IPL 2015: Best overseas XI

The presence of several high-quality overseas players plays a crucial role in enriching the Indian Premier League (IPL). The involvement of overseas players not only improves the quality of cricket on view but also leads to young Indian players gaining the invaluable experience of playing alongside some of the best overseas cricketers in the world. International players take the competitiveness to a much higher level and ensure a very professional and competent approach towards their team.

Across the eight editions of the IPL, overseas players have claimed the orange cap on six occasions and the purple cap on five occasions., which shows the kind of impact international players have had in the IPL.

Here’s the best overseas XI of IPL 2015:

1. David Warner

David Warner won the orange cap this IPL season

David Warner was the mainstay of the Sunrisers Hyderabad batting line-up this season. Every time he came out to bat, he made sure he scored runs and provided a good start to the team, thereby making up for the lack of depth in their middle order. His exploits meant that SRH were very close to making it to the playoffs but were unfortunate to miss out as they lost their do-or-die game against eventual champions Mumbai Indians.

Overall, Warner aggregated 562 runs in 14 matches and won the orange cap. Even though the Australian did well, he, unfortunately, did not receive much support from his teammates apart from Shikhar Dhawan and Moises Henriques.

2. Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum provided some blistering starts to his team

Brendon McCullum had an outstanding World Cup campaign for New Zealand and he made sure that he continued his good run of form in the IPL as well. Opening the innings for CSK with Dwayne Smith, he ensured a good start to the team on most occasions and helped CSK qualify for the playoffs. Sadly, he had to miss the playoffs due to New Zealand’s ongoing Test series against England.

McCullum scored 436 runs in 14 innings for CSK at an average of 33. His standout innings came against Sunrisers Hyderabad as he scored a 56-ball 108, which consisted of nine sixes and seven fours, to lead his team to victory.

3. Lendl Simmons

Lendl Simmons

At the start of the tournament, Lendl Simmons was ignored by the Mumbai team management even though he had a brilliant season last year. Once he got the nod due to the injury to Aaron Finch, there was no looking back for him as he amassed 540 runs in 13 games at a brilliant average of 45. He also ended up as the third-highest run-getter this IPL season.

Simmons’ exploits at the top of the order were one of the reasons why Mumbai were able to turn it around for themselves and clinch the IPL trophy.

4. Shane Watson

Shane Watson after his brilliant hundred against KKR

Shane Watson played some crucial knocks once he returned to the Rajasthan team after recovering from injury during the early part of the season. It was an eventful tournament for the Aussie all-rounder as he quit captaincy during the middle of the tournament and handed over the reins to Steven Smith in a bid to pay greater attention to his game.

Watson aggregated 343 runs in the 10 games that he played this season. His match-winning knock of 104* against the Kolkata Knight Riders in a do-or-die situation helped RR cement their place in the playoffs. With the ball, however, he didn’t have a great time as he picked up only 6 wickets at an expensive economy rate of over 9 per over.

5. AB de Villiers

Regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of the modern era, AB de Villiers was in sensational form for RCB this season as he ended up scoring 513 runs in 15 games at an average of 46 and a strike rate of 175. His innings of 133* off 59 balls, including 14 fours and 4 sixes, against Mumbai Indians will go down as one of the greatest in IPL history.

This was the first time that de Villiers got over 500 runs in a single season of the IPL. The decision to make him bat at No. 3 worked wonders for the team, as he went on to play some brilliant knocks.

6. Jean-Paul Duminy

JP Duminy

Appointed skipper of the Delhi Daredevils this season, Jean-Paul Duminy was one of the best middle-order batsmen in this IPL. Even though DD had a poor season as they finished sixth, Duminy performed well for the team with the bat and chipped in with crucial wickets too.

He scored 414 runs in 14 matches this season at a healthy average of 41. His highest score came against Mumbai Indians at the Feroz Shah Kotla where he scored 78* off 50 balls. In another game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, his all-round performances led to a victory for his team as he scored 54 with the bat and took 4 for 17 with the ball.

7. Andre Russell

Andre Russell won the Player of the Tournament

West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell did not have much of an impact in earlier seasons of the IPL as he did not get too many opportunities. But this year, the story was completely different as he set the IPL on fire with his big hitting down the order and some smart bowling.

In the13 games that he played, he took 14 wickets and scored 326 runs at an average of 36 and an astounding strike rate of 193. Russell played some match-winning innings for KKR throughout the season, including a 21-ball 51 and a 48-ball 66 against Kings XI Punjab. He was rightly awarded the Player of the Tournament for his all-round show in the IPL.

8. Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo won the purple cap

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Dwayne Bravo was the go-to bowler for Chennai Super Kings, along with pacer Ashish Nehra, as he had the ability to pick wickets and bring in those variations to fox the batsmen. He was brought into the attack more often than not during the death overs and he never disappointed.

He bagged the purple cap this season as a result of finishing as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 26 wickets to his credit.

9. Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir

Leg-spinners have always been an asset for any team in the IPL and the same was the case with Delhi Daredevils spinner Imran Tahir. The South African was one of a very few overseas spinners who did well in the IPL this season.

Overall, Tahir played 10 matches this season and took 15 wickets. Against Mumbai Indians, he took three wickets in the space of four balls as the MI batsmen failed to get some quick runs off the wily leggie. Even though DD did not have a successful campaign, Tahir was undoubtedly one of their standout bowlers.

10. Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga looked off color at the initial stages of the tournament for Mumbai Indians, but once he regained his form and fitness, he was close to unplayable and proved to be instrumental in Mumbai’s turnaround as they won 9 out of their last 10 games.

The Sri Lankan ended up with 24 wickets in 15 games at an economy rate of just 7.4. In the race for the purple cap, he was only behind Dwayne Bravo, who took 26 wickets. He is also the only bowler to have taken 15 or more wickets in every season of the IPL that he has played in.

11. Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc was RCB’s standout bowler

Mitchell Starc’s success in this IPL came as a surprise to nobody as he was named the Man of the Tournament in the World Cup which ended just before the start of the IPL. The Aussie has established himself as the leading limited-overs bowler in the world and provided exactly what Royal Challengers Bangalore needed – a world-class bowler to help defend the scores amassed by their batting megastars.

RCB were transformed as soon as he arrived as they started winning consistently. In his second game, he took three wickets as the Royals were bundled out for a mere 130. His best, however, came against Kings XI Punjab when he took 4 for 15. Overall, Starc finished up with 20 wickets in 13 games at a sensational average of 14.5.