Kevin Pietersen picks his best XI from IPL 2022, Hardik Pandya to lead

Gujarat Titans (GT) came out as the champion of this year’s IPL in their first attempt after defeating Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a one-sided final by seven wickets on 29 May 2022. GT Skipper Hardik Pandya was inspirational in guiding his team to this victory as he took three crucial wickets alongside playing a vital inning of 34 runs off 30 balls during the chase.

England great Kevin Pietersen picked up his IPL team of the year based on players’ overall performance, including two England stars and six India stars. The 28-year-old all-rounder from Baroda impressed Pietersen with his captaincy as GT finished top of the table after the completion of the group stage. On an individual level, Pandya scored 487 runs and picked up eight wickets throughout the tournament.

Kevin Pietersen’s IPL team of the year

Kevin Pietersen named his IPL Team of the year where he considered Hardik along with some players like Jos Buttler, Ravi Ashwin, and Josh Hazlewood. He added Jos Buttler and Quinton de Kock as the opening pair for his team. Jos Buttler was the Orange Cap winner this year for scoring 863 runs while De Kock scored 508 runs for LSG. Then, he added KL Rahul for scoring 616 runs as he finished second in the race for the Orange cap. David Miller got a place in his team for his outstanding season with bat as he scored 481 runs for GT, batting down the order. 

Hardik Pandya is included as the captain of the side for his captaincy and all-around abilities. Liam Livingstone also earned a place as he smashed 437 runs and bagged six wickets for the Punjab franchise. In the bowling department, he considered Ravi Ashwin as he picked up 12 wickets with 191 runs. Rahul Tewatia also earned a place as he scored crucial 217 runs for GT. Umran Malik was also considered for his tally of 22 wickets with Josh Hazlewood clinching 20 wickets for RCB. Pietersen added Yuzvendra Chahal to his team as he won the Purple Cap for bagging 27 scalps in this year’s tournament.

Kevin Pietersen’s XI: Jos Buttler, Quinton de Kock (WK), KL Rahul, David Miller, Hardik Pandya (Captain), Liam Livingstone, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rahul Tewatia, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Josh Hazlewood.