Bangalore, May 11: Chennai Super Kings' South Africa all-rounder Albie Morkel produced yet another stunning little innings in Jaipur on Thursday night, or should we say early Friday morning with the contest ending well past midnight at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Morkel had conjured up a similar act against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai. On that day, Virat Kohli was at the receiving end. This time Rajasthan Royals' Australia all-rounder Shane Watson was the sufferer.
Watching yet another gem of a 6-ball 18 not out from Morkel, we could well say this IPL 5 has been a Super Show for South Africans.
Apart from Albie, his brother Morne Morkel is in brilliant form for Delhi Daredevils. Faf du Plessis is the leading batsman for Chennai and whenever Dale Steyn has taken the field for Deccan Chargers, he has shone bright amid the gloom of the Hyderabad-based outfit.
Morne is currently the Purple Cap holder with highest number of wickets, 21.
AB de Villiers is another guy from South Africa, who has been in great touch. He is already being hailed as the best batsman in world at the moment. His breathtaking stroke-play for Bangalore, has been one of the highlights of this edition.
Kolkata Knight Riders' South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis has so far not set the stage alight, but he has quietly managed to play important role with both bat and ball.
Deccan's JP Duminy has been limited to few chances so far and has done well in patches.
Twenty20 International's fastest century maker Richard Levi arrived in India with a huge reputation but after a breezy half century for Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener against Chennai, he has been dumped.
Rajasthan's Johan Botha has also been in good nick when he has been called upon.
IPL was launched in 2008 with an aim to unearth Indian talent. But it is a pity that we have not seen many bright young talent emerging from this shortest format.
It is fast becoming a platform where foreign cricketers are enhancing his their reputation. At the moment, South Africans are leading in that race and Australians are the ones who are next.
Overall, the current IPL has seen most teams succeeding with the help of their overseas players. And you feel sorry for the all-India bowling attack of Deccan which was annihilated by Delhi's Australia opener David Warner on Thursday.
If all these South Africans make it to the ICC World Twenty20 squad, they will definitely be one of the favourites to win the showpiece event in September in Sri Lanka.
Here is a list showing how South Africans are ruling IPL 5
| Batsmen | Innings | Runs | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faf du Plessis | 11 | 385 | 133.68 |
| AB de Villiers | 10 | 292 | 171.76 |
| Jacques Kallis | 11 | 214 | 100.00 |
| JP Duminy | 7 | 146 | 146.00 |
| Albie Morkel | 10 | 93 | 157.62 |
| Bowlers | Innings | Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| Morne Morkel | 12 | 21 |
| Dale Steyn | 9 | 11 |
| Jacques Kallis | 11 | 10 |
| Albie Morkel | 11 | 7 |
| Johan Botha | 9 | 6 |
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