Recalled million-dollar man proves his worth

Australia's million-dollar recruit Tim David has shaken off a tough start in this year's Indian Premier League to prove his worth as one of the world's hottest T20 franchise targets.

Dropped after just two games following scores of 12 and one as his Mumbai Indians went winless in their first eight matches, David justified his A$1.53m price tag when he was eventually recalled during the second half of the campaign with dazzling displays of power hitting.

The 26-year-old was one of Australia's stand-out performers in this year's IPL with 186 runs for the tournament at an incredible strike of 216, the highest of any batter to score more than 65 runs for the season.

The Singapore-born Australian finished his campaign with a blistering 34 from 11 balls in Mumbai's final match, which helped Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazlewood's Royal Challengers Bangalore qualify for the playoffs and was a major factor in the Indians winning four of their last six games.

Calls are growing louder for David to be elevated to Australia's T20 side for the home World Cup later this year, but he remains uncapped and time is running out to blood the middle-order power hitter in what is a settled line-up ahead of the tournament starting in October.

Image Id: 2F953F1AFDC74AEFBC1AD530097DADAD Image Caption: David launches one into the stands during his 46 off 18 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad // BCCI-Sportzpics

Six Aussies have reached the final four of the 2022 edition, with Maxwell and Hazlewood set to go up against Marcus Stonis' Lucknow Super Giants in the sudden death Eliminator at midnight on Thursday morning Australian eastern time.

The winner of that match will face the loser of Matthew Wade's Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals, who play tonight for a spot in the decider at 12.30am AEST on Monday.

West Australians Andrew Tye (two wickets in three matches with Lucknow) and Jason Behrendorff (RCB) are also still alive in the tournament, but Tye hasn't played since April 7 and Behrendorff hasn't played at all this season.

David Warner’s Delhi Capitals were denied a spot in the final four when they lost to Mumbai in a final over thriller on Monday morning, but the left-handed opener etched himself into IPL folklore with another outstanding season.

The 35-year-old hit five half centuries on his way to 432 runs for the tournament at a strike rate of 150, which helped him pass Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma into third on the competition's all-time run scorers tally.

After a disrupted start to the tournament due to a hip flexor injury and a bout of COVID-19, his Delhi teammate Mitch Marsh also enjoyed a breakout season where he carried on his superb form from the T20 World Cup and KFC BBL.

The allrounder bashed 251 runs and took four wickets in eight matches, which included a top score of 89 from 62 balls that should have Australian fans and selectors excited ahead of their World Cup title defence later this year.

Hazlewood continued his rise as arguably the most improved T20 bowler of the past year with 15 wickets at an economy rate of just over eight, while Maxwell again delivered crucial match-winning performances for RCB with bat and ball.

Maxwell smashed 268 runs at a strike rate of 172 and took six wickets in 11 matches, with his best all-round performance coming in the final match of the regular season when he snared a controversial lbw of Wade (that resulted in a dramatic dressing room blow up) and hit 40 not out off 18 balls as Bangalore downed the top-of-the-table Titans.

Wade forced his way back into the Titans side during the back half of the season and heads into the finals with 114 runs under his belt from eight matches. He also kept wicket in their last game, completing a stumping off Afghanistan superstar Rashid Khan.

Lucknow have tried to replicate Stoinis' finishing role with the Australian side with mixed success, with the allrounder posting 147 runs at a strike rate of 151 while also claiming four wickets in his 10 matches.

Two of those wickets came in the final over of their last match when the 32-year-old – tasked with defending 20 runs – conceded 18 from the first four balls before taking 2-0 from the last two deliveries to get the Super Giants over the line by two runs.

Australia's Test skipper Pat Cummins was forced to leave the tournament early with a hip injury but is expected to make a full recovery before the Sri Lanka tour next month.

Cummins’ major highlight from his stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders came with the bat when he smacked 56 not out off 15 balls – the fastest T20 half century ever by an Australian.

But the 29-year-old had a tough campaign with the ball, taking seven wickets but conceding more than 10 runs an over.

White-ball skipper and Kolkata teammate Aaron Finch also had a tournament to forget, passing fifty only once before being dropped after five games, which prompted former Aussie allrounder and current Delhi assistant coach Shane Watson to tell The Grade Cricketer his form slump was a "big liability" for the upcoming World Cup.

Sydney Thunder star Daniel Sams impressed for the bottom of the table Mumbai Indians with 13 wickets, which included the big scalp of Warner in their win against Mumbai.

Image Id: 2B3FEAFFF8A54E29ABC51DA80BFAFB2C Image Caption: Mumbai's Aussie contingent Tim David, Riley Meredith and Daniel Sams with Sunrisers' Sean Abbott and Kiwi Glenn Phillips // BCCI-Sportzpics

His Mumbai teammate Riley Meredith showed glimpses of his blistering pace with eight wickets in eight games and a top speed of 147.3kph.

Fellow Tasmanian Tigers speedster Nathan Ellis only managed two appearances for the tournament but finished on a high with 3-40 in the final match of the regular season as his Punjab Kings defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The 2022 Indian Premier League will be broadcast live in Australia on Fox Sports and live streamed on Kayo

Australians in IPL 2022

Delhi Capitals: Mitchell Marsh, David Warner

Gujarat Titans: Matthew Wade

Kolkata Knight Riders: Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch

Lucknow Super Giants: Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye

Mumbai Indians: Tim David, Daniel Sams, Riley Meredith

Punjab Kings: Nathan Ellis

Rajasthan Royals: Nathan Coulter-Nile

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, Jason Behrendorff

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Sean Abbott