Left Handers' XI of IPL 2015
Be it the swaggering instincts of Christopher Henry Gayle or the majestic yorkers from Mitchell Starc, left-handers in this IPL have been precious assets for most of the franchises. And having reached the business end of IPL 2015, it is time to have a look inside the vault.
Here’s the left-handers XI of IPL 2015:
(Note: The team has been framed keeping in mind the constraints of team formation in the IPL i.e. 4 overseas players are included alongside an uncapped Indian player)
1. David Warner
The SRH captain was the lone warrior for them throughout the entire IPL. Warner smacked 7 half centuries in the season and is currently the orange cap holder with 562 runs in just 14 matches with a gigantic strike rate of 156.54.
Not only in this season, Warner has been the prime strength up the batting order for his previous team DD. His influence as a fielder has been magnetic and the 28-year old batsman has led his team right from the front as an example in this particular season.
Warner has been the prime reason for the bulk of the success SRH have had this season. An instance of his masterpiece can be drawn from his innings of 81 runs off 52 deliveries against KXIP of late, with 5 sixes and 4 fours, which almost in a single-handed fashion, sealed the game’s fate in favour of SRH.
He is known for providing his team with such tormenting starts. His fiery innings of 91 runs off just 55 deliveries against a strong bowling line up of KKR in this IPL stood to be one of the best innings in this IPL and had the impact of enforcing a stern victory over the Knights.
2. Chris Gayle
When it comes to brute force, the first name that comes into our minds is Christopher Henry Gayle. Gayle has inflicted severe destruction to the opposition in the past and this season was no exception to it. As a matter of fact, Gayle has scored 450 runs in 13 matches this season.
Also, he has hit the maximum number of sixes this season so far with 35 sixes. Possession of the highest run scorer in T20 format (with 7398 runs) and opening the innings for the team, by itself inches the team a step closer towards the victory line. To draw instances of his tormenting destruction, one got to speak about his innings of 96 runs off 56 deliveries right in RCB’s first match in this IPL.
Gayle kept on smacking the balls when wickets kept on falling at the other end. Also, his century against KXIP, where he went on to score 117 runs off just 57 deliveries was terribly good in brief. Last but not the least, one got to mention about his fiery innings of 35 runs off 10 deliveries which did set the pace for RCB in the rain affected chase against SRH.
Even bowlers in the likes of Steyn and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar looked dim in front of the big Jamaican. Moreover, an opening pair featuring Gayle and Warner is equivalent to a nightmare for the opposition and perhaps is the last thing any opposition wants.
3. Parthiv Patel (Wicketkeeper)
Parthiv has been a consistent opening batsman for MI this season, but since our opening spot has been filled in by two greats, Parthiv had to be placed at number three.
The wicket keeper batsman has played decently and has been involved in back to back century partnerships for MI of late. Parthiv has scored a total of 339 runs in 13 matches this season. Moreover, he has proved his instinct as a big match player in this IPL.
He scored a decent unbeaten half century against SRH when it mattered the most for MI and ensured comprehensive victory for MI to qualify for the playoffs as the second-ranked team. Adding to that, his innings of 35 runs off 25 deliveries against CSK can never be ignored, owing to the impact that such an innings made. It eased off things for Pollard at the death overs to smack the ball fearlessly.
Also, he has been quite much reflexive with his wicket-keeping in this season. He has proved his maturity as a wicket keeper for a number of times in the past and this season has been no exception to it. The way he dismissed Bravo by a direct throw in the Qualifier is indeed something praiseworthy. Having him as the wicket keeper of the side, can be considered as a healthy measure for teams.