IPL 2018: Harsh Goenka Reveals His Best XI of Season XI; Mahendra Singh Dhoni Misses Out

Harsh Goenka, who shot to fame for his antics against Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) co-owner, has recently picked his best XI from the recently-culminated eleventh edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).

Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets to lift the trophy. Well, Chennai defied critics to lift the title for the third time – to match Mumbai Indian’s record.

However, Goenka has gone in with some interesting combination for his best XI. Surprisingly, he has left out Chennai’s skipper Dhoni, which marks the continuation of the long feud he had with Ranchi veteran.

Notably, Goenka played a crucial role in removing Dhoni as the leader of Pune last year when Steven Smith was appointed as the skipper.

Dhoni was in superlative form this year finishing games for his side and leading the side from the front.

Let us take a look at Harsh Goenka’s XI of this edition:

KL Rahul

BCCI

Kings XI Punjab’s (KXIP), KL Rahul was the best opening batsman in IPL 2018. Rahul scored 659 runs in 14 matches this season.

The right-handed batsman Rahul also scored IPL’s fastest half-century off just 12 balls. He had batted brilliantly and will certainly make it to any XI.

Sunil Narine:

Sunil Narine was spectacular for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with both bat and ball. The ploy of sending him at the top worked perfectly for the Kolkata management.

The all-rounder returned with 357 runs and 17 wickets to win the most valuable player award.

Virat Kohli:

BCCI

Virat Kohli will bat at the important position of one drop. The India skipper didn’t have his best season but still finished with 530 runs at a strike-rate close to 140 for RCB.

Kane Williamson (c):

Many doubted Hyderabad’s chances after David Warner’s exit, however, Kane Williamson put all the speculations to rest. He led the team from the front scoring almost in all the games.

Moreover, he finished as the highest run-scorer with 735 runs under his belt.

Rishabh Pant:

BCCI

Rishabh Pant finished with 684 Runs in IPL 2018 with an average of 52.62 and strike rate of 173.60.

The 20-year old Pant smashed 37 sixes and 68 fours leading to five half-centuries and one century.

Meanwhile, it was a pity Delhi Daredevils (DD) couldn’t enter the playoffs and we didn’t get to see more of him.

Dinesh Karthik (wk):

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata fought brilliantly in his first season as the skipper of an IPL side. He also brought stability in the middle-order scoring runs on a consistent basis.

Karthik finished his campaign with 498 runs from 16 games at an average of almost 50.

Hardik Pandya:

BCCI.

Hardik Pandya gets picked in the all-rounder slot. He was the leading wicket-taker of Mumbai Indians (MI) this season.

Moreover, he had also chipped in with crucial contributions whenever the team needed.

Rashid Khan:

BCCI

There is no surprise that Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan features on the list.

The teenage sensation Rashid has been great for SRH and has even earned the praise of one and all.

Andrew Tye:

BCCI

Andrew Tye is leading the list of IPL 2018 wicket-takers. The KXIP pacer finished with 24 wickets this season.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar:

Although Bhuvneshwar Kumar didn’t have the best of seasons, he did a good job for the runners.

Sunrisers pace spearhead managed to pick only nine wickets from 12 games at an economy rate of 7.66.

Umesh Yadav:

Umesh Yadav was the lone warrior in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bowling attack. He bowled with great zeal and pace to return with 20 wickets from 14 games.

The 30-year-old Umesh completes the list of XI players of this edition picked by Harsh Goenka.

Also read: Phil Simmons reveals Afghanistan’s game plan ahead of historic Test