Best XI of the IPL 2018 so far

As we move past the halfway stage of IPL 2018, the race for the semifinals spots is hotting up with the gap between the top four and those below them narrowing down as the season progressed.

The season has had its fair share of thrills and spills with the majority of the matches going down to the wire and season also has had its fair share of controversies regarding poor umpiring.

The highlights of the season so far has been CSK's dominance with the bat, SRH's dominance with the ball, MI's brain-freeze in the last overs and Virat Kohli, as usual, being let down by his RCB teammates

Gambhir's failure as a captain and player for DD and his subsequent decision to step down which had been applauded by all as a brave decision is also one of the major highlights of this season.

Ashwin and Karthik have been widely praised for their leadership skills in leading KXIP and KKR to a strong start and RR has for once not been able to make the most of its resources.

Move on to the next set of slides to see who has made the cut and who has not:

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Opener- Suryakumar Yadav (MI)

S.Yadav has been one of MI's positives this season

Another player who has made his mark after being promoted to open the innings, Suryakumar Yadav has been one of the positives of MI's dismal season so far and has regularly provided impetus at the top which the middle order has failed to capitalize on.

Suryakumar Yadav is a delight to watch with his stroke play and took his opportunity with both hands when asked to open after Rohit Sharma - Evin Lewis combination didn't work and has not looked back since.

He has made 399 runs at an average of 39.90 and strike rate of 132.11 with four fifties at the time of writing and is second only to Rayudu in the orange cap race.

He has previously shown he can finish an innings too when playing at no.6 for KKR so he occupies that position in this XI.

Opener - KL Rahul (KXIP)

KL Rahul is the most gifted Indian batsman around, after Kohli

He is a throwback to olden days; in the age of big hitters and some of his strokes have been exquisite to watch this season and he maintains an extraordinary strike rate of 160+ for someone who doesn't play the big shots too often. Of all the players RCB let go, KL Rahul has come back to haunt them the most. He was not given enough opportunities when playing for RCB and is one of the most gifted stroke makers around and he has displayed his abilities this season with KXIP

His 84 not out against Rajasthan yesterday where he anchored the innings and rotated the strike superbly initially and mounted a calculated assault at the end to take his team over the line showed his increased sense of responsibility and composure under pressure.

He has answered his critics who doubted the suitability of his game to the shortest format in style and it is still baffling that he is not a regular for India across all formats.

No.3 - Kane Williamson (SRH)

Williamson has led SRH from the front this season

When David Warner was banned from all forms of cricket for a year due to his part in the ball-tampering incident in South Africa, it hurt SRH the most as they not only their explosive opener and also their inspirational leader, the man who had led them to the title two years ago.

Replacing him was going to be a humongous task but luckily for SRH, they had Williamson in their side and he has led the side from the front with the bat and his attacking captaincy has been influential in SRH defending a string of low scores this season.

He has made 410 runs in 10 matches at a healthy strike rate of 131.83 and an exceptional average of 51.25. His 84 off 54 balls in a losing cause against CSK earlier this season showcased his suitability for the shortest format.

More so than his batting, it is his attacking captaincy that has made SRH not feel the absence of Warner. His attacking fields, his handling of bowlers, especially Rashid Khan, who he has managed effectively, has been one of the stories of the season as SRH have defended a string of low scores this season.

If not for a certain CSK wicketkeeper-batsman, he would have definitely captained this side!

No.4 - Rishabh Pant (WK) (DD)

Rishabh Pant has been one of the shining lights for DD this season

The talent in Rishabh Pant has never been in question, it's rather his temperament and mentality that has been in question, as too often, he would get out for the non-existing big hit after scoring 20 or 30-odd runs that frustrated his admirers.

But this season he has answered his critics in style as he been the shining light in an average Delhi side and has made a string of big scores this season is third in the race for the orange cap at the time of writing.

His 79 off 45 against CSK, in particular, showed how he has become more mature in his play as he almost pulled off an improbable chase single-handedly with no one to support him.

No.5 - Ambati Rayudu (CSK)

Rayudu has easily been the surprise package this season

Ambati Rayudu has been around for so long that people would be amazed when they see he is only 32.The once upon a time future of Indian cricket has fallen into the "Players who didn't fill their potential pit" many others have fallen victim to.

This season he has been a man revitalized in the yellow jersey as his positional change as an opener has reaped rewards as he along with Watson have given CSK quick and solid starts which the others like Dhoni and Raina have capitalised on.

Even when he has been moved down the order to accommodate others, he didn't complain and has scored runs in all positions he has played whether it be as an opener or at No.4

He plays at no.4 in this team to accommodate Watson and Gayle as runs have been flowing through no matter what position he plays in.

