IPL 2018: Best XI of the tournament

The 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) came to a fitting end with the crowd favorite, Chennai Super Kings, lifting the trophy. The Men in Yellow beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the big finals to register their third IPL win. The 2018 edition of the tournament provided some great entertainment to the fans. There was something or the other for everyone in store this season.

Rookie players made a mark for themselves this season. There were players from the associate nations making it big at the mega stage. And the most notable of all, the veteran stars found their new versions in the tournament – be it the MS Dhoni’s vintage hitting form or be it Shane Watson’s sublime touch with the bat. All in all, the season was not short on any entertainment quota.

It will not be wrong to concede that this was the most entertaining season of the tournament thus far. There were several top performers in the tournament this year, but a few managed to be the cut above the rest. Here we pick eleven such players who ideally fit into the Best XI of the IPL 2018.

Here is the Best XI of the IPL 2018:

1. Kane Williamson – Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Sunrisers Hyderabad came in to the IPL 2018 on a very shaky ground without their hitherto leader, David Warner. Kane Williamson assumed the captaincy role and proved to be an absolute champion. Williamson led from the front right throughout the season.

The way he used his bowling resources to defend low scores was a key highlight of the season. With the bat, he managed to win the Orange Cap. In the 17 matches that he played, he amassed 735 runs at a brilliant average of over 52. He hit 8 fifties in the season – the most by any batsmen this season.

2. Shane Watson – Chennai Super Kings

The big players often step up to the occasion at big moments. Shane Watson proved the same when he hit an unbeaten 117 in the finals against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. His herculean knock sealed the fate of the season for the Super Kings. Watson scored two tons in the season, his first ton of IPL 2018 coming against the Rajasthan Royals.

In the 15 matches that Watson played in the season, he scored 555 runs at an average of almost 40. Also, he made valuable contributions with the ball when needed earlier in the season. He finished the season as the second leading run getter for the Super Kings.

3. KL Rahul – Kings XI Punjab

The Kings XI Punjab got off to a flying start this season and then slumped miserably. While there were fluctuations in their team form, one man held the consistency flag in their side. It was KL Rahul. The new KXIP recruit justified every bit of the big price tag that he came up with.

In the very first game, he hammered the fastest fifty of the IPL history – a 14 ball fifty against the Delhi Daredevils. He went on to score 6 fifties in the season including a couple of scores of 90s to his name. He accumulated 659 runs in the 14 matches that he played at an average of 54.91.

4. Jos Buttler – Rajasthan Royals

The campaign for the Rajasthan Royals looked down and out at one stage. One big move from the management saw their fortunes change. And the move was to promote Jos Buttler to open the innings. The English cricketer responded in fine fashion by hitting five consecutive fifties in the season.

He equalled the record for hitting the most number of consecutive sixes in the tournament. Buttler aggregated 548 runs in the 13 matches that he played in the season with a top score of an unbeaten 95 to his name. He was a thorough entertainment package in the IPL 2018.

5. Ambati Rayudu – Chennai Super Kings

Veteran Indian batsman Ambati Rayudu had a dream run in the season this year. Rayudu found himself in the Chennai Super Kings outfit in the season. He proved to be a thorough team man for his side. He played well at every batting position that he was asked to take up in the season.

Rayudu finished the season as the leading run-getter for the Chennai Super Kings. He amassed 602 runs in the 16 matches that he played. He hit three fifties and a century. His century came against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the league stages of the tournament.

6. Rishabh Pant – Delhi Daredevils

Young batsman Rishabh Pant won the Emerging Player of the Season award. At the end of the league stages in the IPL 2018, Pant was the proud owner of the Orange Cap. Pant showed some serious hitting skills in the season. In the 14 matches that he played, he finished with 684 runs to his name at an average of 52.51.

He hit five fifties and a century. His unbeaten 128 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad was the highlight of his scintillating season. He hit the most number of fours (68) and the most number of sixes (37) this season. He is a very bright prospect for the Indian cricket.

7. MS Dhoni – Chennai Super Kings (C & WK)

The fans got to see the vintage MS Dhoni this season. The Chennai Super Kings skipper proved it yet again why he is revered as the best finisher in the game. Dhoni hammered an unbeaten 79 against KXIP in a losing cause. He bettered his effort with a match winning knock against RCB.

Later, he hit a 22-ball 50 to entertain the audiences in the game against the Daredevils. In the 16 matches that he played, he aggregated 455 runs at a staggering average of 75.83 – the best among all the batsmen in the season. He hit his runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 150.66.

8. Sunil Narine – Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders retained the services of Sunil Narine this season. Their move paid rich dividends as the Caribbean star ended up being the Most Valuable Player of the season. Narine scalped 17 wickets in the 16 matches that he played. He was spot on with his bowling form.

But the aspect of the game that looked more impressive this season was his batting. Narine amassed 357 runs in the 16 innings that he batted. He hit with a strike rate of 189.98 – the best in the season. Also, he hit two fifties in the tournament including a top score of 75.

9. Andrew Tye – Kings XI Punjab

The Kings XI Punjab had a dismal run in the IPL 2018. But their overseas recruit, Andrew Tye, managed to have a very good tournament. Tye won the Purple Cap in the season for having scalped the most number of wickets. In the 14 matches that he played, he returned with 24 scalps to his name.

He bowled with a strike rate of 14 – the best in the tournament. Also, he averaged 18.66 with the ball. His heroics with the ball in the season included three four-wicket hauls. Interestingly, these four wickets hauls came in space of just four games.

10. Rashid Khan – Sunrisers Hyderabad

Rashid Khan has been an absolute revelation in the world cricket. The young Afghanistan leggie was the bowling mainstay of the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He singlehandedly rallied the SRH team to the finals. In the Qualifier 2 game against Kolkata Knight Riders, Rashid scalped 3/19 with the ball.

Also, he hit a crucial 10-ball 34 with the bat. This was not the only good performance that he came up with. He bagged the big wickets of AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Chris Lynn and many more this season. In the 17 matches that he played, he returned with 21 wickets to his name at an economy rate of just 6.73.

11. Umesh Yadav – Royal Challengers Bangalore

Umesh Yadav was a total superstar for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He makes the cut in this playing eleven ahead of the likes of Deepak Chahar and Siddarth Kaul. The reason for this being the way Umesh picked up wickets at crucial junctures of the game. He oozed fire with his pace this season.

In the 14 matches that he played, he scalped 20 wickets at a very impressive strike rate of 15.95. Also, his economy rate was under 8 – a very good number considering the poor form RCB bowlers had this season. His best of 3/23 came against the Kings XI Punjab when he had struck thrice in the same over.

For the latest cricket news, follow CricTracker.