IPL 2017: Best XI from the first 5 days

The IPL 2017 is 7 matches old and into the second week now. All teams – with the exception of Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils – have played two games each. The competition amongst the teams has been intense and we have already witnessed a few tight games. Fielding, an otherwise remarkable feature of the IPL, has been anything but spectacular. That’s the only feature which teams have struggled with and will look to improve upon in week two which commences today. There have been notable performances already in this year’s IPL with both bat and ball. Gujarat Lions and Delhi Daredevils have been the only two teams who haven’t got onto the points table yet. Sunrisers Hyderabad has fought well so far in their title defence and is on the top of the table. We bring you the Best XI of the week which is listed as following according to the batting order: Chris Lynn (Overseas) Chris Lynn. (Photo Source: BCCI) Lynn gave the KKR’s season a great start with a telling knock in his team’s first game of the season. He is currently the orange cap holder with 125 runs in 2 games at an incredible strike rate of 192.30. Lynn’s unconquered 93 against Gujarat Lions lit up the tournament. He plundered 8 sixes in his 41-ball innings and was particularly severe on the military medium pace of MS Gony and Dwayne Smith. It is because of his onslaught that KKR could make light work of their target of 184. Lynn again provided the ideal start to KKR in their second game against Mumbai Indians. His 24-ball 32 meant that KKR had a strong start which was capitalised upon by the middle order. Lynn’s participation in the remainder of the IPL has come under a cloud due to a shoulder injury which he sustained while attempting a tough catch in KKR’s game last night. Gautam Gambhir (C) Gautam Gambhir. (Photo Source: BCCI) Gambhir, in the company of Chris Lynn, was destructive in KKR’s first game. The southpaw was in fine form and looked in excellent touch scoring boundaries at will. Both openers were involved in a record chase – the highest ever chase with all ten wickets intact – as they ridiculed the inexperienced Lions attack. Gambhir displayed his finesse, especially against the spinners, as he was severe on Satish Kaushik’s left-arm chinaman. Gambhir looks in ominous touch and got off to a start against Mumbai Indians last night. He was unlucky to be dismissed for 19 yesterday but he looks set to have a big tournament with the bat. Scoring runs in the domestic T20 competitions in the lead up to the IPL has really helped Gambhir’s confidence. Steven Smith (Overseas) Steve Smith. (Photo Source: BCCI) Steven Smith might have changed teams and formats but his penchant for scoring runs has remained constant. Playing his first T20 game in almost a year, Smith rose to the occasion to seal a thumping win for Rising Pune Supergiant in their first game this year. His innings of 84* saw his team home by 7 wickets but it got very close than it sounds until Smith smashed Pollard for consecutive sixes off the last over to win it for his team. Smith is a man whose numbers keep on improving by each passing day. Though he doesn’t boost of great numbers in the shortest format, his theory of ‘form is form irrelevant of the format’ is working well for him. Pune made the bold decision of appointing him the captain for the season in place of Dhoni and this move hasn’t perturbed him one bit. It wouldn’t surprise many if he goes on to end the season with the most runs in the competition. Yuvraj Singh Yuvraj Singh of Sunrisers Hyderabad. (Photo Source: BCCI) Yuvraj Singh played the kind of innings he used to play in his pomp. His 27-ball 62 gave the tournament the perfect start as the 200 run mark was breached in the first game of the season itself. Yuvraj displayed the wide range of shots that he has in his armoury to thwart the hapless RCB bowlers. The stylish left-hander raised his half-century in 23 balls, which was the fastest in his IPL career. The shot that stood out in his cameo was off Tymal Mills’ back-of-the-hand slower one, which most people struggle to pick. Yuvraj picked the bones out of the half-tracker and deposited it in the stands with disdain, just like a baseball home run. Yuvraj, by his own admission, has looked a different player this season due to his successful reintegration in the Indian limited-overs set-up. He is batting with a lot more freedom as he is not worried about a possible international comeback this year. This is an ominous sign for all bowlers going around in the league. Kedar Jadhav (WK) Kedar Jadhav. (Photo Source: Twitter) It amazes a lot of people how Jadhav had managed to play just 4 games for RCB last year. This year he will feature in every game. Of course, in between the last IPL and this one, Jadhav has had resounding success in the Indian ODI team and has more or less established himself in the middle-order. Jadhav has impressed many with his maverick batting style. He is the master of picking up his spots and playing the angles beautifully. His 69 in the game against Delhi Daredevils helped his team get onto the points table. Jadhav smashed 5 sixes and as many boundaries in his 37-ball knock. He took his team close to victory against Sunrisers, though the margin