IPL 2021: Three surprising decisions taken by IPL teams thus far
The cricket season is in full swing, and we are almost a week into the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). All the teams have played at least one IPL match. Having said that, let us take a look at 3 surprising decisions that have been taken by IPL teams thus far.
3. Moeen Ali batting ahead of Suresh Raina in CSK’s first match
The cricketing world has gotten used to seeing Suresh Raina walking out to bat at his usual No.3 spot for CSK. And, numbers also reveal that Raina has had his most fruitful run at No.3 in IPL cricket. In fact, out of the 5422 runs that Raina has scored in his IPL career, he has scored 4907 runs batting at No.3. Also, 37 out of Raina’s 39 half-centuries have come in that position.
But then, in CSK’s first match of IPL 2021, Moeen Ali walked in at No.3, and Raina walked in only at No.4. The move worked, as both Ali and Raina scored runs. While Ali scored a 24-ball 36, Raina blasted a quickfire 54 to propel CSK to a total of 188. MS Dhoni has the habit of pulling off surprises when we least expect them, and Raina not walking in at his preferred No.3 slot was definitely not anticipated by the fans.
2. Marco Jansen makes his debut for Mumbai Indians (MI)
Such is the talent at the disposal of the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) side, that getting a spot in the playing XI is not an easy task. And, if you are a foreign cricketer, it gets tougher as only 4 out of the 11 players who take the field for an IPL side can be foreigners. And, with a plethora of quality foreign pacers in their ranks including the likes of Nathan Coulter Nile, Adam Milne and James Neesham, it was indeed a surprise to see young Marco Jansen making his debut for the Mumbai side ahead of all these stalwarts.
Marco Jansen with his maiden wicket in #VIVOIPL.
Picks up the big wicket of Glenn Maxwell.
Live – https://t.co/PiSqZirK1V #MIvRCB #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/1bDFFAjHI3
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 9, 2021
Jansen has not played a single match at the international level, nor had he played an IPL match before the 2021 IPL edition. Jansen performed well with the ball in his IPL debut. The 20-year-old scalped 2 wickets and gave away just 28 runs in his quota of 4 overs.
1. Washington Sundar opening the batting in RCB’s first match
Virat came to open the innings ??
Along with Washington Sundar ?#RCB I #RCBvMI I #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/FrbFsusdtK— ????? ????? ☯︎シ︎? (@SandilyaDHFM) April 9, 2021
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) side sprung a massive surprise when they sent in Washington Sundar to open the batting alongside Virat Kohli in the inaugural match of the 14th IPL edition against the Mumbai Indians (MI). In the 37 matches that Sundar has played in the IPL, he had never opened the batting till he was sent in at that position against the Mumbai Indians.
And, the move backfired. Sundar faced 16 balls and scratched his way to 10 runs. However, the likes of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers scored vital runs for the RCB side to ensure that they started their 2021 IPL campaign on a winning note.
