By Tony McWatt
The 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) is well underway with approximately one-third of its scheduled matches having been completed. Now, in its 15th season, and universally regarded as global cricket’s most prestigious T20 franchise tournament, the 2022 IPL with its roster of 10 participating teams commenced March 26 and is scheduled to be completed May 29.
Seventeen West Indians are involved in this year’s tournament as active playing members of the respective participating franchises.
The significance of this year’s IPL is that with most of T20 crickets’ brightest stars participating, it is now being widely considered as a dress rehearsal for the International Cricket Council’s 2022 World Cup involving the format’s top 10 teams to be held in Australia this coming October – November.
Twice former champions the West Indies will be entering the 2022 T20 World Cup as qualifiers, hoping to be one of the four that will be joining the ICC’s eight top-ranked teams in the tournament’s Super12 second stage.
For the West Indies Desmond Haynes- led Men’s Team Selection Panel, the performances of the respective Caribbean players at this year’s 2022 IPL, could provide some very useful indicators as to the final composition of their 15-member 2022 World Cup squad. Except for the internationally retired Dwayne Bravo, as well as arguably the over-aged Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, each of the remaining 14 current IPL Caribbean players should be considered as legitimate contenders for places on the West Indies’ eventual 2022 T20 World Cup roster.
Haynes and his fellow selectors will most likely, therefore, be keen observers of this year’s IPL matches. With one-third of the tournament’s matches now having been completed, however, there wouldn’t as yet have been much for them to be overly pleased about. Indeed, there may even have been some major sources of concern.
With most of the 10 participating franchise teams having completed the first five or six of their respective 18 scheduled matches, only one of the 17 Caribbean players is currently among the tournament’s listing of its top 10 run-scorers. Guyana’s Shimron Hetmeyer, representing the Rajasthan Royals, has to date emerged as the highest-ranked Caribbean player.
Hetmeyer’s 223 run aggregate, from six listed innings for a resulting 74.33 average, has him placed at number 6 in the batting rankings. His runs have included a 59 not out as his highest score and only half-century. His recorded scores have been punctuated by 14 fours and 17 sixes.
Next closest to Hetmeyer in the rankings for the tournament’s highest run scorers is Kolkata Knights’ Jamaica-born Russell. Now quickly approaching his April 29, 2022, 34th birthday, Russell is, however, considered to be on the downward slope of his illustrious, albeit injury-plagued, T20 career. Russell has so far accumulated 179 runs from five completed innings at an average of 59.88 and with a 70 not out as his highest score. His legendary belligerence has been as evident as ever in the 11 fours and 16 massive sixes his runs have included.
Much further down from Hetmeyer and Russell in the rankings is Nicholas Pooran, the West Indies T20 International (T20I) vice-captain. Pooran has to date accumulated 113 runs from six completed innings at an average of 56.50, His highest score so far has been 35 not out. He’s also struck seven fours and five sixes.
One of the major sources of worry for Haynes and his fellow selectors will be the demonstrated IPL’22 lack of form of the current West Indies’ T20I captain Kieron Pollard. As a senior member of the Mumbai Indians squad, Pollard’s six completed innings to date have only yielded a paltry 82 runs at a dismal 16.40 average. Pollard’s runs have also only included five fours and six sixes.
Pollard’s paucity of runs so far at IPL’22 is indeed a continuation of his overall lack of production of late as a batsman. His last 15 T20I innings for the West Indies have included as many as eight single digit scores while being entirely bereft of any half-centuries.
Pollard’s ongoing batting woes have also raised questions, among Caribbean cricket fans, as to the merits of his continued tenure of the West Indies’ T20I captaincy. With the 2022 ICCT20 World Cup now just months away, many such fans are of the opinion that Pollard should be relieved of the captaincy and that the current vice-captain Nicholas Pooran should instead be given that responsibility. Should Pollard’s batting form not improve sufficiently by the conclusion of this IPL 2022 season that may yet be a decision that Desmond Haynes and his fellow selectors will very seriously have to consider.
In addition to Pollard, Haynes and company will also likely be just as concerned by the lack of IPL form of Evan Lewis. The West Indies established T20I opener. Lewis’ four innings to date have only yielded 71 runs at an average of 23.66. More alarmingly, those four innings have included a highest score of 55 not out, an indication that the remaining three have only produced a grand total of 16 runs.
As concerned as they may be by the lack of runs that have forthcoming thus far from their Caribbean charges as batsmen at this year’s IPL, Haynes & Co., might be even more so by the paucity of wickets that have been taken by their bowlers. Apart from the internationally retired Bravo no other West Indian bowler is currently in the tournament’s listing of its top 10 wicket-takers. Bravo’s sixth-ranked 10 wickets have been captured from 21.4 overs bowled at an average of 18.10 and with an acceptable 8.35 economy rate.
Jason Holder is the highest ranked from among the current crop of the most likely West Indies 2022 T20 World Cup squad inclusion contenders. Holder’s six wickets to date have been captured at an average of 24.66 from 16 overs bowled, at an economy rate of 9.25.
On either side of Holder in the current highest wicket-taker rankings, are the IPL veterans Narine and Russell. Narine’s six wickets to date have come at an average of 23.50 from 28.2 overs bowled, at an overly impressive 5.03 economy rate. Russell, meanwhile, has captured his six wickets at an average of 24.66 from 13.4 overs bowled at a far more expensive economy rate of 10.02
Jamaica’s Odean Smith, appearing for the Punjabi Kings in his IPL’22 debut season has so far also captured six wickets. Smith’s victims have, however, been taken at an average of 29.66 from 15 overs bowled, at a massively unimpressive 11.86 economy rate. His current West Indies T20I teammate and IPL co-debutant Romario Shepherd, has to date captured just three wickets at an average of 25.00 from eight overs bowled at a slightly less expensive 9.57 economy rate.
While the IPL’22 performances to date of their Caribbean players may be causing Haynes & Co., more worry than joy they will be heartened by the reminder that the season is just one-third of the way through. There’s plenty of time still remaining and sufficient numbers of matches available, therefore, for such performances to improve considerably. To what extent they will, should make for very interesting viewing between now and the tournament’s May 29 conclusion.
About The Writer:
Guyana-born, Toronto-based, Tony McWatt is the Publisher of both the WI Wickets and Wickets monthly online cricket magazines that are respectively targeted towards Caribbean and Canadian readers. He is also the only son of the former Guyana and West Indies wicket-keeper batsman the late Clifford “Baby Boy” McWatt.
