IPL 2019: Ranking the all-rounders of the 8 IPL teams
The IPL is getting more and more competitive with each season. All-rounders are the players which receive large sums for their services in the shortest format of cricket. It is an important value-add if a player can chip in with both the bat and ball.
With a few months' time remaining for the start of the season, and with the IPL squads of each team already been finalized after the conclusion of the auction, it will be interesting to analyze the all-rounders of all the 8 IPL teams.
There will be many players featuring in the upcoming edition of the IPL who will be potent both with the ball and bat.
In this article, we will rank the all-rounders of the 8 teams:
#8 Kings XI Punjab
As many as 13 players were bought by the Punjab-based franchise of the IPL which saw a major overhaul in their side ahead of the new season. There was a lot of money splurged in the bid to make the team stronger and more balanced.
Moises Henriques was roped in during the auction for ₹1 crore. The batting All-rounder has been having a decent run of form. He recently made 152 against Queensland and 99 against South Australia. The 31-year-old is currently playing for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League.
Ravichandran Ashwin is expected to lead the Punjab-based franchise to the playoffs after a dismal 7th place finish last time around. The veteran Indian Bowling Allrounder is a key component in the team. A regular contributor and wicket-taker with the ball, the 32-year-old is also known to chip in with some runs as he comes in to bat in the lower-middle order.
20-year-old Sam Curran is a brilliant prospect bought by Punjab for a whopping ₹7.20 Crores. The English player is highly impressive with both bat and ball. Earning both his Test and ODI debut for the national team this year, the youngster will be high on confidence and look to come out all guns blazing in the IPL.
Varun Chakravarthy- everyone knows him now as he became the (joint) most expensive player to be sold at the auction. His big break came when he was picked up by Madurai Panthers to play in the 2018 Tamil Nadu Premier League and he went on to pick up 9 wickets with an economy rate of 4.7. The mileage he got in TNPL aided Varun to get a spot in the Tamil Nadu squad for the 2018 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Although the Tamil Nadu's performance was average and they could not make it past the Group stage, Varun stood out and picked up a massive 22 wickets in 9 matches. He is a player who will remind one of Ajanta Mendis of Sri Lanka.
Expected all-rounders to make the final playing XI:
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Sam Curran
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Moises Henriques
Darshan Nalanda, Agnivesh Ayachi, and Harpreet Brar were also bought at the auction for ₹ 30, 20, and 20 lakhs, respectively. It will be interesting to see what these youngsters have to offer to the team.