The best finishers, and starting with spin

The last two columns have analysed IPL teams in the Powerplay and middle overs; this time, the focus is on the last six overs, i.e, from the 15th to the 20th.

The middle-overs stats had shown the top team in the IPL, Mumbai Indians, in rather poor light. In fact, they were at the very bottom of that table, with their batting and bowling both letting them down. However, there are no such problems for them in the last six: they have been exceptional with the bat, averaging more than 11 runs per over, and quite frugal with the ball, conceding only 8.12 per over. The difference is substantial - almost three runs per over - which puts Mumbai on top of the list by a substantial margin.

Royal Challengers Bangalore is the only other team whose batting run-rate is significantly higher than their economy rate. The difference is more than 1 for them, but for most other teams there is little difference between the two.

At the other end of the scale are Deccan Chargers, who have been woeful with both bat and ball in the last six overs. The batsmen have done poorly, averaging only 16.47 per wicket and less than eight-and-a-half per over, but their bowlers have fared worse: they are the only side to concede more than 10 runs per over in the final overs. The next-highest economy rate is significantly lower - Kings XI Punjab have conceded 9.54 per over.

Among individual batsmen, M Vijay of Chennai stands out: in the last six overs, he has scored 77 runs in a mere 27 balls, at an incredible rate of 17 runs per over. That, though, was largely due to one innings - the unbelievable hundred against Rajasthan where he scored 63 off 21 balls.

Other batsmen have done the job more consistently: Robin Uthappa has been a star for Bangalore throughout the tournament, and especially in the last six overs. He has batted six times during this period, and on four occasions he has achieved a run rate of more than two runs per ball. His best was against Chennai at the Chinnaswamy, when he scored 50 from 18; his efforts against Punjab (22 from 8) and Kolkata (38 from 14) weren't far behind.

Punjab haven't had too much to celebrate in IPL 2010, but Irfan Pathan's batting during the end of the innings has been one of the positives. His best was against Deccan in Cuttack, when he scored 48 from 18 and almost succeeded in pulling off a victory from a near-impossible situation.

One of the reasons for Mumbai's spectacular run rate in the last six is the performances of Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu and Harbhajan Singh. Both Pollard and Harbhajan have scored more than 100 runs at a rate of more than 10 runs per over in the last six. Pollard's best came against Delhi a couple of days back, when he scored 45 off just 13 deliveries, with five sixes and two fours. Harbhajan slammed 49 off 18 against Deccan late last month, while Sachin Tendulkar has done his bit too, scoring 103 off 62 at a rate of 9.96 per over.

Anil Kumble has been exceptional with the ball in the last six, and indeed at all stages of opposition innings throughout the tournament. In 83 balls he has conceded only 84 runs, which gives him an outstanding economy rate of 6.07. Among bowlers who've sent down at least 60 deliveries during the last six, his team-mate Dale Steyn is the only other bowler with an economy rate of less than seven. Despite those two, Bangalore's overall economy rate during this period is more than nine, largely because they also have two bowlers who've been among the worst: Praveen Kumar has conceded 160 in 90 balls (10.66 per over), while Vinay Kumar has gone for 142 in 85 (10.02).

Mumbai, meanwhile, have been well served by Lasith Malinga and Zaheer Khan, both of whom have economy rates of less than eight, which is why Mumbai's overall economy rate is so impressive.

Best bowlers in the last six overs (Qual: 60 balls)

Bowler	Balls bowled	Runs conceded	Wickets	Average	Econ rate
Anil Kumble	83	84	4	21.00	6.07
Dale Steyn	72	79	5	15.80	6.58
Lasith Malinga	96	120	7	17.14	7.50
Dirk Nannes	73	94	4	23.50	7.72
Zaheer Khan	86	113	8	14.12	7.88
Amit Mishra	60	85	3	28.33	8.50
Shaun Tait	85	121	7	17.28	8.54
Muttiah Muralitharan	78	112	5	22.40	8.61

Updated till April 14.

One of the ways in which Twenty20 cricket has changed over the last three years has been in captains becoming more flexible about entrusting the first over of an innings to a spin bowler. Traditionally, captains have handed the new ball to a fast bowler almost by rote, but in IPL 2010, more and more captains have been willing to experiment with spin for the very first over of the opposition innings. In IPL 2008, spinners bowled the first over only three times - Kumble did it twice, and Muttiah Muralitharan once - but it increased to 12 overs the next year, even though the IPL had moved to South Africa. Yusuf Pathan did it most often, bowling the first over four times, returning figures of none for 32. Kumble and Ramesh Powar did it three times apiece, but Kumble was by far the more successful, with excellent figures of 1 for 10 from those three overs, including the wicket of Adam Gilchrist in the final.

In 2010, though, captains have been experimenting a lot more. Nineteen times so far, the opening over has been bowled by spinners, and nine different spinners have done the job for their captains. Yusuf Pathan leads again with six overs (none for 41), but Chris Gayle (2 for 17 from two overs), Harbhajan Singh (1 for 17 from two), R Ashwin (1 for 11 from three) and Amit Mishra (1 for 3 from one) have all been among the wickets. If the pitches for the World Twenty20 in the West Indies also stay low and slow, expect this tactic to be employed quite frequently during that tournament as well.

First overs bowled by spin in each IPL

Year	Balls	Runs	Wickets	Average	Econ rate
2008	18	23	0	-	7.66
2009	72	94	2	47.00	7.83
2010	114	127	5	25.40	6.68

Updated till April 15.