Indian Premier League 2018: The Overseas XI

The eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is fast approaching. With players participating from all across the globe, this season promises much greater entertainment. In addition, the fans are very excited to watch their favorite players donning new jerseys. With a mega-auction this year, all the IPL squads are completely revamped.

IPL provides an opportunity for the Indian players and the overseas players share dressing room together. Ever since the inception of IPL, we have been witnessing some great comrade among the players from various countries. Although the IPL provides an opportunity to field only four overseas players, have you ever imagined how an IPL team full of overseas stars might look like? Here is how an IPL team full of overseas stars would look like:

1. David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

With the kind of performances and success Warner has had in the IPL, there could be no XI that doesn’t feature him. Captaining the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last two years, he was instrumental in their success. He is the first Australian cricketer in 132 years to be selected to the National team without playing first-class cricket. He made a mark in the IPL before he represented Australia. Earlier, he was signed by the Delhi Daredevils in 2009. The ‘Pocket Dynamite’ is creating waves ever since then and is also the vice-captain of the Australian team currently.

After spending five seasons with DD, he was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad at the IPL Player Auction 2014. Since then, he has been the fulcrum of the Sunrisers’ top order. He has been their most prolific run-scorer over the past two editions and led the team to a maiden title victory in 2016. Warner is the fastest to 4000 runs in the IPL and scored close to 1500 runs only in the last two seasons. He consistency is impeccable and has scored in excess of 500 runs in every season he played for the SRH.

2. Evin Lewis (Mumbai Indians)

Evin Lewis is one of the rising stars from Trinidad & Tobago. He was quite an impressive player in T20s in 2017. The 26-year-old left-hander is an attacking opening batsman who has the ability to send the ball into the third tiers of the stands at will. He was picked by the Mumbai Indians for INR 3.80 crores this season at the auction. This will be Lewis’ first IPL season. One thing that the West Indian is sure to give his fans is entertainment. And, that is what Indian Premier League somewhat stands for – ‘Entertainment at its best.’

He will be a visual treat to watch for the Mumbai fans. Moreover, all the spectators in the stands will turn into fielders when Lewis is batting. Also, Lewis idolizes Chris Gayle and when Lewis was asked why he chose Gayle as his mentor, he said,”I hit a lot of sixes, big sixes like him.” In a T20 International match against India in the USA, Lewis made his debut and also scored the fifth fastest T20 century in just 48 balls. His aggression would perfectly complement Warner at the top.

3. Steve Smith(C) (Rajasthan Royals)

An acrobatic fielder, a decent leg-spinner and a gritty batsman, Steve Smith has been on a run-scoring spree in recent times. The Australian captain is currently the No.1 Test batsman in the world. After starting his career as a leg-spinner, Smith has grown in stature leaps and bounds. He started his IPL journey in 2010 with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He then moved to Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011 but couldn’t play due to an injury. After two long years, he finally made his IPL debut in 2012 for the Pune Warriors India. He was bought by Rajasthan Royals in 2014.

But due to the suspension of RR, he donned Rising Pune Supergiant jersey for two years.Steve Smith took RPS into the finals of the IPL last year. Although his team lost in the finals, he was a terrific performer in the last season. He scored 472 runs in the 15 matches that he played. Smithy is now back into the Rajasthan setup as the captain. He will also take up the captaincy responsibilities of this ‘Overseas XI’ team.

4. AB de Villiers (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

This man needs no second introduction. There isn’t one thing that de Villiers cannot do on the cricket field. He is an agile fielder and a delightfully brutal batsman. His name right there in the list justifies for itself and is an undebatable pick in the team. He can come in and hit the ball out of the park right from ball one and can upset the rhythm of any bowler. His exploits for the Royal Challengers have been quite spectacular something that makes him an invaluable addition to the team he plays for. He tears the opposition bowling attacks apart with utter disdain.

He is a top-performer for the RCB and they have retained his services at a massive ₹11 crore. However, AB didn’t have a great IPL season last year. He only played nine matches and scored 216 runs. His poor form also cost RCB and they ended last in the points table. But in 2016, he was instrumental in taking RCB to the finals alongside Virat Kohli. He scored 687 runs in the 16 matches he played at a mammoth average of 169.

5. Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)

The English all-rounder, Ben Stokes made headlines during the IPL 2017 Auction as he bagged a record price of ₹14.5 crores by the Rising Pune Supergiant. Stokes is an aggressive left-handed batsman and a right arm medium fast bowler. He has some rich T20 experience and was instrumental in RPS’ success last year. He scored 316 runs with the bat with a high score of 103 not out. Ben also picked 12 wickets in the 12 matches that he played. He has the ability to take the bowlers on when he is on the song.

Rajasthan Royals bought him this year in the auction this year for ₹12.50 crores. Yet again, he is the most expensive player of the auctions this year. With his all-round abilities, he strikes some great balance for the team in which he plays. Moreover, Stokes is a lightning fast fielder and has got a pair of very safe hands. Although his future about IPL participation is uncertain, the fans would want him back playing cricket.

