Who has been the best IPL all-rounder till date?

Some of the greatest modern day allrounders have enthralled the cricket fans with their all round brilliance on the field, ever since the initiation of IPL in 2008. Fine allrounders like Kieron Pollard, Albie Morkel, Shaun Pollock, Irfan Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja have shown their mettle with both the bat and the ball for their respective franchises.

However, three prominent and deserving names come to mind when we start debating about who the greatest IPL allrounder is. The three names are that of Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo and Jacques Kallis.

Jacques Kallis

Let’s first analyse KKR’s player turned coach, Jacques Kallis’ performance in the IPL. Kallis played a total of 98 games in the IPL from season 1 to 8 and scored 2427 runs at a decent average of 28.55, even though his strike rate is on the lower side at 109.22. His highest score was 89 not out. 

Kallis’ IPL Batting stats:

Matches	Total Runs	Batting Average	Strike Rate	Highest Score
98	2427	28.55	109.22	89*

Kallis’ IPL Bowling Stats:

Matches	Total Wickets	Bowling Average	Economy	Strike Rate	Best Bowling
98	65	26.8	7.89	35.27	3/13

When it comes to his bowling, he has picked up just 65 wickets with a slightly disappointing average of 35.27 and a best bowling figure of 3/13.  He does have a decent economy rate of 7.89. He started his IPL career with Royal Challengers Bangalore and was rock solid at the top of the order for the KKR ever since he joined them in 2011.

Nevertheless, it’s a pretty good IPL record for the South African legend.

Dwayne Bravo

Now let’s move on to Dwayne Bravo- the Champion. Bravo has been exceptional in the IPL over the years. Mumbai Indians picked up Bravo in 2008 but the West Indian was an absolute revelation when he started to showcase his all round skills for the Chennai Super Kings.

Dwayne Bravo IPL Batting Stats:

Matches	Total Runs	Batting Average	Strike Rate	Highest Score
93	1187	25.25	127.77	70*

Dwayne Bravo IPL Bowling Stats:

Matches	Total Wickets	Bowling Average	Economy	Strike Rate	Best Bowling
93	110	21.13	8.06	15.72	4/22

Bravo showed the world his true potential when he churned out game changing performances frequently for the men in yellow. He seemed to bail his team out of trouble coming down the order and picked wickets in heaps when it mattered the most. After CSK’s suspension he has started plying his trade for Gujarat Lions this season.

A look at his IPL career shows that Bravo has scored a total of 1187 runs in 93 matches at a pretty good strike rate of 127.77. His batting average is 24.78 which is superb for a batsman batting at lower middle order.

His bowling, though, has been outstanding to say the least with a total of 110 wickets at a really impressive average of 21.93. His economy is slightly on the higher side at 8.06 and his best bowling figures of 4/22 came a few days back against KXIP.

His excellent bowling strike rate of 15.72 (which means he takes a wicket every 16 balls roughly) enhances his reputation of being a wicket taker.

Shane Watson

Shane Watson, though, wins our vote for being arguably the greatest IPL allrounder till date. It was an extremely difficult pick between Dwayne Bravo and Shane Watson. What Shane Watson has achieved with the bat has been astonishing and he has backed his batting with some smart economical bowling.

Watson had played all his IPL cricket for Rajastan Royals till he joined the RCB after the Royals were suspended from the league. Watto, as he is fondly called, has set stadiums on fire with his blazing knocks time and again. Another feather in Watson's cap was his captaincy stint with the Royals after Rahul Dravid's retirement.

Shane Watson IPL batting stats first:

Matches	Total Runs	Batting Average	Strike Rate	Highest Score
79	2391	36.23	141.73	104

Shane Watson IPL bowling stats:

Matches	Total Wickets	Bowling Average	Economy	Strike Rate	Best Bowling
79	63	27.48	7.53	21.98	3/10

Why Watson is the best?

You must be thinking that Dwayne Bravo has excellent numbers too. So, why Watto then?

Lets compare their bowling first. From a look at their numbers, one can clearly see Bravo has picked more wickets than Watson in his IPL career but we must also remember the fact that Watson has played lesser number of games than Bravo.

The Australian has only played 79 games compared to Bravo’s 93. Economy is a key aspect when it comes to judging bowlers and Watson pips Bravo here with a better economy rate of 7.53 compared to Bravo’s slightly expensive 8.06.

The strike rate of Watson is not too bad either at 21.98 balls per wicket. He has always been pretty effective in pulling the run rate back in the middle overs with his canny bowling and has never shied away from bowling in the death.

When it comes to batting, Watson is miles ahead of Bravo, as their records suggest. The aggregate runs are not important but what matters is the average and most importantly the strike rate. Bravo's batting average is 25.25 and his strike rate is 127.77.

Shane Watson on the other hand, has a mind-boggling average of 36.23 in the most fickle format of cricket. On top of that stunning average, Watto has an unbelievable strike rate of 141.73 compared to Bravo's 127.77.

Watson has batted in the top order as well as the middle order over the last 8 years of IPL. An average of 36 speaks volumes of his consistency with the bat. When you mix that consistency with brutal power, you end up destroying the opposition's psyche and that is precisely what Watson has done with the willow.

The fact that Watson can hold his own with the ball in crunch situations and also win matches single handedly with the bat, tilted scales in his favour. It’s these qualities that make Watson the highest paid all rounder in the IPL.

The overall impact that Watson has had in the Indian Premier League makes him one of the top players to look forward to in this edition of the IPL. He should be an asset to the RCB this season and his recent retirement from international cricket might help him play his natural game more freely. Ominous times ahead then, for his opponents.