IPL 10 : Best XI of the season

The IPL entered its 10th edition in the year 2017 and it turned out to be one of the most exciting seasons of all time. There were so many standout performers who became the highlights to of the league. The tournament was so tightly contested that even on the final day of the league stage, there was no certainty on the final top 4 teams. Ultimately, it was occupied by the 4 best sides in the tournament and deservedly so. Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant were up against each other for the summit clash. The way the final was contested just summed up the entire league. MI defended a paltry total and the final proved to be the best game of the season. MI won the IPL for the third time, most by any team. Now that the league is done and dusted, let’s take a look back at some of the outstanding performers of the season. Here is CricTracker’s Best XI of the IPL 10: #1 David Warner Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner. (Photo: Dhananjay TK/IANS) Following his superb run last year, the skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad was once again instrumental in his team’s success this season. He ended up being the leading run-getter of the season by far. The Australian amassed 641 runs in 14 matches at an average of 58.27 and a strike rate of 141.81. He struck one century and four half-centuries and provided great starts to SRH up the order. The left-hander also hit 26 sixes and 63 fours which were the most in the league. His highest score of 126 came against Kolkata Knight Riders. It was mainly due to his efforts that SRH finished in the top half of the league but unfortunately lost in the Eliminator match. #2 Rahul Tripathi Rahul Tripathi. (Photo: IANS) One of the best emerging players of the season turned out to be Rahul Tripathi of Rising Pune Supergiants. He was bought by the franchise for a mere INR 10 Lakh from the auction. But the right-hander did more than justice to the price tag. Opening the batting for his side, he provided quickfire starts more often than not and played an instrumental role in taking his side to the playoffs. At the end, he had 391 runs to his name in 14 matches at an average of 27.93. The most striking thing about his batting was the rate at which he batted. He had a strike rate of 146.44 that filled in for the out of form Rahane in the first half of the season. He scored 2 half-centuries with his best score of 93 coming against Kolkata Knight Riders. #3 Gautam Gambhir Gautam Gambhir. (Photo: Dhananjay TK/IANS) The skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders began with opening the innings for Kolkata Knight Riders but moved to number 3 during the latter stages of the league. Initially, he had Chris Lynn for a company and later, found Sunil Narine as his opening partner. He usually played second fiddle to the explosive batsmen at the other end but once they got out, he took up the responsibility to steer his side home. The left-handed batsman accounted for 498 runs in 16 matches and finished as the second highest run-getter in the league behind Warner. He had an average of 41.5 and notched up 4 fifties. Gambhir’s side finished 4th on the points table and defeated SRH in the Eliminator match. But they lost to Mumbai Indians in the second Qualifier and were knocked out of the league. #4 Steven Smith (C) Steve Smith. (Photo Source: BCCI) The team management of Rising Pune Supergiant made a bold decision of removing MS Dhoni as the captain and handed over the responsibility to Steven Smith. There was an outrage amongst the Indian fans after the move but as the IPL has ended, it has calmed down given RPS made it to the final under Smith’s leadership. The Australian batted superbly in the league and amassed 472 runs in 15 matches at an average of 39.33 and ended up being the leading run-getter for his side. Even in the final, he played a vital knock of 51 and almost brought his side the glory but his dismissal in the last over proved to be the turning point of the match. #5 Ben Stokes Ben Stokes. (Photo Source: Twitter) The English all-rounder made the headlines even before the start of the league when he was picked up by Rising Pune Supergiant from the auction for a massive bid of INR 14.5 crore that made him the costliest pick of the season. In the initial stages of the league, he didn’t live up to the expectations but came to the fore with a magnificent match-winning knock of 103 against Gujarat Lions. The tables were completely turned for Stokes as he played a pivotal role in his team finishing at number 2 on the points table. He scored 316 runs with the bat at an average of 31.6 and a strike rate of 142.99. With the ball, he bagged 12 wickets in as many games at an economy rate of 7.18. Stokes couldn’t feature in the playoffs matches for