Harshal Patel’s disappointment was written all over his face as he bowled his final over in the IPL 2021. He finished with statistics of 2 for 19 against the Kolkata Knight Riders after his final over produced only four runs. Royal Challengers Bangalore dropped out of the title race after taking the game to the final over in the eliminator.
This has already been a career-defining season for Patel, one that he will remember for a long time. He may not have been able to break Dwayne Bravo’s record for most wickets in an IPL season, but equaling it is no mean feat.
With that in mind, let’s look at why the Haryana pacer is unquestionably the season’s MVP.
#1 Harshal Patel’s consistency paid dividends
The average sums it up nicely. Harshal Patel’s best-ever run in the IPL was 14.34 at an economy of 8.14, and RCB made the playoffs as a result.
#2 Performances that mattered
In the competition, Harshal Patel had one fifer and one four-wicket haul. To top it off, he put in the kind of game-winning performances. He is the purple cap holder, and unless Avesh Khan (23 wickets) can equal or beat Patel’s total. The season will have a new winner for that position.
#3 Game awareness
Harshal Patel’s game knowledge stood out, and it was crucial to his ideal season. Consider his last game against Kolkata, when he bowled one to Sunil Narine. Who had effectively sealed the game for the team?
After heaving for everything that came his way, Narine took a huge swipe to dig out the fuller delivery that was aimed towards his legs. Only for it to fly away and get eaten by Devdutt Padikkal. Patel’s ability to bowl to his strengths. While keeping an eye on the batter throughout a vital season was just one example.
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