IPL: How did the 2014 edition shape in UAE?
We are a day away from the start of thirteenth Indian Premier League edition, which is set to be held in the United Arab Emirates. The opening match will be played between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Notably, the nation also hosted the first half of 2014 IPL edition. Here is a recap of that season.
Why was the tournament shifted to UAE?
The IPL was shifted to the UAE as it clashed with the 2014 Indian General Election. As a result, the tournament was jointly hosted by the UAE (April 16-30) and later India (May 2 to June 1). A total of 20 matches (five per team) were held across three different stadiums in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, before the tourney moved to India.
Mumbai Indians couldn't win a single game in UAE
Kolkata Knight Riders won the tournament opener against MI at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. They ended up winning one more match and lost three matches, while MI lost all five games in the UAE leg. Interestingly, KXIP maintained a perfect record, having one five out of five. CSK and RR won four and three matches respectively with RCB, DC and SRH winning two each.
Glenn Maxwell emerged as the leading run-scorer
The sublime form of Glenn Maxwell paved the way for Kings XI Punjab in UAE. He finished as the highest run-getter during the leg, scoring 300 runs from five matches at an incredible average of 60. The formidable tally also included three 50+ plus scores. Others on the tally were Dwayne Smith (240), Brendon McCullum (193), Ajinkya Rahane (182) and JP Duminy (173).
Sunil Narine led the wickets column
Kolkata Knight Riders' Sunil Narine led the wickets tally in the UAE. He finished with nine wickets from five matches at a prolific average of 11.88. The Caribbean spinner also snapped up a four-wicket haul and registered best bowling figures of 20/4. Notably, four seamers followed him on the list - Varun Aaron (8), Lasith Malinga (8), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (8) and Mohit Sharma (8).
Kolkata Knight Riders won the 2014 IPL
Following the UAE leg, Kollkata Knight Riders were crowned champions of the IPL by defeating Kings XI Punjab in the final. Notably, they became the second franchise after Chennai Super Kings to win two titles (2012 and 2014). However, Mumbai Indians won the succeeding edition.
