The Best of 2017: Best XI from the T20 Leagues

The cricketing calendar of 2017 comes to an end after some exciting brand of cricket played throughout the year. As expected, the T20 leagues managed to garner a lot of attention. In the fast paced evolving game of cricket, the love for the shortest format is only increasing with each passing season. And these T20 leagues do not seem to disappoint either. The year 2017 saw some brilliant action in the various leagues – be it the IPL, or the PSL. Mumbai Indians registered their third title in the IPL this year to enter the record books. Meanwhile, PSL was a historic occasion in itself as cricket of international sorts returned back to the Pakistani soil with the PSL finals this year. Similarly, there was joy for the associate nations as well. The likes of Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan became the first cricketers from Afghanistan to be drafted into an IPL team. The achievements of the T20 leagues seem to be an endless list. For the players, they have become globe trotters playing for the various franchises. They are always pumped up to give their best show to fetch another deal in another league in some other part of the globe. So, who were the top performers in T20 leagues in the year of 2017? We try to analyzse the stats and bring out the best performers in the shortest format of the game in the period of last 12 months. Before we head forward, here is the parameter used for judgment: all stats are updated till December 22, 2017. Here is a look at the top players across the different T20 leagues in 2017: 1. Brendon McCullum Brendon McCullum of the Heat. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images) Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum is like a good wine. He is simply getting better with age. And at the same time, is leaving his fans with the same old question, why did he retire so soon? McCullum kickstarted the year with Brisbane Heat in the 2016-17 season of the Big Bash League. He then moved to UAE for the PSL and subsequently headed to India for his stint with the Gujarat Lions. The stay in the Caribbean awaited next as he joined the Trinbago Knight Riders there. An injury followed but he was back to be with Middlesex and then joined the Rangpur Riders’ victorious campaign in the BPL. And now, he has signed two-year deal with Brisbane Heat again. As on December 22, 2017, McCullum has 1493 runs to his name in 56 T20 matches – the highest by any batsman this year. He has 11 fifties to his name, the most by any player and 5 ducks – again the most by any player! 2. Chris Gayle Chris Gayle. (Photo Source: Twitter) Universe boss Chris Gayle created ripples in the T20 world by striking two magnificent tons in the Bangladesh Premier League. Ever since he joined the Rangpur Riders camp, the fortunes of the team changed. His whirlwind 146 in the finals against the Dhaka Dynamites sealed the tournament for the Riders. Earlier, Gayle had a shocking exclusion from PSL 2018 drafts where he went unsold. Commenting on the numbers, Gayle plundered 1279 runs in 43 matches with a top score of 146*. He hit 101 sixes this year – the most by any player. He played for Karachi Kings, Rangpur Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, and West Indies this year. 3. Evin Lewis Evin Lewis of the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. (Photo by Ashley Allen – CPL T20 via Getty Images) It is not an everyday story to see a batsman outclass and outperform Chris Gayle in the longest format of the game. Evin Lewis, the hard hitting opener, managed to do so on multiple occasions whilst opening with Gayle for the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League. Lewis aggregated 1124 runs in the shortest format of the game in 32 matches. He averaged 40.14 with the bat – the best among the top 5 leading run scorers of T20 cricket in 2017. Talking about the memorable knocks, Evin Lewis hit a thundering ton against India in an international fixture this year. His unbeaten 125 made a mockery of the Indian total of 191 they had set for Windies to win. Lewis hit 85 fours and 89 sixes this year. 4. Jos Buttler (WK) Jos Buttler. (Photo Source: Twitter) English wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler fits the list in the capacity of the wicketkeeper-batsman. Buttler had a good time in the T20 leagues this year. Playing for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, Buttler played a key role for the franchise in their championship win campaign. After a successful IPL, Buttler turned up for his Lancashire side in the Natwest T20 blast. He had a decent outing there as well. He accumulated 1044 runs in the 44 matches that he played this year in the shortest format. He had a very impressive strike rate of 134.88 and boasted of 7 fifties this year. 5. Aaron Finch Aaron Finch of Gujarat Lions. (Photo: IANS) Australian hard-hitting batsman Aaron Finch had a great year in T20 cricket. He was seen playing in various T20 leagues. Starting off the year with BBL, Finch had a good run with the bat in Melbourne Renegades outfit. He amassed 1225 runs in the 39 matches that he played this year. His numbers include one century and 8 fifties. The best part about his knocks were the powerful hitting strike rate of 159.71. Finch had a top score of 114* in the year 2017. He represented the Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League. He was one of the few bright spots for the Lions in IPL 2017. 