Virat Kohli, David Warner lit up this year’s IPL

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s maiden IPL win brought curtains to the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League. We put together a list of players, who excelled this time, and who could be part of the IPL Best XI.

Bengaluru

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner was second only to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli in the scoring charts.(Ajay Aggarwal/ HT Photo)

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s maiden IPL win brought curtains to the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League. We put together a list of players, who excelled this time, and who could be part of the IPL Best XI. Here’s look:

David Warner (SRH)

If anyone came close to matching Virat Kohli’s run in this tournament, it was Sunrisers skipper David Warner. Warner was one of the most consistent performers in the season. Opening the innings, Warner seldom failed to give Sunrisers a solid start. His tally of 848 runs was second only to Kohli. The highlight of his season came during the play-offs where scored an unbeaten 93, that got Sunrisers into the final. He followed it up with another important knock of 69 runs in the final.

Rohit Sharma (MI)

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma scored 489 runs in otherwise disappointing season for the two-time IPL champions. (PTI)

The Mumbai Indians skipper was quite impressive through the season. His team might not have made it to the play-offs, but he was definitely one of the more assured batsmen in the tournament. With 489 runs with average of 44.45, he was one of the top performers for the Mumbai outfit.

Virat Kohli (c) (RCB)

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli finished with 973 runs. (Ajay Aggarwal/ HT Photo)

Virat Kohli was the standout performer of this edition. His four centuries and seven half-tons played a key role in turning around RCB’s season which had been left on the brink halfway through the season. Kohli piled on 973 runs in the season at an average of 81.8. He smashed 83 boundaries and 36 sixes, the most by any batsman this season, despite his conventional style of batting. His captaincy too was on the mark which saw RCB liven up the league.

AB de Villiers (RCB)

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Ab de Villiers scored 129*against Gujarat Lions, which was the highest individual score in this year’s edition. (AFP)

The RCB batsman was in roaring form through the season. He was overshadowed by Kohli, but was one of the more influential players for the Bangalore team.

With six fifties and one century, he played his role perfectly in the side. His partnership with Kohli was one of the highlights of the season. The match-winning knock of 73* in the qualifier, even as Kohli fell for a duck, underscored his effectiveness in the shortest format.

Yusuf Pathan (KKR)

Yusuf-Pathan won three man-of-the-match awards for Kolkata Knight Riders.

The Kolkata Knight Riders player produced a fine performance in the middle order. Pathan batted with responsibility this season and rescued the team from a number of difficult situations. He has three man-of-the-match awards to his credit. He hit 13 sixes in the tournament and scored with strike-rate of 146.

Andre Russell (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)Andre Russel’s was the league’s best all-rounder. (Mohd Zakir/ HT Photo)

The all-rounder was quite impressive this season for the Kolkata Knight Riders. With 188 runs and 15 wickets in the season, he was by far the best all-rounder in the tournament. His four-for against Kings XI Punjab gave KKR a crucial win and cemented their place in the play-offs. He also played the role of finisher competently for the Kolkata outfit.

MS Dhoni (wk) (RPS)

Rising Pune Supergiant's captain M S Dhoni was a key player for his team. (Virendra Singh Gosain/ HT Photo)

Despite the below average performances of his team, MS Dhoni remained a valuable player for the side. His showing behind the stumps was remarkable too. His method to use his leg to stop a sure boundary off a late cut from Virat Kohli was one of the highlights of the season. He did not quite click as batman, but his pyrotechnics in the last league game that saw Rising Pune Supergiants finish with a win on back of his unbeaten 64, underscored his value as a finisher.

Yuzvendra Chahal (RCB)

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Yuzvendra Chahal played a crucial hand in the Bangalore team’s season with 21 wickets. (Ajay Aggarwal/ HT Photo)

The RCB bowler was the surprise package of the tournament. The leg spinner shored up RCB’s bowling attack. He used his spin well through the latter stages of the tournament and played a key role in RCB’s turnaround and eventual place in the final. His tally of 21 wickets made him second highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar led the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling unit well. (Vipin Kumar/ HT Photo)

The medium pacer proved to be one of the key ingredients that helped Sunrisers Hyderabad clinch the IPL title. With 23 wickets, Bhuvneshwar was the highest wicket taker of the tournament. Bhuvneshwar led the attack well in the absence of key bowlers, including experienced spearhead Ashish Nehra.

Mustafizur Rahman (SRH)

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Mustafizur Rahman mixed his yorkers and slower deliveries to good effect. (Kunal Patil/ HT)

The Bangladeshi bowler was one of the most economical bowlers of the season. His bowling at the death was once again exceptional. With 17 wickets he also brought in important breakthroughs for the Sunrisers and complemented the bowling attack well.

Dhawal Kulkarni (Gujarat Lions)

Gujarat Lions bowler Dhawal Kulkarni used his variations to scalp 18 wickets. (PTi)

The Gujarat Lions pacer proved to be quite an important addition for the new side. His variations and pace brought a lot of success with 18 scalps making him one of the top wicket-takers of the season. His four-wicket haul against RCB, including the prize wicket of Virat Kohli, in the Qualifier was the highlight of the season.