ICC Champions Trophy: 5 "IPL Brutes" fans will look out for

In a couple of days, the final edition of the Champions Trophy will begin with 50-over World Cup champions India taking on South Africa. After all the razmatazz and excitement (mostly off-field) of the recently-concluded Indian Premier League, there have been some incredible performers who will look to carry their good run into this ICC tournament. Here is a list of the 5 “IPL Brutes” (so named because of the way they performed right throughout the T20 extravaganza) who will be the cynosure of all eyes at England this year:

1. Dwayne Bravo (West Indies; Chennai Super Kings)

The newly-appointed captain of the West Indies national squad will be looking to steer his side to a second Champions Trophy title. Having recently bagged 32 wickets in the IPL, Bravo seems to be in the form of his life. His clever variations in pace and hard-hitting will also be invaluable assets for his side. Given the nature of wickets in England, he should enjoy bowling at a lively pace and it will not be too difficult for him to replicate his IPL form – barring injuries. The burden of captaincy might be a hurdle, but the Trinidadian loves a challenge, and the added responsibility might just see him do one better than he did in the IPL.

2. David Miller (South Africa; Kings XI Punjab)

The 23-year old southpaw impressed one and all with his immaculate stroke-play and calm approach. In the IPL, his unbeaten 101 off just 38 balls showed teams around the world what he is capable of once he gets his eye in. England’s pacy wickets might not be conducive to his style of shot-making, but he does have the ability to keep the scoreboard ticking with his quick running too. South Africa will look to this promising youngster to score as many runs as possible in the Powerplay overs. He could become an unstoppable force once he gets into his rhythm – I just hope there aren’t too many trees around the grounds which have been selected to host matches!

3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India; Pune Warriors India)

The Uttar Pradesh seamer was one of the few bright spots in Pune’s dismal IPL campaign. Blessed with the ability to extract movement both ways with the new ball, Bhuvi (as he is popularly known as) will be captain MS Dhoni‘s go-to man for picking up early wickets. He didn’t do too well in India’s warm-up game against Sri Lanka a few days ago, but he is a quick learner, and his success in the IPL this year is ample proof of his talent. He, too, will be looking to cement his place in the national side, and what better a location to do it in than the lively, bouncy wickets of England? At 23, through his IPL exploits, he may well end up leading the new-look Indian pace attack in the tournament.

4. James Faulkner (Australia; Rajasthan Royals)

The young Tasmanian bowling all-rounder has been in excellent form for his IPL side – two five-wicket hauls in the tournament attest to that fact. He also held the coveted Purple Cap for a short while, and is a handy batsman lower down the order. Like most left-arm fast-medium bowlers, Faulkner can move the ball both ways and possesses a deceptive slower ball that has fetched him bucketful of wickets in the shorter formats. Australia will look to the youngster to keep things tight and knock over a few in the middle overs or towards the end of the innings. He will provide a perfect foil to experienced seamers Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson if one goes by his superb IPL performances.

5. Virat Kohli (India; Royal Challengers Bangalore)

I had to think long and hard about the fifth player in this list. RCB batsmen Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers were certainly front-runners, as was CSK’s Suresh Raina. However, I chose Virat Kohli since he has been a little more consistent than the Jamaican marauder and has scored more runs than the remaining two. His aggressive behaviour notwithstanding, the RCB skipper was the one who helped steer his side to a comfortable win over Sri Lanka in the warm-up game for the Champions Trophy. Beginning with his assault on Lasith Malinga in Melbourne to his IPL exploits and the recent hundred he scored, Virat will once again shoulder the responsibilities of the No.3 batsman. His athletic fielding is also a major positive trait – one that can lift his teammates’ spirits in the field. India’s hopes rest on his young shoulders- and the former U-19 World Cup winner will look to carry his form throughout the entire tournament and win the trophy for his side.