Last season, Pooran lit up the tournament as one of the competition’s most in-form players, scoring an impressive 353 runs in 14 games, with an average of 35. He clearly has not started this campaign at a similar pace.
In four matches so far, the batsman has scored just nine runs, and that was in one match. In the others, he has left the crease much too quickly to trouble the tally.
In addition to just the wretched run of form, however, some fans have poked fun at the order of the player’s scoreless dismissals.
He was dismissed for a two balls duck against the Rajasthan Royals in his side's first game. He was then out for a first-ball duck against the Chennai Super Kings. On Wednesday, Pooran got out for a diamond duck, without even facing a ball as he was run out as soon as he came to the crease. Punjab Kings XI, who could muster only 120 runs in their 20 overs, lost the match by eight wickets and have recorded one win in their first four games.
The 41-year-old T20 superstar is yet to make an appearance for Kings XI who are off to a slow start to the IPL season. After 5 games, the team sits at the bottom of the table with just one win and four losses. The team has, however, so far not necessarily struggled with batting, having scored over 200 in two of the five games.
Jaffer, however, believes that Gayle’s match-winning capabilities could yet help the team turn their poor form around.
“It should happen soon. As I said, it needs to happen sooner than later. We don’t want to bring them when every game is a must-win game. Hopefully, we will have those guys featuring soon,” Jaffer told news agency Press Trust of India from Dubai.
“Chris looks very much ready and is keen to get on to the park, he has been training really well and has looked really good in the nets,” Wasim Jaffer said.
“He is such an impact player, we all know what he can do. I hope he turns up and turns it on straight away and changes the tide for all of us. He looks hungry and that is a very good sign for the franchise,” he added.
“I am hoping he plays quickly. We need match-winners, as many as possible. Not just for the next game, also for the rest of the tournament as he can easily win you four-five games on his own,” he further said.
The 32-year-old’s choice could be looked upon as quite a reasonable one given his recent struggles, particularly in this season’s Indian Premier League (IPL). According to reports, however, Russell was recently drafted to take part in the Lankan Premier League, which will begin on November 21 and roughly take part at the same time as the team’s tour of New Zealand.
When pressed on the issue, Harper insisted he could not draw any conclusions and could only rely on what he had been told.
“Andre said he needed some time to clear his head. He wasn’t handling a situation very well, that’s what he said. How he chooses to clear his head, I can’t determine that,” Harper told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“I don’t know what decision he has made. Where he is playing or if he is playing. I can only look and see what he had told me and then look at what happens subsequently,” he added.
“He is free to make those decisions. We will look to see what the situation is, how it develops, and take it from there,” Harper said.
“What I will say is that it gives a younger player an opportunity and hopefully that player can make the most of it and really do us proud.”
The West Indies will take on the Netherlands in three ODIs on May 31, June 2 and 4. The team will then travel to Pakistan for three more ODIs on June 8, 10 and 12.
Estwick was speaking at a media conference late last week when he addressed the Hetmyer situation. Hetmyer recently withdrew from Rajasthan Royals in the IPL to travel back to Guyana for the birth of his first child.
Mere days later, he returned to the Royals which will play the Gujarat Titans on Tuesday, May 24 in the first IPL qualifier. However, the explosive Guyanese batsman has not made himself unavailable for the West Indies tours.
Estwick said the West Indies will miss his talents.
"If someone like Hetmyer's not playing, you're obviously going to miss his talent. He's having an outstanding season for Rajasthan Royals. He's doing very, very well. He's playing well,” Estwick said.
“He will be missed, but at the end of the day, he's not there. He's asked not to be selected for this tour so we have to get on without him and we hope that he will make himself available for future tours."
Notwithstanding Hetmyer’s absence, Estwick said he expects the West Indies to win the three ODI series against the Netherlands.
"Our expectation is to win all three ODIs [in the Netherlands] but it's not going to be easy," Estwick said. "Remember, a lot of the players won't have played in conditions like the ones we'll encounter in the Netherlands.
