The 11th season of IPL finished yesterday as Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad to lift their third title.
The MS-Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings made a dream comeback to the IPL as they lifted the trophy for the third time. The so-called ‘Daddy Army’ proved their doubters wrong, as the 36-year old Shane Watson smashed a century in the final. The Aussie star led a successful chase of 179 as CSK eased past the Sunrisers by 8 wickets.
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This win had special annotations for the Chennai fans, as CSK was suspended from the tournament for the last two seasons. In this season too, CSK’s home games were shifted to Pune due to a state dispute. MS Dhoni later said during the presentation that the whole staff of CSK will celebrate the win in Chennai, as a token of gratitude to the loyal supporters of the club.
As CSK won the IPL trophy, it was time for the best performers throughout the IPL season to be rewarded.
Here is the full list of winners:
Winners: Chennai Super Kings (Prize money: ₹20 crore)
Chennai Super Kings defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets in the final. CSK emerged as deserved winners of the tournament, as they were the only team to beat all the teams in this IPL. CSK’s squad depth proved to be crucial, and every player knew their role in the side, and pulled out their performances efficiently.
Runners-up: Sunrisers Hyderabad (Prize money: ₹12.5 crore)
Sunrisers received a blow before the start of the IPL when David Warner received a ban from playing in this season. However, SRH performed strongly and dominated the IPL table. They finished as table-toppers with their new captain, Kane Williamson being the most consistent performer for the side. However, they slumped to defeat in both, the qualifier and the final against Chennai Super Kings.
Most Valuable player: Sunil Narine – Kolkata Knight Riders (Prize money: ₹10 lakhs)
The West Indian emerged as a revelation for KKR in this IPL, as his all-round skills were crucial in Kolkata’s IPL campaign. His bowling prowess was also central to KKR’s run towards the play-off. KKR defeated Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator, before losing to Sunrisers in the second qualifier.
Orange Cap: Kane Williamson – Sunrisers Hyderabad (Prize money: ₹10 lakhs)
Kane Williamson shifted his batting position on many occasions throughout the season, but that didn’t hamper his performances. Williamson scored 735 runs in this season of IPL, with a staggering average of 52. He also maintained a terrific strike rate of 142. Throughout the season, he scored 8 half-centuries, and missed his 9th in the final by merely three runs.
Purple cap: Andrew Tye – Kings XI Punjab (Prize money: ₹10 lakhs)
Kings XI Punjab may not have had a great fortune in this IPL, but Andrew Tye was a standout performer for the side. The Australian pacer took 24 wickets in this season, with an average of 18. He took 4 wickets on three occasions in this IPL. Tye initiated a “knuckle-ball revolution” of sorts in this IPL.
Emerging Player: Rishabh Pant – Delhi Daredevils (Prize money: ₹10 lakhs)
Like Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils had a season to forget. The side finished at the bottom of the IPL table, but DD’s Rishabh Pant salvaged some pride for the club. The left-handed batsman received the award for the Emerging player of the season, and quite deservedly so. With an average of 52, and a staggering strike-rate of 173.6, Pant scored 684 in 14 matches.
Fairplay Award: Mumbai Indians
The Rohit-Sharma led Mumbai Indians won the award for playing the game with utmost sportsman-spirit. However, Mumbai failed to qualify for the play-offs as they fell short on the final day of the season.
Perfect catch of the season: Trent Boult – Delhi Daredevils, against RCB (Prize money: ₹10 lakhs)
Trent Boult won the perfect catch of the season for the stunner he pulled out against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He took the catch of Virat Kohli on the edge of the boundary line, which left the spectators in awe.
Super Striker of the season: Sunil Narine – Kolkata Knight Riders (Prize: Tata Nexon)
The West Indian bagged the award for having a super strike rate of 189.89 throughout the IPL season. He opened the innings in all the games and provided the quick start which KKR wanted from him.
Stylish Player of the season: Rishabh Pant – Delhi Daredevils (Prize money: ₹10 lakhs)
The Indian left-handed batsman won the Stylish player of the season award. Delhi Daredevils won only five games in this season, and Rishabh Pant took them through the line in most of them. He won the award five times this season, and quite deservedly won the tournament award as well.
Nayi soch (Innovative Thinking of the Season) award: MS Dhoni – Chennai Super Kings (Prize money: ₹10 lakhs)
MS Dhoni won the award for his out-of-the-box tactics. He led CSK to many close victories in this season. His use of Dwayne Bravo, especially in the middle overs, gave CSK various crucial breakthroughs throughout the season.
Pitch and Ground award (host for more than 7 matches): Cricket Association of Bengal (Prize money: ₹50 lakhs)
The Eden Gardens won the award for best pitch and ground. The stadium also hosted two games in the play-offs. The crowd at Eden Gardens was also supportive of the home team and every game at the stadium was jam-packed.
Pitch and Ground award (host for less than 7 matches): Punjab Cricket Association (Prize money: ₹25 lakhs)
Mohali hosted only three games this season. However, all the three were high-scoring games and Kings XI Punjab won all the matches they played here.
