IPL flashback: Top 10 Talking Points from the 2018 season

#1 The final battle between two best captains of the tournament

Dhoni and Williamson led their respective teams quite smartly

In a multi-nation or a multi-side tournament, we often talk about how the two best sides' always end up playing the final. Often, we do not acknowledge that leadership plays a huge part in it.

Sometimes, you might not have the most talented of personnel at your disposal but if as a leader you can inspire your team, it can spur on the individuals to play to the best of their limited opportunities. The finalists of the 2018 IPL - Sunrisers Hyderabad & Chennai Super Kings bore testimony to the aforementioned fact.

The 2018 IPL saw both Dhoni and Williamson at their best- with the bat and as leader of the side. Both had different challenges. For Williamson, it was a matter of keeping the side together after the Cape Town fiasco had left his side without David Warner's leadership. As a leader, Williamson was superb with his bowling changes, team selections, but it is his batting in the shortest format of the game that really came of age.

The Kiwi skipper spearheaded the SRH batting, scoring 735 runs in 17 games at an average of 52.50, and was awarded the 'Orange Cap'.

As for Dhoni, it was a challenge of not letting the emotion of the comeback translate into pressure when it came to game-time. Another challenge was to manage a side that had a lot of retired cricketers in it. Dhoni loves challenges. It gets the best out of him. And, it was testified yet again. He was refreshingly brilliant with the bat, scoring 435 runs at a strike-rate of 150.66, besides marshaling his troops with disdain.

One such example was his handling of Shane Watson. The Aussie all-rounder had sustained a hamstring injury midway through the season, and Dhoni, realizing the importance of Watson, did not let him bowl for the rest of the games. And, it paid off in the end, as we all know.

Watson swatted the famed SRH bowling attack-led by the 'Purple Cap' holder, Sid Kaul, to bring up his second ton of the season and take CSK to their third IPL title; making it a perfect homecoming for the 'Whistle Podu' army.