The Indian Premier League 2022 has got off to a spectacular start and we are now assured that the highest team total ever in the league might be at the risk of being broken this time around.
The teams have been breaching the 200 mark at ease and what's more? On both occasions, the scores have been chased down.
The tournament has once again been a platform for the youngsters and opportunity-seeking players to showcase their talent and it definitely has lived up to the expectations so far.
Although it is very early in the tournament to comment on the proceedings of the tournament and players, one interesting aspect has been the inclusion of several fresh faces in the league this time around, thanks to the mega auction.
Cricwizz, today takes a look at how the IPL debutants have fared so far.
1) Devon Conway (Chennai Super Kings)
The Kiwi opener was given an opportunity in the opening game against Kolkata Knight Riders where he managed to score just 3 runs off 8 balls which also meant he was clearly struggling to hit the ball. It was rather too surprising to see CSK leave him out in their second encounter against LSG, however, it looks like the Kiwi batter was just covering the absence of Moeen Ali in the opener.
Their current foreign arsenal includes Moeen Ali, Dwyane Bravo, Dwaine Pretorius and Adam Milne. Given these players are in tremendous form, it would not be an easy task for the Kiwi to make the cut unless and until there is an injury concern in the camp.
2) Rovman Powell (Delhi Capitals)
The Windies power hitter, Rovman Powell was bought for 2.8 crores at the IPL auction held this year. The 28- year old came in with great reputation of hitting the ball a distance and barring the opening the match where he was dismissed for a duck, the second match saw him hit a few might blows and score a quick 20 off 12 balls.
We feel he might be more effective at the no.3 spot and it would be interesting to see if Delhi promote him up in the order in the coming days.
3) Odean Smith (Punjab Kings)
He likes to call himself a bowling all-rounder and as much as he would love that, we would like to call him a batting all-rounder. This man can murder the ball, Smith did not have a great start with the ball on his debut as he leaked away 52 runs in his 4 overs, however, he bolstered the Punjab Kings to a memorable victory by scoring 25 off 8 balls en route to chasing down the 205 set by the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The second and third appearance saw the Windies all-rounder pick one wicket apiece.
4) Ayush Badoni (Lucknow Super Giants)
Where was this 22-year old hiding all this while. The flamboyant batter, he has been a treat to the eyes in the ongoing IPL and there is no doubt that he already tops the list of contenders to don the blue Jersey. He impressed everyone by becoming the 9th Indian player to score a fifty on debut in the IPL. He added another 19 runs off just 9 balls against CSK to help register a victory that seemed improbable.
It was not just his ability to play round the park that impressed, it was his ability to absorb pressure, many of the players in the situation against CSK would have gone for glory from ball one but he stayed calm and waited to pick the boundary balls. Calmness, timing and great shot selection, Ayush Badoni comes as a package of these.
5) Abhinav Manohar (Gujurat Titans)
The 27-year old was brought for a handsome 2.6 crores solely for his match winning innings that he played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy and domestic leagues. Too early to comment as the teams have just played two matches. Yes, he did look solid on his debut against the Super Giants as he ensured he took the side over the line by scoring a quick fire 15 off 7 balls.
The Bangaloreon is definently someone to watch out and once again we feel he needs to be given more time to settle down and replacing Vijay Shankar at no.3 looks like the solution to it.
Stay tuned with Cricwizz as we will bring you the second part of this listicle soon. Also, do follow our social media handles for all the latest and exclusive content revolving around the sport.
