IPL Team of the Week May 2 - May 8

Three consecutive defeats arrested Gujarat Lions’ dominance at the top of the table, and Sunrisers have sneaked up to the number one position, courtesy a string of wins. Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils complete the other two slots in the top four. Virat Kohli’s heroics have given RCB hope; the old warhorses, Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar have rolled back the years to give their teams tight starts with the ball. Consistent performers like Ajinkya Rahane and Dinesh Karthik have given regular contributions to their teams. Here’s a list of eleven players who were top performers in the last week:

 

Ajinkya Rahane

The tiny opener from Mumbai has been a rock at the top for the Pune franchise, giving them starts and chasing totals in a campaign that has cracked under a spate of injuries and indifferent form from teammates. Against Gujarat, he stayed unbeaten to finish a 166 run chase, even when the middle-order threw away starts at the end. Two days later, he anchored the innings once again, scoring a more swift 48-ball 74 to power his team to 191, a target that was subsequently overtaken by Kohli’s ton. Playing all round the wicket, his innings was studded with eight boundaries and two maximums. It’s a pity that Pune’s path to the playoffs looks uncertain, but Rahane, with another consistent performance in the IPL, has come under the reckoning for a permanent national spot.