IPL 2020: Five overseas players who impressed the most

IPL 13 was one of a kind tournament. The IPL was being held completely in UAE for the very first time. With foreign conditions, certain advantages and disadvantages of each team were nullified and we ended up having the most fiercely competitive league stage ever. While every year, the local Indian players have an edge over the overseas players as they are already aware of the pitch and weather conditions, this year they didn’t have that luxury. Hence, we saw a lot more overseas brilliance this year. And nobody is complaining! Here are 5 overseas cricketers who impressed the most this year.

5. Sam Curran

Young Sam Curran had a dream season. He was used very liberally by CSK captain MS Dhoni and the youngster stood up whenever he was asked to take responsibility. He played as a floater when his team needed to do so, opened the innings, even played as a finisher in a few games. With the ball, he was used at the power play as well as the death.

After watching him last season, we knew Sam is a utility cricketer. But the 186 runs and 13 wickets he picked this year gave out a message of the arrival of a potential T20 superstar. He looked to be in absolute command of his craft-both with the bat and the ball and was one of the few positives for CSK this year.

4. Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer in #IPL2020:

? 11 matches
? 15 wickets

Conceding runs at just 6.61, the England player has been the most economical fast bowler among the top 10 wicket-takers ? pic.twitter.com/mlX43vD2ao

— ICC (@ICC) October 23, 2020

The man who was the MVP of this season needs no introduction. Jofra Archer was on absolute fire this year. He bowled with unreal pace and accuracy and seemed he would pick up wickets every time he came on to bowl. While the last couple of years he had done no wrong, this year Archer was at his fiery best. He picked up 20 wickets in the tournament, with 10 of them coming upfront in the powerplay. He had an economy of just, 4.44 in the first 6 overs.

Archer was Rajasthan’s strike bowler, and despite having no support at the other end, Archer managed to make an impact in every single game. He also had an interesting season with the bat.  He played a few cameos and ended up scoring 112 runs at an SR of 178. It was a complete season for the Englishman, and he finally displayed why he has been touted as one of the best T20 players in the World.

3. Marcus Stoinis

One of the biggest surprises of this year’s IPL without a shred of doubt was Marcus Stoinis. While Stoinis had credible performances in the last couple of years, he transformed into Delhi Capitals’ biggest match-winner this year. He played some vital knocks lower down the order, picked up wickets at regular interviews and even opened the innings in a knockout game.

Stoinis scored 352 runs at blistering SR of almost 150 and even picked up 13 wickets. He single-handedly won DC a few games. With the lower middle order of DC not being as explosive as other teams, Stoinis played a crucial role in providing them with the required finishes. He is a complete T20 player and stood tall in the league.

2. Trent Boult

Trent Boult has been one of the best ODI bowlers for quite some time now. However, he didn’t have the best of records in the T20Is and IPL. Prior to this year, Boult had picked just 38 wickets in 33 IPL games and didn’t have a great economy either. However, this year, Boult showed his brilliance. The move to Mumbai Indians worked wonders for him.

Boult was given a designated role to bowl in the powerplay, and pick early wickets. He did just that. And some more. Boult had a dream season picking up 25 wickets in 15 games. He picked up as many as 15 wickets in the powerplay which shows the kind of impact he had from the word go. In the playoffs, he took 5 wickets in 2 games and also emerged as the man of the match in the final.

1. Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson appreciation tweet…

What a fighter ?#SRHvCSK #OrangeArmy #KeepRising #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/GmkXR6oA80

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) October 13, 2020

Kane Williamson is one of the best players in the World. But he has never been regarded as a typical T20 player. But he showed the value and importance of a player like him in T20, along with displaying his power game as well. While Williamson missed out on a few matches early on, he started this year’s IPL with a 26-ball 41 making it very clear he had the game to play at an SR of 150-160.

Williamson continued playing crucial knocks throughout the league. In a tricky chase against RCB in the Eliminator, he absorbed all initial pressure, held his nerve and helped SRH get over the line. In the Qualifier 2, he made a fabulous 67 off 45 and almost managed to take SRH home.