I used the term ‘wacky’ to describe the opening few games of the Indian Premier League 2013, my colleague Chetan Narula chose ‘frantic’ and I don’t think either of us were wide of the mark.
We have seen several final-over finishes, some outstanding catches (Kieron Pollard, Ajinkya Rahane and Gurkeerat Singh in particular), some super batting and even a Super Over. Add to that that the Sunrisers Hyderabad were the early pace-setters and Delhi Daredevils have yet to win a match.
The Rajasthan Royals have also thrown in some unexpected success and even Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings have tasted early defeats. Pune Warriors, a team packed with talent and big hitters, have been woefully disappointing and Kings XI Punjab, a side expected to struggle, delivered the most crushing win we have seen to date.
Of the young players who are new to many, Unmukt Chand has struggled with a brace of golden ducks but others such as Jasprit Bumrah, Manan Vohra and Mayank Agarwal, to name just three, have produced performances to make you sit up, take notice and remember the names.
Ranganath Vinay Kumar, Dinesh Karthik and Cameron White are known quantities but have been among the established players to excel. Now as the tournament approaches its second week, previously unfit players will come into contention (Sehwag, Shikhar Dhawan, Brendon McCullum) and struggling teams will have some key decisions to make.
Having lost three in a row, Delhi will be desperate for Sehwag to get into the side as quickly as possible – first to relieve the pressure on Chand and also to take the heat off Mahela Jayawardene and David Warner. Whereas Royal Challengers Bangalore have proved they can win games when Chris Gayle falters, Delhi are too reliant on one or two players at the moment and they don’t have the bowlers to get them out of trouble – like Sunrisers, for whom Dale Steyn, Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma have been instrumental in their defence of some low scores.
So, all in all, it’s been a fascinating start to the competition. What one word would you use to sum it up? And can this intensity be sustained over the next six weeks?