The 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) season is over; it came to a thrilling end on Sunday last where Kieron Pollard’s Mumbai Indians overcame Dwayne Bravo’s Chennai Super Kings to clinch their fourth IPL title.
It more ways than one, it was a season where the lads from the Caribbean reminded the world of why they are considered the goliaths of the shortest format, producing a number of thrilling performances which underlined tailor-made ability for T20 cricket.
To jog your memory of some of the notable performances during the recent weeks, let’s recall Andre Russell’s brutal lower order hitting where he amassed 510 runs to go along with his 11 scalps.
Paceman Alzarri Joseph’s 6-12 for Mumbai Indians on debut against Sunrisers had the tournament buzzing for days about his express pace while Bravo and Sunil Narine were also among the usual consist performers. Nicholas Pooran, too, began to come into his own for Punjab who could have utilized him better.
But what about the exiting Guyanese trio in Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford? How did they fare during their debut IPL season?
Hetmyer, who is one of most exciting up and coming batting sensations, underperformed for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He had a disastrous start to his IPL campaign after he fell without scoring in his first match and followed that up with a string of low scores – 5, 9, and 1 – before he was dropped from the final XI.
After not featuring in Bangalore’s crunch time games as they made a late push to qualify for the playoffs, Hetmyer returned for his side’s final game and hammered an eye-catching knock of 75 against Sunrisers to cap off the tournament in fine style, reminding his critics of his undoubted ability to perform at the highest level.
Nonetheless, he received commendation from skipper Virat Kohli after his final knock, who hinted at redrafting the young man in 2020.
Paul, on the other hand, was perhaps the most consistent and outstanding among the trio considering his skillset and his role. He snared nine wickets from his eight outings at an average of 26.33 to go along with an economy rate of under nine.
The 21-year old also copped a man of the match award after picking up 3-17 against Sunrisers in one of the Eliminators.
Meanwhile, Rutherford – who like Paul – suited up for the Delhi Capitals had quite a tournament. He was used more as a role player and did his bit in aiding his side’s run to playoffs after an absence of six years.
One game, in particular, he blasted a 13-ball 28 down the order and claimed the prize wicket of AB de Villers to set up a 16-run for his side over RCB. He ended the tournament with 75 runs from seven outings and with a strike rate of 135 – the third highest among Delhi’s recognise batsmen.
Essentially, the tournament, as it does for many of the promising Indian players, provided an excellent opportunity for the young Guyanese trio who got to run shoulders with some the top players in the world – both past and present. One would only hope that they used the opportunity to seek advice on how to develop their game.
