IPL 2015: Top 5 contenders for Player of the Tournament

The problem with viewing sport as a business is, you invariably miss the point of the game. That is what Delhi Daredevils must learn from a Moneyball team like Rajasthan Royals, who had an amazing winning streak at the start of the season before they disturbed the winning combination. Great games are not a matter of chance; great sportsmen produce great games.

IPL-8 is undoubtedly one of the most hotly contested editions. The winner of the game between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad, for example, went to No.2 in the table, getting two cracks at reaching the final, while the loser slumped to No.6. That was how cluttered the race was right through. Interestingly, even as late as now, it is still not clear who the Player of the Tournament will be, which indicates that teams are very evenly balanced. Some teams survived on team effort alone but in most cases, there was an X-Factor who gave the final push, the turnaround the team needed.

What attributes can you attach to such players?

• Contribution to wins
• Game changing moments
• Consistency
• Dependence of the team on the player’s skill sets
• Actual stats

Let us look at 5 contenders for the Player of the Tournament:

Note – 1) At the time of writing this, the second qualifier and the final are yet to be played. 2) The list is in no particular order.

1. Dwayne Bravo

Chennai Super Kings, 23 wickets, 186 runs

Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo is not a stranger to the Purple Cap race having won it before in 2013. With 23 wickets, he is ahead this year too and looks likely to win it a second time. Bravo also has 186 runs to his name with the bat in hand, but it’s with the ball he has come more than handy for Chennai Super Kings. He picks wickets with alarming consistency. He bowls in the death overs and his slower balls are hard to get away. For someone who invariably bowls after the 15th over, his economy rate of 8.13 is a revelation. But that is not all.

Bravo produces game-changing moments in every match he plays and that is why he is the front-runner to be the Most Valuable Player (MVP) this year. A quick pickup and throw in the follow-up to get Virat Kohli that turned the match around, a stunning forward diving catch, another stunning leaping catch at the boundary, wickets to break big partnerships – you name it. In spite of it all, he is one of those few people on the field who seem to tell others that this is a game and not work. MVP all the way!

2. Mitchell Starc

Royal Challengers Bangalore, 19 wickets at 6.76 per over

RCB were floundering in their first few games when they didn’t have Mitchell Starc, who was still recovering from injury. But in the 11 innings since he has returned, he has managed quite a truckload of wickets to be in the top 5 wicket-takers of this IPL. RCB suddenly look like a strong bowling unit.

They absolutely demolished Kings XI Punjab in a league game and did the same to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator, in spite of the Royals boasting of a batting line-up that goes down till No.9. Starc picks wickets in every match. But that is not why he is a contender for the Player of the Tournament. Yuzvendra Chahal, after all, has 21 wickets, two more than his teammate.

But while the leg-spinner goes at 9 per over, bowling the middle overs mostly, Starc goes at a phenomenal 6.76. In other words, in most games, Starc is likely to give you a couple of wickets conceding less than 30 in his four overs – that in spite of RCB playing a couple of high-adrenaline rain-shortened games that ruin every bowler’s stats.

Starc is Virat Kohli’s go-to bowler when up against the best batsmen of the opposition. In fact, RCB boasts of the tournament’s best bowler and best batsman in Starc and AB de Villiers, the reason why they could surge out of nowhere. Starc is fast, accurate and can swing the ball, uprooting stumps with great consistency. In other words, ever since his return, Kohli hardly has had to worry about two of the last four overs – every captain’s nightmare. With an important game to come and possibly a final, Starc is still not out of the Purple Cap race either.

3. AB de Villiers

Royal Challengers Bangalore, 512 runs at a strike-rate of 176.55

AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers is the only batsman in the top 50 run-getters of this IPL to average above 50, averaging 51.2. He also has the highest strike-rate –176.55. A distant second is Kieron Pollard, whose strike-rate is 161, almost 15 runs behind AB de Villiers. At that average and strike-rate, De Villiers has still managed more than 500 runs and he isn’t finished yet.

His move to No.3 has turned into a masterstroke helping RCB make it to the playoffs, something that seemed unlikely at one point. De Villiers has a century too, easily the best knock at this IPL. Another classy innings in possibly two more games (if they make it to the final) and the 31-year-old could take home the Player of the Tournament trophy.

4. Lasith Malinga

Mumbai Indians, 22 wickets at 7.48 per over

Lasith Malinga started the season out of shape and in bad form. He didn’t have a particularly good World Cup down under either. But he was not the most sought after T20 bowler in the world for nothing. Mumbai Indians, with the assistance of bowling coach Shane Bond, have certainly been able to reignite that menace which batsmen once dreaded.

Malinga, uncharacteristic of his aura, has been quiet this season. He hasn’t been spoken about a lot. He hasn’t set things ablaze. Yet, his stats are right there, proving what he has done for a team that won eight out of its last ten games to make it to its third IPL final. Malinga has 22 wickets, one behind Bravo, at an economy of 7.48 in spite of bowling in the powerplay overs and at the death. He has also bowled 130 dot balls, third on the list behind Ashish Nehra and Sandeep Sharma. He has regained his control and has taken a four-wicket haul. If only he could improve upon his catching!

5. David Warner

Sunrisers Hyderabad, 562 runs at a strike rate of 156.54

David Warner

David Warner led from the front. In fact, he was too far ahead of his teammates. Shikhar Dhawan, the next highest SRH run-getter, is more than 200 runs behind Warner and they didn’t even make the playoffs. However, Warner still stands a chance to win the Player of the Tournament because, for the most part, he has been SRH’s one man army, assisted eventually by Moises Henriques.

Thanks to Warner, SRH had a chance to make it to the playoffs. Unfortunately, they lost their last two games and crashed out. Warner’s tally of 562 runs might not be surpassed this year. Ajinkya Rahane’s team is out of the tournament and AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli, who have at least one more shot at the tally, are more than 50 runs behind. But that is not all.

Warner struck those runs at the top of the order at a strike-rate of 156, only next to De Villiers and Pollard amongst the top 20 run-getters. That is not all. Warner has seven half-centuries, Lendl Simmons is the next highest at five and no other batsman has more than four 50+ scores. Warner also has 65 fours this IPL, the most by any batsman, showing why he is the X-Factor. He deserved to be in the playoffs having done all that and with a team not exactly loaded with superstars.

Other notable mentions

There are some who have lost out because of lack of opportunities and some who may yet be contenders with CSK and RCB looking at the possibility of playing two more games (they face each other in the second qualifier). Ajinkya Rahane, with 540 runs, might finish amongst the top 5 run-getters this season with a fabulous average of 49 and a good strike-rate of 130.75. Virat Kohli, not in this list, has led RCB well and could win the Orange Cap with two good games batting at the top.

At this point, he has 493 runs and is 4th on the list with an average close to 50 and a strike-rate of 131. He has already played a couple of superhuman innings this season and looks in sublime touch. Kieron Pollard has 383 runs with a couple of scintillating knocks under his belt. With Mumbai Indians in the final and having bowled some crucial game-changing overs, he could be the dark horse for the MVP title.

Three unsung heroes who haven’t yet been discussed are Andre Russell (326 runs and 14 wickets), Lendl Simmons (472 runs) and Ashish Nehra (19 wickets at 7 per over), all of whom have been the backbones of their side’s success.