3 IPL stalwarts who could be good fits in the Indian cricket team's middle order

2. Nitish Rana

Picture Source: Pinterest

One name synonymous with the IPL when we talk of the league's top run-scorers every year is Nitish Rana. Rana has been a consistent figure in the IPL and has been one name that has entered talks of an Indian call-up very often. Rana averages close to 30 in the IPL in 46 games and has been a vital cog in the sides that he has been a part of.

In the last 4 seasons of the IPL, Rana has averaged 30 plus in three seasons and has had 300 plus run seasons on 3 occasions as well. In a league as competitive as the IPL, with its world-class bowlers, it's definitely not an easy job to maintain this level of consistency over a long period. Rana's best season came in purple and gold last year when he went on to score 344 runs at a strike rate of 146.4 in the season of 2019.

Rana has a List A average of 37.6 and considering he provides a left-hand option in the middle-order, he can come in very handy. Not to forget he is a very useful off-break bowler as well and can bowl some valuable overs for the side which adds a lot of value to his claim.

1. Suryakumar Yadav

IPL Qualifier - Mumbai v Chennai

Suryakumar Yadav, famously known as SKY, is easily one of the most consistent players in the Indian circuit and if there is anyone who deserves a go in that Indian side it has to be this lad. He has been an integral part of Mumbai's domestic side as well as the Mumbai Indians unit in the IPL. The right-hander has been making a strong case for quite some time now.

The stand-out feature of Yadav's batting is his ability to shift gears through an innings. He has the ability to play the waiting game and also accelerate when needed, which is a standout feature for any good middle-order batsman.

He has been scintillating, to say the least, in the last 2 seasons of the IPL. He scored 512 runs in the 2018 season at an average of 36.6 and followed it up with 424 runs in the 2019 season at an average of 32.6. That adds up to around 950 runs in the last 2 IPL seasons against some of the world's best bowlers.

Yadav, who is now 29 will be looking to make it big whenever he gets an opportunity and considering his consistent run off-late it cant be very long before the selectors decide to give him a go in the limited over formats.