OPINION
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Jos Buttler (RR) - 863 runs @ avg 57.53 and SR 149.05; 4 hundreds and 4 fifties
This does not require an explanation, does it? Throughout IPL 2022, Buttler batted like a man possessed, and nearly took the Royals all the way. He was an aggressor, anchor, destroyer and finisher all at once, and such was his dominance in the season that he ended up scoring a staggering 247 more runs than any other batter in the competition.
David Warner (DC) - 432 runs @ avg 48.00 and SR 150.2; 5 fifties
The second opener spot was a very tight call between KL Rahul and David Warner, but the Australian gets the nod due to the overall composition of the XI (which you’ll find out soon). Not only will Warner add more dynamism due to being a left-hander, he also, as an overall package, will compliment Buttler better (owing to his ability to take down spin). The 35-year-old did not put a foot wrong in IPL 2022, and excelled across all phases against all bowling types.
Middle-order
Rahul Tripathi (SRH) - 413 runs @ avg 37.54 and SR 158.23; 3 fifties
‘Intent machine’ Rahul Tripathi is, unsurprisingly, the number three in our best XI of the tournament. Tripathi, in IPL 2022, scored more runs than any other number three, but impressively did so at a SR of 158.2, the highest among all #3 batters with 200 or more runs in the season. Just in case you’re unaware, Tripathi, according to our batting impact, was the second most impactful batter of IPL 2022.
Hardik Pandya (GT) - 487 runs @ avg 44.27 and SR 131.26; 4 fifties
The No.4 and the captain of our team of the tournament is none other than Hardik Pandya. Though Pandya’s strike rate (131.26) was on the lower side by his own high standards, the 28-year-old stood up everytime his team needed him. Gujarat, on paper, seemed like the weakest batting side in the competition, but Pandya raised his batting to a whole different level; this emboldened those around him to bat freely. Throw in his bowling (8 wickets at ER 7.27) and captaincy, the all-rounder all but walks into the XI.
Liam Livingstone (PBKS) - 437 runs @ avg 36.41 and SR 182.08; 4 fifties
The most impactful batter of IPL 2022 according to our metrics, Liam Livingstone is the No.5 in our best XI. Every franchise would love to have a middle-order batter capable of scoring 400+ runs in the season; Livingstone not only accumulated 400+ runs, but did so at an astounding strike rate of 182.08. The Englishman flayed everything that came his way, and sent shivers down the spine of every opposition skipper. Admittedly he did not have a great season with the ball, but the 28-year-old’s ability to bowl off and leg-spin also makes him a ‘must-have’ in the XI.
Andre Russell (KKR) - 335 runs @ SR 174.47; 17 wickets @ ER 9.86
The first of the two finishers in our XI is Andre Russell, who actually had quite a stellar season. KKR had an abysmal IPL 2022 campaign but Russell shone, with both bat and ball. In fact, according to our metrics, only four batters had a higher impact than Russell in the group stages. And despite bowling nowhere close to the same amount of overs as the other frontline bowlers, Russell finished IPL 2022 as KKR’s highest wicket-taker. The definition of a ‘madlad’.
Wicket-keeper
Dinesh Karthik (RCB) - 330 runs @ avg 55.00 and SR 183.33
Indeed, there was no way we were going to leave DK out of our best XI of IPL 2022. Deployed primarily at No.6 and No.7 by RCB, Karthik’s finishing in IPL 2022 was outrageous. In overs 16-20, the 36-year-old struck at 207.4 while finding the fence every 3.2 balls, and he positively impacted more than half-a-dozen matches. DK, in fact, was solely responsible for the fact that the Royal Challengers made it to the playoffs.
Bowlers
Harshal Patel (RCB) - 19 wickets @ ER 7.66
Harshal Patel did not have a season as imperious as IPL 2021, but the 31-year-old, nevertheless, still proved to be one of the best bowlers in the league. Harshal was not too prolific on the wickets column, but the right-armer managed to strangle the batters big time. Outside the powerplay he boasted an economy of 7.6, and turned out to be a real trump-card for Faf du Plessis. On the basis of being an invaluable asset in the middle and at the death, he makes it to our best XI of the season.
Yuzvendra Chahal (RR) - 27 wickets @ ER 7.75
Like Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal’s selection is pretty much self-explanatory. He finished IPL 2022 as the highest wicket-taker, and did an astounding job for the Royals not just in the middle, but at the death too. Chahal was Samson’s trump card, and he delivered nearly every time the skipper threw the ball to him.
Mohsin Khan (LSG) - 14 wickets @ ER 5.96
That economy rate should tell you everything you need to know. An ER of 5.96 in a high-scoring season like this, on debut. Absolutely preposterous. Why Mohsin makes our best XI of the tournament, though, is due to his new-ball exploits. In the powerplay, the left-armer proved to be an absolute menace, averaging 14 while going at 5.3 runs per over. In the first over of matches, he conceded at 3.8 runs per over while striking thrice. Talk about setting the tone!
Arshdeep Singh (PBKS) - 10 wickets @ ER 7.70
Numbers will never do justice to the kind of season Arshdeep Singh enjoyed. The left-armer did not take as many wickets as he would have liked, but with the ball, there was no one more clutch than Arshdeep in IPL 2022. Punjab skipper Mayank Agarwal threw the ball to Arshdeep everytime his side were in trouble, and every single time the 23-year-old pulled things back and kept his side in the contest. Consider this: Arshdeep bowled 22 overs at the death in IPL 2022, and went at under 8. Simply mind-boggling. There’s a reason why the youngster finds himself in the national squad for the tour of South Africa, and will, in all likelihood, be capped by the time the next season comes around.
Cricket.com’s IPL 2022 team of the tournament
Jos Buttler, David Warner, Rahul Tripathi, Hardik Pandya (c), Liam Livingstone, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohsin Khan, Arshdeep Singh
