IPL 2019: From Russell’s muscle to Stokes’ struggle, here’s a look at the overseas hits-and-misses

In the Indian Premier League, the role of an overseas player is critical. With just four coveted spots up for grabs in the playing XI, an international cricketer has to have a major impact. He’s brought into the team on the back of impressive performances on the global stage, he’s paid the big bucks, and the franchise expects him to use his experience and make match-winning contributions consistently.

Of course, the base of each successful team in the IPL has always been a solid group of local talent. But the importance of overseas players cannot be undermined. They can’t merely be floaters. Since they’re occupying one of the few available spots in the XI, often at the cost of a big name left behind in the dugout, they’re supposed to take every catch that comes their way, score runs at crucial moments, and provide breakthroughs with the ball in hand.

With the bottom-of-the-table clash on Tuesday between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals ending as a damp squib, and the 50th match of the league upon us on Wednesday, now’s a good time to pause and look back at how the international cricketers have performed so far this season. The ones who’ve lived up to their billing and also the ones who’ve punched well below their weight.

Here’s a list of the biggest hits-and-misses among overseas players so far this IPL 2019:

HITS

Andre Russell

If there’s an MVP award for IPL 2019, it would undoubtedly go to Andre Dwayne Russell. Of the five matches that Kolkata Knight Riders have won so far this season, the West Indian has bagged the Player of the Match award in four of them. It has literally been a one-man show for the two-time champions.

Sent way down the order for the most part, Russell has made one match-winning contribution after another. His unbeaten 48 off just 13 deliveries against RCB stole victory for KKR from the jaws of defeat. Allowed to bat at No 3 in the last match against Mumbai Indians, he scored 80 not out off 40 balls. There’s very little the Jamaican can do wrong at the moment. Not just with the bat, he has taken 10 wickets at an average of 22.40 as well. Despite Russell’s heroics, the chances of KKR making the playoffs seem bleak. It’ll be a tragedy if they fail to do so.

David Warner

One man who can give a tough fight to Russell for the most valuable player crown has to be David Warner. Marking his return to top-flight cricket after a one-year ban, the Australian has batted like a man possessed. The Sunrisers Hyderabad opener bid adieu to the tournament after his team’s last match against Kings XI Punjab, but not before scoring eight fifties and one hundred.

SRH have a decent chance of reaching the playoffs, along with the best net run-rate in the league. And they have Warner to thank for it greatly, if not entirely. The left-hander scored runs even when he looked out of sorts. On the days when he found the middle of the bat from the get-go, there was very little the bowlers could do to stop him. It was fascinating to see one of the best in the business make a comeback hungrier than ever. Great signs for the Aussies with the World Cup around the corner.

Jonny Bairstow

Next on this list of top international performers so far this season is Warner’s partner in crime Jonny Bairstow. Competing in his very first IPL, the Englishman got together with the Australian to forge one of the most devastating partnerships in the tournament. This left-right combination at the top proved to be a trump card for SRH. The duo scored a staggering 791 runs together in 10 innings, with Bairstow matching his senior partner shot for shot.

Just like Warner, the 29-year-old has left to prepare with his national team for the World Cup. The two fifties and one hundred he scored in IPL 2019 will hold him in good stead over the coming weeks. As far as SRH are concerned, the franchise will be eager to welcome Bairstow back next season.

Kagiso Rabada

This IPL, Kagiso Rabada has shown us why he’s considered the best fast-bowler in the world by many. A lot of the credit for Delhi Capitals’ impressive run this season has to go to the South African. He has been the go-to bowler for skipper Shreyas Iyer and has hardly ever disappointed the faith put in him. He’s intelligent, consistent and his tearaway pace has been too hot to handle for most batsmen.

Who can ever forget Rabada destroying Russell’s stumps with a sizzling yorker in the Super Over to give DC a memorable win over KKR? The 23-year-old, playing in just his second IPL, is the leading wicket-taker in the league at the moment. If Delhi go on to claim their first title, Rabada would’ve had a major hand in it.

Imran Tahir

At 40, he’s the oldest player competing in the tournament. However, there is simply no stopping Imran Tahir. Known for his unique way of celebrating a wicket by running away with his arms outstretched, he has been lethal for the Chennai Super Kings. The leg-spinner, who is third on the list of leading wicket-takers, is a massive weapon in the middle overs for the defending champions.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni invariably tosses the ball to Tahir if there’s a partnership to be broken, and the South African rarely disappoints. The relatively high speed at which he bowls, combined with his accuracy and subtle variations, make it extremely difficult for batsmen to get him away. He has been one of the top T20 bowlers in the world for a while now and there are no signs of his hunger dying down.

MISSES

Ben Stokes

He’s regarded as one of the best, if not the best, fast-bowling all-rounders in world cricket. But Ben Stokes was a shadow of himself for the Rajasthan Royals this season. Part of the group of international players who have left to prepare for the World Cup, the Englishman came up well short in comparison to his compatriots and RR teammates Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer.

In 2017, having never competed in the IPL before, Stokes was paid a record Rs 14.5 crore by Rising Pune Supergiant for his services. And he repaid the faith by contributing handsomely with both bat and ball as the now defunct franchise made its way to the final. This year, though, the 27-year-old simply couldn’t find a way to get going. RR struggled through this season and were desperate for a consistent performer. Sadly for them, Stokes didn’t prove to be one.

Tim Southee

Royal Challengers Bangalore were out of the playoffs race for all practical purposes after losing their first six games. The biggest reason for Virat Kohli and Co’s dismal run was their hopeless pace attack, and a key player in that misfiring unit was Tim Southee.

The New Zealand international, who is up there among the best fast-bowlers of this generation, made it to the playing XI in only the fifth game RCB played. But that was the contest in which Russell smacked that unbeaten 13-ball 48, with Southee going for 0/61 from his four overs. He has played two more games after that but got hammered in both of them. The 30-year-old is known for his yorkers and accuracy at the death, however, RCB reaped no rewards of his experience this time around.

Andrew Tye

The winner of the Purple Cap last year, Andrew Tye has come a cropper for the Kings XI Punjab this time around. He was bought by the Chennai Super Kings in 2015 but didn’t get a single game for the three-time champions, before he switched to Gujarat Lions in 2017 and took a hat-trick on his IPL debut. The Australian carried forward his form and picked 24 wickets for Punjab last year, prompting the franchise to retain him in the last auctions.

This season, however, has been a different story altogether. Just like Southee, Tye is credited for being accurate with his yorkers. Add to that, he even possesses a fine slower-ball. But none of those skills have surfaced for Ravichandran Ashwin’s team this year. Tye has been expensive every time he’s gotten a game and has spent most of his time on the bench. A big letdown for a team searching for an opening partner for Mohammed Shami.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Another Kings XI Punjab bowler who was close to his best last year but has fizzled out in the ongoing league. Just like Tye, Mujeeb Ur Rahman picked up plenty of wickets in the 2018 edition and was retained for this season. The off-spinner’s rise was meteoric and at 17, he featured in Afghanistan’s debut Test last year.

Unlike his fellow offie and captain Ashwin, though, Rahman has been struggling to find his groove. What has also hampered his progress is the fact that he hasn’t had a consistent run in the playing XI. Punjab have included him and then dropped him almost alternately. It isn’t just the wickets that have dried up for Rahman, even his economy-rate has increased by more than three runs from 12 months ago.