5 best all-round performances in IPL 2016

Andre Russell Royal Challengers Bangalore
Andre Russell was at his devastating best against Bangalore

For a team to be perfectly balanced, it always needs an all-rounder to provide batting and bowling brilliance. There is no team in the world that found success without an all-rounder in their ranks. It was no difference in this year’s IPL as there were some great all-round displays in the tournament.

From Chris Morris’ fury against the Gujarat Lions all the way down to Ben Cutting’s brilliance in the final, the tournament has its own credentials when it comes to all-round displays.

And here are the 5 best all-round performances in the IPL 2016:

#5 Andre Russell against Royal Challengers Bangalore

His numbers might not be as glorious as the other people on this list, but it is this type of performances that should be highlighted more often than they usually are.

Opening the game with the ball, he gave away only 24 runs in his 4 overs while also grabbing a wicket. On a pitch which favoured the batsmen, coupled with the fact that Bangalore’s batting was the best in the tournament, he gave runs at only 6-per-over.

And with the bat, he assisted Yusuf Pathan to a 5-wicket win by scoring 39 runs from only 24 balls.

#4 Marcus Stoinis against Delhi Daredevils

Marcus Stoinis.JPG
Marcus Stoinis was on of the finds of the tournament with all round displays

Marcus Stoinis was one of the revelations of the tournament. His all-round displays were praised in many quarters and it was a shame that he couldn’t finish the tournament due to an injury.

However, before he was halted by injuries, he played one of the best all-round innings in this year’s IPL.

Opening the innings with Murali Vijay, he scored a composed 52 from 44 balls, helping his team reach the 180 mark. With the ball, he took 3 important wickets in his 4 overs to halt Delhi’s surge to the target, assisting Punjab to a 9-run win.

#3 Krunal Pandya against Delhi Daredevils

Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya tore into the Delhi bowling line-up as he hit 86 off just 37 balls

This was perhaps the most unexpected performance in the IPL 2016. Krunal Pandya was somewhat of an unknown name before the tournament began. However, by the time it ended, he was easily the better Pandya.

The game that shot his fame to another level came against Delhi Daredevils at Vizag. Batting first, his wrath consumed the DD bowlers as he scored 86 from only 37 balls in an innings that consisted of 7 fours and 6 sixes.

However, he wasn’t done just yet. With the ball, he managed to take 2 wickets while giving away only 15 runs in the 2.1 overs that he bowled.

#2 Chris Morris against Gujarat Lions

Chris Morris Gujarat Lions
Chris Morris was unfortunate to be on the losing side against Gujarat Lions

When he was signed by the Delhi Daredevils, a lot was expected from him. A bowler by trait, he also had a reputation for hitting the ball all over the park—making him a very handy all-rounder to have in a team.

And we saw both sides of brilliance in the game against the Gujarat Lions. The latter were the team that was batting first on a belter of a track.

On such conditions, Morris ended with figures of 35/2 in his 4 overs, but his show wasn’t over just yet. When he came out to bat, the Daredevils were in huge trouble as they lingered at 57/4 after 10.4 overs. They needed 117 runs in 56 balls.

But a furious innings from Morris brought the equation to 16 runs required from 2 overs. In the end, however, he failed to grab the winning runs and do justice to his incredible innings of 82* from 32 balls.

#1 Ben Cutting vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final

Ben Cutting
Ben Cutting’s quickfire 39 helped Sunrisers post a mammoth 208 in the final

And the ultimate all-round display came from Ben Cutting in the most important game of it all. While David Warner was the highest scorer for SRH, Ben was the one who provided the Cutting (pun intended) edge in the end with his lethal display with the bat.

Scoring 39 from only 15 balls, his innings became the difference between SRH reaching 200 or not.

His job wasn’t done yet, however, as Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli were running away with the game with only 10 overs left. He came in and once again saved his team by getting Chris Gayle’s invaluable wicket, which formed a chain reaction that caused RCB to implode. He finished the game with 2 wickets to his name and earned the man of the match award for his brilliance.

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Edited by Staff Editor