Season’s trend: Fluctuating fortunes, age factor and icons

again and must find out why they are where they are. Mumbai began poorly, KKR/ RCB had their moments. Kings sped off the blocks like Usain Bolt only to pull a hamstring halfway. Royals were excellent one day, exasperating the next.

Sometimes, it is possible to understand the changing fortunes of teams. Captain Ashwin admitted they are not a champion side and initially punched above their weight. For Royals, Steve Smith missing out proved a crippling blow, their situation made worse with Rahane and Stokes not putting their hand up when needed.

The major gain is the emergence of bright young Indian talent. Batsmen still in an age category to be called juniors have won matches for their teams. This new set of players are skilled, confident and fearless. But don’t miss the irony: this latest batch of under-19s are mentored by Rahul Dravid, who considers the longer format far more important than 20-over cricket.

Strangely, young players slightly senior are having a mixed season. Nitish Rana, Deepak Hooda, Mandeep Singh and Rahul Tripathy are more down than up.

Manan Vohra, Saurabh Tiwary and Manoj Tiwary, all so promising in previous editions, are on the fringes.

More surprising is the inability of Karnataka’s experienced batting muscle to make an impact. Manish Pandey, Mayank Aggarwal and Karun Nair (collectively worth several crores) are yet to ‘express’ themselves. But KL Rahul, their Ranji colleague, has had a standout season.

The fortunes of senior players have thrown up conflicting trends. Some are pushed aside, unable to survive the rush of a format that disrespects age. Gautam Gambhir stepped down at DD and Yuvraj is no more central to KXIP plans.

Raina, Jadeja and Uthappa are not as forceful as they were. Harbhajan is not an automatic four-over option. Two players defy this narrative. Ambati Rayudu, an IPL expert, is having his best-ever season. DK at KKR is successfully playing multiple roles -- those of captain, keeper and finisher.