The Indian Premier League (IPL) is undoubtably the biggest Twenty20 cricket tournament in the world, attracting more fans than any other league as well as some of the planet’s finest cricketing talent.
A total of 11 English players are plying their trade in the 2019 edition, a stark contrast to the IPL’s initial years in which the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff stood out as exceptions.
With more of our boys out on the field, how is our homegrown talent fairing in the Indian sun?
Bairstow Hits His First Ton
Jonny Bairstow was signed by the Sunerisers Hyderabad back in the 2018 IPL player auction. Fast forward to now, and Bairstow is receiving plaudits after hitting 114 from 56 balls to help his team defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Bairstow’s score was part of an IPL record 185-run opening stand with Australian David Warner. The pair are likely to be facing off against each other in this Summer’s Ashes tournament between England and Australia.
Bairstow is only the third English player in history to hit 100+, outscoring both Kevin Pietersen and Ben Stokes’s 103 not outs. If you’re looking to replicate his achievements, picking up a new bat from Talent Cricket is a good place to start.
Buttler Falls to a Mankad
England cricket vice-captain Jos Buttler is generally viewed as one of our country’s first global T20 superstars. Having re-joined the IPL in 2019 with the Rajasthan Royals, Buttler recently hit the news when bowler Ravichandran mankadded him out as he stepped out of his crease.
The incident has sparked a lot of debate, with many labelling Ashwin’s actions as unsportsmanlike. Others argue that in the case of a mankad, it is the batter that is trying to unfairly gain an advantage.
Sam Curran Hits Hat-Trick
England youngster Sam Curran is currently the highest paid overseas player in the IPL, and he’s starting to justify the hype. The all-rounder recently took an incredible hat-trick to help Kings XI Punjab claim a remarkable victory over the Delhi Capitals.
Curran claimed four wickets in five balls to secure his team the win, putting them joint second in the league table with the Chennai Super Kings.
Willey Pulls Out
In sadder news, Chennai Super Kings all-rounder David Willey recently pulled out of the IPL season citing personal reasons.
Willey stated that he was returning home to care for his pregnant wife, and that it was open-ended as to when he would return to action for Yorkshire.