IPL 2022: Why is Ambati Rayudu not in the league of the stars? And other burning questions from CSK vs PBKS

Ambati Rayudu stole the show with a 39-ball 78 against Punjab Kings, who rode on Shikhar Dhawan’s 59-ball 88, but his heroic efforts weren’t enough for CSK in the 188-run chase. 27 needed off the last over, MS Dhoni kept the viewers interested with a six off the first delivery but Rishi Dhawan, who bowled the last over for the Punjab unit, came back strongly to send the former India and CSK skipper back to the hut. Here we raise a few burning questions from the game:

Why CSK’s punt to play Santner at No.3 makes little sense

With Moeen Ali injured, CSK have been banking on Mitchell Santner at No.3 in the last couple of matches. The New Zealand all-rounder has twice opened the batting in his T20 career, but overall his returns in top four positions are pretty ordinary. In 12 innings, Santner averages less than 20 and strikes at a rate of less than 100, which is far from ideal for a no.3 batter.

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Imran Tahir, on ESPNCricinfo, said: “I think CSK are putting a lot of pressure on Mitchell Santner by sending him at No.3. He is more comfortable batting down the order and has proven that in the past seasons. They are asking too much from a guy who’s always batted down the order.”

This was evidently true with Santner struggling to put bat to ball, so what were CSK trying? A left-hander to break up the stream of right-handers without having to push Jadeja, who prefers batting in the death, up the order? If that was the aim, they should simply be playing Hari Nishaanth, the Tamil Nadu opener, who is a leftie. But Santner’s overs are useful, especially in the powerplay, and CSK should just be figuring out a way to put the next batter up at No.3 rather than the fancy option they are trying now that appears to be backed by little logic.

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Did Punjab Kings err in dropping Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the first place?

CSK’s problem with lack of left-handers now is something Punjab Kings have been copping from the very beginning. With Bhanuka Rajapaksa hitting top gear, some of those issues went under the radar. However, with Kagiso Rabada and Jonny Bairstow back, Bhanuka had to sit out a few matches despite making 43 off 22 and 31 off 9 in two of his three knocks for Punjab Kings early in the season.

To accommodate Bairstow in the middle-order, Rajapaksa was dropped, and it wasn’t all too surprising. However, it deprived Punjab Kings of a middle-order left-hander with Shikhar Dhawan the only one in the top seven. This affected their scoring efficiency against spin in the middle overs with no great matchup options. Before last night, Punjab Kings had a strike-rate of 107.35 against spin in the middle overs, the lowest for any team. They also lost 11 wickets to spin in the process.

Notably, with two lefties in the middle overs last night, Punjab managed to reduce the overs of spin bowled at them and milked the quicks. 90 runs came off 60 balls in that phase for Punjab last night with no dismissal.

Just how good is Arshdeep Singh in the death overs?

Earlier in the season, we saw Arshdeep Singh walking over to Kagiso Rabada in the death overs to have a chat with the South African when he couldn’t put a leash on the boundaries. It was an odd sight given that Rabada was the more experienced of the two with Arshdeep still only 23 and in his early years in the IPL. But the left-arm quick has already made a strong impression, so much so that teams are now looking to play him out akin to Jasprit Bumrah.

Since 2021, Arshdeep Singh has an economy rate of 8.43 in the death overs, the best for any Indian after Bumrah with a basic filter. The Punjab Kings quick, however, took eight wickets in at death last year and only has one wicket this year. But contrary to what that stat might suggest, Arshdeep has become better in the death. This is reflected in his economy rate which is at 5.67 at the death in IPL 2022.

Last night, Arshdeep’s two overs towards the end went for just 14 runs combined, with it proving to be the difference. The fact that teams genuinely see Arshdeep as a threat in the death overs and sort of playing him out is a reflection of how good he has become.

How Punjab Kings nearly messed up their bowling changes

The Arshdeep masterclass in the death won Punjab Kings the contest, but the team got quite a few of their bowling changes wrong last night. For the last five overs, Mayank Agarwal had one over of Rishi Dhawan and another of Sandeep Sharma to fill, a huge risk considering how fantastic CSK are with the bat in the final overs. Sandeep was excellent upfront with the new ball, conceding just six runs in two overs for a wicket but didn’t get the third over.

When he was brought back in the second half, Sandeep conceded 36 runs in two overs. Traditionally good upfront, Sandeep has an economy rate of 6.76 in the first 10 overs in IPL. This shoots up to 9.94 in the second half. With him bowling well and Punjab needing maximum overs saved from Rabada and Arshdeep for the death, Sandeep should have been used for an extra over at least early on.

Similarly, Rahul Chahar ended up bowling just three overs with his final over coming well after Rayudu was settled at the wicket. Although he conceded 16 in his two others after the powerplay, saving Chahar for that late in the innings was a poor ploy.

Why Ambati Rayudu is among the most underrated IPL batters

In 2020, Ambati Rayudu finished the IPL season with an average of 39.9 with a strike-rate of nearly 130 with him batting at No.3 in most games. His role changed in 2021 with Moeen Ali occupying the No.3 slot and Faf du Plessis set at the top. Rayudu went down to bat at No.5 and he immediately tuned his game that way. His strike-rate shot up to above 150 in 2021 while his average remained in the 20s, a result of trying to not waste too many balls to accelerate. In 2018 and 2019, Rayudu switched between a role at the top and one in the lower half and once again stood out.

In 2022 so far, Rayudu’s role has been to bat longer and to time his acceleration well. With Ruturaj Gaikwad not in form, CSK has looked up to Rayudu to lend that balance in the middle overs and he has delivered again. He has drawn in his attacking shots for the latter half with his average in the mid-30s and strike-rate in the 120s.

This needs a clear separation though. In the 97 balls Rayudu has batted inside the first 10 overs, he has been dismissed only twice, averaging 50 and scoring at a rate of 103.1, an indication that he is looking to bat deeper to make an impact. He has managed to do it too. In the second half, which he reaches most times because of that high average in the first, his strike-rate shoots up to 157 as the average takes a backseat. A flexible player with great game awareness, Rayudu has been an underrated T20 batter over the years but has consistently delivered the goods for his franchises.

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