of defeat: 35 runs; suggests otherwise, RCB looked on course when he was batting in the middle. RCB’s chase lost steam when Jadhav was run out by a bullet of a throw from the deep by Ben Cutting. His 15-ball 31 was a sign of things to come. Manish Pandey Manish Pandey (Photo: BCCI) Pandey got to bat once out of the two games he has played. He showed why he has been hailed as a top domestic limited-overs batsman when he smashed an unbeaten 81 against Mumbai Indians last night. He was slow to start, and at one point was struggling to put the ball away off the square, Pandey found his rhythm later in the innings. He started striking the ball well as he crossed 30 and made as many as 54 runs in the last 20 balls he faced. Like Jadhav, Pandey too has come good at the international level after last year’s IPL. He seems to have carried the confidence of a national call-up into the IPL. His efforts weren’t enough to win the game for KKR, but Pandey has begun well this year which is a great sign for 2-time champions KKR. Moises Henriques (Overseas) Moises Henriques. (Photo Source: BCCI) Twin half-centuries in the first two games have helped Henriques win a position in the Best XI of the week. Henriques is known for his big-hitting abilities with the bat hence Sunrisers have slotted him to come in at No. 3. He has responded well and has also scored his runs at a decent clip as his strike rate of 136.8 suggests. The New South Wales all-rounder hasn’t bowled much this year but is expected to play a big role with the ball as well. He was instrumental in Sunrisers maiden title win last year and will be expected to play a similar role this year as well. His 263 runs at almost 30 runs an innings in the BBL has held him in good stead for this year’s IPL Though he bats higher down the order, Henriques is slotted to bat at 6 in this team and is primarily in as an all-rounder. Bhuvneshwar Kumar Bhuvneshwar Kumar of SRH in Action (Photo: Yahoo Cricket) Arguably, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the most improved Indian T20 bowler. The purple cap holder of last year, Kumar’s bowling was directly proportionate to Sunrisers title win last year. He has started where he left last season. The Indian bowler has already picked up 4 sticks from 2 games at an economy of 6 runs an over. David Warner is lucky to have him on his side. Kumar’s rise in T20 cricket is attributed to an increase in a couple of yards of pace and mastery of the wide-of-the-stumps yorker. His two overs with the new ball are as crucial as his 2 overs at the death. He is in such good form in T20 cricket and is indispensable for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Shahbaz Nadeem Shahbaz Nadeem (Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images) Nadeem did not get many wickets but his spell of 1/13 against RCB underlined the importance of his left-arm spin. Nadeem, 27, has been a workhorse performer for Jharkhand for more than a decade now. He was the highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy this season and Nadeem is reaping rewards of the hard yards he put earlier in the season. He bowled with guile and used his experience to full effect to keep the RCB batters at bay. Nadeem is a left-arm spinner with a classy action. He thrives in the theory of keeping the runs down which ultimately induces a false stroke from the batsman as his T20 career economy rate of 6.58 reflects. Rashid Khan Rashid Khan of Sunrisers Hyderabad. (Photo Source: BCCI) The 18-year old has taken to the IPL, like a fish to water. He has been sensational in the first two games and is the current purple cap holder with 5 wickets in 2 games. Quite brilliant for someone who plays for an associate team (Afghanistan) and is still in his teens. Rashid bamboozled the batsmen with his variety, especially the googly. His round-arm action means that he is a skiddy customer and his leg-breaks reach the batsman quickly than anticipated. The batsmen will surely start picking him better as the tournament progresses but at the moment it is working really well for him. He will be a crucial cog in Sunrisers wheel for their title defence this year. Ashish Nehra Ashish Nehra. (Photo Source: BCCI) Nehra has had a couple of great IPL’s and this season is no exception. Three weeks short of his 38th birthday, Nehra has managed to keep himself fit and bowls with pace. It is because of this, Nehra was granted an India return. Though he went away for runs against RCB, he bowled well towards the end of his spell. Used as a one change bowler in today’s game, Nehra responded well finishing with 1/27 in his four overs. Nehra was another player who was a key to his side’s triumph last year. He would be expected to do a repeat of his performances of last year this season. A veteran cricketer that he is, his experience sharing with the younger bowlers is significant for his franchise. The Best XI of week one has seen as many as 5 players from Sunrisers Hyderabad’s team and it is not a surprise that they top the points table at this moment.

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IPL 2017: Best XI from the first 5 days

We bring you to the Best XI of the IPL 2017 in the first 5 days of the tournament so far.

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