IPL 2021: Michael Vaughan picks his top five batters of the season

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has picked his top five batters of the 2021 Indian Premier League season. Vaughan heaped praise on Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul and prophesied that the right-hander will be the most sought-after player come the next year’s mega auction. The IPL from 2022 will be a ten-team affair, with two new franchises set to join the existing eight.

“For me, the best batsman in this IPL was KL Rahul. The ‘Mr. Consistent’ performer at the top of the order for Punjab. I think he will be the most sought-after player in the auction. Most franchises would be looking at him and would try to grab him from Punjab,” Vaughan said of Rahul, who finished the league as the third-highest run-getter, amassing a massive tally of 626 in just 13 fixtures at 62.60.

He next picked Delhi Capitals opener Shikhar Dhawan, who has tallied 450-plus runs in each one of the last six editions. In 2021, the southpaw scored 587 at 39.13, playing an instrumental role in his team’s top-table finish. “Shikhar Dhawan is one of the best players in the world in white-ball cricket. He has got the skill, the experience, the guile to set the foundation at the top of the order.”

“Faf du Plessis is the wily old horse. He just seems to play without ego. He just plays the situation; he is very calm. Foundation, courage and calmness in a team is very important and Faf plays that role for CSK,” Vaughan said while revealing du Plessis, the second-leading run-scorer in the 2021 edition with 633 at 45.21, as his next choice.

Vaughan next picked the Orange Cap winner Ruturaj Gaikwad (635 at 45.35) and lauded him for his stupendous exploits. “The Chennai management deserves a lot of credit because they back him [Ruturaj Gaikwad]. They have given him the belief, opportunities. [He was] one of the real highlights of this year’s IPL. The backing has been massive from the management, and he has certainly rewarded them.”

His final choice was RCB’s middle-order batter Glenn Maxwell, who made a brilliant comeback after a forgettable 2020 season, scoring 513 at 42.75. “Maxwell was the real standout in terms of the batting for Royal Challengers Bangalore. It seems that he has found his IPL home he has been searching. I think he is going to be with them [RCB] for a few years,” Vaughan concluded.