Indian Premier League 2021 ended on a high note yesterday evening. The Chennai Super Kings won this tournament in a dominating fashion. All of the players in the league played their hearts out in order to make this an extravagant display. All the teams performed very well except for the Sunrisers who had a nightmare season. With the absence of players such as Ben Stokes, Archer, Butler, Zampa a few experts did say that the standard of the league got reduced. But all in all, it was a great show. Here is a look at all the winners in the league: –
Winners: Chennai Super Kings
Claiming their 4th IPL Title of all-time Chennai Super Kings were on a roll this season. It was a completely different team in this season from what it was last year. The team members were the same but their attitude was totally different. Experienced players such as Faf Du Plessis, Moeen Ali, and Ambati Rayudu stepped their game up. They showed why experience is one asset that is always valued the most. In the league stage, they ended second in the points table with 9 victories out of 14 games. The most well-fought game that they lost was against the Mumbai Indians in the first leg of the season.
In the first qualifier, they won against the Delhi Capitals in thumping fashion and secured their place well ahead of the other teams. In the finals, their senior batsmen stepped up to the occasion. Robin Uthappa, Gaikwad, Faf, and Moeen batted exceptionally well. Their highest wicket-taker of the season was Shardul Thakur. Ruturaj Gaikwad was the stand-out performer for the team and eventually went on to win the orange cap.
Orange Cap (Most Runs Scored): Ruturaj Gaikwad
The breakthrough performer of the season has to be Ruturaj Gaikwad. Showing signs of his classy batting in the last few games of IPL 2020 by scoring 3 consecutive fifties, he was bound to excel. Ruturaj scored 635 runs in the 16 games he played including a hundred against the Rajasthan Royals. With the immense talent on display, he held the back of Chennai’s batting. His score of 88* in 58 balls against Mumbai in the opener of the second season is one for the ages. His cover drives were like a piece of art. They were clean and well-timed. Apart from hitting the ball very hard, he scored runs with the help of timing.
Purple Cap (Most Wickets Taken): Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel in the 2021 season of the IPL was an unstoppable force. He along with Yuzvendra Chahal made sure that the Royal Challengers Bangalore qualified for the playoffs. His variations and well-disguised balls helped him take a record 32 wickets in the 14th season of the Indian Premier League. Harshal Patel has been in and around in the IPL since 2014 and this was the year where he showed his talent with flying colors. He equaled the record of the legend Dwayne Bravo who had previously picked 32 wickets in a season.
In the initial stage of the season, the slower Chennai wicket helped Harshal Patel and all of his variations. He scalped 5 wickets in the first game of his season against the Mumbai Indians. He also took the first hattrick of his career in the return fixture against Mumbai Indians in the UAE leg. His variation of a looping slower ball was the talk of the town for the season. He even earned a spot as a net bowler for the Indian National Cricket Team for the T20 World Cup.
IPL Emerging Player of the season: Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad has done several exploits this season. The very fact that he earned the orange cap with legends like KL Rahul and Virat Kohli performing exceptionally well itself is a thing to talk about. Ruturaj set the record for being the first partially uncapped player to win the Orange Cap. He and Faf du Plessis did most of the scoring for the Chennai Super Kings. This can be known by the fact that Faf ended with 633 runs and Ruturaj with 635 runs. Ruturaj made sure that he shines on this global stage to catch the eyes of the selectors.
Perfect Catch of the season: Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi was awarded the Perfect Catch of the season for his diving catch against the Kolkata Knight Riders. This catch was the talk of the town as the bowlers are generally regarded as poor fielders. A diving catch and that too which was timed so precisely was eye candy. His celebration that was followed was nonchalant. The catch dismissed Sunil Narine who Kolkata Knight Riders used as a floater.
Power Player of the season: Venkatesh Iyer.
Venkatesh Iyer definitely deserved an award for the impact he had on Kolkata Knight Rider and their batting unit. He was the best hitter in the KKR dugout. Venkatesh Iyer turned the matches within just a few overs. He was the trump card for a struggling KKR team. Picked up for 20 lakhs in the IPL auction, Venky, as he is called reaped solid benefits for the Kolkata-based franchise.
Game Changer of the Season: Harshal Patel.
Harshal Patel is worth mentioning as the Game Changer of the Season. He was picked by several fantasy league players and hence earned points in the algorithm. Harshal Patel with his bowling variations was flipping games on their heads. The very fact that an uncapped Indian won the Purple Cap is very delightful.