IPL 2008 seems a long time back now, but it was one of the most exciting seasons of the IPL as it was the first time that so many foreign players were playing together for local Indian clubs. It became a norm after that, but the opening season came with a bundle of excitement.
Here is the best XI from IPL 2008 –
Openers (Sanath Jayasuriya, Virender Sehwag)
Jayasuriya was one of the five century-makers in the first season of the IPL. He scored more than 500 runs for his team Mumbai Indians at an average of 42.83 and a strike rate of 166.34.
Sehwag had the highest among all the players who scored 300 or more runs in IPL 2008. The right-handed opener, who played for Delhi Daredevils, scored 406 runs in the tournament at a strike rate of 184.54.
Middle Order (Shaun Marsh, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni)
Shaun Marsh won the orange cap in IPL 2008 as he was the only batsman in the tournament who scored more than 600 runs. His average in the tournament was close to 70, while his strike rate was close to 140. Mash hardly failed in any of the games that he played for his team Kings XI Punjab.
Shane Watson was declared the most valuable player in IPL 2008 as he had not just scored 472 runs for Rajasthan Royals at a strike rate of 151.76, he also grabbed 17 wickets at a bowling average of 22.52.
Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni were among the most consistent middle order batsmen in IPL 2008 as both of them scored more than 400 runs. Their contribution in the middle order was vital for the Chennai Super Kings who finished the tournament being the runners up.
All-rounder (Yusuf Pathan)
Apart from Watson, another player who played a key role in Rajasthan’s title triumph in IPL 2008 was Yusuf Pathan. He batted at different positions in the batting order depending on the situation of the game and excelled in almost every game situation.
Pathan struck the ball at a rate of 180 runs per 100 balls as he ended the tournament with an overall runs’ tally of 435 runs. He chipped in with his off spin bowling as well, as he got a total of 8 wickets in the tournament.
Bowlers (Sohail Tanvir, MS Gony, Piyush Chawla, S Sreesanth)
Sohail Tanvir was the highest wicket-taker in the first IPL season and he also registered the best bowling figures in the tournament as he got 6 wickets for just 14 runs in one of the games.
Sreesanth was at no. 3 in the list of top wicket-takers in IPL 2008, while MS Gony was the new kid on the block who impressed one and all with his hit-the-deck bowling. Gony’s performance in IPL 2008 later earned him a call-up to the Indian national team as well.
Piyush Chawla, who turned up for Kings XI Punjab, was the most successful Indian spinner in IPL 2008 as he got 17 wickets in 15 games at a bowling average of 22.88.
