IPL 2022: Best Indian XI from the fifth week of the tournament

In another eventful week in the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), we have been treated to blockbuster action that had everything- from nail-biting finishes to surprises to astonishing individual displays, both with bat and ball and in both winning and losing causes. We look at the most potent 11 only made up of Indian players that made impressive contributions to their team’s cause. Some of these players have consistently found themselves in the top-performing 11 while others made a mark for the first time with some telling contributions. As we approach the business end of the league phase where the race for reaching the playoffs will be heating up, franchises will be hoping for more such impactful contributions. Best Indian XI from week 5 of IPL 2022 1. Shikhar Dhawan Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) The evergreen Shikhar Dhawan became only the second player to amass 6,000 runs in the IPL after Virat Kohli which is a testament to his consistency and longevity. He produced a player of the match performance against CSK with a boundary laden unbeaten 88. His innings helped Punjab secure a much-needed victory and be in the fray for a playoff spot. However, Dhawan failed to replicate his knock against KL Rahul’s Lucknow. The southpaw managed only five runs as Mayank Agarwal and Co. failed to chase down 154 runs. Although he had a rare off-day against Lucknow Super Giants, he still remains one of the most reliable openers capable of playing any role the team requires. He remains the thread that holds an explosive PBKS line-up together and will be expected to make an impact every innings. 2. KL Rahul KL Rahul. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) The only batsman providing any competition to runaway Jos Buttler for the Orange Cap, KL Rahul hit another scintillating ton- 103* against hapless Mumbai Indians. This is his second of the season that drowned Rohit Sharma and Co. Rahul’s prolific performances in this season haven’t come as a surprise to anyone, reiterating the standards he has set for himself. However, he had an underwhelming outing against Mayank’s Punjab, scoring only six runs from 11 balls. The talismanic run-scorer will be hoping to continue the dream run and lead his new franchise to their and his first-ever IPL crown and has the much-needed support and depth in his team to excel as a captain as well. 3. Hardik Pandya (c) Hardik Pandya. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Hardik Pandya has been a revelation this IPL, taking to captaincy like a fish to water and shutting down his critics with his impactful performances with the bat, ball and as a leader. He has led the team from the front as the debutants sit well at the top of the points table. Hardik has been good enough to play both as a pure batsman and pure bowler in a Gujarat Titans squad that looked thin and inexperienced on paper but are now sitting at the top of the table well into the halfway stage of the tournament. Coming in at No.3 against Kolkata Knight Riders, he made another impressive match-winning contribution of 67, as he climbed to No.3 in the Orange Cap race. Although he had poor outings against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the 28-year-old all-rounder has done enough to prove that he is ready to make a comeback to the Indian side. 4. Nitish Rana Nitish Rana. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) One of the classy India hopefuls with a hefty price tag who made a slow start to the season, Rana has finally hit the ground in the last few matches although still being unable to cause an upturn in Kolkata Knight Riders’ fortunes. The southpaw had a poor start to the week, getting out for two off seven balls against Gujarat Titans. He hit his second fifty of the season, with a quick-fire 57 against Delhi Capitals, the only bright spot that gave a dismal KKR innings some respectability. While his aggregates are still low in IPL 2022, Rana would hope to make more such contributions as the Kolkata franchise look to tighten the screws as the 15th edition of the cash-rich league approaches its business end. 5. Ambati Rayudu Ambati Rayudu. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Another evergreen player, the 37-year-old was at his dynamic and destructive best despite a wrist injury, as he got Chennai Super Kings to within a touching distance of a win against Punjab Kings. Rayudu played a fine knock of 78 runs from 39 deliveries at a strike rate of 200, including seven boundaries and six maximums. Although the innings didn’t help the Chennai franchise chase down the total, the veteran India international grabbed attention with his whirlwind knock. The middle-order batter has been a mainstay of the two most successful IPL franchises throughout his career and showed us again that he has no intentions of slowing down yet. Rayudu remains a key cog in a faltering CSK line-up and will hold the key to their end of season fortunes. 6. Wriddhiman Saha (wk) Wriddhiman Saha. