IPL Revisited: Caribbean’s shrinking footprint gets harder to ignore

But as we head into the final stretch of the season, the picture has changed, and not entirely for the better. What started as a mixed but hopeful assessment has gradually hardened into something more uncomfortable: A reflection of exactly how far Caribbean cricket's presence in the world's most competitive T20 league has receded. 

Jason Holder (GT) is the unambiguous standout of the group, and given the context, that distinction carries real weight. After being inexplicably left out of Gujarat's early matches, despite being bought for ₹7 crore specifically to fill their seam-bowling all-rounder gap, he finally made his debut for GT. Since then, the franchise has looked a class apart. 

The numbers back this up emphatically. From five matches, Holder has taken 13 wickets at an average of 13.92 and an economy of 6.87, including a four-wicket haul against Punjab Kings and a three-wicket haul against Rajasthan Royals. In the most commanding result of GT's season, Holder and Rabada ran through SRH's batting attack, picking three wickets each and wrapping their innings up for just 86 inside 15 overs as GT cruised to an 82-run victory and claimed top spot on the table.