Top 5 West Indies cricketers in IPL history

There's a distinct similarity between the vision of cricket the Indian Premier League (IPL) believes in and the Caribbean approach to the game. That the IPL brings the 'best flavour of the West Indies boys', as acknowledged by Mumbai Indians’ Harbhajan Singh, is a testament to the fact that the much-criticised camaraderie of the IPL resides in perfect harmony with the fun-factor that the likes of Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard seek in their cricket.Among all the craziness, however, those from the land of Sir Vivian Richards continue to establish their expertise in the shortest format of the game with no less swagger. Here we take a look at five West Indies cricketers whose consistency in the IPL has compelled their team to field them regularly in spite of the foreign players’ restrictions they are subjected to.

#5 Dwayne Smith

Another batsman perfectly suited to T20 cricket, Dwayne Smith was rumored to have been recognized as a promising youngster by the legend Viv Richards himself. However, despite possessing powerful technique and a myriad of shots, Smith hasn't been consistent enough to cement his place in the national side.

His IPL stats are far more impressive though. The right-hander averages 30.85 at a strike-rate of more than 135 in 60 IPL matches so far with 11 fifties and a highest of 87. Although strictly not an allrounder, his career tally of 15 wickets in 28 innings encapsulates the amount of versatility he offers.

The eighth edition of the IPL has witnessed Smith opening the innings for Chennai alongside Brendon McCullum with the duo complementing each other well and scoring runs in alternative matches.

#4 Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard is the sort of fabled allrounder you would always want in your team. He can pull off lusty blows with the bat, can be used as a floater in the line-up, can roll his arm over for a couple of overs at the death and can be trusted blindly anywhere in the field.

No wonder he was signed by the Mumbai Indians in a tie-breaker for an undisclosed amount after the bidding process had reached the highest limit of $750,000. After a couple of disappointing seasons in 2011 and 2012, Pollard returned in 2013 with renewed vigour scoring 420 runs in 18 matches. As he steered his team to the title, the man of the match in the final ended the campaign with no less than 10 useful wickets.

The 27-year-old remains a first-choice allrounder for the Mumbai outfit with a career strike-rate of 147.18 with the bat and 54 wickets in 72 innings with the ball. Apart from his exploits with bat and ball, he has also hogged headlines over the years for using his tall frame and completing unbelievable catches in the outfield.

#3 Dwayne Bravo

One of the typical products of the West Indies school of cricket, Dwayne Bravo’s flamboyance and passion for the game of cricket makes him one of the most loved cricketers in the world today. His wristy elegance as a batsman and ability to read the batsman while bowling in the end overs have proven extremely useful for the Chennai Super Kings and made him one of the most coveted overseas cricketers in the IPL.

Bravo has been with the Super Kings ever since 2011, after a brief stint with the Mumbai Indians. In 2012, he amassed 461 runs, averaging 46 at a strike-rate of 140. His exploits with the ball next year earned him the Purple Cap for 32 wickets at 15.00 apiece.

The allrounder's consistency in both the departments, coupled with his electric fielding in the deep, makes him absolutely irreplaceable for the Chennai outfit.

#2 Sunil Narine

When Gautam Gambhir had acquired the services of a young, mohawked Trinidadian at the 2012 IPL auction, none had anticipated the wealth he would bring to the team in the following months. By the time KKR had completed a victorious campaign for the first time in five years, Player of the Tournament Sunil Narine had already accumulated 24 scalps - the second highest in that edition.

The offspinner's mystery continued to baffle batsmen in 2013 when he emerged with 22 scalps in 16 matches. Success in the IPL gradually paved the way for his consistency in national colours. 69 wickets from 52 IPL matches is impressive enough, more so when one considers the miserly economy of 5.93 runs per over.

Although currently banned from delivering off-breaks due to a controversial action, there’s no doubt that Narine is a vital cog in KKR’s bowling line-up and will continue to be so in the future.

#1 Chris Gayle

The Jamaican southpaw had been one of the cynosures of the inaugural IPL season after he was snapped up by the Kolkata Knight Riders for a commanding USD 800,000. A groin injury in 2008 and a disappointing 2009 season curtailed by the England tour meant he never really teed off like he was expected to, during his stint with the Kolkata franchise.

Gayle, however, made amends once he joined the Royal Challenges Bangalore in 2011, unleashing his explosive range of strokes that made him arguably the most feared T20 batsman in the world. The encounter against Pune Warriors in 2013, for instance, witnessed vintage Gayle as he smashed every possible record on his way to a breathtaking 175 not out.

Such has been the dominance of this player, who interestingly has centuries in all formats of the game, that RCB have been found to rely heavily on him throughout the last few seasons. Averaging 46.79 while maintaining a strike-rate of 153.78 is no joke, especially when the guy boasts of 4 centuries and 18 fifties in 74 IPL innings.