Twenty 20 Blog

The second season of the IPL promised more interest for English cricket fans than the first for the simple reason that some of the many stars shining in the competition might be from their shores.

England’s finest had been kept out of the IPL last year by the ECB, although Dimitri Mascarenhas had played for the Rajasthan Royals during the inaugural season.

This year a window of opportunity was opened for them to play in the early part of the competition and a number of players put themselves forward for the second IPL auction.

IPL Auction

In the end five England players were bought at the auction, Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen (the last two for the record sums of $1,550,000 each).

The message boards soon filled up, how would the five perform? Could Freddie and KP justify their price tags? Would they pick up new skills? Would England benefit? How about their counties?

Freddie and KP

The answers to some questions are easier to find than others. In his three matches Flintoff scored 31 runs and only took two wickets at a cost of 52.50 apeice before a recurrence of the knee injury that has plagued his over recent years cut short his IPL experience.

It now looks as if he will miss the Twenty20 World Cup next month and could struggle to be fit for the Ashes. It really is difficult to argue with the critics who say Freddie should have stayed at home and rested his body for the summer.

Despite the record-breaking price tag Pietersen also struggled to impose himself with the bat on his return to South Africa, averaging just 15.50 in six innings with a top score of 37 in the IPL.

Back in England colours he was out for a duck at Lord’s playing against the West Indies but looked more like his old self in the 2nd Test hitting 49 off just 57 balls and making a concerted effort to dominate the bowlers.

Pietersen’s county captain Mascarenhas had an ordinary time with the bat during his second spell with the Royals this, averaging just 9.75 in four innings, but took six wickets at a reasonable economy rate of 6.83.

The trip does not seem to have done him any harm though, he’s averaging 46.33 with the bat in the Pro40 where he’s also taken six wickets and added a further 10 wickets in the Friends Provident Trophy including a best of 4-39 against Notts.

He makes his return to the England One-Day side at the time of writing, so only time will tell if he can take his form up a level.

Collingwood and Shah shared a price tag of $275,000, both men went to the table-topping Delhi Daredevils and neither was able to break into a winning side so returned to England well rested and considerably richer.

But, while Collingwood returned to England action with a score of 60 in the 2nd Test against the West Indies and is top of Durham’s batting averages, albeit with a 151 that is inflated by two not outs, Shah has lost his place in the national team.

To rub salt into that wound Shah’s return to Middlesex colours in the Pro40 saw him out for a second-ball duck but he has improved with two half centuries since then in the 40-over version of the game, although he is yet to get a taste of the action in the LV Championship.

Exalted company

Which just leaves Bopara - what a year he is having. His three Test centuries in successive innings put him in some pretty exalted company, including the likes of Geoffrey Boycott and Graham Gooch.

And the fact his stint in the IPL came in the middle of this purple patch for England would suggest that the trip to South Africa did him no harm at all.

Bought by King’s Punjab XI for $450,000 in the IPL auction Bopara arrived fresh from scoring his first Test century and began his IPL career with a brisk 22 from 16 balls in a rain-affected match against Delhi. He played in another four matches compiling 138 runs in total at an average of 27.60, with a best of 84. Bopara’s runs were scored at a respectable strike rate of 115.97.

Despite touring the Caribbean and appearing in the IPL Bopara has been in excellent form for England this summer with scores of 143 at Lords, which was made in fine style, and a more restrained 108 at Chester-le-Street.

The big question that remains for him now is can he carry it into the forthcoming Ashes series, where the Aussies have already paid him the ultimate compliment of naming him, along with Andrew Strauss, as one of their top targets.

ENGLAND PLAYERS IN THE 2009 AUCTION:

Andrew Flintoff (Chennai Super Kings, $1,550,000)
Kevin Pietersen (Bangalore Royal Challengers, $1,550,000)
Owais Shah (Delhi Daredevils, $375,000)
Paul Collingwood (Delhi Daredevils, $275,000)
Ravi Bopara (Kings XI Punjab, $450,000)

By Tim Evershed, Twenty20Blog.co.uk