How did England players fare in the IPL?

The Indian Premier League is seen as the place to play when it comes to Twenty20 cricket; glitz, glamour and action galore is guaranteed, and Sunday saw the Mumbai Indians defeat Rising Pune Supergiant by just one run, to claim their third trophy since the inaugural competition back in 2008. IPL 10 saw more England players take part in the competition than any of its preceding years, and here we take a look to see how well they did.

Sam Billings – Delhi Daredevils

Games Played: 6 Runs Scored: 138 Avg: 22.60 High Score: 55 Strike Rate: 132.69 Catches: 6

Billings enjoyed a moderate IPL 10, hitting a top-score of 55 against Kings XI Punjab, and scoring at a strike rate just under 133.00 during his second spell in Delhi. He may have been somewhat disappointed to only pull on the red-and-blue of the Daredevils six times, which limited his chances to display his capabilities, however he was hampered due to his international commitments during the tournament. Whilst he by no means disgraced himself in the matches he did play – an average of 22.60 is respectable in the shortest format of the game – he did not fully display the array of powerful, wristy shots he is certainly capable of. Overall Rating: 6.5/10

Jos Buttler – Mumbai Indians

Games Played: 10 Runs Scored: 272 Avg: 27.20 High Score: 77 Strike Rate: 153.67 Catches: 1

One of the most dynamic batsmen in the world, Buttler showed off his explosive talent with willow in hand by blasting a match-winning 77 against Kings XI Punjab, with his knock coming off a mere 37 balls.  Usually asked to come into bat at the unusual position of opener, he was tasked with getting his side off to quick start; at a strike rate of 153.67 and an average of 27.20, it is fair to say he by-in-large achieved that target. Unfortunate to miss out on his side’s final four matches (Due to their understandable preference to choose players available to them for the knock-out rounds, which Buttler was not), he would likely have challenged higher up the runs scored category if he was able to represent his franchise later on into the competition. Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Chris Jordan – Sunrisers Hyderabad

Games Played: 1 Runs Scored: 0 Avg: 0 High Score: 0* Strike Rate: N/A Catches: 0

Wickets: 1 Avg: 9.00 Econ: 9.00 Strike Rate: 6.00 BBM: 1/9

This year’s IPL was a very disappointing one for Jordan. Limited to only one appearance out of a possible 15 for Sunrisers, the Barbados-born all-rounder spent most of his time carrying drinks and ferrying pairs of gloves back and forth. In the game he did play, he managed only six balls, one wicket, and no runs with the bat. All in all, not a successful stint. Overall rating: 3/10

Tymal Mills – Royal Challengers Bangalore

Games Played: 5 Runs Scored: 8 Avg: 2.66 High Score: 6 Strike Rate: 72.72 Catches: 1

Wickets: 5 Avg: 30.60 Econ: 8.57 Strike Rate: 21.40 BBM: 2/31

Starting his first ever spell in the IPL with a whopping £1.4 million price-tag on his head, T20 specialist Mills enjoyed a rather underwhelming tournament. Known for his ability to regularly exceed 90 mph, he never really got chance to impress Royal Challengers fans, and was limited to just the five games due to injury. Picking up the same number of wickets at an average of 30.60, he did not truly terrorise batsmen as he hoped he would have been able to, and was part of an RCB team that massively underperformed as a group. Overall Rating: 5/10

Eoin Morgan – Kings XI Punjab

Games Played: 4 Runs Scored: 65 Avg: 16.25 High Score: 26 Strike Rate: 104.83 Catches: 3

England captain Morgan endured a frustrating tournament, in which he was only able to represent Kings XI four times. Never cashing in on any of his side’s performances, the veteran of six IPLs could only muster 65 runs in his four innings’, with a top score of 26. Kept out by a batting line-up consisting of world-class performers such as Hashim Amla, Glenn Maxwell and Martin Guptill, Morgan was never able to put together a string of continued performances together – which was probably a big factor in his inability to post big scores when he did get his chance. He will be hopeful that he can put this behind him in preparation for leading his country against first South Africa, and then the Champions Trophy. Overall Rating: 5/10

Jason Roy – Gujarat Lions

Games Played: 3 Runs Scored: 59 Avg: 29.50 High Score: 31 Strike Rate: 147.50 Catches: 1

Big-hitting opener Jason Roy was another who had his first taste of IPL life in 2017. Gujarat Lions secured the 26-year-old for the campaign, however it did not all go swimmingly for the Surrey man. He was reported to be extremely frustrated at the lack of game time he was given by Brad Hodge, head coach of the Lions, and cited his wish to return home early, in order to ensure he was in the best possible shape for Champions Trophy action. When he was at the crease, 3 innings’ yielded just 59 runs, meaning he did not force Hodge to have no choice but to select him. Should he return next year, he will certainly be hoping for a better experience. Overall Rating: 5/10

Ben Stokes – Rising Pune Supergiant

Games Played: 12 Runs Scored: 316 Avg: 31.60 High Score: 103* Strike Rate: 142.98 Catches: 5

Wickets: 12 Avg: 26.33 Econ: 7.18 Strike Rate: 22.00 BBM: 3/18

It is fair to say that Ben Stokes, perhaps the cricketer who most epitomises the three-dimensional cricketer of today, could not have imagined his inaugural IPL going any better than it did. From the moment he went for a record price for an overseas player of £1.7 million, big things were expected from the all-rounder, and boy did he deliver: 316 runs at a fraction below 143.00, 12 wickets at 26.33, and five catches summarises just how capable of putting on displays of stunning individual brilliance in all three aspects of the game he is, and deservedly saw him voted as the most valuable player. His brutal first T20 hundred would have been enough to endear him to Indian crowds single-handedly; add stringent death bowling, sublime catches and moments of staggering athleticism in the field into that equation, and you have a cricketer idolised by those fortunate enough to witness his performances. His stock in international cricket has gone up tenfold off the back of his awesome tournament. Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Chris Woakes – Kolkata Knight Riders

Games Played: 13 Runs Scored: 46 Avg: 11.50 High Score: 18 Strike Rate: 97.87 Catches: 6

Wickets: 17 Avg: 22.70 Econ: 8.77 Strike Rate: 15.52 BBM: 3/6

Following a much improved turnaround in performances last Summer, Woakes would have headed into the IPL much more confident in his ability to perform on the international stage than this time 12 months ago. 17 wickets at 22.70, with a best of 3/6, is an outstanding return for a bowler only experiencing Indian conditions for the second time in his career, and sees him sit in joint sixth position in the wickets rankings. His return with the bat was slightly disappointing for a genuine all-rounder, however he more than made up for that with his expertise with ball in hand. Being able to adapt to slow, low subcontinent pitches in one of the major tests of a fast bowler’s career, so the fact that he has shown he can do that is a massive tick for the Warwickshire man. Now a crucial part of England’s set-up, he will hope to carry his form on into the Champions Trophy. Overall Rating: 8/10