IPL 2015: Best XI from Pool Stage of Indian Premier League
And then there were four. Yes, after 54 matches, 628 wickets, 639 sixes and infinite playings of this jingle, the group stages of the 2015 Indian Premier League have been completed.
But which players have been the stars of the tournament's opening round?
Some choices are obvious. The likes of Ajinkya Rahane and David Warner have been in exhilarating form with the bat, while Dwayne Bravo has been taking wickets for fun with the ball.
However, can you guess the rest of the team?
Please note, this XI is based on the player’s cumulative performances across all games so far and is a fully functioning match-ready XI.
12th Man
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Of course choosing just 11 players from the IPL's star-studded ranks is a difficult task, and a number of high-quality performers are unfortunate to miss out.
Here are a few players who, for a variety of reasons, just failed to make the cut:
Virat Kohli: The gifted 26-year-old narrowly misses out on an opening spot, despite scoring 481 runs at an incredible average of 53.44.
Chris Gayle: This IPL stalwart produced a couple of staggering innings and bludgeoned 34 sixes, but he can't dislodge either of the openers in this side.
Brendon McCullum: Like Gayle, the New Zealand skipper was in-form, and it is only his peers' form that kept him out of the XI.
MS Dhoni: Scored rapid runs when required and successfully guided Chennai to the top of the table but was outperformed behind the stumps.
Yuzvendra Chahal: Finishing joint-second in the wicket-taker ranks with 19 victims was impressive but a sky-high economy rate of 9.45 counts against the youngster.
Imran Tahir: No other spinner took as many scalps as the leg-spinner but, as per Chahal, a high economy rate counted against him.
1. David Warner (capt)
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Key statistics
Innings: 14
Runs: 562
Strike rate: 156.54
50s/100s: 7/0
Despite being burdened with the pressure of the Sunrisers captaincy just days before the tournament was due to begin, David Warner has responded with a display of controlled brutality.
Seven half-centuries—nobody else scored more than four—underlines the 28-year-old's consistency, but his strike rate and tally of 84 boundaries, 20 of which went for six, emphasises his power.
The Australian currently sits on top of the run-scorers' list but is likely to be surpassed, seeing as though his side finished sixth in the table and missed the play-off cut.
2. Ajinkya Rahane
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Key statistics
Innings: 12
Runs: 498
Strike rate: 133.15
Average: 49.80
The Royals sneaked into the play-offs by just one point, thanks in no small part to the huge volume of runs contributed by their classy opener Ajinkya Rahane.
The 26-year-old's consistency was the key, scoring three consecutive half-centuries at one point, although his unbeaten 91, helping his side to victory over Delhi, was his most impressive knock.
Rahane was recently singled out for praise from Ajit Wadekar who, as reported by ESPN Cricinfo, praised the run machine's exemplary batting technique...something of a rarity in the big-hitting IPL.
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3. Robin Uthappa (wk)
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Key statistics
Innings: 13
Runs: 364
Strike rate: 131.40
Catches/stumpings: 7/5
Among a plethora of exceptional wicketkeeper-batsmen, such as Sanju Samson and MS Dhoni, Kolkata's Robin Uthappa has been the most impressive.
Behind the sticks the 29-year-old has participated in 12 dismissals, which includes an impressive five stumpings—one more than any of his rival glovesmen.
But it's with the bat that keepers are judged these days, and Uthappa has provided his team with consistent good starts, only failing to make double figures once.
4. AB De Villiers
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Key statistics
Innings: 12
Runs: 446
Strike rate: 176.98
Best: 133 not out
Recording a strike rate north of 150.00 isn't a rarity in T20 cricket these days, but to score a significant volume of runs at a rate 176.43 maintained across 12 innings is incredible.
AB de Villiers has managed this and more over the last few weeks, as he has transferred his impressive World Cup form across to India for the IPL.
The highlight of course was the South African's brutal unbeaten 133 against Mumbai, which came off just 59 balls, 23 of which sped towards or over the boundary.
