IPL 2021: Team-wise four first-choice overseas players

The long-awaited IPL auction is finally over and now fans shall wait for the action to begin on the field. It is expected to begin in either the first or second week of April and most of the teams look well balanced on paper, which means that we could have yet another competitive tournament.

Overseas players have always been a key part of playing XI’s and their impact on the team’s results is quite big. With just four overseas players allowed in the XI, teams expect them to perform at a high level and win them games on a regular basis. Players like Shane Watson, David Warner, and AB de Villiers have proven themselves as some of the biggest match-winners in the history of IPL.

Teams pick their four overseas players in such a manner that they complement the Indian players and lend the best possible balance to the team. All the squads have eight overseas players each and thus, there are several permutations and combinations involved in selecting the four cricketers who will play.

Here is the list of team-wise four first-choice overseas players in the IPL 2021:

1.Chennai Super Kings

1. Faf du Plessis– He was CSK’s best batsman by some distance last year and will have to play a key role if his team is to bounce back from last season’s failure. The South African scored 449 runs at a strike-rate of more than 140. He will most likely open the innings along with Ruturaj Gaikwad, and he will have to take additional responsibility to take some pressure off his relatively inexperienced partner.

2. Sam Curran– The youngster was one of their best performers last season and contributed with both bat and ball. In addition to being their highest wicket-taker by picking up 13 wickets, he also scored 186 runs and featured in all their matches. He will be designated to come in the lower order, but he might also be used as a pinch hitter in between the innings. Curran will also have to play a key role with the ball, and his performance will have a telling impact on how far they progress.

3. Moeen Ali– It is well known by now that MS Dhoni likes filling his playing XI with allrounders and Moeen Ali is the exact type of player he would want to have. He can bat anywhere in the top seven and bowls tight spells as evidenced by his T20 economy rate of 7.68. He was excellent for RCB in 2019 but was surprisingly left on the bench for most of the 2020 season. He was bought for Rs.7 crore by CSK and the team management will hope that he can repay the faith.

4. Imran Tahir– The South African veteran was absolutely phenomenal in the 2019 edition when he won the Purple Cap, but was benched for most of the 13th edition and only played 3 games during the fag end of last season. However, he might play a bigger role this season as CSK would have realised the importance of having a top-quality leg-spinner in the XI.