Hyderabad: Mumbai Indians' success was majorly scripted by two uncapped Indian youngsters who found themselves manning the middle-order amid a sea of superstars -- Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav.
Kishan -- 516 runs at an average of 57.33; strike rate 145.76 -- and Yadav -- 480 runs at 40; SR 145.01 -- scored well over one-third of the runs that MI had scored this season and were overall No.5 and No.7 respectively in the run-getters' list.
Among the top 10 run-getters, only AB de Villiers has a better strike rate than the two.
While Quinton de Kock, who finished at No.6 in the run-getters' list, provided the start at the top of the batting order, Kishan and Yadav provided stability in the middle-order that in Rohit Sharma's words was weak last year.
"We discussed last year that our middle-order was not clicking and Ishan has come and done really well. He is understanding his game, and opening a lot of horizons on the ground to hit boundaries and sixes. That makes him a dangerous batsman. And Surya, I have said before, he has matured as a player. I see him going from strength to strength this season," Rohit had told the media ahead of the final on Tuesday.
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"Surya has taken his game to a different level. One good thing that struck me is the tempo he maintains -- no matter who is batting and how many wickets have fallen. That is a sign of a quality player. When someone can bat with that tempo, keep rotating strike, keep hitting the boundaries, it makes the job easier for the non-striker, the team looks in a comfortable position. The No. 3 slot is a crucial position. He has done well," he had said.
Kishan said that he was struggling with his fitness prior to the season.
"I was not looking in good shape at the start of this season, so I had a good chat with Hardik bhai and Krunal bhai, I wanted to work on my fitness, just keep working on my off-side game. Wanted to do what was good for the team with the bat and score big runs," said Kishan after the final.
