The BCCI’s decision to move the remaining IPL 2021 matches was expected. Due to its successful staging of the 2020 edition and a portion of the 2014 leg, the UAE remained the frontrunner to host the rest of the IPL 2021. The BCCI attributed the decision to award the rest of the 14th season to the United Arab Emirates to monsoons.
Certain players will be delighted because they may have an advantage due to the rest of the IPL 2021 matches being played in the UAE. Fast bowlers and spinners alike will be encouraged by the pitches in the Middle East nation, which help both of them equally. Additionally, bowlers who struggled in the first leg would view this as a second chance.
We take a look at five bowlers who could win the purple cap in the UAE leg of IPL 2021:
Yuzvendra Chahal
Premier spinner Yuzvendra Chahal of Royal Challengers Bangalore hasn’t had the best start in the IPL 2021 season thus far. While the Royal Challengers Bangalore team has performed admirably, winning five of seven games, their go-to spinner hasn’t delivered.
Only four wickets have been taken at 47.50 by the leggie, with an economy rate of 8.26. As a result, the Haryana-born cricketer, who finished the 2020 season with 21 wickets in 15 matches at 19.28, could turn his season around in the coming months. During the IPL in the UAE, Chahal’s ability to bowl well with the dew in place will be critical.
Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada has fallen short of expectations in his role as the team’s captain for the Delhi Capitals. Kagiso Rabada has not only been expensive with the ball, but he has also been less penetrative, something he has done frequently in previous seasons. Only six wickets have been taken at 28.50 by the right-arm pacer in seven games, with an economy rate of 8.76.
Last year in the UAE, Kagiso Rabada was a standout performer for the Delhi Capitals, earning the team’s purple cap. In only 17 games, the 26-year-old racked up 30 kills at 18.26. As a result, the Capitals have a chance to improve their record even further with Rabada back to his best with the extravaganza returning to the UAE. Rabada will have the help of Anrich Nortje in the second leg of the tournament.
Rashid Khan
While SunRisers Hyderabad leg-spinner Rashid Khan has lived up to expectations this year, the Orange Army must do more for his team. Rashid Khan is still among the top five wicket-takers in the first leg of the IPL 2021, with ten wickets at 17.20 and an impressive economy rate of 6.14 to back it up.
Even so, with the rest of the games taking place in the UAE, the leggie should be confident in his ability to take more wickets in the country. Khan also took 20 wickets in 16 games last year at 17.20, indicating that he would be a dangerous prospect for all opponents. Last year, the 22-year-economy old’s had a rate of 5.36 percent.
Avesh Khan:
The Delhi Capitals’ Avesh Khan has been a standout bowler in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). Avesh Khan has excelled with both the new ball and the yorkers in death overs, limiting even the most destructive batsmen to a single shot. Khan’s 14 victories in eight games at a cost of 16.50 and an economy rate of 7.70 places him second in the first round of the tournament.
The 24-year-old has come a long way since last year, when he failed to pick up a wicket in his lone appearance. Even so, the right-arm speedster was unfazed and set out to correct the situation. Avesh Khan’s game plan wouldn’t change much in the UAE or India, given the similarity of the two environments.
Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel of the Royal Challengers Bangalore is yet another bowler who has been exceptional this year and come as a surprise. In the first game of the IPL 2021 season, Harshal Patel took five wickets against the Mumbai Indians and became the first bowler to take a fifer against the defending champions. In fact, he’s currently the best in the league, having taken 17 victories from seven games while standing at 15.11.
Even though Harshal Patel struggled against the Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings, the right-arm seamer still has a lot of potentials. Ahead of his competitors, the 30-year-old should have a good chance of winning the purple cap in 2018.