6. Kieron Pollard Kieron Pollard celebrates the victory with his teammate. (Photo Source: Twitter) Kieron Pollard is one of those cricketers who could actually be termed as the T20 specialists. He is a globe trotter when it comes to the shortest format of the game. The Pollardian swirl was evident this year. In the Pakistan Super League, his herculean efforts for the Karachi Kings in one of the fixtures saw the side register an improbable win. Pollard finished the year of 2017 as the fourth leading run getter of the year in the shortest format. In the 60 matches he played, he finised with 1225 runs to his name with 8 fifties. He hit as many as 78 sixes this year. Combine these numbers with his bowling efforts, and one would get a handy all-rounder to keep in the team. This year, he played for Adelaide Strikers, Barbados Tridents, Dhaka Dynamites, Karachi Kings, Mumbai Indians, and the West Indies. 7. Sunil Narine Sunil Narine of Kolkata Knight Riders in action. (Photo: IANS) When the cricket world started the year of 2017, they knew Sunil Narine – the bowler. But the T20 leagues brought out an all-rounder from him. The experiment started off with Melbourne Renegades using him as an opener. But the actual fruits were reaped by the Kolkata Knight Riders who opted to open with Narine this year. Narine plundered runs at will, and even stitched a record partnership for KKR with Chris Lynn in their very first game of the season. He hit four fifties in the 64 matches he played and hit 74 fours and 45 sixes. He turned up for the following sides this year – Dhaka Dynamites, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lahore Qalandars, Melbourne Renegades, Trinbago Knight Riders, West Indies. With the ball, he scalped 62 wickets in 64 games, the second leading wicket taker in 2017. 8. Rashid Khan Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter) When the year of 2017 commenced, little did the world know that a player from Afghanistan will take the cricket world by storm . Rashid Khan made history when he became one of the two Afghanistani players to get an IPL contract this year. Rashid performed exceedingly well for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the competition. A thoroughly comprehensive show with the ball now sees him with a BBL contract as well for the 2017-18 season. Rashid is set to finish the year of 2017 as the leading wicket taker in T20 cricket this year. He accounted for 76 dismissals in just 54 games with a best of 5/3. The teams that he played for this year are: Adelaide Strikers, Afghanistan, Band-e-Amir Dragons, Comilla Victorians, Guyana Amazon Warriors, and Sunrisers Hyderabad. 9. Imran Tahir Imran Tahir of Rising Pune Supergiant celebrates fall of a wicket. (Photo: IANS) South African spinner Imran Tahir is a limited overs specialist. Tahir is known for his celebrations and it was there for the fans to see in the IPL this year. Playing for the Rising Pune Supergiant, Imran Tahir was one of the influential players in the side. Tahir finishes the year of 2017 as the third leading wicket taker, behind Rashid Khan and Sunil Narine. In the 43 matches that he played, he picked up 55 wickets. Tahir had his best figures of 5/24 registered this year. 10. Hasan Ali Hasan Ali. (Photo Source: Twitter) Pakistan unearthed a sensational pacer this year. Hasan Ali has become a force to know in the international cricket. The seeds for the same were sown earlier this year in the PSL. Playing for the Peshawar Zalmi, Hasan Ali impressed the national selectors during the league. Soon, he fetched himself a CPL contract. A contract in the BPL was not far either. In fact, he announced himself in grand style in the BPL. Playing for the Comilla Victorians, Hasan Ali picked up a five-for in one of the fixtures. In the 35 matches that he played this year, he pocketed 46 wickets. This included his best figures of 5/20. 11. Thisara Perera World XI bowler Thisara Perera celebrates with teammates. (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images) The year of 2017 was a disappointing one for the team Sri Lanka. However, one player from the national side managed to have a decent time on the cricket field. It was Thisara Perera. The year of 2017 was quite good for the veteran all-rounder. He saw himself being named as the captain of the national side by the end of the year. In the T20 leagues he played, he was a value addition to his franchises. Thisara Perera played for Gloucestershire, Melbourne Renegades, Quetta Gladiators, Rangpur Riders, Sri Lanka, and World-XI this year. In the 37 matches that he played, he picked up 45 wickets with best of 4/25/ He bowled with a strike rate of 15 – the best among the top five leading wickets takers in 2017.

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The Best of 2017: Best XI from the T20 Leagues

Here is a look at the top players across the different T20 leagues in 2017.

5. Aaron Finch

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