IPL 2019: Best XI of the bottom four teams in group stage

One of the most entertaining group stages of the Indian Premier League (IPL) came to an end on Sunday with Mumbai Indians thrashing the Kolkata Knight Riders by 9 wickets. That win for Mumbai ensured they finished on top of the ladder while helping the Sunrisers Hyderabad sneak into the top four despite amassing just 12 points.

This edition, as the points table suggests, is perhaps the most closely contested season of all. Bottom-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore finished with 11 points, just one point shy of the 4th positioned Sunrisers Hyderabad. While three teams finished with 18 points in the top three, the next three amassed 12 with Rajasthan and Bangalore settling for 11 points.

There were some pretty amazing performances coming from the sides who finished in the bottom four this season and comprised some players who very easily deserved to be in the top four.

Here’s an XI from the teams who finished in the bottom four despite giving their best:

1. Parthiv Patel (wk) (RCB)

Parthiv Patel had some personal tragedy conflicting his IPL tenure with Royal Challengers Bangalore as his father was hospitalized and was in critical condition. Nevertheless, the little man from Gujarat stood tall for the underperforming side and exhibited some excellent performances throughout the tournament.

In 14 matches for the struggling Royal Challengers, he registered 373 runs at an average of 26.64 and a strike-rate of 139.17. This was his second best performance in an IPL season, having scored 395 runs for the Mumbai Indians in their title-winning campaign back in 2017. He most certainly will feature in their side in the coming season.