5. JP Duminy
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Key statistics
Innings: 13
Runs: 414
Strike rate: 131.42
Wickets: 8
Taking over the captaincy of the Daredevils, who finished bottom of the pile in 2014, was never going to be an easy task for South Africa's JP Duminy.
However, the experienced 31-year-old led from the front by contributing 414 runs and four half-centuries to oversee a marginally improved campaign, although Delhi only finished one place higher in the table.
Duminy also chipped in with eight useful wickets, and his underrated spin could prove useful to this team in a support role to the main slow bowler.
6. Dwayne Bravo
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Key statistics
Matches: 14
Runs scored: 166
Strike rate: 131.74
Wickets: 20
Economy rate: 7.95
Dwayne Bravo showed once more why he's a highly sought commodity in cricket's shortest format by topping the wicket charts over the course of the IPL group stage.
Delivering his usual unpredictable box of tricks, the Trinidadian collected 20 scalps from 41.2 overs, which included a trio of three-wicket hauls.
Throw in some lusty late-order blows, including an unbeaten 62, and it is clear that Bravo is one of T20's leading all-rounders.
7. Andre Russell
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Key statistics
Matches: 13
Runs: 326
Strike rate: 192.89
Wickets: 14
Economy rate: 7.96
Andre Russell, one of the phalanx of West Indian T20 mercenaries, enjoyed something of a breakthrough season for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
The Jamaican all-rounder contributed in both disciplines, scoring 326 runs at an incredible strike rate of over 190.00 while picking up 14 wickets with the ball.
Russell's most impressive performance came against table-toppers Chennai, where he picked up 2/20 from four economical overs and then smashed a 25-ball half-century to see his side over the line.
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
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Key statistics
Matches: 11
Wickets: 9
Economy rate: 5.73
Best: 2/5
In T20 cricket, wicket-takers grab most of the headlines, but it's those bowlers who can keep the run rate down who often also create the pressure which leads to batsmen making mistakes.
And Ravichandran Ashwin has done just this for Chennai, delivering his 30 overs at a miserly cost of just 5.73 runs per every six balls.
True, the 28-year-old only claimed nine wickets himself, but who knows how many he helped create for his Super Kings colleagues, such as Dwayne Bravo and Ashish Nehra?
9. Mitchell Starc
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Key statistics
Matches: 11
Wickets: 18
Economy rate: 6.91
Best: 4/15
Left-arm seamers continue to be all the rage, and Mitchell Starc remains atop the pile, following up his World Cup exploits with a prolific IPL group stage.
Remarkably, the 25-year-old took a wicket every 11.6 balls, and his haul of four for 15 against Kings XI paved the way for Royal Challengers Bangalore's biggest-ever win.
With the Ashes on the horizon, Australia will be hoping Starc can stay fit, so he's ready to terrorise England in a few months' time.
10. Lasith Malinga
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Key statistics
Matches: 13
Wickets: 19
Economy rate: 7.61
Best: 4/23
Lasith Malinga remains the bowler whom most batsmen would least like to face at the end of an innings...and maybe at the start of it also!
The wild-haired Sri Lankan was ultra-consistent throughout, but perhaps his best performance was in the crucial must-win clash with Hyderabad, where he claimed two for 17 from four overs.
Aged just 31, Malinga should have a few years left at the top and will expect to add plenty more wickets to his incredible career haul of 284.
11. Ashish Nehra
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Key statistics
Matches: 13
Wickets: 18
Economy rate: 7.04
Best: 4/10
Veteran seamer Ashish Nehra used all his experience to help Chennai maintain their 100 per cent record of, at least, reaching the IPL play-offs.
The veteran seamer, who last played Test cricket in 2004, bowled with great skill and control to collect 18 scalps at a respectable economy rate of 7.04.
Nehra's most impressive performance was when he returned incredible figures of 4/10 against the powerful Bangalore batting line-up to help his team to a comfortable 27-run win.
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