As the IPL charges through it’s fourth week, CricViz analyst Rufus Bullough looks at the best performers from this week’s matches
1. Shikhar Dhawan
Impact – Batting: +67.4, Fielding: -4.6 – Total: +62.8
Matches: 3 – Runs: 158 at 10.41 rpo, Catches: 1, Dropped Catches: 1
What a week it has been for Shikhar Dhawan! Delhi’s southpaw opening batsman scored his maiden IPL hundred in Saturday’s clash with the floundering Chennai Super Kings, as well as registering a classy 57 (33) against Rajasthan earlier in the week. These two dominating displays earned him a batting impact of +67.4, which is the highest total impact for any player across a single week so far in this IPL. He was clinical, inventive and brutal, and has played a huge part in Delhi’s success this week.
2. Robin Uthappa
Impact – Batting: +16.1, Fielding: +1.8 – Total: +17.9
Matches: 2 – Runs: 73 at 8.93 rpo, Catches: 2
Robin Uthappa had been having a really underwhelming tournament before this gameweek. In his first five matches, he had failed to make a meaningful contribution with the bat and had received a negative batting impact for all of his innings. But a turnaround in his form, galvanised by a change in approach and batting position, may be the key to Rajasthan making a late push for the final playoff position. After a measured 32 (27) against Delhi, Uthappa was bumped up from the middle order and faced the first ball against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He answered his skipper’s call with an explosive 41 (21) and registered his best batting impact of the tournament so far (+11.3). Will Rajasthan continue with this change that seemed to benefit Uthappa, or will they continue to tinker with their order in search of the winning formula that has been so difficult to find thus far?
3. Quinton de Kock
Impact – Batting: +35.6, Fielding: 0.0 – Total: +35.6
Matches: 2 – Runs: 131 at 9.03 rpo, Catches: 2, Dropped Catches: 1
Quinton de Kock was back to his free-flowing best this week, registering two 50+ scores and a total batting impact for the week of +35.6. His 78* (44) against the Kolkata Knight Riders was the innings that particularly caught the eye this week. He appeared to be untroubled by the Kolkata bowling, and was back cutting and pulling to the fence with mesmerising ease. If Rohit doesn’t get you, then Quinton will, and the Mumbai Indians juggernaut looks almost certain to roll through to the playoffs.
4. Shreyas Iyer
Impact – Batting: +13.7, Fielding: +0.9 – Total: +14.6
Matches: 2 – Runs: 76 at 6.90 rpo
While Shreyas Iyer has not had a week that has captured the imagination as much as some of the other headline makers, it was an important week for the Delhi skipper as he continued his solid personal tournament run, both with the bat and as a team. On a slow and tricky pitch in Dubai against Rajasthan Royals, Iyer played an important supporting role to his in-form opener, Shikhar Dhawan. Coming in at 10-2, Iyer steadied the ship and allowed Dhawan to play the counter attacking role which fuelled the Delhi recovery. The pair put on an impressive 85-run partnership, enabling the Capitals to reach the unassailable total of 161-7, with both Iyer and Dhawan passing 50 in the process. Iyer was eventually dismissed for 53 (43) and netted himself an impact of +18.6, which is largely down to the preservation of his wicket, while riding out the new ball storm served up by Jofra Archer and co.
5. AB de Villiers
Impact – Batting: +36.6, Fielding: -0.8 – Total: +35.6
Matches: 3 – Runs 130 at 13.00 rpo, Catches: 1
Brutal boundary striking is not something we are surprised to see from AB de Villiers, but what did surprise us this week was his ability to clear the ropes with apparent ease, while all others around him toiled and eventually failed. AB passed 50 on two occasions, with his most destructive display in terms of run-rate coming against Rajasthan where his 55* (22) was scored at 15 runs per over. This earned him an impact of +22.4 for that game, and with his 73* (33) earlier in the week against Kolkata, he is more than deserving of his excellent impact rating for this week, and another spot on our list.
