Best and Worst of the 2016 IPL round-robin stage

Joy Chakravarty 19:55 23/05/2016
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    • India superstar Kohli has been a sensation yet again.

    Best Batsman:

    Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

    If you haven’t heard of what he has done this IPL, we suggest it’s time you came out of that rock. The Indian has been in phenomenal form, scoring four centuries, six half centuries and breaking almost every batting record in the nine-year history of the tournament.

    Worst Batsman:

    Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

    Except for that one inning of 73 in the rain-shortened match against Punjab, the West Indian superstar has done precious else. He has made 142 runs in eight matches, with an average of 17.75. He has redeemed himself a bit with his off-spin bowling though.

    Best Bowler:

    Mustafizur Rahman (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

    Let’s just say Mustafizur continues to be a mystery for batsmen. He has taken 16 wickets in 14 matches so far for Hyderabad, but has also been very miserly. His economy rate of 6.71 is the best among any bowler who has bowled more than 20 overs in the tournament.

    Worst bowler:

    Ravindra Jadeja (Gujarat Lions)

    Not that Jadeja is a premier spinner, but his effectiveness in the T20s is well documented. But the newly-married star has struggled for Gujarat, picking up just six wickets in 13 matches for an average of 36.16 and an economy rate of 8.01.

    Most exciting match:

    Rising Pune Supergiants v King’s XI Punjab

    It really turned out to be the only inconsequential match of the entire tournament, but that did not stop Pune captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni from cementing his position as one of the greatest finishers in the game. With 12 runs needed off the last two balls, Dhoni smashed Axar Patel for two sixes to win the match.

    Worst finish:

    Royal Challengers Bangalore v King’s XI Punjab

    Kings XI Punjab were involved once again, but you have to pity any team that is asked to chase a target of 212 runs in 15 overs with the threat of rain looming large. In the end, a sorry Punjab lost by 82 runs through the Duckworth-Lewis method.

    Best value buy:

    Mitchell McClenaghan (Mumbai Indians)

    His team did not make it to the qualifiers, but nobody can blame Mumbai Indians for not making the most on one of their smartest investments. The Kiwi pacer was the third highest wicket-taker in the tournament (17). And what did he cost at the auction? A mere $44,000.

    Taking a breather yesterday with Deepak one of our up and coming fast bowler with some good skills! #mumbai #ipl9 #teamnb

    A photo posted by Mitchell McClenaghan (@mitch_m81) on

    Worst buy:

    David Miller (Kings XI Punjab)

    Hard not to give that dubious honour to the South African, who took $1.87 million from Kings XI Punjab’s kitty. He started off as the captain, but was removed mid-way through the tournament and contributed just 161 runs to his team’s cause in 13 matches with a highest score of 31.

    IPL

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