IPL 2022: Best XI from the third week

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Andre Russell. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)The third week of IPL 2022 concluded with the match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Kane Williamson and Co. managed to beat their opponents by seven wickets with 13 balls to spare. The victory marked SRH’s third consecutive win in the tournament.

The third week of the tournament was filled with some exciting cricketing action. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) managed to open their account in their fifth match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) this week, thanks to Robin Uthappa and Shivam Dube’s record 165-run partnership for the third wicket. Meanwhile, five-time champion Mumbai Indians (MI) had to face their fifth consecutive defeat in the tournament.

As we move into the middle phase of the tournament, points tables are taking shape and teams are looking stable with their combinations. The reason behind that is their key players are performing at the right moment. Talking about key players, a few players were spectacular with their performances during the third week of the tournament.

Best XI of the third week of IPL 2022

1. Robin Uthappa

The unfailingly consistent and proven match-winner, Robin Uthappa has been a part of the IPL since the inaugural 2008 season and consistently scored runs for his respective teams in a proficient manner. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) acquired Uthappa’s services back in the 2022 mega auction after he performed well in the limited opportunities that he got for the franchise in 2021.

In a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the veteran opener slammed his highest IPL score of 88 from 50 balls, including nine maximums and four boundaries. His knock came when the team needed him a lot as he helped his side to register their first victory of the season after four consecutive defeats.

For CSK, Uthappa is the second-highest run-scorer this season so far with 194 runs in five matches. Hopefully, he will continue the same form in the upcoming matches and will provide a solid base for the four-time IPL winners.

2. David Warner

David Warner is one of the finest left-handed openers across three formats in the modern era. Since 2014, the Australian batter has been the only consistent overseas player to score 500 plus runs in every season except for the last year. His consistency, and ability to score runs quickly, make him one of the greatest batters in IPL history.

In his second game of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Warner played a brilliant knock of 61 off 45 balls which helped Delhi Capitals (DC) post a mammoth total of 215/5. His sensational knock included six fours and two sixes. It was enough for Delhi to drown Kolkata and return to winning ways.

The 35-year-old batter, who had a poor run in IPL 2021, will hope to continue the good start as Rishabh Pant and Co. aim for their maiden title after a couple of playoff exits.

3. Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav has arguably been the most prolific batter for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the last three years. The middle-order batter missed the first two games of the season due to a finger injury and made a solid comeback with 52 runs off 36 balls in the next game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Coming to this week’s performance, the versatile batter has scored an unbeaten 68 runs off 37 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to rescue the team from a difficult situation when they were 79/6. On a pitch, where several Mumbai batters struggled to score, Yadav’s inning was pleasing to watch as he smashed six sixes and 5 fours all around the park.

In the following game, the Mumbaikar continued his form and played another brilliant knock of 43 runs off 30 balls. However, his knocks couldn’t avert Mumbai’s defeat. The five-time IPL champions will hope Suryakumar to continue the superlative form as they look to bounce back in the tournament after five straight defeats.

4. Shivam Dube

Shivam Dube, a powerful middle-order batter and a handy medium pacer, was one of the biggest founding of CSK in the 2022 season. The Mumbai-based all-rounder was bought by Chennai for INR 4 crores at the IPL 2022 mega auction. The 28-year-old has a reputation for being a clean hitter of the ball and has lived up to expectations this season.

On Tuesday, against RCB, Dube played an unbeaten knock of 95 runs off 46 balls, his highest score in the IPL. His magnificent knock included 8 sixes and 5 fours. The southpaw joined hands with Robin Uthappa and stitched the highest partnership for the third wicket in IPL history and propelled CSK to a daunting total enough to secure their first win of IPL 2022.

Dube has had a breakthrough season so far in the yellow jersey. In 5 matches, the dashing batter has smashed 207 runs at magnificent strike rate of 176.92. The all-rounder from Mumbai will hope to continue the good run as he looks to make a comeback to the Indian team.

5. Hardik Pandya (C)

The captain of the new IPL franchise, Gujarat Titans (GT), has shown tremendous form in all three departments. As a captain, Pandya has led his team from the front to the top of the points table with four wins in five matches. The ace all-rounder returned to action after a long injury haul and since then has been in superlative form.

Against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Pandya played a responsible knock of unbeaten 50 off 42 balls which helped his team post a competitive total of 162 on the board. With the ball in four overs of quota, the 28-year-old picked up one wicket at an economy of 6.75.

In the following game against Rajasthan Royals (RR), the flamboyant all-rounder from Baroda played an eye-pleasing knock of 87* from 52 balls. His brilliant knock included eight fours and four sixes. With the ball in hand, he once again contributed to bowling, as he picked up one wicket in 2.3 overs. Hardik Pandya also effected the run out of Sanju Samson that shifted the game in Gujarat’s favour.

