Heavy workload taking toll on India’s T20 stars in IPL

Barring the top three from India’s T20 World Cup-winning playing XI — Sanju Samson (CSK), Abhishek Sharma (SRH) and Ishan Kishan (SRH) — the remaining eight cricketers have struggled to make a significant impact in the ongoing IPL. From T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav to Rinku Singh — all have delivered only in bits and pieces for their respective franchises.

Perhaps the hectic T20 World Cup schedule and the relentless cricket calendar are among the reasons behind their inconsistent performances. Had the T20 World Cup been held during the autumn months, maybe these players would have fared better — who knows?

For Mumbai Indians — a franchise that has boasted of having the maximum number of Indian team players over the years — there appears to be an overdependence on the likes of Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Jasprit Bumrah.

If Hardik is struggling for form with the bat and failing to get enough support from the rest of the unit, the team inevitably suffers. Things have reached a stage where the franchise captain himself appears unable to hold the side together.

Meanwhile, Surya — who has reportedly been battling a wrist injury and, as reported by CricBlogger on April 30, could soon lose India’s T20 captaincy — has looked out of sorts at the highest level over the past couple of years. Though he scored heavily last season, there were talks of him managing the pain with injections. This year, however, it seems increasingly clear that Surya may need to fully address his wrist issue before returning to play for Mumbai again.

Tilak Varma too is going through a difficult phase with the bat. His lone century against the Gujarat Titans remains the only major positive in an otherwise inconsistent season. Even Jasprit Bumrah appears set for an extended break, perhaps even a long vacation, after playing non-stop cricket for months. It has reached a stage where the premier fast bowler looks as though he is merely going through the motions.

It is equally unusual to see Axar Patel struggling to make an impact with either bat or ball in the IPL. Burdened with the responsibility of captaining a divided Delhi Capitals side, the franchise looks completely directionless and perhaps in need of a strong personality like Sourav Ganguly to steady the ship.

Even all-rounder Shivam Dube, who could seemingly do no wrong with the bat not too long ago, has looked out of sorts for Chennai Super Kings. The same applies to Varun Chakravarthy, who has struggled in this format, perhaps because of his attempt to bowl quicker than usual. He was even seen limping during his spell the other night at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Only Rinku Singh has shown glimpses of promise, but his efforts have not been enough to win too many matches for Kolkata Knight Riders.

Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh, despite being regarded as one of the finest T20 bowlers in the world, has not been as economical as expected. On several occasions, he has been taken apart like a club bowler. And then there is Kuldeep Yadav, who too is far from his best rhythm. Right now, they all seem to be struggling.