IPL Bulls and Bears: Rana, Dhawan Tee Off As Hardik Drops by 5%
The IPL got off to a fantastic start with its usual fanfare and uncertainty. While there were several individuals who starred in the first round of fixtures, only a few make the cut as a Bull or, unfortunately, a Bear! Here are the lucky and the not so lucky ones in this week's Bulls and Bears of the Week!What a week it has been in the Sixer Market! The start of the IPL has seen a surge in demand, and also, the players are killing it in the Market! While the big names, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, didn't really fire, some underrated players did come up with the goods. As we move on to the next round of fixtures, insight on the best and underwhelming performers is in order. Without further ado, here we go!Bull #1: Nitish Rana (KKR)Nitish Rana surprised many by coming out to bat at the top of the order. The southpaw, who has often flirted with consistency, showed why he was promoted with a scintillating knock of 80 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Amid a galaxy of stars in the Kolkata roster, it was actually Rana who came up with the goods with his performance in the Market, also justifying his promotion. He notched up a match score of 139.82, resulting in a massive hike in his fantasy stock price of 17.1%! Although it may be early days in the Market, Rana is already one of the most bought players. With his stocks trading at 67.20 Sixer Coins, he may still be in for another hefty increase as his side takes on Mumbai Indians today.Bear #1: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH)While Rana's fantasy shareholders would have been ecstatic given his performance, Bhuvneshwar wouldn't be too happy with how he went about things in that game. Bhuvi registered a match score of 28.68, the least among all players in that game, resulting in a 6.4% decrease. He wasn't effective in the death overs as well, where Dinesh Karthik took him to the cleaners with some innovative shots. However, this may just be a one-off for the SRH pacer, one of the top contenders for the Purple Cap this year. If he does manage to insert himself into the conversation, Bhuvi at 58.30 Sixer Coins should prove to be a shrewd acquisition.Bull #2: Shikhar Dhawan (DC)Another Delhi lad starred in the first round of the IPL. Despite CSK posting a formidable total on the board, Shikhar Dhawan's knock of 85 ensured an easy win for Delhi. Even though Prithvi Shaw made his life easier, Dhawan didn't miss a beat with his attacking strokeplay. Although he did miss out on his third IPL ton and a possible 150 match score, Dhawan saw the highest increase in Round 1 with 18.5% to show for his efforts. Given the form that he and his teammates are in, DC is truly a force to reckon with in IPL 2021.Bear #2: Hardik Pandya (MI)Hardik Pandya is one of the most in-demand players in the Real Market! However, he wasn't in his elements in the IPL opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore. As a result of a lacklustre batting performance, his price dropped by 4.6%, which isn't actually too bad. However, his match score of just 37 is a cause for concern. While he didn't bowl in the first game and isn't likely to start bowling any time soon, his batting prowess is second to none in the death overs. Just ask KKR, who got whacked around by Hardik in IPL 2019, as he registered a perfect match score of 150. He faces the same opponents again, and if he can get himself back on track, we are in for a good time in the Sixer Market!