The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is just 21 days away, and the IPL franchises and players have begun preparations for the tournament. The IPL 14 season will begin from April 9, and while some players will be entering the competition riding on the back of their IPL 2020 confidence, others will draw motivation from their performances post-IPL 2020. There were some big names who flopped big time in last year’s IPL and would want to return to their usual IPL self soon. Here are five players who can turn from ‘Zero to Hero’ this season.
IPL 2021: MS Dhoni
For the first time in 13 years of IPL, MS Dhoni failed to score over 200 runs. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman scored just 200 runs — lowest in his IPL career — in 14 matches. To add to his woes, CSK in a first failed to qualify for the IPL playoffs. However, cut to March 2021.. Mahi is looking in great shape and mentally ready. In a recent training video shared by CSK, Dhoni was seen hitting bowlers over the ropes on multiple occasions. This is good news if one of the world’s best finishers in cricket history returns to his old form in what could be his last IPL season.
IPL 2021: Prithvi Shaw
The Delhi Capitals opener started his IPL 2020 season strongly but faded away as the season progressed. In 13 games he scored just 228 runs, and was eventually benched by DC team management. But Ricky Ponting would be a happy gaffer seeing his young teammate scoring runs aplenty. Shaw was in red-hot form in Vijay Hazare 2021. He was the highest run-scorer with 837 runs in eight matches which included four hundreds and one fifty.
IPL 2021: Glenn Maxwell
Maxwell was IPL 2020’s million-dollar flop. Bout for INR 10.75 crore by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), now known as Punjab Kings (PBKS), he scored mere 108 runs in 13 matches. But as soon as he donned the yellow jersey of Australia against India, Big Show was in a completely different mode. In three ODI series, Maxwell scored 167 runs which included to fifties. In three T20s he scored 78 runs. He carried his red-hot form to Big Bash League, where he scored 379 runs in 264 balls in 14 games.
IPL 2021: Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja was India’s most important batsman in the series against Australia. Jaddu as he is called by teammates and fans, did what MS Dhoni did in his prime, anchoring and finishing the innings. He also produced spectacles in fielding and with the ball. However, an untimely injury forced him out of the England series. He will once again be crucial for CSK in IPL 2021 season.
IPL 2021: Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav is still trying to retain his place in the Indian white-ball squad. Yadav has been struggling with form since 2019. In IPL 12 he managed just four wickets in nine games. His record worsened in IPL 2020 when he picked just one wicket in five games. He was eventually benched. But with KKR’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy struggling with fitness, it is a chance for Kuldeep to seek redemption before T20 World Cup.