IPL 2019: Best XI of the first week (Match 1 - Match 12)

The twelfth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off on a great note. Just one week into the league and we already have got many spectacular performances. Some new talents were unearthed while a few other youngsters lit up the league with their special accomplishments.

Furthermore, players who are eyeing at a comeback into their respective national teams also had eventful outings in the two or three games thus far. Picking the best eleven from this galaxy of superstars is quite a tough task. But considering their stats, the impact created and a few other factors, the Best XI is created for week-1 of IPL 2019.

Here is the Best XI from the first week:

1. David Warner (c) | Sunrisers Hyderabad

Former Australian vice-captain David Warner staged one of the greatest comebacks ever in the IPL. He is officially coming back after a one-year ban and also just recovered from his elbow injury. Moreover, there is also the pressure of getting into the World Cup 2019 squad on his head. Yet, he remained undeterred by all the external factors and brought out three of his finest performances ever.

There is something different about him this season and he seems extremely hungry for runs. The last year has completely changed him as a cricketer and he is a lot fitter now. Warner scored 254 runs in three innings at an average of 127 including two half-centuries and one century. The left-hander will be leading this Best XI of the first week and also finished the week with the ‘Orange Cap’.

2. Prithvi Shaw | Delhi Capitals

Prithvi Shaw didn’t start the season on a great note. He tried to go too hard after the bowlers and failed to capitalise on the starts he got in the first two games. While he got out for 7 in the first match, the youngster scored 24 in the second game against the Chennai Super Kings.

His best performance came against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 10 of IPL. He proved to the world why he is regarded as such a fine talent with his strokeplay. Shaw picked the gaps with ease but was unfortunate to have missed out on scoring his first IPL century. He was dismissed for 99 runs in that game but nevertheless it helped team win the game.

3. Mayank Agarwal | Kings XI Punjab

Mayank Agarwal has always been a heavy run-scorer in the domestic circuit. But when it comes to the IPL, he has been rather unlucky. More often than not, he has failed to maintain the consistency in the tournament leading to severe disappointment.

But the last year has been great for him. He also made his debut for India and IPL 2019 could be a breakthrough season for him. He started off well with 123 runs in 3 matches at an average of 41. His 21-ball 43 against the Mumbai Indians was one of the better knocks this season so far. The right-hander will only get better from here.

4. Sanju Samson | Rajasthan Royals

It was a great first week for Sanju Samson. The Rajasthan Royals backed him to bat ahead of Steve Smith at the crucial number three position. He didn’t have the best of starts and scored 30 off 25 in the first match. But in the second game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, he was an absolute beast.

The 24-year-old scored an unbeaten 102 off just 55 balls bringing up the first century of the season. He played classy cricketing shots and never tried anything fancy. However, he was unfortunate to have ended up on the losing side. He encountered testing conditions in the third game against CSK and got out for just 8 runs in that match. He should look be more consistent now going forward in the season.

5. Nitish Rana | Kolkata Knight Riders

Nitish Rana has come up as a pleasant surprise for the Kolkata Knight Riders in this season. He was always regarded to be talented but never managed to create as big an impact as he did in the first week of this season. Rana was asked to open the innings in the first game against SRH.

In that match, he put his team right on the top with a 47-ball 68 and continued with the good form in the next game as well. Batting at four against KXIP, he mustered an aggressive 63 from 34 balls in that game but couldn’t deliver in the third match against Delhi Capitals. He finished the week with 132 runs in 3 games at an average of 44.

6. Jonny Bairstow (wk) | Sunrisers Hyderabad

Picking the wicket-keeper for this best XI was quite a tough task. Two Indian wicket-keepers, Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni have done well in the first week. However, it is Jonny Bairstow who runs away with a spot in this team after that scintillating century against Bangalore.

Even though he should have opened the innings in this eleven, the combinations don’t allow to do so. Thus, he will bat at number six and take up the finisher’s role along with Andre Russell. With 198 runs in 3 innings at an average of 66, Bairstow was the second-highest run-scorer of the week.

7. Andre Russell | Kolkata Knight Riders

Andre Russell has been unbelievable in the three games so far. He finished the first week as the third-highest run scorer. At one stage, he had the opportunity of winning both the Orange and the Purple caps showing how destructive he’s been. KKR’s success in the first two games has to be largely attributed to this Jamaican.

Within a matter of time, he changed the complexion of the match and stunned one and all. These wins were improbable if it was anyone else other than Russell. While he scored 49 off 19 against SRH, the Caribbean made a 17-ball 48 against KXIP, thanks to a no-ball where he was dismissed. His approach didn’t change even in a pressure situation against DC and he scored 62 off 28 balls in that game.

8. Yuzvendra Chahal | Royal Challengers Bangalore

Yuzvendra Chahal finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker after the end of the first week. The leg-spinner bowled his heart out and always tried to go for wickets. Playing in RCB’s first home game at the Chinnaswamy, he picked up a four-wicket haul.

Before that match, he was terrific on a rank turner in Chennai. In his four overs, he gave away just 6 runs and picked up one wicket. However, he didn’t finish the week as well as he’d have liked. In the game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chahal conceded 44 runs and picked just one wicket. He will need support from the other end if the RCB are expecting to turn it around going forward.

9. Imran Tahir | Chennai Super Kings

The Chennai Super Kings do not have the best of bowling line-ups this season. Furthermore, they were plagued by injuries even before the season kicked off. Lungi Ngidi and David Willey pulled out from the tournament. Yet, they finished at the top of the points table and Imran Tahir had a major role to play in it.

The leg-spinner bowled extremely well in the three games thus far and always tried to be one step ahead of the batsmen. He finished with the Purple Cap as the highest wicket-taker with six wickets in three games at an average of 8.67. DJ Bravo was a close contender for this spot but Imran edges him out.

10. Harbhajan Singh | Chennai Super Kings

Picking a player for this spot was the toughest in this eleven. Since there are already four overseas players, an Indian had to be selected and it had to be a bowler looking at the combinations. Sandeep Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ravindra Jadeja were the possible options for this slot. But it is Harbhajan Singh who manages to get through for his spell in the tournament opener.

The pitch did assist the spinners. But the ball also had to be landed in the right areas to outfox some terrific batsmen in the opposition. Harbhajan picked up the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali in that game. Even though he went wicketless in the next, his performance finds him a spot in this eleven.

11. Jasprit Bumrah | Mumbai Indians

Jasprit Bumrah might not have started well against the Delhi Capitals. But he came back strong against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. It was solely due to his efforts in the bowling department that Mumbai won the match. He bowled brilliantly at the death and gave Lasith Malinga a lot of runs to defend in the final over.

The batsmen fear to go after him and even if they do, they get outfoxed by his variations. Even someone like AB de Villiers hardly got going against him which is a testimony of his capability. Bumrah picked four wickets in three games thus far at an average of 20.75. He went wicketless against KXIP and MI lost that match.

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