5 things in IPL 2016 that no one saw coming
Sunrisers Hyderabad claimed their maiden IPL title by beating Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru on Sunday. While RCB went into the game as favourites, by virtue of it being their home ground and their impressive finish to the league stage, SRH's win certainly wasn't something that no one saw coming, especially given their impressive bowling attack.
Yet, there were some things that happened in this year's IPL that no one saw coming. While Virat Kohli's numbers were certainly incredible, given his form coming into the tournament, it wasn't something especially out of the blue.
Here are 5 things in IPL 2016 that no one saw coming:
Under-rated Australian all-rounders
Australia have always had players flourish in the IPL. From the likes of Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey to the likes of David Warner and Shane Watson currently, they have had a rich history of providing quality players in one of the premier domestic T20 competitions in the world. Yet, this year it wasn't about the established internationals, rather about the unsung, under-rated ones.
While the likes of James Faulkner and Glenn Maxwell didn't exactly cover themselves in glory with their performances in IPL 2016, Moises Henriques, Marcus Stoinis and Ben Cutting towards the latter stages of the tournament showed that while the stars may not have performed, Australia still have plenty of strength in depth.
Henriques was an integral part of the SRH side that won the tournament with his ability to contribute with the ball, aside from batting at No.3. Although Cutting only came in towards the end of the tournament, it was his exploits in the final with both bat and ball that won them the trophy, as he became the second foreigner to win a Man of the Match in an IPL final. Stoinis, was one of the few bright sparks in what was an otherwise dismal season for Kings XI Punjab.