IPL 2015: 5 Players to Look out for This Year
The world’s biggest, most prominent and most viewed Twenty20 competition begins this week.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) begins on Wednesday when the holders, Kolkata Knight Riders, take on Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens.
Many of the players come into the competition on the back of a productive World Cup that continued the trend of ever-increasing strike rates. India performed well, reaching the semi-finals, while many overseas players grew their reputations.
Will the eighth incarnation of the IPL see more run-scoring records broken? Will totals continue to skyrocket? Or will the bowlers manage to restrict heavy run scoring?
Form, statistics and gut instinct have combined to create a list of five players to expect big things from in this year’s competition.
Read on to see who they are and leave your suggestions in the comments below.
David Miller
1 of 5
South African batsman David Miller has long been an extremely exciting T20 player. Capable of explosive and fluent striking in the final overs, Miller has been a key player for Kings XI Punjab for the last two seasons.
An overall IPL strike rate of 153.18 indicates just how effective the left-hander can be. Miller scored 446 runs last year, and the impression remains that he could be even more influential given more time at the crease.
His 138 not out from 92 balls against Zimbabwe at the World Cup was a timely reminder of his clean-striking ability.
The 25-year-old has been on an upward curve in limited overs cricket for a few years. Expect that trend to continue over the coming months.
Mohit Sharma
2 of 5
Mohit Sharma is an obvious choice to perform well in the coming tournament. He plays for the Chennai Super Kings, the competition’s most consistent side, and was top wicket-taker in 2014.
The seam bowler picked up 23 wickets last year, and his ability to move the ball coupled with excellent variation makes him captain MS Dhoni’s go-to man.
India’s pace attack at the recent World Cup was also very effective. Although Sharma took 13 wickets to Umesh Yadav’s 18 and Mohamed Shami’s 17, he still contributed well to the side’s run to the semi-final.
Sharma’s economy of 8.39 in IPL 7 was expensive, but he regularly takes important wickets, both in the opening powerplay and at the death.
He will lead the way with the ball for the perennial favourites once again this year.
AB de Villiers
3 of 5
The grass is green. The sky is blue. AB de Villiers is a genius.
The South African will once again turn out for Royal Challengers Bangalore, and nothing should surprise the fans this year.
Alongside the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Brendon McCullum and David Warner (who can also be expected to provide fireworks) De Villiers has consistently been at the forefront of batting innovation.
Things that were thought impossible 10 years ago are now commonplace. If you are looking for a likely record breaker, then he is your man.
He is the ultimate entertainer: expect scoops, flicks, reverse-flicks, baseball shots and plenty of runs.
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Trent Boult
4 of 5
With Mitchell Starc set to miss the start of the IPL with a knee injury, per ESPN Cricinfo, the other standout World Cup fast bowler should continue to impress.
New Zealander Trent Boult will bowl alongside IPL veteran Dale Steyn for Hyderabad Sunrisers under the captaincy of David Warner—surely a recipe for early wickets.
Boult swings the ball prolifically, and he bowls at great pace. He took wickets against every team he faced in the World Cup and will surely prosper against ultra-aggressive batsman. The light-up stumps could be in for some work.
While the Sunrisers have a new, untested side, debutant Boult looks set to be a key performer.
Axar Patel
5 of 5
Axar Patel only made his IPL debut last year but has impressed so much since that he made India’s World Cup squad.
The 21-year-old left-arm spinner took 17 wickets in IPL 2014 and was particularly impressive with his control and nerve. His economy of just 6.13 was the best of any of the top 25 bowlers.
There were few devastating spells last season, but Patel was incredibly consistent—both in wicket taking and in limiting the opposition’s runs.
After a breakthrough season, Kings XI Punjab can now expect a similarly consistent performance this year as they look to build on a second-place finish.
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