This season, teams have been seen to be relying more on their four foreign players rather than the seven Indians in the XI. Be it Chris Gayle, Kevin Pietersen, Morkel brothers Albie and Morne, Jesse Ryder, Shaun Marsh, Kieron Pollard, Dale Steyn or AB de Villiers, all have so far proved pivotal to where their respective team stands.
No matter whether it's a wining team like Delhi Daredevils or consistent losers like Deccan Chargers, the overseas players in their ranks have been the most impressive. And especially in Deccan's case, it’s quite apparent that if they were to be rescued from their current rock-bottom position, they can only look up to their foreign recruits Kumar Sangakkara, Steyn, Cameron White, JP Duminy and Daniel Christian, as they don't have enough Indian firepower in their camp.
Morne Morkel's spell against Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings helped Delhi hold their position on top of the points table. Pietersen's century against Deccan was a sight to behold, Marsh's knocks are scripting Kings XI Punjab's resurgence, Steyn has proved to be unplayable, de Villiers can’t seem to do anything wrong even when trying innovative strokes and Chris Gayle's five consecutive sixes off Rahul Sharma have given IPL 5 some unforgettable memories.
And ironically, IPL, which has been regarded as the platform to identify India's domestic talents, isn't throwing up many young players in the limelight in its fifth season. Barring Ajinkya Rahane, who looks ready to play all three formats for India, there's no other name that flashes before the eyes. Rather it's the foreigners who are dominating top positions in the batting and bowling charts.
All we can hope for is that the fringe Indian players will come to the fore towards the business end of the league and match the foreigners shoulder to shoulder.
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