6. Chris Morris
Impact – Batting: +10.8, Bowling: +47.2, Fielding: +5.3 – Total: +63.3
Matches: 3 – Runs 25 at 18.75 rpo, Wickets: 6 at 5.41 rpo, Catches: 2
What a week Chris Morris has had. Struck down with injury early on in the tournament, the South African all-rounder must have feared that he may not have any sort of impact in this year’s edition. He could not have been more wrong. He has combined fantastic new ball and death overs bowling, with brutal lower order boundary finding ability and a safe pair of hands on the boundary, earning himself a total match impact of +63.3, and the title of this week’s most valuable player. In each of his four games, he has registered a positive bowling impact, with his crowning moment coming against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, where his 4-26 earned him a bowling impact of +18.2, his fourth best ever IPL bowling effort.
7. Axar Patel
Impact – Batting: +13.2, Bowling: +3.5, Fielding: +7.4 – Total: +24.1
Matches: 2 – Runs 28 at 18.66 rpo, Wickets: 1 at 6.51 rpo, Run Outs: 1
Axar Patel keeps flying under the radar and churning out handy performances for Delhi. While his figures may not dominate the headlines, he often bowls at difficult periods of the innings, and suffocates the opposition batsmen into submission, which is clearly demonstrated by his tournament economy of 5.47. While he only managed the one wicket this week, his overall impact was elevated by the run-out of Riyan Parag, and the match winning cameo of 21* (5) against Chennai in a chase in which they looked destined to come up short.
8. Sandeep Sharma
Impact – Batting: -1.4, Bowling: +17.3, Fielding: +0.4 – Total: +16.3
Matches: 2 – Runs 1 at 3.00 rpo, Wickets: 2 at 5.75 rpo
Sandeep Sharma gets into this TOTW largely off the back of a strong bowling performance against the Chennai Super Kings. His 2 for 19 from his full allocation earned him a match impact of +16.5 with the removal of both of the Chennai opening pair. Although Sunrisers were unable to win that clash, captain David Warner will be pleased to see Sharma putting in strong performances with the new ball, following the season ending Injury of their usual opening spearhead, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
8. Lockie Ferguson
Impact – Bowling: +25.9, Fielding: +2.0 – Total: +27.9
Matches: 1 – Wickets: 3 at 3.75 rpo
Hopefully more than a one-match wonder, Lockie Ferguson made his 2020 IPL debut on Sunday against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and was undoubtedly the man of the match. After a blistering spell of 3 for 15 from his four overs earned him an impact of +25.9, he was also entrusted to bowl the Super Over, where his two wickets in three balls blew away the Sunrisers, and left an easy chase for Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik. Newly appointed captain Morgan will be excited by Ferguson’s impressive start to this campaign, and will be hoping the Kiwi can fire again in their upcoming matches, and help the Knight Riders sneak into the playoffs.
10. Jasprit Burmah
Impact – Bowling: +37.0, Fielding: -4.5 – Total: +32.5
Matches: 2 – Wickets: 4 at 5.75 rpo
Bumrah continues, rather unsurprisingly, to do Bumrah-esque things and once again features in the TOTW. Another weekly haul of four wickets at under a run-a-ball earns the Indian seamer his weekly impact of +37.0, his best to date, and his second TOTW spot in this year’s IPL. After a slow start, he has a total tournament impact of 52.4 and is well and truly in the race for the CricViz Impact purple cap, currently occupying the fourth spot behind Archer (+75.8), Rashid (+72.9) and Morris (+56.1), but with five matches to go in the group stage, and the all-important knockout phase still to come, Bumrah could easily jump to the top spot in the days to come.
11. Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact – Bowling: +18.9, Fielding: 0.0 – Total: +18.9
Matches: 3 – Wickets: 4 at 7.36 rpo
Chahal again makes it into this week’s list after steady performances and key wickets taken at crucial moments. His figures of 2 for 34 against Rajasthan included the wickets of the resurgent Robin Uthappa and the ever-threatening Sanju Samson, earning him a match impact of (+12.4), his best for the week. Chahal has now featured in three of the four TOTW’s, level with Jofra Archer who missed out this week.
Rufus Bullough is an alnalyst for CricViz – Follow him @rufus_cricket
