IPL 2019: Five major highlights from the first week

The twelfth edition of the IPL has completed its first week and we have had some thrilling contests in the first week. After a low scoring opening game in Chennai, the two excellent games on Sunday set the tournament. However, the season already has its share of controversies, some being affecting the outcomes of the games directly and forcing the law-makers of the game to rethink on some issues.

Amidst all the controversies, the quality of cricket has been not taken a back seat. As we enter the second week of the season, we look at 5 major highlights of the week.

---

#1 Ashwin 'mankading' Buttler

The biggest highlight of the week has been the dismissal of Jos Buttler by Ravichandran Ashwin, which, by MCC, is said to be within the laws and against the Spirit of the Game at the same time. Many former crickets including Shane Warne started chastising Ashwin for the incident, while others like Rahul Dravid and AB de Villiers were of the view that Ashwin did nothing wrong.

The mode of dismissal is well within the laws and Ashwin did not break any rules with his actions. But the controversy lies in the fact that he paused a bit and waited for Buttler to leave his crease before removing the bails. Whether the pause was deliberate or not is yet to be known, but as the rules say, Ashwin did not do anything wrong.

---

#2 S Ravi's umpiring howler

It is a shame that a game involving brilliant performances from stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga and Hardik Pandya, will be remembered for an umpiring howler. With 7 required off the last ball to win for RCB, Malinga overstepped, which the umpire failed to notice and MI won the game by 4 runs. It was only after the players started shaking hands the big screen showed the replays. Both captains expressed their disappointments in the post-match talks.

It has almost become a habit of umpires nowadays to not check the front-foot no-balls unless it is a wicket-delivery. The fact that this incident happened on the last ball of the match and had a direct impact on the outcome of such a fiercely contested game makes this an issue the law-makers should work on.

#3 Samson becomes the first centurion of the season

Sanju Samson hit a sensational hundred against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday. His stroke-filled 102* off 55 balls was a show of pure class, with almost all his boundaries being good cricketing shots and not rash slogs. Coming in early after the fall of the dangerous Buttler, Samson forged a crucial partnership with Ajinkya Rahane and then with Ben Stokes, and helped his team to a total of 198.

This knock comes as a huge positive for RR as they managed to get to such a total against a very good bowling lineup without any contribution from Buttler. Shane Warne claimed Sanju Samson to finish as the player of the tournament this season, and the way the RR wicket-keeper batsman has started, Warne's claims seem right on track.

---

#4 Yuvraj turning back the clock

Yuvraj Singh went unsold in the first round of the 2019 auctions, but MI bought him in the second round. The decision did raise a few eyebrows but the management had faith on the veteran and much to everyone's surprise, Yuvraj found a place in the starting XI ahead of an in-form Ishan Kishan.

The first match at Wankhede saw Yuvraj being the lone fighter in a tall chase of 214 against the Delhi Capitals. Though he struggled a bit to consistently time the ball, he batted with much more confidence than he did in the last couple of years. His 35 ball 53 included 5 fours and 3 sixes.

The second game saw Yuzvendra Chahal feeling the heat as Yuvraj hit him for 3 consecutive sixes. The fourth ball of the over was well on course for another six before a brilliant effort from Mohammed Siraj at the long-off boundary got Chahal the wicket. Looking at the way Yuvraj is batting at the moment, it would not be a surprise if he finishes the season as his best IPL season ever.

---

#5 Warner returns with a bang

SRH's title-winning skipper, David Warner returned to the IPL after serving a one-year ban. Warner also suffered from a minor injury before the start of the tournament. The injury and rustiness, however, did not affect his IPL form. He started with a bang, scoring 85 off 53 balls against KKR, including 9 fours and 3 sixes.

The second game against RR saw Warner at his devastating best as he bludgeoned almost every RR bowler he faced. His 69 off 37 balls included 9 fours and 2 sixes and has propelled him to the top in the list of run-getters of the season.

Warner's form will be crucial in SRH's fate this season and going by the way he has batted, it would not be a surprise if he ends up with the Orange Cap for the third time.