No.6 - Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C) (WK)

The Dhoni of old has been on view this season

He never gives up, does he?.

Year after year people question his suitability for T20s and he answers critics in the best way he knows; with the swing of his bat.

Playing for his second home in his favored yellow jersey after two years, expectations were high and Dhoni has led the charge from the front and has rolled the years back with his vintage displays from the bat.

The Dhoni of old has been on display as those who criticised him for his slowness have been forced to eat their words and could only watch on in awe as he has won games time and again for CSK this season. He has scored a boundary every 3.3 balls this season and has scored 360 runs in total at an average of 90.00

This has been his best ever season in the history of IPL with the bat as he stands at fourth place in the race for Orange cap the only middle order batsman in the list, which says a lot.

If this IPL has taught a lesson, it is to never write off CSK's beloved thala.

No.7 - Andre Russell (AR) (KKR)

Russell is the prototype T20 player

If scientists ever decide to develop the perfect T20 player, he surely would be modeled on Andre Russell as he has everything you seek in a T20 player.

He is a powerful hitter down the order and is a good option to bowl at the death and is electric on the field; in short, he is the complete T20 package and would walk into any T20 team in the world and he walks into this team as well.

His 36-ball 88 against CSK demonstrated how destructive he can be as he came with CSK on top and changed the course of the match in a matter of overs converting a below-par score into a winning total which KKR would have defended if not for Sam Billing's equally brilliant knock for CSK.

No T20 team in the world is complete without a Russell in it.

No.8 - Rashid Khan (SRH)

Rashid Khan- The Afghan Magician

What Kohli is for batting, Rashid Khan is for bowling - a wicket-taking machine. Time and again he leaves the opponents bamboozled with his variations and has been the leader of this measly SRH bowling attack.

He has been one of the main reasons why SRH have defended so many totals with his leg-spin and variations which no one picks bringing them back into the games and has taken 12 wickets so far at an excellent economy rate of 7.08 having bowled half of his overs at the death, extraordinary figures for a spinner.

It is a scary thought for batsmen that this magician from Afghanistan is just 19 years old as he will only get better and better and will surely come to dominate the IPL for years to come.

No.9 - Umesh Yadav (RCB)

Umesh Yadav vs MI

Umesh Yadav always had all raw ingredients to succeed as a bowler- raw pace, can hit the deck hard and can swing the ball both ways and the only thing that held him back was his inconsistent line and length which meant he can infuriate at times.

He has clearly worked on that this season and results have been evident as he has transformed into a deadly new-ball bowler tormenting batsman with his pace and swing

He has been primarily used in the powerplay by Kohli where he has made regular inroads into the opposition XI and has not been properly backed up by the rest of the bowling attack.

He has taken 12 wickets in 9 matches this season at an economy rate of 8.04 and an average of 21.15 and has bowled 95 dot-balls this season at the time of writing, second only to Bumrah's 98 and has played one game less than him.

No.10 - Mayank Markande (MI)

Markande took 7 wickets in his first 2 matches

Mayank Markande is the latest in the long-line of gems uncovered by MI following in the footsteps of the Pandya brothers and Bumrah and has proven to be a wily spinner with a bag of tricks.

Eyebrows were raised when he was picked to face CSK in the first match of this season but he repaid MI's faith in him by picking 3 wickets, including the prized scalp of Dhoni and did one better in his next match against SRH by picking 4 wickets and has been consistent ever since.

He has proven a difficult entity to hit for the batsmen with his nagging line and length and variations in pace and his wrong-un's have been difficult to read.

He has picked 13 wickets in 10 matches so far at an impressive economy rate of 7.96 and picks a wicket once in every 14 balls, the best in the league at the time of writing.

No.11 - Siddarth Kaul (SRH)

Kaul has led the bowling attack in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar this season

The last spot was a straight shootout between Bumrah and Kaul and the latter edges it by virtue of being the more consistent and stepping up in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sunrisers talisman and their spearhead.

Kaul has been one of the surprise packages this season as he has stepped up in the absence of Bhuvneshwar when many had written off Sunrisers chances after his injury with many doubting whether Kaul would be a adequate replacement but he has proved to be more than adequate with the ball both at the start and at the death.

Along with Rashid Khan and Sandeep Sharma, he has choked the life out of their opponents batting line up with his accurate line and length; deadly yorkers and slower balls and has been excellent at the death with his variations.

He has taken 12 wickets in 9 matches so far at an excellent economy rate of 7.13 for someone who bowls at the death and has bowled 77 dot balls in total, behind only Bumrah, Umesh Yadav and Boult for fast bowlers at the time of writing.