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We’ve had four days of nail-biting, mind-boggling, absolutely thrilling cricketing action in the IPL that showed time and again why this is one of the best sporting leagues in the world.
On Wednesday, MS Dhoni almost rolled back the years to help CSK to what would’ve been a memorable win, only for another IPL legend Sandeep Sharma to bowl brilliantly and deny him.
Rohit Sharma’s first half-century since IPL 2021 could’ve ended up in a losing cause courtesy of an Anrich Nortje death bowling special on Tuesday, but Cameron Green and Tim David held their nerve to secure a last-ball win.
On Monday, it was madness at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, with the RCB-LSG clash having everything. We had a Virat Kohli half-century, a monstrous Faf Du Plessis six, an unlikely LSG revival courtesy of Marcus Stoinis, a blinder from Nicholas Pooran, and a terrific last over in a game that swung like a pendulum.
However, the match that started this incredible run was GT’s home game against KKR on Sunday, when Rinku Singh etched himself into IPL folklore. The KKR batter smashed five sixes in the last over to help them win a match they were pretty much out of.
The UP batter received plenty of praise on social media, but some thoughtful messages also spared a thought for the bowler on the receiving end, the very talented Yash Dayal.
Rinku’s UP teammate, Yash Dayal, had a poor outing in this particular match but played a vital role in GT’s IPL 2022 triumph. He must receive the necessary support after such a freak result.
GT goes up against PBKS in IPL 2023’s 18th match on Thursday, and it’ll be interesting to see if Yash Dayal finds a place in the team. Here are three reasons why.
#3 It could shatter his confidence
Yash Dayal would want nothing more than to pick up a wicket the next time he plays for GT, and it could well be their very next match against PBKS.
Very often, it’s the aftermath to a bad game like this that can truly wreck a player’s confidence, and by backing him to deliver once again, the GT management can help Yash move past this truly forgettable outing for the team.
He has proven his worth to his side on multiple occasions, and the last thing they’d want is a promising player losing his confidence, having already let two points slip from their grasp.
#2 Yash Dayal had to play an unfamiliar role
Now, we should get this clear. Any bowler should defend 29 runs off the last over. However, Yash Dayal isn’t a death bowler, and he had to perform a role he doesn’t normally do.
It feels like GT has been switching up Joshua Little and Yash Dayal’s strengths in all three matches this season. While Little is no slouch with the new ball, the Irish seamer is a far better death bowler than Dayal and is, in fact, arguably GT’s best bet at the death.
It’s hard to blame Rashid Khan for trusting a specialist bowler with 29 runs to defend in the last over, but the team management needs to take cognizance of this mismanagement of their bowlers.
Once again, any bowler is expected to defend 29 runs off six balls, but Yash Dayal should be cut some slack for not displaying more variations and skills under pressure, as this is not a stage of the game he’s used to bowling.
#1 It could disrupt the Strong Team culture they’ve built
Not many people backed GT to win the IPL last season. Despite having some big names, the franchise had players who hadn’t made their mark on the league despite being around for a while. However, led by a calm and composed Hardik Pandya and a backroom staff that backed their players tremendously, they managed to win and win comfortably.
They rotated the many options they had at their disposal well, with R Sai Kishore and Yash Dayal exchanging places in the side according to the conditions. However, not once did anyone get the sense any player was getting dropped for a poor performance, with the franchise backing their players to come good even after a tough outing.
That faith in their players seems to be paying off, with Sai Sudharsan emerging as one of the best uncapped players of the tournament and even fringe players like Vijay Shankar realizing their potential.
While this may seem like reading too much into the issue, dropping Yash Dayal after this one game might disrupt the team morale and make other members worry about their place on the side. Considering how important he has been to their plans, he should ideally get the benefit of the doubt and this one outing getting written off as a freak result.
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