IPL 2020: All-Stars Game | 3 possible opening pairs for South-West India XI
So, there's been something new added to the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League. The league stage is set to begin on 29th March at the Wankhede Stadium but three days before the tournament kicks off, an IPL All-Stars game will happen between two teams.
These two teams will be picked from four franchises each based on the geographical location of those franchises. It will be the South-West (Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad) vs the North-East (Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Kings XI Punjab).
It has to be noted that players from Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, and England will not be available as all of those teams will be engaged in a bilateral international series.
So, without further ado, let's take a look at the three possible opening pairs for the South-West XI.
#3 Virat Kohli and Quinton de Kock
Virat Kohli and Quinton de Kock will form a deadly opening combo for the South-West XI as not only will the bowlers have to deal with two different types of players but also, with two different styles.
While Kohli loves to play shots on the leg-side early on in his innings, de Kock is an expert at threading the gap on the off-side. Both of them are attacking by nature and it is a dream pair for many. This pair ranks third because of Rohit Sharma as there isn't a dream opening pair in the world that doesn't consist of his name. Speaking of which....
#2 Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock
Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock is another partnership that we have already seen. The Mumbai Indians' openers were absolutely incredible last season and one cannot see any reason why these two shouldn't open for the South-West XI.
They are almost perfect for each other as Sharma takes some time to settle, while de Kock goes after the bowling from the word go. That is what we saw last season and we might see the same this season as well. These two are one of the best openers in the world at the moment and the right-left hand combination is the cherry on top.
#1 Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Who wouldn't want two of the world's best batsmen in limited-overs cricket to open the batting for them? There's an old saying that one should let their best batsmen bat for the most number of overs, so going by that, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should face the new ball for the South-West XI.
Bowling against these two is not easy because they don't need bad balls to hit boundaries and do it at will. We have seen the same so many times, when they turn up to play for India. Almost everyone would want to see Kohli and Sharma open the batting in a T20 match and an All-Stars game is a good excuse for it.
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IPL 2020: All-Stars Game | 3 players who can captain South-West India XI