There could not have been a better finish for the Deccan Chargers this season in the Indian Premier League. The Bulls ended IPL-5 with two home wins at the Rajiv Gandhi Intern-ational Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. This was also the first time the Chargers won two back-to-back matches at home, putting to rest all rumours of a jinx.
The stand-out performers for 2009 champions this season have been elegant left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan and the fast and furious Dale Steyn. The duo performed for their team with unflinching determination in every match and the results are there for all to see. Dhawan and Steyn are featured in the list of the top five run-getters and wicket-takers respectively.
Dhawan, known as a talented batsman, wasn’t really on anyone’s radar prior to the start of the season. However, he was the first of the Bulls’ willowmen to get going, scoring his first half-century in just the third match and never looked back since. Of his five fifties this season, the 73 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, 84 against a top-notch Delhi Daredevils attack and 71 against the Kings XI Punjab were the best. Giving him company on most of the occasions was Australian all-rounder Cameron White, who also exhibited prime form.
Dale Steyn, easily the world’s most feared fast bowler, was at his brutal best right through the tournament, rattling the best batsmen time and again with heart-stopping pace and eye-popping control. Had he played all the 16 matches, he would have given his compatriot Morne Morkel a run for the purple cap.
His magnificent spell of 3 for 8 against RCB was one of the most ruthless, destructive exhibition of fast bowling ever. Led by these players and with some consistency from others, the Chargers can easily be the team to beat next season.
— The Blogger is a final year student at the Muffakkam Jah College of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad.
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