Former Australian spinner, Brad Hogg 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, Brad Hogg, speaking on his YouTube channel, Hogg named IPL 2022 captain Hardik Pandya as the captain of his side and made some surprising choices in his list. While he missed out on a couple of cricketing superstars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, who didn’t have a great season this time, he also didn’t pick KL Rahul, the second highest run-getter in the season.
Brad Hogg Picked His Best XI Of IPL 2022
For the opening position, Hogg picked Jos Buttler and David Warner as his openers. Jos Buttler was the highest run-scorer in IPL 2022 with 863 runs in 17 matches. Delhi Capitals’s star opener David Warner also had a decent season, scoring 432 runs in 12 games at an average of 48.
“Jos Buttler – obviously, first-choice opener, leading run-scorer, and most 100s in the tournament. He generally bats through the innings for the Rajasthan Royals and does a fantastic job, so he is at number one. At number two, I have the batsman with a higher strike rate and I’ve got David Warner there. He’s got a pretty good average throughout the year as well, so he complements Buttler.”
Following them, Brad Bogg picked SunRisers Hyderabad’s Rahul Tripathi to bat at number three, who scored 413 runs in 14 games at 37.54. Speaking about his performance, Hogg said:
“Coming to number three, I thought Tripathi was one of the best batsmen from the SunRisers Hyderabad team and he carried that middle-order. Under pressure, he delivered and he’s been very consistent over the last two years. He might get an opportunity for India sooner than later, but he is my number three for this year’s IPL.”
The next two positions were occupied by Hardik Pandya and David Miller. While Hogg heaped praises on Hardik Pandya’s terrific performance, he also hailed Miller as the best finisher of the competition. He said:
“Number four – Can’t go past Hardik Pandya. Brilliant with the bat, brilliant with the ball, all-round ability, and the best captain of the tournament is going to lead my team. At number five, I’ve got David Miller – one of the best finishers of the competition. He did the job for the Gujarat Titans a number of times, where he got them over the line in those final stages under pressure. So, he’s in at number five.”
At number six, Brad Hogg picked Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Dinesh Karthik. He was also given the wicketkeeping duties in his side.
“Number six – Well, it’s Dinesh Karthik from RCB. I also loved the way he finishes off innings. He is able to play those ramp shots against pace bowlers, but also hit them back over the head. He is good against spin and he was one of the better keepers in the tournament. So, he’s going to keep in my lineup.”
Hogg was also impressed with by the batting prowess of Ravi Ashwin and ability to bowl spin in any phase of the innings. He picked him at number seven position. He said:
“Coming in at number seven is Ravichandran Ashwin. I was really impressed with the way he batted. He was used as a floater for the Rajasthan Royals, but he also had a great economy with the ball and he can bowl in all different phases of the innings. So, he is my off-spinner at number seven.”
Followed by Ashwin, Hogg picked Afghanistan’s sensational player Rashid Khan, who was once again a star of his side. He picked 19 wickets off 17 games and played an important inning with the bat to help the debutants lift the prestigious trophy in their first attempt only. Besides bowling, Rashid contributed very well with the bat as well. He batted at a strike rate of 206.82 and made an important 40 runs off 21 balls in a must-win game against CSK.
“Coming in at number eight – also good with the bat, but some damaging blows at the backend. But one of the most dominant leg-spinners in T20 cricket around the globe. It’s Rashid Khan. I could’ve gone for other spinners, who have got more wickets than him, but I like his economy rate and with that, he applies the pressure and creates opportunities for the bowlers at the other end. So, it’s more of a team effort and I’ve got Rashid Khan in there.”
Besides him, Hogg picked Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel in his playing XI. Forming his bowling unit, he said:
“For the bowlers, I’ve got Jasprit Bumrah to open the bowling with Mohammed Shami. But Bumrah will be at the backend with Harshal Patel, with those slower balls. I like the way Harshal Patel could bowl with the spinners in the middle overs and then control the death overs. That’s my XI in this year’s IPL.”
Brad Hogg’s IPL 2022 XI:
Jos Buttler, David Warner, Rahul Tripathi, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel.
Brad Hogg’s Indian XI:
KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Hardik Pandya (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rahul Tewatia, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Shami.
Brad Hogg’s overseas XI:
Jos Buttler, Quinton de Kock, Mitchell Marsh, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, Shimron Hetmyer, Rashid Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga, Trent Boult, Kagiso Rabada, Josh Hazlewood.
