Former Royal Challengers Bangalore and England batsman Kevin Pietersen has named his best playing XI from the recently concluded 2022 season of the Indian Premier League.
Well, after a memorable win by Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022 in their first attempt, Kevin Pietersen named Gujarat Titans Hardik Pandya as the captain of his side. Kevin Pietersen made some interesting choices while forming his Best IPL 2022 XI.
Kevin Pietersen Picked His Best IPL 2022 XI:
For the opening position, KP picked charismatic England batter Jos Buttler, who gave terrific performances throughout the season and turned out to be the highest run-scorer of IPL 2022, having scored 863 runs in 17 matches.
“The second-most runs ever scored in an IPL season, the joint-highest number of centuries, and some spectacular hitting. The best player on the planet,”
Jos Buttler was accompanied by Lucknow Super Giants‘ Quinton de Kock as his opening partner. QDK was the third-highest run-scorer this season, with 508 runs.
“Hit an unbeaten 140 as he and KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants) batted the entire 20 overs unbeaten against KKR (and helped the team enter the IPL playoffs). That innings, combined with some other solid contributions, means he warrants a place in this team.”
Followed by his talented openers, KP picked KL Rahul at the number 3 position. KL Rahul was the second-highest run-getter in the team, having scored 616 runs off 15 matches. “(Rahul) Only overshadowed by the genius of Buttler. Continues to be one of the most consistent batters across all formats,” said Pietersen.
Further, Kevin Pietersen also said that Hardik Pandya has played the role of captain to perfection, scoring 487 runs and taking eight wickets. Showering praises at him, KP said:
“A captain’s effort. Led from the front throughout, scoring tough runs and taking huge wickets. Most importantly, brilliantly skippered Gujarat Titans to the title in their debut campaign.”
For all-arounder in his team, KP went for Liam Livingstone, who scored 537 runs and picked six wickets for Punjab Kings. KP said: “Hit 34 sixes in 14 innings, second only to Buttler’s tally of 45. Hits the ball incredibly hard and scores incredibly quickly. Some player.”
One of the interesting picks in his team was the inclusion of David Miller, who had turned a corner this season by smashing 481 runs. “Miller went to a new level in this competition. He scored double figures in his last 13 innings, which is stunning consistency for a death hitter. That run included a brilliant 94 against CSK and then one of the innings of the IPL, 68 not out to get Gujarat into the final against the Royals.”
Next in his list was the talented player Ravichandran Ashwin, who scored 191 runs and took 12 wickets. KP said: “Averaging over 27 with the bat and taking 12 wickets is a great effort. That all-round output means that this was a fine campaign.”
Pietersen also heaped praises on power-hitter Rahul Tewatia, who left a brilliant mark with his 217 runs this season. Talking about him, he said: “Hit two sixes from the final two balls of the innings to earn Gujarat Titans a crucial victory over Punjab Kings early in the competition. Plenty more impressive batting since then means that he is one of the bets death hitters around.”
In his bowling unit, he picked Umran Malik (22 wickets), Yuzvendra Chahal (27 wickets), and Josh Hazlewood (20 wickets). He said:
“His (Umran Malik) impressive pace bowling peaked when he bowled the quickest ball of the competition against Delhi Capitals, registering at 157kph. India should be getting him into their team in all formats straight away. A hugely impressive campaign”
Kevin Pietersen’s IPL 2022 Team
Jos Buttler, Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rahul Tewatia, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Josh Hazlewood