"It's about how quickly we adjust to conditions. We've only got a couple of days' practice before we go into the first ODI so it's all about adjusting and getting used to the conditions and then executing plans as well as possible."
The IPL was suspended in early May after four players in the biosecure bubble tested positive for Covid-19. The competition is now expected to take place in the September-October window later this year in the UAE.
With a packed international schedule, however, that decision has not found favour with some countries that have players taking part in the competition. England and Bangladesh players have been prohibited from taking part in the rescheduled IPL 2021.
With the ICC T20 World Cup scheduled for October, the timing of the IPL could interfere with the teams' preparation for the World Cup. This season, nine West Indian players were taking part in the competition before it was postponed.
Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran (Punjab Kings) Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders) Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings) Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders), Shimron Hetmyer - Delhi Capitals, and Fabian Allen - Punjab Kings. There is no indication as of yet, whether IPL resumption will clash with plans of Cricket West Indies (CWI). The West Indies are expected to tackle Pakistan in August.
“In case they (foreign players) can’t make it to UAE for IPL, franchises will be within their right to cut their salaries and pay them only on a pro-rata basis,” a Board of Cricket Control India (BCCI) member told Inside Sports.
Gayle made a steady 43 from 35 deliveries, and along with KL Rahul, who added 60 from 52, anchored Kings XI to an 8-wicket win.
The batsman’s innings was, however, uncharacteristically devoid of massive slogs over the boundary as he hit only two sixes. The 41-year-old did gather quite a few runs darting for quick singles, which has not been a part of his game in recent years.
The veteran batsman had come under criticism in recent days following a string of low scores and a 1-3 start for Punjab. Gayle, however, insists he is feeling in excellent shape and was happy for the result.
"I am feeling very good, a bit relieved. We wanted this win badly, playing against the defending champions was always going to be tough. They played four games, to actually get this win is fantastic for the team and the Universe Boss as well.
“I was looking pretty good, running between the wickets, I am feeling fit and good about myself. I am enjoying it, I am looking after my body, getting a lot of massages so I can move freely, humidity here in Chennai also kind of lets the blood flow so I am on top of my game," Gayle told the official IPL website.
The powerfully built Trinidadian allrounder was winning his 15th title and his fifth with Mumbai, also a record for the franchise.
It puts him above compatriot Dwayne Bravo, who has 14, Shoaib Malik with 12, Rohit Sharma, Mumbai’s captain Rohit Sharma with 10 and Lasith Malinga, who has nine titles.
Following Tuesday’s comfortable five-wicket victory over the Capitals, Pollard expressed his joy at winning yet another title but confesses that the path to winning the many trophies he has won has never been easy.
“It's a great feeling. I've been here 11 years, fifth trophy,” said Pollard who won a record fourth Caribbean Premier League title with the Trinbago Knight Riders in September.
“No one sees the planning and training, it's pressure playing for a franchise like this. The amount of trophies, the amount of work, the amount of players who go on to play for their countries, I think we'll have to say so [that this is the best T20 franchise].”
Pollard praised the owners and management of the franchise and aimed a friendly dig at his fellow Trinidadian, who plays for the Chennai Super Kings.
“Dwayne Bravo you're behind now and I'm in front of you, just had to say it on camera.”
From all indications, he seems to relish the pressure that comes with a final. He made reference to this prior to Tuesday's final in a video on Mumbai's Twitter page.
“The name of the game is pressure, in a final. Everyone takes that pressure. You want to win and not commit a mistake, but at the end of the day, you have to try to take the finals as a normal game. Just go out there, enjoy yourself and the atmosphere,” Pollard said.
“Obviously, no crowds in this final, but enjoy the magnitude of it. It is an IPL final, it’s the biggest thing after the World Cup final,.
Pollard will now head to New Zealand where he will represent the West Indies in their three-match T20 season set to begin on November 27.
