IPL 2020 proved itself to be a cracker of a tournament catapulting unheralded stars to the front of the pack, rekindling memories from the initial days of T20 cricket that saw experimentation with a slight insight and a strong foresight establishing empires in the shortest format of the game.
As batsmen were confronted with a tough choice whether to hang in there and score safely or to go for the kill right from the word go and then take a long walk to the pavilion and contemplate that why did he resort to such a belligerent stance in the first place.
With all said and done, IPL 2020 also presented us a set of cricketers who had an unbreakable will, an untenable tenacity and an implacable voracity in their guts to establish themselves. They worked continuously and tirelessly to manifest themselves as the true believers of themselves and the brand of cricket that they put forward was a salve for the sore eyes in an ongoing pandemic.
We will look at the combined XI from the teams that have managed to make the dash for the play-offs after fourteen gruelling rounds of a contest between bat and ball.
Openers: David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan
Warner was always one of the best players who have showcased exemplary class with the bat throughout the length of the tournament and the attacking attitude from the Australian southpaw and also leadership that buoyed Sunrisers to the play-offs will always push him for opening in the best eleven. As of now, he is in the second position for the leading run-scorers of the tournament with 529 runs from 14 games at a staggering average of 44.08.
Shikhar Dhawan had a slow start to the tournament but once he smashed two consecutive centuries the complexion of the tournament changed for him completely and he soon caught wind of the destructive self that can topple oppositions with consummate ease. He has managed to score 525 runs from 14 games at a brilliant average of 47.42. His panache at the top paved the way for the Delhi middle-order to fire at a brisk race and post those decent totals on board for Rabada and Nortje to defend.
Middle-order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, AB De Villiers, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard
Kohli got trolled brutally in the initial days of IPL 2020 after he failed to score in the first three games. However, the Indian captain announced his arrival in stunning fashion as he turned the tables with some incredible knocks after that. Though he was slower than his usual self and the strike rate was really not in his favour, he still managed to get the runs on the board. He scored 460 runs from 14 games at an average of 46.00 and scored at a decent rate of 122.01.
Shreyas Iyer outdid himself in IPL 2020 and racked up 421 runs from 14 games at a brisk pace of 122.74. He played a rock-solid anchor in the middle and whenever his team needed him to go for the kill, he did not hesitate. Moreover, his captaincy in the team personified aggression and also pushed him for the future leadership of the nation.
AB De Villiers has been the face of destruction for RCB and the way that he has batted throughout the tournament attacking right from the very beginning without taking any time at all has been a motivating lesson for the youngsters.
He has batted exquisitely in IPL 2020 and has challenged the best of bowlers, taking them out to the cleaners. He has managed to garner 398 runs from 14 games, however, the stat that impresses the most is his strike rate and it reads 163.78.
Ishan Kishan has been playing as an opener for Mumbai right since the departure of their captain, Rohit Sharma, however, he started the ongoing campaign at number five that saw him hammering an incredulous 99. He adapts himself very brilliantly and it is indeed an ecstasy to watch him play with his fearlessness.
Kieron Pollard has been the face of destruction in IPL 2020 as he has managed to whack the ball around at a strike rate of 193.28. He hasn’t got much time in the middle to showcase more of his insane heroics but the gallantry that this West Indian all-rounder has put up for display is nothing short of wondrous. He has scored 259 runs from 14 games.
Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Jasprit Bumrah, Rashid Khan and Yuzvendra Chahal
Kagiso Rabada has been totally unplayable in IPL 2020, not just because of this blistering pace but also because of his wicket-taking capability that he has shown throughout the span of the fray. He has hit the deck really hard and has managed to claim 25 scalps from 14 games, a record already. He has bowled at a decent economy rate of 8.14.
Jasprit Bumrah is the man in hot pursuit of Rabada as he has played a game less and has claimed 23 wickets so far at a much better economy rate of 6.96. He has showcased mind-blowing brilliance and his regularity of yorkers has made life hell for all the batsmen out there.
Rashid Khan has now played three seasons in IPL and he is still equally sharp and dangerous at any stage of the game. From 14 games in IPL 2020, he has bagged 19 wickets and he boasts of an economy rate of 5.28, a figure labelled as extraordinary, to say the least.
Yuzvendra Chahal has managed to up his game by a million notches and the way he has bowled so far in IPL 2020, registering 20 wickets from 14 games has been a major driving force for RCB. Barring the regular wickets, he has also been highly economical as his economy rate reads 7.16 RPO.
