IPL 2018: Allrounder's Eleven

Allrounder have always been an asset in the game. One individual playing the role of batsman as well as bowler open up a vast vista of options for the teams. And the allrounders’ value has sky-rocketed with the advent of T20 cricket. In this shortest format of the game, each team wants an individual who can contribute in more than one facet of the game.

The balance that an all-rounder provides is something that every team desires in T20 cricket. T20s values those players which are multi-faceted the most, rather than specialist players. This is one of the primary reasons why Ben Stokes has been the most expensive player in the last two auctions of the Indian Premier League. The likes of Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard have become some of the most sought after individuals only because of their abilities to deliver with both bat and ball.

In future, the teams might opt go for several allrounders in their teams. So with the eleventh season of the IPL done and dusted, here we are taking a look at a team full of allrounders who played in the recently-concluded season of IPL.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

1. Sunil Narine:

When it comes to bowling, Sunil Narine needs no introduction. Signed in 2012 by Kolkata Knight Riders, the West Indian had taken the IPL by storm with his spin. However, the last couple of seasons have witnessed a different facet of his game. In the last season, he was promoted as an opener and it turned out to be a masterstroke.

Since then the Knight Riders have used him as an opener excessively and he delivered by giving them quick starts. He was brilliant with the ball as always. In this season, he amassed 357 runs at an unbelievable strike-rate of almost 190 in addition to picking 17 wickets. His all round show helped him win the award for the Most Valuable Player of IPL 2018.

2. Shane Watson:

After a disappointing campaign with Royal Challengers Bangalore last year, Watson proved his mettle this season with the Chennai Super Kings. The Australia allrounder played an important role as the Super Kings went all the way in their comeback season.

During the season, he scored two centuries including the final which was one of the best knocks seen in the history of the league. The hard-hitting allrounder scored an unbeaten ton to help the Super Kings chase down 179 with utmost ease. It was a knock of highest quality as the veteran showed his vast wealth of experience to ace the chase. He started his innings in an unusual manner. It took him as many as 11 balls to open his account. However, it was just the calm before the storm. He completed his fifty off 32 balls and then reached his ton off just 51 balls. In the end, he remained unbeaten on 117. His knock came off just 57 balls and was studded with 11 fours and 8 sixes as Super Kings reached home in the 19th over.

He was effective with the ball too, but Dhoni did not use him much in the latter half of the tournament. The allrounder finished the season with 555 runs and 6 wickets.

3. Shakib Al Hasan:

One of the best allrounders in the world for quite some time now, Shakib was a key member of Sunrisers Hyderabad squad in this season. With his batting, he provided the much-needed solidarity in the middle-order by playing some gritty innings. With his economical bowling, he turned out to be a good partner for Rashid Khan. He was instrumental in taking Sunrisers to the final of the tournament.

The Bangladesh star finished the season with 239 runs and 14 wickets.

4. Krunal Pandya:

Mumbai Indians took a big gamble by using their Right to Match card to retain Krunal Pandya. Well, the decision turned out to a good one as the allrounder totally repaid the faith. In a season where his team’s middle-order batsmen struggled more often than not, he played some crucial cameos in the lower-order and scored quick runs for the side. He also delivered with the ball, bowling economical spells as he conceded only 7.07 runs per over. He finished the season with 228 runs and 12 wickets.

5. MS Dhoni:

Dhoni was one of the biggest reasons behind Super Kings’ fairytale comeback this season. The former India skipper led from the very front as he enjoyed a stellar season with the bat.

In fact, he has had one of the best IPL seasons of his life. He not only won games for his side almost single-handedly but also showed unparalleled consistency. The Chennai Super Kings skipper finished the season with 455 runs to his name. In addition, he also scored three fifties while smashing 24 fours and a staggering 30 sixes. It was his best season since 2013 when he had scored 461 runs in 18 games.

He also impressed behind the stumps, taking 11 catches and affecting 3 stumpings.

6. Andre Russell:

It was a comeback season for Andre Russell after missing out the last season due to a ban. And he marked his return to the league in style. The big-hitting Jamaican played some special innings for the Knight Riders, tearing away the opposition with his incredible power-hitting. He scored 316 runs at a strike-rate of over 184.

He also made a big impression with his fast-bowling. The right-arm pacer provided crucial breakthroughs as he finished the season with 13 wickets.

7. Hardik Pandya:

In a season where nothing much went right for the Mumbai Indians, Hardik was one of their bright spots. One of the most sought after allrounders in the world, Hardik lived up to the high expectations. While he did not deliver as per expectations with the bat, he made up for it with his bowling.

He finished the season with 18 wickets and was the highest wicket-taker for Mumbai Indians. In addition, he also scored 260 runs.

8. Dwayne Bravo:

The West Indies star started the season with a whirlwind fifty that helped Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians in an absolute thriller. But his contributions became less as the season progressed. Overall, he scored 141 runs and took 14 wickets, helping Super Kings win the title.

9. Ravindra Jadeja:

The India star did not have the best of starts to the season. However, MS Dhoni kept faith in the left-arm spinner and Jadeja responded brilliantly as the competition progressed.

In the second half of the tournament, Jadeja bowled some economical overs in the middle overs. He bowled with an impressive economy of 7.39 runs per over. His left-arm bowling and ability to clear the fence at ease makes him an ideal candidate for this position.

10. K Gowtham:

The Karnataka man was one of the most promising debutants of this year’s edition. He played his part with both bat and the ball as Rajasthan Royals made it to the playoffs against all the odds.

He impressed with his ability to bowl in the powerplays and hit big shots. His economy-rate was less than 8 and strike-rate was over 196. Gowtham snatched victory from the jaws of defeat a number of times this season and was a major reason for Rajasthan Royals’ progress. The allrounder finished the season with 126 runs and 11 wickets.

11. Rashid Khan:

What a season Rashid Khan enjoyed. Playing just his second season, he finished second in the top wicket-taker list of the season and troubled batsmen with his variations. He single-handedly won games for Sunrisers Hyderabad on several occasions with his leg-spins. The Afghan star finished the season with 21 wickets.

Towards the end of the tournament, he also showed his batting expertise. In the second qualifier, he scored 34 off just 10 against Knight Riders to help his team storm into the final.