New Delhi, 28 April (Hindustan Times). The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 has entered its second leg of the league stage and the first half of the biggest T20 league saw some stellar individual performances. In the first 35 matches in IPL 2023, the fans not only got to witness one thrilling encounter after another but also incredible performances from some of the players.
Sam Karan of Punjab Kings and Cameron Green of Mumbai Indians were the costliest players in the IPL 2023 auction and the young all-rounders are living up to the expectations of their franchises. Curran – who was bought by Punjab for Rs 18.5 crore – scored 142 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 138 in IPL 2023, while Green – bought by Mumbai for Rs 17.5 crore – has scored 149 so far. 199 runs have been scored.
On Star Sports show Cricket Live, former England captain and coach Paul Collingwood heaped praise on Karan and said, “Karan is a true all-rounder. He can bat and bowl with equal finesse. He is a pocket-sized dynamite.” “Curran and Green have proved their prowess with the ball as well and have emerged as the most influential overseas bowlers among high-end buys. Curran and Green have taken 5-5 wickets with an economy of 8.9 and 10.5 respectively.
Praising Green, former India cricketer Irfan Pathan said, “Cameron Green has justified his price tag so far. Green can prove to be a race horse for Mumbai. After the departure of Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard Mumbai needs an all-rounder and Green is filling the gap.”
The term ‘impact player’ may be the talk of the Tata IPL 2023, but the players who made the most impact are Ajinkya Rahane (CSK), Mohit Sharma (Gujarat), Piyush Chawla (Mumbai) and Mayank Markande (Hyderabad). All of them were bought at the base price in the IPL 2023 auction. Nobody gave these players a chance before the start of the season but they silenced their critics with their performances.
Mohit Sharma has taken four wickets in three matches and has already won two player of the match awards for Gujarat on two occasions. He has been skipper Hardik Pandya’s favorite bowler in the death overs.
Ajinkya Rahane – who was bought by CSK for his base price of Rs 50 lakh – has taken over Tata IPL 2023 with his breathtaking performances. In the halfway stage of Tata IPL 2023, Rahane scored 209 runs in five innings. Rahane has scored runs at an average of 52.25 and a tremendous strike rate of 199.1. Former India cricketer Mithali Raj heaped praise on Rahane for the way he batted in IPL 2023 and reinvented his game.
Mithali said, “Rahane has changed his game again. He wanted to fit in the T20 format and so he changed his game. There has been no change in his shots, but there has been a change in his approach.” This Rahane is looking brand new.” Similarly, senior spinner Piyush Chawla has taken nine wickets at an economy of 6.9 in six matches he has played for five-time champions Mumbai Indians.
Harbhajan Singh believes the Impact Substitute rule allows veteran cricketers like Piyush Chawla and Amit Mishra to make a significant impact in every game they play as they are both experienced and an asset to the team.
Harbhajan said, “Chawla and Mishra have been able to perform better because of the impact substitute rule because they know they have only three-four overs to bowl and during that time they can give their best. Has class and experience.”
Mayank Markande took 8 wickets for Hyderabad in five matches and bowled at an economy of 6.7 while uncapped KKR spinner Suyash Sharma grabbed seven wickets in 5 matches for the Knight Riders in IPL 2023. KKR bought Suyash for his base price of Rs 20 lakhs.
