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An Australian could be Player of the Series

Special Correspondent

Mumbai: Title sponsor DLF’s Rs. 10 lakh prize money to the IPL’s Player of the Series will go to an Australian. The IPL’s Governing Council members — Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri — have been given the responsibility to choose the player.

The front-runners are Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals) and Shaun Marsh (Kings XI Punjab). The council may even consider Shane Warne (Rajasthan Royals) because of the immense impact he has made in the tournament.

Shastri said, “I feel we will have a major headache on our hands considering the quality of players on view and I can only hope that one star shines brighter than the others to make our task easier.”

Watson, who has been exceptional with the bat and ball, has won the Man-of-the-Match award four times. Marsh has amassed runs at the top to be chosen Man-of-the-Match five times in 10 matches and Warne has performed the double role of captain and coach with success. He has also taken 19 wickets.

Superb competitor

Drubbed by the Daredevils on the second day of the tournament, Warne turned the fortunes of his side imparting skills, advising the rookies on execution of plans and tactics and building a group of young Indians into match-winners.

“I don’t think an international team requires a coach because the captain runs the team, but a coach is required in domestic competitions,” Warne said after his team beat the Daredevils on Friday night.

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