his side as he had to leave to play for England. #6 Parthiv Patel (WK) Parthiv Patel. (Photo Source: BCCI) Although Parthiv opened the innings for Mumbai Indians, his stats were better than other wicket-keepers of the league and thus, finds a place in the XI. The left-hander batted consistently at the opening slot for his team and gave them blistering starts on a number of occasions. He had Jos Buttler for a company up the order and the duo set the tone for the team at the start. He scored 395 runs in 16 matches at an average of 24.69 and a strike rate of 134.81. He had 2 half-centuries to his credit and the best performance of 70 came against Gujarat Lions. Parthiv’s consistent run at the top kept his skipper Rohit Sharma free from the duties of opening the batting. #7 Krunal Pandya Krunal Pandya. (Photo Source: ESPN Cricinfo) Mumbai Indians were blessed to have the services of the Pandya brothers and the elder one of them raised his game a few notches during the latter stages of the league. Krunal scored 243 runs in 11 innings at an average of 34.71 and a strike rate of 135.75. With the ball, he took 10 wickets and proved to be the best all-rounder for his side. He was adjudged the Man of the Match award in the final against Rising Pune Supergiant. When all the other batsmen were falling like nine pins, he held the fort at one end and a gritty knock of 47 off 38 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes propelled them to a fighting total of 129/8 that ultimately proved to be enough. #8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (Photo Source: Twitter) One of the reasons why Sunrisers Hyderabad did so well this season was the bowling of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The Indian pacer bagged the Purple Cap for the second time in a row and became the first bowler to do so in the IPL history. He bagged 26 wickets from 14 matches and once again ended up being the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. The fast bowler was tremendous throughout this season and once he held the Purple Cap, no one managed to overtake him. His bowling at the death was the highlight of the IPL this year. The way he bowled the yorkers and slower deliveries turned a number of matches in his team’s favor. His best figures of 19/5 came against Kings XI Punjab during the league stage. #9 Imran Tahir Imran Tahir. (Photo: IANS) During the player auction earlier this year, the biggest shocker occurred when the number one ranked T20 bowler in the world – Imran Tahir went unsold. But later, Mitchell Marsh was ruled out of the league due to an injury and the team management roped in Tahir as the replacement. The inclusion of the South African proved to be hugely effective for the franchise. The leg-spinner claimed 18 wickets in 12 matches and the best figures of 18/3 came against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He picked up wickets at crucial junctures of the games and played a key role in securing a playoff berth for his side. During the latter stages of the league, he had to fly back for national duties but not before doing well enough to feature amongst the best performers of the season. #10 Jaydev Unadkat Jaydev Unadkat. (Photo Source: Twitter) One of the biggest surprise performers of the season turned out to be Jaydev Unadkat. He has been in the Indian circuit for a number of years now but never has he bowled better. His bowling with the new ball and especially, the changes of pace at the death was brilliant. He made it difficult for the batsmen to score off him with the clever variations. Unadkat finished with 24 wickets in 12 matches and was the second highest wicket-taker of the season only behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He bagged a fifer against Sunrisers Hyderabad that also included a hattrick. In the final against Mumbai Indians, he had figures of 19/2 and the 2 wickets at the start pegged MI back and the innings never flourished. #11 Jasprit Bumrah Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo: Dhananjay TK/IANS) The fans who have closely followed this season of IPL would agree to the fact that Jasprit Bumrah is the best death bowler of the league. His sheer ability to bowl yorkers at will is an unmatched quality. The changes of pace combined with deliveries over 140 clicks make him a lethal bowler in the shortest format of the game. Bumrah played the role what Lasith Malinga has been playing over the years for Mumbai Indians. He bowled so many decisive spells throughout the season and even in the final, turned the match in his side’s favor with a majestic spell during the slog overs. At the end of the league, he finished with 20 wickets in 16 matches and had an economy rate of 7.5 despite bowling the difficult overs.

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