The Indian Premier League (IPL) has garnered global attention since it’s inception in 2008. There have been a total of 13 teams that have participated in the world’s most viewed league including Kochi Tuskers Kerela, Gujrat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants (formerly known as Pune Warriors India) who won’t feature in the coming season. Last year Mumbai Indians pipped Chennai Superkings in a well-fought final to take away a record fourth title. We have witnessed a mind-blowing melange of domestic and international players who have raised the bar every time they’ve taken on the field.
With all the excitement being built around the retentions in previous weeks and auction in Kolkata this December, let’s take a look at the most prolific dream team of IPL in 12 seasons so far.
1) Chris Gayle
IPL Stats-
Innings – 124
Runs – 4484
Average – 41.14
SR – 151.03
The Jamaican makes the most destructive opener in T20 cricket owing to his dominance in almost all major records of this format. People know him as the “Universal Boss” for dealing in boundaries (majorly sixes) for most of his time at the pitch.
Chris Gayle lit the first season with a brilliant century in his first match for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Later, he finished the 2011 and 2012 season with the orange cap. Gayle’s stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore helped to establish him as a prolific batsman along with Virat Kohli. No one can ever forget how Chris demolished the Pune Warriors India bowling attack going on to score 175*, the highest score by any individual in this format.
2) Virat Kohli
IPL Stats-
Innings – 169
Runs – 5412
Average – 37.85
SR – 131.61
The Indian test skipper leads the list of top run-getters in this league. The Royal Challengers Bangalore spent 30,000$ to get this Delhi based star into their side in 2008. Kohli has improved with every passing season of this league with the inaugural season featuring his worst performance and he being the orange cap holder in 2016 with a record 973 runs. Virat was also appointed as the vice-captain in 2011 when he also lead the side in a few matches owing to regular skipper, Vettori’s injury.
3) Suresh Raina
IPL Stats (Batting)
Innings – 189
Runs – 5368
Average – 33.34
SR – 137.11
IPL Stats (Bowling)
IPL Stats-
Innings – 69
Wickets – 25
Economy rate – 7.39
The blazing left-handed batsman has been an integral part of the Chennai Superkings since the league’s inception. His services at No.3, part-time bowling, and amazing fielding skills has helped his side in triumph at many occasions. He is called as ‘chinna thala’ (small brother) by CSK fans in order to appreciate the Uttar Pradesh batsman’s contribution. His capability to provide firepower and stability to any line up makes him special. He also led Gujrat Lions at the time of his former team’s 2-year suspension. Raina’s knock of 87 from just 25 balls against Punjab is the highlight of his IPL career.
4) Rohit Sharma
IPL Stats-
Innings – 183
Runs – 4898
Average – 31.6
SR – 130.82
The Mumbai based hard hitter is known for his consistency in white-ball games. He started his IPL career with the Deccan Chargers where he consistently scored above 350 runs in 3 seasons. Then he came back home when Mumbai Indians bought him in 2011. Rohit has been the backbone of the Mumbai Indians lineup and he peaked in 2013 season when he scored 538 runs and lead his side to a maiden IPL victory. Since then his captaincy has helped Mumbai win 3 more titles which makes them the best team of the league.
5) Ab De Villiers
IPL Stats-
Innings – 142
Runs – 4395
Average – 39.95
SR – 151.24
The South African batsman can be called as the unluckiest hero of the game. Neither his country nor his IPL team has been successful enough to win a single title. However, he might overshadow these facts and makes him Mr. 360. Be it his inaugural season at Delhi Daredevils or his term at the Chinnaswamy, ABD has never failed to light up the crowd.
6) M.S.Dhoni
IPL Stats-
Innings – 170
Runs – 4432
Average – 42.21
SR – 137.85
MS Dhoni is the best captain this league has ever seen. Dhoni has donned the yellow jersey since the first season. His cool-headedness makes him the player he is. The former Indian captain has been a terrific wicketkeeper topped with his finishing skills. Dhoni peaked in 2013 after he positioned himself as the third-highest run-getter of the season. His innings of 65* in the finals was the only high point for CSK when they lost the title to Mumbai. MSD’s consistency and continuous contributions to his side (even during RPS) makes him a hot property.
7) Dwayne Bravo
IPL Stats-
Batting
Innings – 102
Runs – 1483
Average – 23.17
SR – 128.29
Bowling-
IPL Stats-
Innings – 131
Wickets – 147
Economy rate – 8.4
It was the IPL that made Bravo a prominent mark on the Twenty20 map. His ability to surprise the best batsmen with variations and also score quick runs makes him a handy all-rounder. After a couple of seasons with Mumbai, Bravo shifted his base to Chennai where he played the best of his cricket. His stint with Gujrat Lions saw him leading a young pack of bowlers. Dwayne’s innings against Mumbai in the inaugural match of IPL 2018 won his side an important comeback match.
8) Rashid Khan
The Afghanistan leg spinner is one of the best spinners the league has seen, wickets and economy-wise. His ability to generate a variety of deliveries makes him unpredictable and dangerous. He proved all his credentials when Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him in 2017 for a whopping Rs.4 crore deal. He has been a constant face in the playing 11 since then. Both his seasons at Hyderabad have fetched enough results that the management can never think of losing him. His batting performances at the tail have also been considerable.
IPL Stats-
Innings – 46
Wickets – 55
Economy rate – 6.55
9) Amit Mishra
IPL Stats-
Innings – 147
Wickets – 157
Economy rate – 7.34
The Delhi leg spinner was once considered as Anil Kumble’s successor due to his form and wicket-taking ability. Mishra has been a handy member of the Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, and Sunrisers Hyderabad. He is the only bowler to claim three hattricks in the league’s history. Amit has been a consistent performer and can not go unnoticed while deciding the best squad of IPL. The 2013 season saw him pick 21 wickets and feature in the top wicket-takers list.
10) Bhuvneshwar Kumar
IPL Stats-
Innings – 117
Wickets – 133
Economy rate – 7.25
Bhuvi’s ability to swing the ball on both sides makes him a special talent. His seasons at Bangalore, Delhi or even Pune didn’t go so well as he hardly featured in the playing eleven but it was 2014 when Sunrisers Hyderabad bought this Meerut bowler only to utilize his strength as a powerplay and death bowler. Kumar is known for creating breakthroughs at crucial moments and also choking the batsmen during the death overs. Bhuvi was the first one to use the knuckleball and one of the few bowlers with a rainbow of variations.
11) Jasprit Bumrah
IPL Stats-
Innings – 77
Wickets – 82
Economy rate – 7.56
Last but not least player in the list is the best white-ball bowler in the current cricketing scenario. The Gujarat pacer is arguably the best find of this league. His IPL break with Mumbai Indians happened in 2013 and since then Jasprit has worked miracles by winning multiple matches single-handedly. Bumrah’s ability to bowl yorkers at will makes him one of the best death bowlers globally. His different action gets him to naturally swing the ball into the right-handers but he has developed other variations only to beat the best batsmen around.
