NEW DELHI: In Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Piyush Chawla and Mohit Sharma have proved through their stellar performances that old is indeed gold. Before the start of the season, no one gave them a chance to be standout performers, but now they are vital cogs in their respective teams with their performances.
Mohit, who was a net bowler with Gujarat Titans last year, has picked up six wickets in four games and returned with two Player of the Match awards for the side on two occasions and has been a go-to bowler for skipper Hardik Pandya in the death overs.
Rahane, who was picked up by CSK at a base price of Rs 50 lakh, has owned IPL 2023 with his breathtaking performances. As of now, Rahane aggregated 224 runs in six innings, averaging 44.8 and at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 189.83.
Former India cricketer Mithali Raj has hailed Rahane, who earned a comeback to the Indian Test team for the World Test Championship Final, for the way he’s batting in IPL 2023 and reinventing his game.
“Rahane has reinvented his game. He wanted to fit into the T20 format and that’s why he changed his game. There has been no change in his shots but there has been a lot of change in his approach. This Rahane is looking brand new,” Mithali was quoted as saying by Star Sports.
Similarly, senior leg-spinner Chawla has picked up 11 wickets in seven matches he played for five-time champions Mumbai Indians, at an economy of 7.11.
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh reckons the Impact Substitute rule allows veteran cricketers like Chawla and Amit Mishra to leave a significant impact on every game they play because they are both seasoned campaigners and an asset to the team.
“Chawla and Mishra are able to perform better because of the Impact Player rule as they know they have only three-four overs to bowl and during that time they can give their best. Also, both of them have class and experience.”
In terms of youngsters, the all-rounder duo of Punjab Kings’ stand-in captain and Mumbai Indians’ Cameron Green, who were the most expensive players in the IPL 2023 auction, are reposing faith put in them by their respective franchises, proving to be impactful with bat and ball.
“Sam Curran is a true all-rounder. He can bat and ball with equal dexterity. He is a pocket-size dynamite,” said former England captain Paul Collingwood.
“Cameron Green has so far justified his price tag. Green can be a horse of long race for MI. After the departure of Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard, MI need an all-rounder and Green seems to be filling the void,” added former India pacer Irfan Pathan. IANS
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