IPL 2019: Team-wise most dangerous capped player

The IPL is less than a month away now and the preparations are in full flow. This edition will mark the 12th season of the cash-rich league. Each team has its own MVP and these sort of players win games on a consistent basis and needless to say, they complete the team. Apart from being an intense competition, IPL is also a fierce battle being played out by the top players from each team and more often than not, one of these eight world-class players come out on top, winning the MVP award at the end of the IPL Finals.

Like we established earlier, each team has a lethal cricketer and they just cannot be counted out of the game at any stage. In other words, taking them for granted would be a grave sin. Having said that, let’s have a look at the most dangerous capped player that each team possesses.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar- Sunrisers Hyderabad

Since their inception in 2013, SRH has been touted as the side with the best bowling attack and that’s largely because of the bowling attack’s ability to defend any score on any wicket. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was bought by the Sunrisers just before the 2013 season and he has been leading their pace attack ever since. Bhuvi is a modern bowler with many tricks up his sleeve, ranging from wide yorkers to those deceiving knuckle-balls.

In 77 games that Bhuvi has featured for the Hyderabad-based franchise so far, he has got 109 wickets to his credit. Bhuvneshwar was instrumental in scripting SRH’s maiden title win in 2016 against the tournament favourites, RCB and for obvious reasons, he won the purple cap that year, becoming the first player from SRH to achieve that feat.

2017 was no different for the 29-year-old as he retained his purple cap. These numbers only suggest that Bhuvi is by far the best and most consistent capped player that SRH posses at the moment, making him a huge asset for them.

Rohit Sharma- Mumbai Indians

If not the best, Rohit Sharma is one of the very best going around at the moment, in white-ball cricket. When on song, no ground is too big for the 31-year-old. Rohit Sharma is a fine example of the phrase ‘lazy-elegance’ and apart from being a world-class batsman, Rohit Sharma is also the skipper of the Mumbai-based franchise and has led them to 3 title wins in 2013, 2015, and 2017 respectively.

Rohit is certainly one of the most influential captains going around at the moment and his consistency is what makes him a standout. There’s a lot of truth to the fact that a team’s success depends on its captain’s form and consistency, and the world-class batsman in Rohit hasn’t let his team down by any means. MI are lucky to have the 31-year-old and he is their best-capped player by far.

Virat Kohli- Royal Challengers Bangalore

Apart from being the best-capped player of the Challengers, Virat Kohli is also the best player in international cricket at the moment. To add to it, the Delhi-born Virat just sits behind Suresh Raina in the list of the all-time leading run-scorer in the IPL with 4948 runs to his credit.

Since the start of 2016, Virat Kohli has just looked unstoppable and has developed the habit of plundering runs anywhere he goes and in 2016, he led RCB to the finals and not to forget, smashing 4 centuries on the way, finishing with a tally of 973 runs which is a record for the most runs made by a batsman in a single edition of the IPL.

Needless to say, it’s unlikely to be shattered anytime soon and if anyone can do it, it’s Virat Kohli, given the form that he’s in at the moment. Hands down, Virat Kohli is the best-capped player that RCB possesses.

MS Dhoni- Chennai Super Kings

If 2018 marked the return of CSK, it also brought with itself, the vintage MS Dhoni. The average age of the players in CSK is the highest and MSD by far is the most experienced in the squad. Dhoni is a proven match-winner and on his day, he can dismantle any bowling attack in the world, even at the age of 37.

His finishing skills have seemed to get a final lease of life and in what could be his last IPL season, we might just see more of Dhoni, giving us subtle yet unconscious hints that he’s still got a lot more in him than the numbers would suggest. Last season showed us why Dhoni is the best when it comes to finishing off games and winning matches for his side.

The 37-year-old is also the most successful captain in the IPL with 94 wins making him the MVP of the Super Kings’ franchise and their best-capped player.

Shikhar Dhawan- Delhi Capitals

The dashing left-handed batsman from Delhi is one of the best openers in world cricket and his exploits with the Sunrisers have been impressive. Dhawan can take up the role of the aggressor early on in the innings or, as the situation demands, he can be the stabilizer. Dhawan formed a formidable combination with David Warner during his stint with the SRH and with Prithvi Shaw, he is expected to play the role of the senior batsman.

In 143 IPL games, Dhawan has got 4057 runs at a decent strike rate of 123.5. While a few might point towards the strike rate, Dhawan’s T20 game has grown by leaps and bounds over the past couple of years and the 33-year-old’s fitness is quite high as well, making him highly athletic on the field. Shikhar Dhawan’s quality and DC having the youngest squad in the IPL, automatically makes him the best-capped player in the Delhi-based outfit.

KL Rahul- Kings XI Punjab

Rahul is one of the key batsmen when it comes to India’s T20 set-up and that’s because of his aggressive yet safe approach. Rahul has been in mesmerizing form when it comes to the shorter format and his consistency automatically goes up in the 20-overs version of the game. Rahul has a strike rate of close to 140 in the IPL and most of his innings have come as an opener and his average of 38.44 is just what is required of an opener.

Rahul had a fantastic season last time around and with KXIP’s middle-order being highly unsettled, Rahul is the key to their chances. Moreover, he is the keeper of the Punjab-based outfit and that makes him even more valuable. There shouldn’t be any doubt regarding KL Rahul’s place in KXIP and because of his consistency and world-class batting, KL Rahul is the best capped-player of his team.

Dinesh Karthik- Kolkata Knight Riders

In T20’s Dinesh Karthik has established himself as one of the best finishers in recent times. DK is a pillar for the KKR in the middle-order and he can shift gears as and when the situation demands him to. Karthik is an innovative player who has the knack of manufacturing shots which makes it particularly tough for a captain to set a definitive plan and field for the 33-year-old.

Karthik is one of the cooler heads in the Indian as well the KKR set-up and his calmness is what makes him a good leader as well. His keeping skills are among the best at the moment and it establishes him as a multi-purpose asset for the KKR team management. Even though the Knights has a good mix of Indian and overseas players, Dinesh Karthik is the most experienced and dangerous capped player.

Ben Stokes- Rajasthan Royals

Stokes was the MVP in his debut season back in 2017 and since then, his IPL career has only gone upwards. Stokes carries brute power with him when it comes to batting and with the ball, he can prove to be a valuable partnership-breaker at crucial junctures of a contest. Stokes has the knack of picking up crucial wickets in the middle-overs which really halts the progress of the opposition.

When it comes to fielding, Stokes is one of the finest fielders in world cricket and he has a trusted pair of hands. He can field anywhere in the ground as well owing to his agility. A player like Stokes can never be counted out as he’s a proven match-winner and a lethal asset to possess. The RR set-up wouldn’t have been balanced in the absence of Stokes. Hands down, Stokes is the best capped player that the Rajasthan based franchise possesses.

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