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Coming into the side for a faltering Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha played an outstanding innings that also turned out to be a match-winning contribution. It came as a much-needed confidence booster for the Bengal cricketer, who was recently dropped from India’s Test team. The Gujarat opener scored a quickfire 68 runs that set the tone for the run chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Saha took the bowlers to the cleaners, which helped the Titans chase down 196 runs and end Hyderabad’s five-match winning streak. While not the most flamboyant, the 37-year-old showed he still has some years of cricket left in the tank. With GT light on wicket-keeping options, Saha has potentially cemented his place in the team and it wouldn’t be surprising if we see more such telling contributions. 7. Rahul Tewatia Rahul Tewatia. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) The man with the golden finishing touch – the man from whom fans are regularly expecting the impossible, Rahul Tewatia was at it again as he helped GT pull off another heist against a strong SRH bowling lineup chasing a steep target. Tewari, who has been in superlative form, smacked a 21-ball 40 to chase down a mammoth total of 196 runs. His innings was decorated with four boundaries and two sixes that helped Gujarat Titans strengthen their position at the top of the points table. The left-handed batter has been in tremendous touch already winning a few games for the Gujarat franchise all by himself. Primarily viewed as a bowling allrounder, he has done justice to the faith Gujarat have shown in him, playing him at five. 8. Arshdeep Singh Arshdeep Singh celebration (Photo Source: Twitter) Often having gone under the radar, Arshdeep Singh is finally raising heads with his consistent and disciplined performances, especially at the death. He has led Punjab’s bowling attack despite the glaring presence of South African speedster Kagiso Rabada. Arshdeep put in another solid and extremely underrated performance at the death against Chennai Super Kings which helped Punjab to a narrow win in a game that was slipping away from them. He returned with figures of 1/23 to help Punjab defend the total. While not amongst the wickets, Arshdeep was also economical against Lucknow Super Giants. He conceded only 23 runs in his four overs against the star-studded Lucknow batting. The young left-arm pacer will hope to continue the good job in the upcoming games and make a strong case for himself ahead of the upcoming series against South Africa. 9. Umran Malik Umran Malik. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) The young fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir Umran Malik has wowed everyone with his searing pace, bowling the fastest delivery in every match he has played but it has been his impeccable accuracy and maturity that would’ve impressed fans even more. He was at his destructive best, albeit in a losing cause, as he picked up all five wickets that fell against Gujarat Titans, including cleaning up four batsmen with his pinpoint accuracy and express pace. He has just gotten better and better as the tournament has progressed and is potentially on the selector’s radar to form a mouth-watering bowling partnership with Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Australia. 10. Kuldeep Yadav Kuldeep Yadav. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Once an integral part of India’s limited-overs set-up, Kuldeep Yadav has continued an amazing renaissance this season and has kept on impressing selectors and fans alike. Fired up once again against his former franchise, Kuldeep picked up another four-wicket haul against Kolkata Knight Riders. With another match-winning performance, the 28-year-old cricketer from Uttar Pradesh climbed to second on the leading wicket-takers list with 17 scalps, providing stiff competition to his spin twin Yuzvendra Chahal. He has also managed to keep the runs down and has clearly been the standout bowler for the Capitals, proving to be an absolute bargain. Kuldeep will aim to carry on the good work and stake his claim for a T20 World Cup spot. 11. T Natarajan T Natarajan. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Bouncing back from injury amidst a lot of doubt, Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler T Natarajan has been at his fluent best this season. His consistency has been a standout performer, as he picked wickets in every innings he has bowled, barring the last one when he had a rare off-day against Gujarat Titans. He was the chief destroyer of the Royal Challengers Bangalore line-up as he picked up 3/10, helping Sunrisers Hyderabad get a massive boost to their NRR which will definitely be more relevant as the season progresses. The left-arm fast bowler from Tamil Nadu will aim to keep up the momentum as he aims to regain the lost spot in the Indian team, with a lot of series lined up in the next few months.

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IPL 2022: Best Indian XI from the fifth week of the tournament

Some of these players have consistently found themselves in the top-performing 11 while others made a mark for the first time with some telling contributions.

2. KL Rahul

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