anchoring the innings, Miller shifted gears and launched an aggressive attack on the PWI bowlers, slowly taking control of the match. Miller made a sizzling 80 off just 41 balls, including two sixes off the final over from Luke Wright to snatch a famous victory.
