IPL 2022: 5 things that happened in the tournament this year after a decade
IPL 2022 is currently in its final phase. The league stage will end this Sunday, May 22, with a battle between the SunRisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings. Three of the top four teams have been locked, with the fourth franchise set to be decided on May 21 after the match between the Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians.
Like the previous seasons, IPL 2022 has entertained fans across the world. However, there were some new things that fans witnessed this season, while the cricket universe also saw a few things repeating in the league after a gap of a decade or more.
On that note, we will look at five things that took place in the IPL this year after a gap of 10 years.
#1 Matthew Wade playing in the IPL
Veteran Australian wicket-keeper batter Matthew Wade has played two seasons in the Indian Premier League. He made his debut in IPL 2011 for the Delhi Capitals, but failed to make an impact. Wade played three matches, scoring 22 runs at a strike rate of 66.67.
After going unsold at multiple IPL auctions, Wade finally earned his second IPL contract earlier this year from the Gujarat Titans. He has played eight matches for the franchise, aggregating 114 runs at a strike rate of 116.33.
#2 Mitchell Marsh winning IPL Man of the Match award
Mitchell Marsh started his IPL career in 2010. He played for the Pune Warriors in 2011 and won his maiden Man of the Match award in the league. Playing against Deccan Chargers, he scalped four wickets and helped Pune win by six wickets.
While Marsh did play a few matches in the IPL after 2011, he did not win another Man of the Match award until IPL 2022. Earlier this season, Marsh scored 89 runs and scalped two wickets for Delhi Capitals against Rajasthan Royals, helping the team register an eight-wicket victory.
#3 10 teams participating in an IPL season
IPL 2022 is the second season after 2011 to feature 10 teams. Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers Kerala were the new entrants in the 2011 season, while in 2022, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants made their debuts.
Interestingly, both new teams failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2011, but the Titans and the Super Giants have made it to the second round in IPL 2022.
#4 Chris Gayle is not a part of any IPL squad at the start of the season
Universe Boss Chris Gayle went unsold at the IPL 2011 Auction. He was not a part of any IPL team at the start of that season. After that, he received contracts from Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings.
Ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction, Gayle made himself unavailable for the tournament. For the first time in 10 years, the Caribbean star does not have an IPL contract.
#5 DY Patil Stadium hosted a match in IPL 2022 for the first time since 2011
DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai hosted quite a few IPL matches in 2022. It was one of the four venues for the league stage of the competition.
While Wankhede Stadium and MCA Stadium have regularly hosted IPL games in the recent past, Brabourne Stadium had not hosted IPL since 2015. Also, the last time the DY Patil Stadium was used for an IPL game was in 2011. Thus, 2022 ended a 10-year wait for the fans living in Navi Mumbai.