Abu Dhabi T10 League: Best XI of the tournament

The Abu Dhabi T10 League 2021-22 has finally come to an end, and it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that it was well and truly a blockbuster of a tournament. The fans witnessed several close encounters as well. Fulfilling the reason of its existence, this league was filled with entertainment. The Deccan Gladiators went on to win their maiden title, after defeating the Delhi Bulls by 56 runs. On the other hand, Team Abu Dhabi clinched third place in the tournament. This was because the Livingstone-led side finished at the third spot at the league stage, as compared to Bangla Tigers, who had finished fourth. However, this league saw several players were at their best. It was these individuals who managed to keep the frenzy at its full potential. So which of these cricketers would make it to the best playing XI of the tournament? Here is the best XI of T10 League 2021-22 1) Hazratullah Zazai Hazratullah Zazai of Peshawar Zalmi. (Photo Source: Twitter) Hazratullah Zazai was hitting boundaries and sixes for fun during the league. His consistent carnage ensured that the Afghanistan fans rigorously watch this 10-over league. The Afghan opener scored the most number of runs in this edition of the tournament. He scored 353 runs in 12 games, with his highest being an unbeaten 65. His batting average and strike rate were 50.42 and 200.56 respectively. In this season, he hit 29 boundaries and 24 sixes respectively. In total, he scored three fifties in this season. Because one only gets 10 over to bat, scoring three fifties is a massive achievement. However, despite all of this, the Bangla Tigers couldn’t win the title and finished fourth in the league. 2) Tom Cohler-Cadmore Tom Cohler-Cadmore. (Photo Source: Twitter/Deccan Gladiators) Tom Cohler-Cadmore was one of the most impressive batters of the tournament. Time and again, he kept giving explosive starts for the Deccan Gladiators. He was one of the major reasons why they were able to win the title. While opening the innings for the Gladiators in this season, he scored 288 runs in 12 games. His batting average and strike rate were 28.80 and 200.0 respectively. This includes the three fifties as well. He hit 28 boundaries and 17 sixes as well. Even in the final of the tournament, the 27-year-old scored an unbeaten 59 from just the 28 deliveries. This knock came at a strike rate of 210.71. 3) Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK) Rahmanullah Gurbaz. (Photo Source: Abu Dhabi T10) Zazai wasn’t the only Afghan who set the tournament on fire. His fellow countrymen Rahmanullah Gurbaz had a season to remember as well. He scored the third-most number of runs in this edition of the league. The keeper-batter scored 343 runs in 13 games, with his highest score being 70. His batting average and strike rate were 28.58 and 214.37 respectively. The Afghanistan batter was also able to hit 25 boundaries and 30 sixes. In the process, he scored three fifties too. As his keeping was neat, he shall be the keeper of this XI as well. Thus, it is safe to say that he proved one and all that age is just a number. 4) Liam Livingstone (C) Liam Livingstone. (Photo Source: Twitter/Team Abu Dhabi) Of late, Liam Livingstone has been in the form of life. Be it in international cricket or T20 leagues, he has made it a habit to hit the mammoth sixes in almost every innings. However, this time around, it was the T10 League that witnessed his wrath. The English all-rounder scored 309 runs in 13 innings. His batting average and strike rate were 25.75 and 210.20 respectively. This included two fifties as well. In this season, Team Abu Dhabi’s captain smacked 14 boundaries and 30 sixes too. Under his leadership, his team finished third in the league. Thus, he will lead this XI as well. 5) Moeen Ali Moeen Ali. (Photo Source: Twitter/Northern Warriors) Moeen Ali continued his good T20 form into T10 as well. The English all-rounder was one of the most impactful players of the season. His ability to take on the spinners is absolute gold, at least in a format that has just the 10 overs. The CSK all-rounder scored 249 runs in the 10 games this season, with his highest score being an unbeaten 77. His batting average and strike rate were 27.66 and 205.78 respectively. In this edition, the 34-year-old also hit 17 boundaries and 10 sixes. Despite that, the Northern Warriors could not make it into the playoffs, his