IPL 2019: Best XI of the group stages

The group stages of the Indian Premier League (IPL) have come to a close yet again on a dramatic note. Till the very last match of the group stages, there was no confirmation as to who will play when in the playoffs, a testament to how close this tournament has been this time.

Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a humiliating defeat in the hands of Mumbai Indians and bowed out of the tournament despite having their fate in their own hands. With KKR’s defeat, Sunrisers Hyderabad managed to sneak into the top four with just 12 points to their name. While Mumbai finished on the top of the table, Chennai, Delhi and Hyderabad followed respectively.

With an entertaining phase coming to a close, we enter another breathtaking segment which includes just four matches but has the capacity to provide entertainment that shall live for a long time. Before we get there, let’s take a look at the best XI of the tournament.

1. David Warner

There is already a lot of debate on David Warner being the greatest batsman IPL has witnessed and his outstanding statistics stand by the argument. He has 4,706 runs, closely 700 runs behind the likes of Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina. While Kohli and Raina played over 175 matches in IPL, Warner played just 126 games and even missed a whole season last year.

Well, that debate will not finish in a short period of time but clearly, he has been the best batsman this season. Eight half-centuries, One century, 692 runs, an average of 69.20 and strike rate in excess of 140 – there was literally no individual on the same level with him. Interestingly, this was the fifth consecutive season for the Aussie with over 500 runs.

2. Shikhar Dhawan

The fans have loved watching Shikhar Dhawan and Warner batting together for so long, but this season, it was different. With Shikhar moving to a new franchise, Warner found love with someone else. Dhawan too found great rhythm instantly with the Delhi Capitals and has had a pretty brilliant outing with the bat.

He is on the verge of surpassing 500-mark in an IPL season only for the second time in his career. He currently has 486 runs to his name and most of these runs came at crucial junctures. He gave them positive starts in many run chases whilst his opening partner Prithvi Shaw had a terrible season. He registered these runs at a healthy average of 37.38 and a strike rate of 137.28.

3. KL Rahul

For the second season running, KL Rahul was the best batsman in the Kings XI Punjab side and despite all his brilliant efforts, the side finished in a rather underwhelming position. Despite going through some traumatic stuff after the Koffee With Karan row, he came back very strongly and also booked his ticket to England with the Indian World Cup squad.

Going by how he performed this season, he might even feature in the playing XI regularly as a number four in the coveted tournament. Coming back to the IPL, he registered a whopping 593 runs this season at an average of 53.90. He scored a hundred and six half-centuries in the process at a strike rate just above 135.38. He really is proving himself as the future of Indian cricket.

4. Shreyas Iyer

For a cricketer who barely played 10 International games, to lead a star-studded franchise to the playoffs of the Indian Premier League is quite an achievement. Shreyas Iyer is continuing to build himself in the lucrative league and many pundits have lauded his captaincy time and again. And not to mention, the skipper is also the second highest run-scorer in the side, only behind Dhawan.

The Mumbai-born top order batsman registered 442 runs this season at a decent average of 34. He played some outstanding second-fiddle knocks to Rishabh Pant and Shikhar Dhawan, who have been the pillars of their batting department this season. Talking about IPL nurturing and developing Indian talents, this one is perhaps one of the best in the tournament’s history.

5. MS Dhoni (Captain & wk)

When the god of finishing is in action, we just take a back seat, grab some popcorn and enjoy the drama as it unfolds. MS Dhoni was at his prolific best this season and this perhaps was one of his most memorable outings with the bat. Time and again, he produced some mind-boggling finishes for the Chennai Super Kings and his exploits have thoroughly mesmerized the cricketing world.

He missed a couple of matches due to some back struggles but managed to amass 368 runs at an average in excess of 120. It has been a difficult task to dismiss him this season and his strike rate too has been touching the 140 mark. Not to forget his exploits behind the stumps as he managed to inflict some more memorable stumpings with those lightning fast hands.

