28 May,2018 05:30 PM IST | Mumbai | Dhaval Mehta
Chennai T20 Team. All Pics/AFP
T20 2018 has finally come to an end and after 60 intense matches; it was Chennai, who won their third T20 League title by defeating Hyderabad by eight wickets at Wankhede, Mumbai. For team Chennai, it was redemption as they beat the odds and emerged winners. T20 2018, as usual, was filled with fun, excitement, and controversies. The cricketainment league again showed why it is called the best league in the world as it gave opportunities to youngsters and proved that it gives a platform to young players to express themselves and learn from the best of the world.
Here are the Good, Bad and Ugly moments from T20 2018:
Good:
Chennai T20 team celebrating their success
1. Chennai winning their third T20 title: Before the start of the tournament, Chennai team was thought to be the oldest and was given the tag of 'Dad's Army', Chennai proved their doubters wrong and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in company with Stephen Fleming once again proved their mettle and won their third T20 League title. Chennai played like a well-oiled machine and defeated the finalists Hyderabad four times in T20 2018, including the final.
Chennai made their return to T20 2018 special with playing like a unit and despite not playing at home (Cauvery controversy), Chennai boys believed in themselves and Mahendra Singh Dhoni showed his Midas touch once again with leading from the front and proving that age is just a number.
Shane Watson
2. Chennai proving âOld is Gold': T20 cricket is generally considered as a young man's game and you need fresh legs and athleticism. Chennai team in T20 2018 had quite a few players over the age of 30 (Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shane Watson, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, Imran Tahir), but Chennai proved that age is just a statistic and you need the experience to win big tournaments.
Shane Watson played the innings of the tournament as he single-handedly won Chennai the final with his magnificent century and showcased his temperament and class under extreme pressure. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not your typical captain and he likes to do things out of the ordinary and by winning the T20 2018, Chennai have created a legacy, which will be very hard to beat.
Kane Williamson
3. Kane Williamson rising to the occasion: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is a technically correct batsman, who is much understated. Hyderabad suffered a big jolt when Australian David Warner got suspended for his role in the ball-tampering saga and Kane Williamson was thrust into the leadership role.
Like any good leader, Kane Williamson led from the front and ended the tournament as the leading run scorer (735 runs in 17 matches). Kane Williamson also handled his resources really well and got the best out of players such as Shikhar Dhawan, Rashid Khan and overall had a calming influence on the team.
Rishabh Pant
4. The emergence of youngsters: T20 League's main motto is to give exposure to youngsters and encourage them to express themselves. In T20 2018, we saw many up and coming cricketers leave their mark and impressing quite a few people. From Rishabh Pant to Prithvi Shaw to Siddarth Kaul to Mayank Markande to Mohammad Siraj, the T20 2018 provided plenty of opportunities to the next generation of cricketers.
But one name that stood out was Delhi's, Rishabh Pant. He announced his arrival in T20 2018 and played without any fear whatsoever (684 runs-14 matches, strike-rate: 173.60). Rishabh Pant was the only shining moment for hapless and poor Delhi and Rishabh Pant by playing so well in T20 2018 has proved that his Indian comeback is certain in near future and he is the next big thing of Indian cricket. The event also saw Afghanistani spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman shining on the big stage and putting Afghanistan on the world stage.
Bad:
Delhi T20 Team
1. Delhi's season of nightmares: It was the same old story for Delhi as they again won the wooden spoon (finishing last in the league). Delhi came into T20 2018 with a promising squad full of buzz and excitement, but after the initial round matches, panic set in. Delhi first moment of crisis was when regular captain Gautam Gambhir decided to drop himself midway through the tournament and youngster Shreyas Iyer had to step in.
Delhi's team never gelled as a unit and despite having big names and the coaching services of Ricky Ponting, Delhi had a nightmarish season, again!
Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh
2. Did we see the last of Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh?: Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh have been the stalwarts of Indian cricket and have won so many hearts and games for India. But, time and tide wait for none and for both Yuvraj and Gambhir, this was the season to forget. Both stalwarts of Indian cricket are 36 years of age and out of the Indian team. Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh might find it difficult to play in T20 League next year.
T20 cricket is cut throat and no matter how big you are, you have to perform to stay in the team and sadly for Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh things just didn't fall in place.
Virat Kohli
3. What is ailing Bangalore?: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Brendon McCullum, Quinton de Kock, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee. That's a pretty good team on the paper, isn't it? Bangalore once again entered the tournament as favourites, but sadly the game is not played on paper and Virat Kohli's team once again failed to capitalise on big moments. Bangalore played inconsistent cricket and despite having a plethora of coaches, Virat Kohli's team was sloppy and wait for the inaugural title goes on.
Ben Stokes
4. Big buy players not living up to their potential: Ben Stokes, Jaydev Unadkat, Manish Pandey, Glenn Maxwell, Hardik Pandya were some of the biggest names bought at the auction. T20 2018 saw plenty of players disappointing despite fetching huge amount of money and plenty of utility players proved their worth. It was an average tournament for the likes of Ben Stokes, Jaydev Unadkat, and Manish Pandey. So, it shows that money can't guarantee success, your performance on the field counts at the end of the day.
Ugly:
Cauvery Protests
1. Cauvery controversy: Chennai team suffered a huge blow when their home matches were shifted due to Cauvery controversy (water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu). The Cauvery issue became very emotive and as usual became a huge controversy (with some help from political parties) and Chennai's fans through no fault of their own were denied the opportunity to see their beloved players play in front of them. Cricket again became a pawn in the hands of political parties and fringe groups scoring self-goals for their self-interests and petty gains.
Also Read: Exclusive: Harbhajan Singh talks about Jadeja being funny, India comeback and more
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