The Best XI from the five rounds of the Indian Premier League that were held in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
-
-
2 - Dwayne Smith, Chennai Super Kings. Released by Mumbai Indians after their title-winning campaign. Error. The West Indian opener was in prime touch in the yellow of Chennai, hitting 240 runs at a strike-rate of nearly 144. Pawan Singh / The National -
3 - Ajinkya Rahane, Rajasthan Royals. The highest ranked Indian batsman in the run-scoring charts. The Royals batsman made two half-centuries, scoring 182 runs overall from the 151 deliveries he faced in their five games in the UAE. Ravindranath K / The National -
4 - Glenn Maxwell, Kings XI Punjab. May be lucky to retain his place in the side when they return to Mohali as he has been average the past two games. Before that, the Australian was otherworldly, with innings of 95, 89 and 95. Pawan Singh / The National -
5 - JP Duminy, Delhi Daredevils. Delhi's campaign here was headlined by a South African-born batsman, who does a sideline in off-spin, and is best known by his initials. But Kevin Pietersen missed most of it through injury, so Duminy stole the show. Pawan Singh / The National -
6 - Manish Pandey, Kolkata Knight Riders. Briefly wore the orange cap as the leading run-scorer following scores of 64 and 48 in his first two matches. Was virtually batting as an opener as he was coming in after run-shy Gautam Gambhir. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National -
7 - Varun Aaron, Royal Challengers Bangalore. Bowling seamers at a friendly pace is a precarious occupation in the UAE, but a number of that ilk thrived here. With eight wickets at a thrifty economy rate, Aaron was the leader of the pack. Pawan Singh / The National -
8 - Sunil Narine, Kolkata Knight Riders. First name on the team sheet. Opposition sides often select their batting order based on when they reckon the West Indian spinner will be bowling. Some insist they have players who can read him. As if. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National -
9 - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sunrisers Hyderabad. The most impressive and skillful Indian seamer on display here. His three for 19 against Kings XI, when Maxwell was savaging all the other bowlers in Sharjah, was a mini-masterpiece. Pawan Singh / The National -
10 - Pravin Tambe, Rajasthan Royals. Edges Yuzvendra Chahal for the second spinner berth - although both had great success to go with compelling stories. The 42-year-old leg-spinner's Indian summer continued with seven wickets in the UAE. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National -
11 - Sandeep Sharma, Kings XI Punjab. Back-to-back man of the match awards. Bowled Chris Gayle first ball. Seven wickets in three games and an economy well under six. Uncapped Indian players rarely have it so good. Ravindranath K / The National
In pictures: Best XI of UAE leg of the Indian Premier League
Most popular today