6. Andre Russell

Arguably the biggest contender for the MVP award, Andre Russell’s best ever IPL season came to a bizarre end. His side failed to enter the top four despite having a plethora of big names in the squad. After amassing a decent 316 runs last season, the Caribbean all-rounder upped the ante big time and delivered one of the finest all-round performances in IPL history.

He registered 510 runs with the bat at a strike rate in excess of 200. The consistency with which he cleared the park at will was astonishing to the mind and a joy to the eye to witness. He also picked up 11 wickets in 14 matches with the ball, which was a decent effort for a batting all-rounder. It would come as a surprise if he doesn’t win the Most Valuable Player Award.

7. Hardik Pandya

Talking about world-class all-rounders, we witnessed two superstars at the peak of their powers showcasing power hitting like never before. Hardik Pandya‘s unparalleled form kept the whole of India on the edge of their seat and the expectations from him for the World Cup have completely sky-rocketed. After all the stuff he endured this season, Pandya shut every one of his haters with his performances.

It was his best performance with the bat in an IPL season, amassing 380 runs at a strike rate of 198 and a healthy average of 47.50. Despite being a little expensive with the cherry, he picked up 14 wickets, which includes some very big scalps throughout the tournament. Only Russell had a better outing than him among the all-rounders this season.

8. Kagiso Rabada

It’s a shame he couldn’t complete the season with the Delhi Capitals, but Kagiso Rabada pulled off something similar to what David Warner did, but with the ball. Every captain loves to have a marquee bowler whom he can trust in the most critical situations and Shreyas Iyer had Kagiso Rabada throughout the tournament, which was one of the reasons why Delhi find themselves in the playoffs.

The South African young stalwart was called back owing to precautionary measures by their national board, but he left only after doing a lot of damage. With 25 wickets in just 12 matches at an average of 14.72, Rabada holds the purple cap this season as it stands. His standout performance came in the super over against KKR, where he defended a target of 10 runs and also shut the doors for the in-form Andre Russell.

9. Imran Tahir

No player has run as much as Imran Tahir did this season. His iconic sprint celebration makes everyone wonder as to where he brings that energy from at the age of 40. This season, he had an awful lot of sprinting to do as he was regularly among the wickets for the Chennai Super Kings and was one of MSD’s most lethal weapons in the middle overs.

With 21 wickets to his name in 14 matches at an average of 16.52, Tahir is just 4 wickets short of Rabada and is likely to catch up with him as the fast bowler is no longer available. His economy of 6.51 is one of the best in the tournament and his performance is a testament to the legendary saying “Age is just a number”. Dhoni would love to see some more of his sprints in the playoffs.

10. Shreyas Gopal

An Indian leg-spinner making it to the best XI of the tournament shouldn’t be a big surprise. But among Amit Mishra, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, it was the Karnataka all-rounder Shreyas Gopal who makes the cut leaving the top three leggies in the country behind. This man dismissed Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers twice this season and also registered a hat-trick at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The 25-year-old cricketer picked up 20 wickets this season in 14 games and picked up some very big wickets throughout the tournament. He also maintained a decent economy of 7.23. Rajasthan Royals have nurtured some great Indian talents over the seasons and their contribution to Indian cricket this season is Shreyas Gopal.

11. Mohammed Shami

Another one of the Indian cricketers who had to endure a lot of stuff personally, but still managed to pull out his A game is Mohammed Shami. The Kolkata-based speedster had a terrific season with the Kings XI Punjab and although some statistics might disagree, he was one of the best fast bowlers this season. He bowled all the crucial overs for Punjab and very rarely disappointed.

His economy of 8.68 is the only unattractive stat in an amazing portfolio this season. Besides that, he picked up 19 wickets and had an impressive bowling strike rate of 17.05. He lacked a good bowling partner this season and Kings XI’s poor run in the campaign is a testament to it. This performance for the 29-year-old will do his confidence a world of good.