6. Jos Buttler (WK) (Rajasthan Royals)

One of the most exciting batsmen around, Jos Buttler brings a refreshing change with his fluent stroke play. The wicketkeeper-batsman has often rescued England from precarious situations and shifted the momentum with his aggressive approach. He holds the record for the fastest ODI century for England when he got to triple figures in just 46 balls against Pakistan. Moreover, he holds the record for the second fastest century for England when he got there in 61 balls. Also, he can strike the ball big and donned the Mumbai Indians colors in the previous two seasons.

He scored 527 runs in the 24 matches that he played for the Mumbai Indians so far at a strike rate of 146. He and Ben Stokes can take the onus upon themselves in the middle overs and tear the opposition bowling apart. Buttler doubles up a wicketkeeping option and is fairly good at it. Jos was a great bargain deal for RR as they picked him for just ₹4.40 crores. He was expected to notch up much higher prices and also many thought MI would retain him after a terrific century against Australia in an ODI series recently.

7. Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings)

Dwayne Bravo is definitely one of the best T20 players from around the world. He is a lethal weapon to have in the bowling lineup. He mixes up his deliveries beautifully and has a great slower ball in his armor. Bravo mostly bowls at the death and it is no easy to get him away. He has been the captain of the Melbourne Renegades in the BBL this season, something that has attributed to their success.

Further, he is equally effective with the bat and can hit some big shots. He has some great T20 experience under his belt and plays in leagues all around the world. Also, he is a top-notch fielder and always gives his 100 percent on the field. Further, DJ adds the Carribean flavor to the team and always can lift the morals up. His slower yorkers make him perhaps the best death bowler in the world. He picked 122 wickets in 106 IPL matches at an economy rate just above 8. It is a great economy rate considering the fact that he mostly bowls at the death.

8. Rashid Khan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

From playing tennis ball cricket in the streets of Nangarhar province in war-torn Afghanistan to bagging a lucrative Indian Premier League deal, the journey has not been short of a fairytale for Rashid Khan. He is referred to as the ‘million dollar baby’ by his teammates. At just 19 years, he has achieved more than what he could have ever dreamt of. He is a very fast learner and is constantly thriving to improve.

SRH used their RTM card for this young fellow and brought him at ₹9 crores. He played for them last year after bagging an INR 4 crore deal. He picked 17 wickets in 14 matches and also comes in handy with the bat. His batting skills were on the display when he tonked two massive sixes in a BBL match earlier. The Afghanistan leg-spinner has taken the Big Bash by storm in his maiden season, finishing the league phase as the joint-top wicket-taker with 17 scalps to his name, alongside Dwayne Bravo.

9. Imran Tahir (Chennai Super Kings)

The 38-year old leg-spinner is a seasoned campaigner and has been playing for over a couple of decades now. He is currently the No.1 ODI bowler. He has dropped in the T20 rankings and stands at the sixth position right now. The Pakistan-born cricketer, who made his debut for the Proteas in 2011 has played for various county teams as well as for several teams in the South African domestic cricket circuit. He picked 18 wickets in the 12 games he played in 2017 at an average of 20.50.

Tahir was picked by the Chennai Super Kings in the auction at his base price of ₹1 crore. He picked 47 wickets in his 32 match IPL career. Tahir picks timely wickets for the team and also is very economical. He possesses a very good, sharp googly that often gets the batsmen uncomfortable.

10. Kagiso Rabada (Delhi Daredevils)

The fast bowler from South Africa has risen to be a crucial player for his national side across formats since his T20I debut in 2014. He came into limelight when he was seen troubling MS Dhoni in the last over of an ODI match recently. MS who is usually one step ahead of the bowler fell behind to Rabada’s brilliance. He only managed to hit a six in that over of the last ball. Rabada received wide acclaim for his skills and Dale Steyn also admitted that he wasn’t as good as Rabada when he was 20.

In the 2017 auction, he was one of the top buys for Delhi Daredevils. Although he featured in only six games, Delhi opted to retain him considering his skill set. He was lethal in the Test series against India recently. Dehli used their RTM card for him and brought his for just INR 4.20 crore which is a very good deal.

11. Mustafizur Rahman (Mumbai Indians)

Mustafizur has been a lethal weapon for Bangladesh. Although he is suffering from many injuries, he still possesses some great ability.  Mustafizur impressed straightaway on his International debut making some of the best in the business look tentative against him. Bangladesh won their first ever ODI series against Indian courtesy some great bowling from him. He enjoyed great success against India in the Asia Cup in 2016 and caught the eye worldwide for his ability to generate good pace and for his deceptive slower one.

Sunrisers first spotted his ability and picked him up in 2016. In his first IPL stint, he became famous after his lethal yorker to KKR all-rounder Andre Russell. He picked 17 wickets that season playing a crucial role in SRH’s maiden title victory. However, he missed out in the 2017 season due to some injuries and also to manage the workload. He was picked by the Mumbai Indians this season for INR 2.20 crores after some bidding war with the Sunrisers Hyderabad.