The Watson effect

Right from the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008, Rajasthan Royals have always performed above expectations. In the first season, led by Shane Warne, they won 13 matches and lost just three on the way to the title. While Sohail Tanvir did superbly with the ball, it was Shane Watson who turned in a highly impressive all-round display. Watson, who was declared the player of the tournament in the first season, scored 472 runs at a scoring rate of over nine runs per over. In a season where he made four fifty-plus scores, his average (52.44) and boundary-run percentage (63.98) were also very high. With the ball, he was no less effective picking up 17 wickets at an excellent average of 22.52 and economy rate of 7.07. His low economy rate was highly creditable in a tournament where the run-rate (8.30) is the highest among all seasons.

Watson missed the next tournament played in South Africa but contributed with the bat in the next two seasons (2010 and 2011). In 2011, he scored over 300 runs again but at a lower scoring rate of 7.82. His boundary-run percentage in the 2010 and 2011 tournaments went up over 68. In this season, Watson missed the first few matches and joined the team late following the tour of West Indies. Almost immediately, he has had an impact scoring 134 runs (average 67.00) with an even higher boundary-run percentage of 73.13. Watson followed up his 36 and 2 for 22 against Kings XI Punjab with a powerful 90 against Pune Warriors making light work of a 126-run target. In matches when Watson has played, Royals have a 20-15 win-loss record and in his absence, they have an even win-loss record (16 wins and 16 losses).

One of the major reasons for Watson's success is his ability to play both spin and pace equally well. He averages above 42 against both fast bowlers and spinners while managing a higher scoring rate (9.51) against the slower bowlers. Watson, who employs the slog-sweep effectively against spinners, has managed a higher boundary-run percentage (71.52) against them than his corresponding number against fast bowlers (64.33).