performance was one to remember. English fans would certainly hope that he continues this good form for a long time. 6) Bhanuka Rajapaksa Bhanuka Rajapaksa. (Photo Source: Twitter/The Chennai Braves) Despite being a lower-middle order batter, Bhanuka Rajapaksa played as an opener this time around. Yet, he was astonishingly consistent and his temperament was praiseworthy. In this season of the T10 League, the Sri Lankans kept on piling runs for the Chennai Braves. In the nine games in which he played, the 30-year-old scored 249 runs. His batting average and strike rate were 35.57 and 193.02 respectively. In this process, he also hit 20 boundaries and 21 sixes. The fact that he was able to hit three fifties in this edition spoke volumes of his potential. Thus, it wouldn’t be surprising if he is given a longer run in Sri Lanka’s playing XI soon. 7) Wanindu Hasaranga Wanindu Hasaranga. (Photo Source: Twitter/Deccan Gladiators) Wanindu Hasaranga was unarguably the best performer of this edition of the T10 League. He kept picking wickets for fun and was the leading wicket-taker of the season. In the 12 games, the all-rounder picked 21 wickets. His bowling average and strike rate were 9.28 and 6.5 respectively. The leggie’s economy rate was just 8.47, and in a 10-over game, it is marvellous. He also managed to score 45 runs in two innings at an average and strike rate of 45.00 and 187.50 respectively. This included six boundaries and two sixes as well. Thus, for his all-round show, the bowling all-rounder was named the player of the series. 8) Adil Rashid Adil Rashid. (Photo Source: Twitter/Delhi Bulls) Adil Rashid is currently one of the best spinners in the shorter versions of this game for a reason. First ODIs and T20s and now even T10, the English bowler has a knack for picking wickets. The leggie picked 11 wickets in 12 games, at an economy rate of 10.36, which is decent in this format of the game. His bowling average and strike rate were 15.54 and 9.0 respectively. His best bowling figures were 3/15. His performance was instrumental in Delhi Bulls reaching the final. He not bowling in the final game was debatable as the Gladiators did go on to score a whopping 159. Nevertheless, he was superb whenever he played. 9) Tymal Mills Southern Brave bowler Tymal Mills. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) Tymal Mills was the leading wicket-taker for the Deccan Gladiators. His bowling performances throughout the tournament were one of the major reasons why the Riaz-led side went on to win the title. He was fourth on the list of the most number of wickets picked in the T10 League 2021-22. The English pacer picked 11 wickets in 8 games. His bowling average and strike rate were 11.18 and 7.6 respectively. His economy rate was on the lower side as well (8.78). He was sensational in the final as well. In the two overs in which he bowled, he picked two wickets and gave just the four runs. Those two wickets included the opposition captain DJ Bravo, as well as Dominic Drakes. 10) Marchant de Lange Marchant de Lange. (Photo Source: Twitter/Team Abu Dhabi) Marchant de Lange was exceptional for Team Abu Dhabi. The Proteas pacer picked the third-most number of wickets in this edition of the tournament. In the 11 games in which he played, he picked 14 wickets. The 31-year-old had a bowling average and strike rate of 18.14 and 9.4 respectively. This included a fifer as well. While an economy rate of 11.54 might not look too good, the fact that the format was T10, makes it decent to an extent. Last but not the least, he was Livingstone’s most trusted pacer and thus, bowled most of the difficult overs. 11) Dominic Drakes Dominic Drakes. (Photo Source: Twitter/DelhiBulls) It is safe to say that Dominic Drakes was arguably one of the best pacers of the tournament. He consistently picked wickets for his side, and hardly bowled any bad deliveries. The English pacer picked the most number of wickets by a pacer in this season. Barring Hasaranga, no other bowler took more wickets than him. The left-arm pacer picked 19 wickets in 12 games. His bowling average and strike rate were 10.26 and 6.6 respectively. The 23-year-old also managed to pick two four-fers as well. Thus, he was one of the best performers for the Delhi Bulls in this edition.

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Abu Dhabi T10 League: Best XI of the tournament

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