Best XI of the bottom 4 teams in IPL 2017

The league stage of IPL 2017 has come to an end with RCB beating Delhi Daredevils in a close encounter. Top 4 teams have been confirmed who will be elated by their performances. But the bottom 4 teams would be highly disappointed ruing the missed opportunities and a chance to have a shot at the glory. They can still take a lot of positives with them from the tournament thanks to some of the individual brilliance from their players. Punjab would be the most disappointed after losing their must-win game against RPS by nine wickets but they played an aggressive brand of cricket which entertained their fans. Delhi had all the aspects of the game covered with young batting line-up and one of the best bowling attacks in the tournament but they never clicked together consistently and their fielding let them down in crucial moments which hurt them badly. Gujarat Lions and RCB had meek seasons as they were inconsistent throughout. Though Gujarat had the explosive batsmen, their bowlers never stood up and they had to pay for that big time. RCB went through one of the worst patches of all seasons and could win only 3 games out of 14. It would be very interesting to know who all make it to the playing XI if they have to compete against the top teams in the league. Here at CricTracker, we pick the best XI from the bottom 4 teams of the tournament. Brendon McCullum (Gujarat Lions) Brendon McCullum. (Photo Source: Twitter) The ever aggressive former captain of the Kiwis, Brendon McCullum continued to smash the ball at the top and constantly gave Gujarat Lions, the start they required. He smacked 319 runs at the strike rate of 147 includes 29 fours and 18 huge maximums. Though he has retired from the International arena, McCullum is active playing the leagues all over the world. Unfortunately, his consistency could not take his side into the knockout stage and he also got injured at the fag end of the league matches but he certainly proved that he is still a force to reckon with. Hashim Amla (Kings XI Punjab) Hashim Amla. (Photo Source: Twitter) Hashim Amla was not rated very high as a T20 player but he showed everyone that proper cricketing shots could also yield you the runs. He timed the ball so wonderfully in all the matches that all the spectators were left in awe of his performances. He is the only batsman this year to score two centuries and is the only one to score both in losing cause. In the tenth edition of the IPL, Amla scored 420 runs at an amazing average of 60 which proves he was consistent and a strike rate of 145.83 is an answer to his critics who claimed that he is not fit for T20 cricket. Suresh Raina (Gujarat Lions) Suresh Raina. (Photo Source: Twitter) Lions skipper Suresh Raina, hailed as Mr IPL, once again scored big in the tournament and went on to be the only player to score more than 300 runs in all seasons. He was instrumental in all the wins for his team this season. Raina also scored a match winning 84 against KKR while chasing 188. The left-hander finished this season as the fourth highest run-getter in the league stages with 442 runs at a strike rate of around 144. Though he is on standby for the upcoming Champions Trophy, he would be the first one to fly to England if any player from the squad gets injured. Virat Kohli (C) (Royal Challengers Bangalore) Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter) Virat Kohli could not feature in the initial few games of the season due to the injury to his shoulder during the Test series against Australia. Though his return did not change the fortunes of his side, their batting received a huge boost for the rest of the season. Kohli is an asset to any side and he proved it yet again by scoring 4 half centuries in the 10 games he played. He finished the season with 308 runs in only 10 matches the highest being 64. He could not get enough support from other teammates which led to the downfall of the team. Kohli must have learnt a lot from this lean period which will hold him in good stead in the Champions Trophy. Rishabh Pant (wk) (Delhi Daredevils) Rishabh Pant of Delhi Daredevils. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Rishabh Pant the 19-year-old kid who is taking big strides towards the national team. Cricket pundits have already declared him the successor of MS Dhoni. Along with domestic cricket, he showcased his aggressive batting skills right through the season but found very little support at the other end. His innings of 97 against the Lions chasing 208 was of sheer class. He was also brilliant behind the wickets taking some difficult catches. Pant is one of the future stars for India and needs to be looked after to stay fit and in contention for the national side. Chris Morris (Delhi Daredevils) Corey Anderson and Chris Morris of Delhi Daredevils. