IPL 2022: The most intimidating IPL XI of all time
The IPL 2022 season will start on March 26 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It is the 15th edition of the tournament, and it promises the most entertaining IPL season. With two new IPL teams joining the race to the title, the competition should be more exciting.
When the Indian Premier League start, many fans felt the batters will decimate the bowlers in the tournament. Looking at the first innings of the first IPL match, more fans started believing so after Brendon McCullum smashed 158 runs in a 20-over inning.
But in the second innings, the bowlers showed they too can rule this format with their skills as the Kolkata Knight Riders bundled out a star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore lineup for just 82 runs. Batters and bowlers have equally dominated the league.
Some players have been more dangerous than others, and a few have dominated their opponents to such an extent that there is fear in the opposition camp when they bat or bowl. Ahead of the 15th season, in this listicle today, we will look at the most intimidating IPL XI of all time.
Openers - Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma
Chris Gayle owns the record for the most sixes and highest individual score in IPL history. The big man from Jamaica scored 4,965 runs in 141 innings at a strike rate of close to 150.
His opening partner Rohit Sharma is the most successful IPL captain in terms of winning IPL trophies. He has won five IPL titles as captain besides scoring 5,611 runs at an average of 31.17.
View the IPL Winners List here.
Middle-order: Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni (WK)
The middle-order comprises the leading run-getter of the tournament Virat Kohli, Mr. IPL Suresh Raina, Mr. 360 AB de Villiers and Thala MS Dhoni. All four players possess the ability to turn the match upside down in a matter of moments.
They have single-handedly won matches for their respective franchises in the league. While Kohli holds the record for the most hundreds by an Indian in the league, Raina was once the top run-scorer. Dhoni and de Villiers have entertained fans with their big-hitting over the years as they are among the top six-hitters in the competition's history.
All-rounders - Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and Rashid Khan
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Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell have been two of the best all-rounders in the tournament's history. They have been the backbone of the Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders respectively for quite some time.
Both have regularly played unbelievable knocks to win games for their franchises besides taking wickets whenever needed and giving their 100% as a fielder.
They have the company of Rashid Khan in the all-rounders' section. Such has been the impact of the Gujarat Titans star that the opposition batters have not thought of playing big shots during his spell.
Khan always bowls economical spells and takes crucial wickets for his team. In the last few seasons, he has also shown that he can contribute his bit with the willow as a finisher.
Bowlers - Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah
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Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah have troubled batters with their pace bowling in the league.
Malinga's variations and perfect yorkers made him the most successful bowler in the tournament's history, whereas Bumrah has led the Mumbai Indians' pace attack well after Malinga's retirement. Like Malinga, Bumrah bowls great yorkers and mixes it up with variations.
Rashid, Russell and Bravo can bowl four overs each, while Raina and Gayle can chip in with some off-spin whenever needed. Also, if this team plays on a spin-friendly track, Sunil Narine could replace one of the batters or the all-rounders. It goes without saying that defeating this team in a T20 game would be extremely tough.