IPL 6: Player of the Week nominees - Week 4

We are 39 matches into the IPL this year and already some record-shattering performances have made it to the headlines. This past week saw the most of them. Whether you take Chris Gayle’s 175* off 66 balls, which broke almost all T20 batting records or you take Shane Watson’s first IPL century, this week has been nothing short of a blockbuster. However, batsmen have dominated this week more than bowlers. Let us now look at the players who managed to steal the show this week.

Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Chris Gayle was the lone man responsible for the nature’s fury (Gaylestorm) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium earlier this week, when he rushed onto his 175* off just 66 balls, hitting 17 balls out of the ground. His innings led RCB to the mammoth score of 263 against Pune Warriors India, who ended up 42 runs short of Chris Gayle’s individual score. His innings broke almost all the T20 and IPL records that day. Some of them include the highest ever individual score, fastest hundred ever, most sixes by a player in an innings and the list goes on. This Jamaican has been RCB’s premier batsman so far and also is the current holder of the Orange Cap.

Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals)

This Aussie batting powerhouse has boosted the Rajasthan side in a significant manner since his arrival. He scored Pepsi IPL’s first century against Chennai Super Kings, piling up 101 off just 61 balls. His quickfire knock helped his team reach a formidable total of 185. However, it was all in vain when his team ended up on the losing side but his innings was filled with exquisite strokes. He again came up with a match winning innings of 98* against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last game at Jaipur. It has largely been a one man show at the Rajasthan Royals camp this week as far as the batting is concerned with Shane Watson making most of their runs. He is expected to continue with his good form in the coming weeks as well to give the double Rs a chance to make it to the play-offs.

James Faulkner (Rajasthan Royals)

This Australian pacer is the lone bowler making it to our ‘Player of the week’ section this week. Although there have been some reasonable performances by other bowlers as well, but Faulkner stands out with his two good performances this week. He wrecked havoc in the Sunrisers Hyderabad batting line-up in their last game at Jaipur with his superb spell of 5 for 20. His 5 scalps restricted Sunrisers to just 144 off their 20 overs, resulting in a Rajasthan win. He also came up with an another excellent bowling performance against Chennai Super Kings, taking 3 wickets and giving away just 20 runs. He has been leading the Rajasthan pace battery and is crucial for them in the future games as well.

Michael Hussey (Chennai Super Kings)

Mr. Cricket has come back to his cricketing best now for Chennai Super Kings. He has been the talk of the week with some of his incredible knocks while opening the batting for CSK. The 37-year-old veteran cricketer was relentless in his approach in the innings of 95 against KKR, which he scored off just 59 balls. His innings at the top took CSK to a mammoth score of 200. Despite a blistering innings of 92 from KKR’s Manvinder Bisla, CSK won the match by 14 runs. He also scored 88 off just 51 balls earlier against Rajasthan Royals, which almost negated Shane Watson’s brilliant century in the first innings, as Hussey’s innings took CSK to a convincing victory. He was not up to the expectations earlier in the tournament, but has come to his own in the last week. Him being in good form is crucial to CSK’s chances of winning the IPL this year.

Dwayne Smith (Mumbai Indians)

This Caribbean big-built right-hander has been a dream replacement for Ricky Ponting at the top for Mumbai Indians. He had been warming the benches till Ricky Ponting was captaining the side, but following Punter’s decision of dropping himself, the team management has given Dwayne Smith the responsibility to open along with Sachin Tendulkar. The hard-hitting all-rounder responded to the faith of the selectors, scoring two consecutive fifties for MI. He scored 62 off 45 balls in a successful chase against KKR at Eden Gardens. He also scored 50 off 36 balls in the match against RCB at Wankhede Stadium, which helped MI to pile up 194. MI ended up winning that match as well. With the kind of form he is in, MI are likely to benefit from him big time in the future games as well.

Now it’s up to you to decide who has been the Player of the Week by casting your vote here: