IPL 2018: Best XI after the first half of the tournament
The Indian Premier League 2018 is at its half-way mark and the competition for the top-four is finally reaching its peak. Chennai Super Kings are leading the pack after the first 27 games of the tournament while the defending champions, Mumbai Indians are struggling at the bottom of the table.
It's been a wonderful year so far with a lot of surprises. Many uncapped players are doing remarkably well for their teams and a number of veterans are looking far beyond their peak.
On that note, let’s look at the Best XI after the first half of the tournament.
Openers
#1 KL Rahul
Eyebrows were raised when KXIP decided to spend a whopping ₹11 crore on KL Rahul. But the Karnataka-born cricketer is proving his critics wrong with his performances and is also in contention to win the Orange cap.
He scored 268 runs in seven matches so far with an impressive strike rate of 170.70. Rahul registered two half-centuries to his name this season and also created a record of scoring the fastest fifty (14 balls) in the history of IPL.
KXIP are doing well this season and Rahul's form is one of their keys to their success.
#2 Ambati Rayudu
Nobody would have predicted Ambati Rayudu leading the race for the Orange Cap after the first half of the season. However, that's the scenario right now and the CSK batsman is running a riot this season.
Rayudu scored 329 runs in the six games with an average of 47.00. His strike rate of 154.46 is also impressive and is way above his IPL average of 128.99. He registered two half-centuries to his name with 82 being his highest score.
The Chennai-based team is sitting at the top of the points table and the veteran, Ambati Rayudu deserves a huge credit for that.