6. Dinesh Karthik (WK)

Dinesh Kartik is one of the few cricketers to feature in all the IPL editions since 2008. He also led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the playoffs in 2018 as a captain. Over the years, the veteran wicket-keeper batsman has performed well and represented six teams throughout his IPL career. In the 2022 mega auction, he was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

The 36-year-old cricketer has lived up to the expectations for his new franchise so far this season. In their game against Mumbai Indians (MI), Kartik played only two balls and scored an unbeaten seven which includes one six. The top-order made significant contributions as Bangalore chased down the total convincingly.

In their next game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Karthik smashed 34 runs at a strike rate of 242.86, which included two fours and three sixes. However, the team fell short of 23 runs as the defending champions secured their first win of the season.

7. Andre Russell

The Caribbean allrounder is one of the most destructive and hard-hitting batters when it comes to T20 cricket. He has been one of the top performers for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the last few editions. Ahead of the 2022 mega auction, he was one of the four players retained by the franchise.

In the fifth league match against Delhi Capitals (DC), he picked up the wicket of Rishabh Pant, who was looking dangerous. In the following game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he displayed his batting prowess, hitting an unbeaten 49 runs off 25 deliveries which included four boundaries and as many sixes. With the ball, he picked up crucial wickets of Kane Williamson and Rahul Tripathi but couldn’t save his side from losing.

Be it in run-chases or setting a big total, Andre Russell has been the trump card for the Kolkata-based franchise. Hopefully, his all-round abilities will come good for the 2021 runner-up as they chase their third IPL title.

8. Yuzvendra Chahal

Veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is one of the most skilled leg-spinners in world cricket at present. Over the past few years, he has established himself as a bowler who can beat any batsman with his variations. Despite his antics with the ball, he was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Rajasthan Royals (RR) eventually roped for INR 6.50 crores at the mega auction.

Chahal has already made his presence felt in the Rajasthan colours, with some terrific performances. He was awarded the player of the match for his brilliant bowling performance of 4/41 against Lucknow Super Giants, which included Quinton De Kock, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, and Dushmantha Chameera. In the following game against Gujarat Titans (GT), the 31-year-old dismissed a dangerous-looking Abhinav Manohar on a score of 43.

Currently, Chahal holds the Purple Cap with 12 wickets under his belt in five matches at an economy of 6.80 runs per over. He has been in sublime form and Rajasthan will want him to continue in a similar fashion as they chase their second IPL title.

9. Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav is one of the rare breeds of spinners who can bowl left-arm leg-spin. However, his past two IPL seasons were not quite up-to-the-mark as he mostly warmed the benches for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) which led to his exit from the Indian cricket team.

However, he has revived his career after Delhi Capitals (DC) roped him for IPL 2022 at the mega auction. In four matches, Kuldeep has picked up 10 wickets with an economy of 7.40 runs per over. Compared to the previous year, Kuldeep has shown more courage in bowling and never shied away from his plans even in tough situations.

Against his former franchise KKR, Kuldeep proved his mettle, picking up four wickets, which included the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Pat Cummins. His Player of the match performance helped his team defend the total and return to the winning track.

10. Kagiso Rabada

South African speedster Kagiso Rabada is known for his raw pace, bounce, and accuracy. Since his debut, Rabada has risen sharply in international cricket and is also a prime bowler for South Africa. He has continued the good work for his new IPL team Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the ongoing IPL season. The franchise bought him for a whopping INR 9.25 crores in the 2022 auction and the seasoned fast bowler is doing justice to the hefty price tag.

In a league match against Mumbai Indians, the Johannesburg native picked up two crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. The pacer ended his spell with the figures of 2/29 which helped his side to register their third win of the tournament.

The speedster has an experience of 50 plus IPL games and played a crucial role in Delhi Capitals’ superb run in 2019 and 2020. Hopefully, he will deliver the same energy this season with his new IPL team as they chase their maiden IPL title.

11. Thangarasu Natarajan

Thangarasu Natarajan, who hails from Tamil Nadu, is known for hitting the yorker lengths at will in death overs. Natarajan had lit up the 2020 IPL season with consistent Yorkers, which earned him a place on the national side. This season, he was bought back by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for INR 4 crores at the mega auction earlier this year.

The left-arm pacer has been in a good rhythm so far in IPL 2022. Against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Natarajan gave the initial setbacks to the opposition and picked up two wickets at an economy of 7.50. In the next game against Gujarat Titans (GT), he consistently hit the right areas which awarded him another two wickets in his quota of four overs.

In their last fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the Yorker specialist sent Venkatesh Iyer back to the pavilion on the first delivery of his spell. He also dismissed Nitish Rana who was batting superbly on 54. He returned with figures of 3/37 as Hyderabad derailed Kolkata to win their third game of the season.