Over The Top

Dhoni’s scheme of things playing the crucial role of lead all- rounder, ahead of Dwayne Bravo who has been in excellent form too.

Watson opens the batting and bowling both, and this can be seriously challenging: in one role, he has to score quick runs in the powerplay, in the other, he has to ensure that runs aren’t conceded easily. He’s done well in both facets, batting obviously more so because of the stunning century against Rajasthan Royals, his original franchise.

The more interesting redemption story, however, is Gayle’s. Omitted for Punjab’s first two matches, it seemed that his presence in the squad was perhaps more because of his eminently marketable celebrity status: that he might bring more value to the coffers than the scorebook.

But he dispelled such belief with a sizzling 63 in his first outing. For those who thought this was an aberration, Gayle followed it up with a blistering century with 11 sixes against frontrunners Sunrisers who didn’t have a place to hide under the onslaught.

What makes these two still tick at their age, and after having played for so many years? High quality talent, of course, is a fundamental assumption one has to make. But there are a couple of other reasons too.

One, the T20 format does not hold veterans as prisoners. True, young legs and lungs are important, but even ageing stalwarts can have a significant role to play — provided their