IPL experts Ambati Rayudu, Aaron Finch, and Tom Moody thoroughly enjoyed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blitz in the 2026 season but still refused to give his performance the status of the MVP (Most Valuable Player). The 15-year-old batter left everyone spell-bound with his powerful performance, amassing 776 runs in 16 matches for Rajasthan Royals. Apart from being the leading run-scorer of the tournament, Sooryavanshi also bagged sveral awards, including the most number of sixes (72). While the Bihar-born batters continues to receives heartfelt praises from all over the world, IPL experts still rated Sunil Narine's performance Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 as the greatest.
The former West Indies all-rounder was at his absolute best in the 2024 season, scoring 488 runs at a strike rate of 181 and also scalped 17 wickets, playing a pivotal in KKR's third title win.
Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, the experts trio acknowledged Sooryavanshi's extraordinary talent but still considered Narine to be ahead of him in the list of individual performers.
"Sunil Narine, for me, beats everyone in terms of the best individual IPL season because he's not a well-accomplished batsman like Shane Watson. He had to do a makeshift job opening against quality fast bowling. That season surpasses many great seasons, including Warner's. It was unbelievable. For me, these two seasons are right at the top and difficult to separate," Rayudu said.
Agreeing to Rayudu's statement, Finch added, "I have Narine clearly at the top as the greatest individual IPL season. He was a brilliant bowler, took crucial wickets, scored important runs, struck at 181 and maintained an economy rate of 6.7. To open the batting, bowl in all phases of the innings and then win the title — that's the icing on the cake. That's the greatest season of all time."
Hearing this, Moody joined in and pinpointed the fact that Narine's economy in 2024 was below seven, and he himself was scoring almost 11 runs per over.
"One thing that stands out is that he conceded fewer than seven runs per over in a season where he was scoring at almost 11 runs per over. He's the champion. The runs he scored, we've never seen before. The way he played while still taking 17 wickets at 6.7 makes that season extraordinary."
Speaking about Sooryavanshi, Rayudu and Moody stated that the teenager needs to prove himself on different surfaces, in order to be considered the MVP.
"The only point I would make is that whenever the wicket was slow, he got out early. So he still has to prove himself consistently on slightly more difficult surfaces," said Rayudu.
"One thing to consider is that this is the era of the Impact Player, where surfaces are much easier to bat on than historically," Moody said.
"Back then, bowlers like Narine, Amit Mishra and Rashid Khan dominated the tournament. Today, that influence has reduced considerably. That's a serious factor when comparing players across different IPL eras," he added.
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/3cvLDzp
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