5 things we learnt from IPL's Arabian safari

IPL's late decision to move to the UAE proved to be a success in the end, after two weeks of some cracking cricketing action.Here are the five things we learnt from the UAE leg of IPL 2014.

#5 Wherever IPL goes, fans seem to follow

A lot of fuss was made about the fact that India hadn’t played in the UAE since 2006 and the decision to award UAE the tournament was a last-minute decision. For all the doom and gloom predicted before the start of the tournament about the timings, or the crowds, the fans still turned out in huge number.

The massive Indian diaspora that lives in the UAE, made for packed stadiums and an atmosphere that was far better than the last time IPL was moved out of India. Although the average fan in the UAE didn't even get to watch the opening ceremony, as it was an invitees-only event, they still made the first leg of IPL 2014 a memorable one by providing their unfailing support.

#4 Mumbai batsmen struggling to find form

Glenn Maxwell and Dwayne Smith are currently the top two leading run-scorers in the tournament so far and it is a damning indictment that both were players that Mumbai let go this season. Whilst it is true that you can't keep a hold of all your players, on the evidence of the performances so far, it looks like Mumbai have a side that is severely lacking in the batting department.

The arrival of the evergreen Mike Hussey was supposed to bring a new lease of life into the Mumbai top order. But, the truth is that the Australian has failed to deliver. What makes matters even worse for the team is that he isn’t alone. There is no Mumbai Indians batsman in the list of top 10 run-getters so far and Ambati Rayudu, the side’s best batsman so far, only has 133 runs from five innings, much less than half of what Maxwell has so far.

For having a realistic chance of making it into the play off, they must get their batting order right.

#3 Emergence of Miller, Maxwell and co.

With scores of 95, 89 and 95 in his opening three innings, Glenn Maxwell certainly managed to make more impact this season, than he managed in the entire tournament last time around, when he was warming the Mumbai Indians’ bench. Maxwell and Miller’s pyrotechnics have meant that Kings XI return to India with a perfect record.

And it is not just the batting that has come good for Kings XI. In Sandeep Sharma, they have a bowler who has taken 7 wickets in his three matches at a strike rate of 9.4, whilst averaging just under 9 and an economy rate of 5.63 – the best among all Indian bowlers.

Their belligerent batting, bedazzling bowling and their fantastic fielding has put them in a very strong position to qualify for the playoffs, along with CSK.

#2 The form of Indian pace bowlers

One of the biggest surprise of the UAE leg of the IPL has been the form of young Indian fast bowlers, who took a liking to the conditions that had a little bit help for them. The likes of Varun Aaron, Ishwar Pandey and Sandeep have not only been picking up wickets, but have also shown high levels of control and consistency.

And it is not just the new kids on the block who have taken a liking to the UAE. Bowlers like Lakhsmipathy Balaji, Vinay Kumar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have also flourished at various points over the last couple of weeks.

Testament to that is the fact that four of the top five fast bowlers, in terms of wickets taken, are Indians – with Lasith Malinga being the only exception. With a tour to England and a World Cup to Australia on the horizon, things are certainly looking good in the pace department.

#1 Indian batsmen fail to shine

While the fast bowlers enjoyed their stay in the UAE, the same cannot be said of the established Indian batsmen, who all failed to deliver. With the three back-to-back ducks, Gautam Gambhir’s dismal form has been well documented. The sad truth is that he isn’t alone. Of the established Indian batsman, nobody apart from Ajinkya Rahane has been able to trouble the scorers consistently so far.

Along with Gambhir, the likes of Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and even the ever-dependable Virat Kohli have struggled for form so far. Only Sehwag has a strike-rate of more than 120 and all of these batsmen, except Yuvraj Singh and Murali Vijay, have scored less than 120 runs in the tournament. That is reflected in the fact that there is just one Indian, Rahane, amongst the top eight run-scorers in the tournament.