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Chris Morris played only 9 games out of 14 for Delhi but managed to make an impact in almost each of those. He is one of the best all-rounders going around in the world at the moment and Proteas are blessed to have him. Morris bowled with full pace with the ball in hand and tonked the ball in all parts of the ground with the bat. Morris finished his IPL season with 154 runs at a strike rate of 163.82 which very few batsmen manage. He also bowled his heart out for Delhi picking 12 wickets at an economy of under 8 and with the best figures of 4/26. He is certainly an asset for any side which he plays for and played his part for the Daredevils. Axar Patel (Kings XI Punjab) Axar Patel. (Photo Source: Twitter) Axar Patel, the man of all seasons, for Kings XI Punjab played well once again this year as he often does for them. He cashed in on every opportunity presented to him under any circumstances. He trapped 15 batsmen with his accurate stump to stump bowling and also scored 227 runs with a strike rate of 140 bailing Punjab out of trouble more often than not. Though his side has failed to qualify for the playoffs, Axar has done no harm to his reputation as an all-rounder. He could be a perfect backup option for Ravindra Jadeja in limited-overs cricket and could even be considered for a permanent spot in the side if he continues to perform in the same way. Pat Cummins (Delhi Daredevils) Pat Cummins. (Photo Source: Twitter) Pat Cummins has shown great fitness and has bowled at full tilt since his comeback to the Australian Test side before the IPL. Cummins showed superb control over the ball along with some serious pace. He regularly clicked over 145 kph and even touched 149 kph in the final league game against RCB when he bowled a middle stump Yorker to Chris Gayle. He picked 15 wickets in 12 matches and was a go-to bowler for his captain. Also, his stint in IPL must have made him a better bowler as he himself admitted to having learnt a lot from skipper Zaheer Khan which will help him in the Champions Trophy and while bowling on wickets with little assistance for the pacers. Sandeep Sharma (Kings XI Punjab) Sandeep Sharma. (Photo Source: Twitter) 23-year-old fast bowler has been the master of swing bowling. This year he opened the bowling for Punjab and gave them breakthroughs in the very first over in quite a few games. Sandeep was the nemesis of Delhi Daredevils when they rout Delhi for a meagre 67. He picked his career best 4/20 in that match and was also instrumental in Punjab defending 230. The right-arm swing bowler bowled a terrific penultimate over in the game against Mumbai Indians with the likes of Kieron Pollard at the crease which helped his side seal the game. Sandeep Sharma finished his season on a positive note by picking 17 wickets in 13 matches. Yuzvendra Chahal (Royal Challengers Bangalore) Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: Twitter) Royal Challengers made a number of changes to their side in almost every other game they played but Chahal is one of the very few players who played almost all the matches. He was picked for a reason and he was fulfilling it with his brilliant bowling. Whenever he bowled it looked like a wicket is about to fall and that is the beauty of his leg spin bowling. Chahal picking 14 wickets was the huge positive for RCB in an otherwise dismal season. Chahal has already played few matches at the international level and this experience would help him in future and make him an even better bowler. Chahal picking 14 wickets was the huge positive for RCB in an otherwise dismal season. The 26-year-old has already played a few matches at the international level and this experience would help him in the future and will make him an even better bowler. Basil Thampi (Gujarat Lions) Basil Thampi. (Photo Source: Twitter) Gujarat Lions unleashed Basil Thampi after the series of defeats at the start of the six-week long tournament. The youngster impressed everyone straight away with his pace and his ability to bowl Yorkers. Many batsmen found it tough to get under his deliveries which were targeted at the roots of the stumps. Thampi finished the season with commendable 11 wickets from 12 matches. His economy of 9.49 might feel expensive to some but even the best bowlers go for runs at the death. Basil is one to look for the future and like other few talented youngsters, he also needs to be looked after and groomed.

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Best XI of the bottom 4 teams in IPL 2017

Though their teams failed to make it to the top 4, these players certainly put up their best performance for them.

Sandeep Sharma (Kings XI Punjab)

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