IPL 2018: 4 surprise batting packages of the tournament so far

The USP of IPL has been in its knack of throwing surprises of the highest order. Just when we refuse to believe in the ability of a particular player and discard him as a liability on the team, he finds a way to put up a performance so impactful that it compels us to mince our ill words. This 2018 edition of IPL is no exception to this trend of throwing surprises. There were stars who were hailed to set the stage on fire and on the other hand, there were some who were considered a mere shadow of their premium past. There were also players who have always been underrated and have never got the respect that their game deserves.

Here, we take a look at four batsmen who were categorized in at least one of the types mentioned above prior to this IPL season but have staged a roaring coup to thwart the pre-conceived notions that were used to describe their game.

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#1 MS Dhoni

There is a reason why MS Dhoni didn’t succumb to the taunts that were hurled at him since his association with the two-year IPL franchise, Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). He is a master when it comes to thriving in adverse circumstances. His life journey has been like this and that kept him motivated through the two-year lull that seems to have ended now.

What we have witnessed so far in the tournament is definitely not the struggling Dhoni of the past two years. He looks in a different league altogether. He is taking the charge early in his innings, he is striking the ball as cleanly as ever and looks to have an insatiable appetite for runs. His two blistering fifties in two pressure run-chases are a testament to his new-found attacking soul that even had Virat Kohli in awe of his abilities. He has scored a total of 235 runs from seven games so far at a brilliant average of 58.75 and a strike-rate touching the 160 mark. He looks well and good for a tally of more than 400 runs in the tournament.

#2 Ambati Rayudu

Rayudu's form has been the biggest plus point for the Chennai setup

He is probably the most under-rated gladiator of the IPL arena. He served the Mumbai Indians setup with utmost selflessness and sheer hard work. He formed the solid bedrock of the Mumbai middle-order and batted like a floater throughout the batting order. But his not-so-attractive but hugely successful persona didn’t get the due attention as he played under the shadow of bigger names like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Keiron Pollard etc.

Earlier in this year's auctions, he was snapped up by Chennai Super Kings. Nobody anticipated that he will be one of the biggest surprises of the season. But after just half-way through the tournament he is the proud owner of the Orange Cap with his tally of 329 runs from seven games. If there were any apprehensions about his age and his ability to perform at the big stage again, they have been mercilessly grounded into silence by a rocking Rayudu who has lit the CSK campaign.

#3 Kane Williamson

The soft-spoken gentleman from New Zealand has thrived in his role as captain

After the ban on David Warner in the aftermath of the ball-tampering scandal, Sunrisers Hyderabad had a great void to fill. In the absence of Warner, Kane Williamson was the obvious choice to lead the team but nobody expected him to be the man who will be carrying the batting order with him. Yes, he has done exactly the same with his tally of 322 runs from the eight games. He has been the lone shining star in the underperforming SRH batting line-up.

What has been the highlight feature of his run so far in the tournament is the pace at which he has scored his runs. He is striking the ball in excess of 133, a figure which is usually not expected of him. The effect of scoring at such a good pace is that it takes the scoreboard pressure off from the rest of the batting unit. His captaincy, too, has been par excellence. The way he used his bowlers to defend back-to-back paltry totals of 118, 132 and 151 speaks volumes of his tactical nous which has made sure that SRH are, at least, not missing Warner on the tactical front.

#4 Chris Gayle

Gayle has given a tight slap to his critics with his performance so far in the IPL 18

The ‘Universe Boss’ returning to his smacking ways has been the talking point of the tournament so far. He was not even picked in the starting rounds of the IPL 2018 auctions but Kings XI Punjab must be thanking their stars for raising the beacon for Chris Gayle right at the fag-end of the marquee auctions earlier this year. He was raring to get a go and teach the other franchises a lesson for ignoring him but the Kings XI skipper, Ravi Ashwin compounded that hunger even more by omitting him from the first three games.

That move really fired him up and now after four games in the tournament, he finds himself among the top run-getters of the tournament with a tally of 252 runs, which have come at an astonishing average of 126. The effect of his demonic charge can be gauged by the fact that even the best bowling unit in the tournament, Sunrisers Hyderabad, failed to contain him as he bludgeoned his way to a hundred. What is even more striking is that he has forged a fearsome opening pair with KL Rahul. The duo has opened the Kings XI batting on four occasions and have registered fifty-plus scores on each one of them. He is still not done with his exploits as he has just shown the trailer for what is to come out of his willow as the tournament progresses.