The second Qualifier between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Delhi Capitals (DC) was full of surprises and twists. Finally, the KKR team defeated the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals by three wickets to qualify for the IPL 2021 final.
Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Indian cricketer, has recently claimed that the 14th season of the IPL was unlike any other. The 56-year-old went on to say that during the competition, he saw players that made people wonder if they belonged on the big stage.
Manjrekar said that the 14th season of the IPL has seen a lot of odd turnarounds and that this edition of the IPL has been a tough one to watch for him.
-I have followed the IPL very closely, but this has been a very unique IPL. We have seen some quality players but we have (also) seen a large number of guys who are either ability-wise, quite ordinary to begin with or players who are past their prime.
You have these excellent players, and then you have a large number of out-of-form players, guys past their prime, and players with the capacity to make you wonder if they belong here. That's why there have been so many strange endings and turns. In an interview, Sanjay Manjrekar remarked, "This has been, for me, the most frustrating IPL to watch."
This season, the pitches have aided the bowlers
Sanjay Manjrekar also stated that the surfaces available for the IPL live T20 matches have aided both pace and spin bowlers. Manjrekar went on to say that teams appeared rusty even at the tail end of the competition.
-The pitches have helped the bowlers, the medium-pace kind, the quicks, the spinners, everybody. Bowling has thrived, but you would expect in this kind of league for batters to play with distinction. You can understand the first couple of games (but) you can-t be looking rusty in one of your final games of the tournament- IPL this time has basically carried a lot of flap, and that-s what we are seeing here,- said Manjrekar.
Sanjay Manjrekar also believed that some players, including Suresh Raina, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, and Riyan Parag, were out of form yet continued to play
-Once Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill were gone, Dinesh Karthik, clearly out of his prime, Morgan, woefully out of form, I have got a long list, Suresh Raina, you know, shouldn-t be playing the IPL but is playing, you have got Riyan Parag who played a number of matches for Rajasthan Royals, (Liam) Livingstone, Nicholas Pooran, Dan Christian the batter, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, a lot of these players have just been instrumental in these kind of turnarounds,- concluded Sanjay Manjrekar.