IPL 2017: 5 players whose performances don’t fade away

As the curtains have been drawn to the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League, a lot of memories have been left behind. The season might be over, but the moments will forever remain etched in the hearts of the fans.

Like every season, this season too had some brilliant individual performers that stood like the moon among the stars in the firmament; players whose performances adorned the tournament like jewellery decorates an Indian bride.

Here are 5 such players whose individual contributions were among the very best in this year’s IPL:

#5 Jaydev Unadkat

The upward trajectory of the Rising Pune Supergiant coincided with the surge of Jaydev Unadkat. One could almost say that Unadkat’s introduction and subsequent upheaval of the opponent’s batting order was one of the main reasons for Pune to reach the final and almost win it.

Even in the final, Unadkat’s performance ensured that Rohit Sharma and co. couldn’t put up a big target, putting the Rising Supergiant in a favourable position to win the tournament. They might have won it had it not been for some over-cautious batting from the batsmen.

Unadkat finished the tournament with 24 wickets to his name after playing only 12 games and conceding 322 runs in the process.

#4 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was consistent with his bowling spells

Consistency is the attribute that people use to define greatness. A player can be a flash in the pan sort of a performer, someone who shreds the opposition in one game and then gets shredded in some other game, and then there are genuinely reliable players.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar rings the bell for the latter category. The Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler was the most consistent bowler in the IPL as he performed well in every game that he played.

The stats are there to back the claim: the Indian pacer ended the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 26 wickets from 14 games. He might have taken some more had Hyderabad not been unlucky with the D/L method in a rain-afflicted eliminator clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

#3 David Warner

Warner was at his destructive best again

It feels as though the IPL was made for David Warner to showcase and further enhance his greatness as a batsman. When he started off as a Delhi Daredevils player in the tournament, many labelled him as the left-handed version of Virender Sehwag, but his legacy in the tournament is already greater than the Indian opening legend.

In another epic season for the Australian opener, he scored a mammoth 641 runs in only 14 games. The last time a batsman dominated the proceedings in such manner was another Australian opener, Shaun Marsh, whilst playing for the Kings XI Punjab.

Bhuvi’s bowling was beautifully complemented by the captain of the side as the duo helped the team reach the play-offs, only to be halted by a rain-aided Kolkata Knight Riders.

#2 Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah was a key player for MI in the death overs

Jasprit Bumrah was the standout performer for the eventual champions. If one dissects the performances of the Indians in this year’s IPL, she/he will have a tough time picking up one player for an outstanding outing in the edition.

Such was the teamwork of Rohit Sharma and co. that it is almost impossible to point towards a single player and label him as the most important member of the team; except when the finger is pointed towards Jasprit Bumrah.

The talented pacer had yet another brilliant tournament with the ball as he proved to become the backbone of the team’s bowling, their strongest asset. In 16 matches, Bumrah took 20 wickets. While the number of wickets might not rival Unadkat and Bhuvi, there is a lot more to it than what is apparent.

Bumrah’s ability to squeeze the life out of the batsmen in the death overs is what stopped the opponents from scoring big in the final few overs. It was precisely this very ability that halted the Rising Supergiant in the final when it seemed like they would cruise to a win, making him the most influential performer of the game.

#1 Ben Stokes

Stokes produced a few blitzkrieg displays with the bat and performed well with the ball too

When the auction for this year’s IPL took place, Ben Stokes was touted to be the most coveted player—and that’s exactly what happened as the Englishman was purchased for a fee that made him the most expensive foreign player in the history of the league.

The Englishman didn’t disappoint at all as his all-round performances helped Pune reach the play-offs in a convincing manner. Stokes scored 316 runs in only 12 games and further pumped up the numbers with 12 wickets in the same time-frame.

It could be argued that his absence from the team after the group stage led to Pune falling short at the final hurdle. But, there was no doubt about his display in the tournament as he earned the award of the Most Valuable Player of this year’s Indian Premier League, a fitting end to the explosive beginning at the auctions.