The IPL 2021 UAE leg starts from September 19 with Chennai Super Kings taking on Mumbai Indians in the resumption game. Both teams are placed within the top four sides at the moment and are likely to reach the knockout stages as well. Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore are the other two teams in the top four at the moment.
Meanwhile, the season is resuming after a break which can turn out positively for the lower-ranked teams. That the season is resuming after a break brings it back in the balance with all the teams having a chance of making it to the top four. The bottom-ranked teams need to win almost all their games on what is expected to be a tough and exciting season at the same time.
In this article, we take a look at one player from each team who can turn out to be Most Valuable Player (MVP) for their respective franchises.
IPL 2021 MVP’s
Mumbai Indians-Rahul Chahar
Rahul has been included in India’s T20 World Cup to be played in Dubai. The selectors have chosen him over the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal who have been seasoned campaigners for India since the last few years. The leggie has already picked up 11 wickets from seven matches in the India leg. In UAE, where the wickets will get lower and slower as the season goes forward, Rahul will be key with the ball. He has been a hard proposition for the opposition batters and might just edge other them in the UAE leg as well.
Moeen Ali-Chennai Super Kings
Moeen Ali is available for CSK in the UAE leg. In the recent Test series, he played a couple of Test matches and came up with important contributions with the bat. With the ball, he looked a bit bleak but the UAE leg of IPL might just turn out to be the season he needs. With Faf Du Plessis risking injury, Moeen Ali might just be the player CSK needs. He can open, bowl in the powerplay and in the middle overs. He thus is an utility player who might play a big role in the UAE.
Shreyas Iyer- Delhi Capitals
Iyer is back after missing the India leg of IPL 2021 with an injury. He is back and fit and will play a key role with the bat for his side. With him and Rishabh Pant in the middle-order, Delhi Capitals should fancy themselves of making it to the last four. They are placed at the top of the points table courtesy six wins from eight games in the first half of the tournament.
Andre Russell- Kolkata Knight Riders
Russell has blown hot and cold since his breakout season for KKR in 2019. He scored 163 runs from the first seven games in IPL 2021. The West Indian comes into the second half with form having scored quick runs in the CPL. Russell also scored the quickest fifty-ever in CPL ever this season and thus has runs behind his back. He also took seven wickets in the first half and would look to add more to his tally.
KL Rahul-Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul is second on the list f run-getters in IPL 2021. He scored 331 runs from seven games before the tournament was cancelled. He looked in good form in the Test series against England and will look to bring his form into the tournament. An in-form KL Rahul also bodes well for the Indian team heading into the T20 World Cup later this year at the same venue.
Virat Kohli- Royal Challengers Bangalore
RCB skipper Virat Kohli has scored 198 runs from the first seven games and would look to score at least 400 more in the remaining seven games. He has been short of runs in recent times thus it will be interesting to see the kind of form he takes into the tournament. His captaincy has also been questioned with reports of Rohit Sharma being named as India’s white-ball skipper after the T20 World Cup also making noise. Kohli ideally would like to make use of this opportunity heading into the T20 World Cup.
Rashid Khan-Sunrisers Hyderabad
Rashid Khan might turn out to be SRH’s MVP in the UAE leg. A lot has happened in his career in the last few days. From being appointed as Afghanistan’s T20 skipper to he himself stepping down, Rashid has found life tough. However, a good IPL season here will give his national side immense confidence heading into the T20 World Cup. Rashid Khan has taken 10 wickets from seven games but still his side is placed last in the points table.
Sanju Samson-Rajasthan Royals
With Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer missing, a lot depends on how Sanju Samson bats for his franchise in the UAE leg. He played a few good knocks in IPL 2020 and would like to start from where he left off. He will also need to manage the added pressure of captaincy along with ensuring that his team wins matches. Placed sixth, like every other bottom-ranked team, they need to practically win all their matches to give a shot at the IPL 2021 final.
Also Read: IPL 2021: Aakash Chopra Picks His Two Finalists Of The Cash-Rich League
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