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IPL 2021: MVP of each side

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Last updated on 16 May 2021 | 09:08 AM
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IPL 2021: MVP of each side

Here is a look at the Most Valuable Player of each side based on the 29 concluded games in IPL 2021

IPL came to a halt after 29 games. The characteristic of the first half of the IPL this year was good performances from new or relatively unknown players. Let us have a look at the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of each side this season based on the performances in the matches concluded.

The calculation is based on criclytics and the emphasis is not on the total MVP points collected. But, the points collected per match. This is because total points is a factor of the number of matches played, as a player with more games is likely to earn more points. Also, a player considered should have played a minimum of five games in this season. So here are the MVPs of each side-



1) CSK: Moeen Ali
77.2 MVP points per match

Moeen Ali was the torchbearer of the shift in Chennai’s batting mindset. Playing fearless cricket at number three, Moeen hit a boundary every 3.9 balls. Among players with 200+ runs, this is second after Prithvi Shaw (3.8), who opened the batting.

Being an all-rounder, he contributed with the ball too. His season economy was an exceptional 6.2 and a spell of 3/7 against Rajasthan was a match-winning one. In three games: against Punjab, Rajasthan and Mumbai, he was Chennai’s best player as per Criclytics. No other player has more MVP points per match than him.

2) SRH: Rashid Khan
67 MVP points per match

It is by now a habit. No matter how Sunrisers perform as a team but, Rashid continues to be the gift that keeps giving. With an economy of 6.1 and 10 wickets in seven games, Rashid was one of the few bright spots for Sunrisers in this season. His spells of 2/18 and 0/22 against Bangalore and Mumbai should have won the game for his side if not for the batting frailties of Hyderabad’s middle-order.

3) DC: Avesh Khan
63.6 MVP points per match

Avesh was the find of the season for Delhi and perhaps the best uncapped player on display this year. As it turned out, his performance was one of the reasons why Delhi could negate the absence of Shreyas Iyer to an extent. With Avesh performing the role of Anrich Nortje, Delhi could fit Steve Smith in the middle-order. 

Avesh was the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 14 scalps. He was effective in all three phases unlike the more celebrated pacer in his side. Avesh announced himself with an in-swinger to dismiss Faf du Plessis in the first game and then bowled crucial spells against Rajasthan, Mumbai and Sunrisers. He accumulated the most MVP points in the season: 509. But, he played eight games, one more than most other players.

4) RR: Chris Morris
60.4 MVP points per match

Nevermind the fortune Rajasthan spent on him, but Morris provided a decent return of investment. He was not only Rajasthan’s most effective enforcer in the tournament but also won them a game against Delhi with the bat. He was the player of the match in two out of their three wins, against Kolkata in addition to Delhi and he finished the season with 14 wickets, joint-second most.

5) KKR: Pat Cummins
59.7 MVP points per match

Here is another high valued player who has delivered to an extent. Though not at the same prowess as we see him at the Test level. But, in consecutive seasons, Cummins has emerged as Kolkata’s MVP. This tells us more about the state of the team than an actual reflection of Cummins’ performance. 

Cummins scalped nine wickets in the season but an economy of 8.8 was higher in comparison to his global peers. But, his contributions with the bat were a lot more impactful. Even with a strike rate of 166.1 and an average of 31 for Cummins, the Knight Riders kept Cummins at number eight and persisted with the failed experiment of using Sunil Narine as a pinch-hitter

6) RCB: Harshal Patel
55.1 MVP points per match

Even the curtailed season proved to be a tale of two halves for Harshal. While RCB played in Chennai, Harshal proved to be unhittable. But, in two out of the last three games, he had forgettable outings against Chennai and Punjab. Nevertheless, he was still the holder of the Purple Cap when the tournament came to halt. 

Patel’s emergence as RCB’s MVP can also be due to their batsmen distributing the honours among themselves. While among the bowlers in Bangalore, Harshal took around two times more wickets than any other.

7) MI: Rohit Sharma
52.1 MVP points per match

Rohit often gets the flak of not batting with more aggression given Mumbai’s envious hitters in the lower middle-order. But, in a season when most of those hitters failed to lift the side, Rohit’s contributions were immense. He was the only batsman in the side to score more than 200 runs in the tournament. He was Mumbai’s best player in the games against Delhi and Punjab, both games when Mumbai finished second.

8) PBKS: Deepak Hooda
49.1 MVP points per match

Probably the biggest surprise of them all. But, for a team with the three lowest first-innings scores and a constant chopping of the bowling unit, it is tough to single out a consistent performer.  Being involved in both facets helped Hooda’s cause. His economy rate of 7.1 was the next-best after Ravi Bishnoi’s 6.2 among bowlers who featured regularly for Punjab. His strike rate of 143.2 was also the highest among the regular Punjab batsmen. Both KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal received more batting MVP points than Hooda for obvious reasons but could not get ahead enough to counter Hooda’s aggregate over both fronts.

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