IPL 2022: 3 T20 batting giants going through their worst season in IPL history
IPL 2022 is at its business end. Gujarat Titans have secured a spot in the playoffs, while Mumbai Indians are firmly out of contention. For the rest, the scramble is still on with fans around the world experiencing the same state of bliss or despair as their franchises.
Cricket, despite being a team game, is not just about teams. Fans worship their favorite players and, to an extent, their choice of team to support based is on their favorite players. One thing that has been hard to miss in IPL 2022 is that most of the big names in Indian and world cricket have failed to perform to expectations.
Now, you would naturally expect any professional cricketer, no matter how good, to have some bad days in the office. But not these beasts. And especially not in the manner in which they have done so in IPL 2022. Watching their heroes fail in this manner has forced fans to accept that their heroes are human, after all.
Today, we take a look at three batsmen who have experienced their worst season in IPL history in IPL 2022:
1- Kane Williamson
Captain Kane Williamson in new SRH jersey for IPL 2022. https://t.co/tdy7MLrN5k
That Kane Williamson is a modern great is beyond debatable, though early on in his career, his limited-overs skills were a matter of debate. However, having led the Blackcaps to the finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup and 2021 T20 World Cup, his credentials in the shortest format should be beyond question.
Consider, however, his batting statistics for IPL 2022 and you may wonder if he is made for this format. In the 11 matches SRH have played in IPL 2022, Kane has scored just 199 runs at a shocking strike rate of 96.14. When openers in T20 strike at that rate, they end up hurting their own team more than the opposition.
Having replaced David Warner as SRH captain midway through IPL 2021, Williamson has big boots to fill. Having the luxury of being a captain, he can evade scrutiny as long as his team performs well. But for the Sunrisers to eventually come out winners, the feeling is that Kane has to light up the scoreboard at some point.
2- Virat Kohli
I think Kohli's runs are hurting RCB more than Kohli's failures.
For someone of the caliber of Virat Kohli, IPL 2022 has been a humbling experience. For years, it was thought that Virat Kohli was the pinnacle of the batsman's evolution. It was surmised that unlike all past greats, Virat Kohli was above all considerations of form and touch.
But IPL 2022, and the last 30 months in general, have clouded those thoughts. It can be said with a bit of certainty that Virat Kohli is indeed a human being, not some walking cricket software. In 12 games this season, RCB's former skipper has scored 216 runs at a strike rate of 111.34.
Most experts agreed at the start of IPL 2022 that minus the captaincy burden, Virat Kohli would return to beast mode. But all we are left with is sluggish batting and three golden ducks. It does not auger well for Indian cricket, considering the T20 World Cup is just around the corner.
3- Rohit Sharma
Birthday greetings to the only batsman who’s given me nightmares as a captain. Thankfully I don’t captain anymore @ImRo45 https://t.co/XzpEc9Ptal
The newly crowned captain of the Indian men's cricket team across formats, Rohit Sharma is finding that cricket is a great leveler and in more ways than one. Unlike what most people would like to believe, Rohit has never taken the IPL by storm with his batting.
While Rohit Sharma's batting average in the IPL is just 30.42, he strikes at 130.20, numbers that do not sit well with a player of his caliber. However, Rohit Sharma possesses what nobody else in IPL history does, six IPL titles, five of them as captain. So when the going is good, nobody asks how the captain is doing.
But when your team creates a dubious record of being the first team ever to lose their first eight matches of the season, people begin to look at your numbers. Rohit Sharma has scored 200 runs in 11 matches this season, at a strike rate of 125. These are the worst numbers for him in an IPL season by some distance. He will surely hope for a better showing when he leads India at the 2022 T20 World Cup.