From The Archives: Best XI of IPL 2010

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Murali Vijay
Murali Vijay

After the 2009 season in South Africa in which the scoring rates were low because of bowler friendly pitches, the 2010 Indian Premier League season offered a lot of entertainment to the viewers as the tournament returned to India. The powerful Mumbai Indians lineup finally played to it’s potential and they finished on top of the points table with 10 wins in 14 matches.

The Deccan Chargers finished second with 16 points while there was heavy competition for the 3rd and 4th place as 4 teams finished with 14 points each. In the end, Chennai Superkings and Royal Challengers Bangalore qualified on the basis of net run-rate. In the first semifinal, Mumbai comfortably defeated RCB while CSK bowled meticulously to defend a low total against Deccan Chargers.

In the final, Suresh Raina’s fluent fifty took CSK to a respectable total of 168. While chasing, Mumbai struggled to keep up with the asking rate and lost by 22 runs as CSK clinched their maiden title. Here is the best team of the 2010 IPL season.

#1 Murali Vijay

Innings: 15

Runs: 458

Average: 35.23

SR: 156.84

This was a breakthrough year for Murali Vijay as he became a very reliable player for CSK at the top of the order. His stylish stroke-making caught the attention of many people and he piled those runs at a rapid pace. His 126* against the Rajasthan Royals in Chennai remains one of the most memorable knocks in IPL history.

#2 Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar

Innings: 15

Runs: 618

Average: 47.53

SR: 132.61

Sachin Tendulkar’s first two IPL seasons were not quite up to his standards but he showed the world that, even at 37, he was still the best batsman in the world as he finished as the season’s highest run-getter. Unfortunately, he was not fully fit for the knockouts and could not perform to his potential.

#3 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina

Innings: 16

Runs: 520

Average: 47.27

SR: 142.85

“Mr. IPL” was once again his team’s MVP as he played some crucial knocks throughout the season and changed the flow of the game with his breathtaking fielding. His well-constructed half-century in the final earned him the player of the match award as well.

#4 Andrew Symonds

Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds

Innings: 16

Runs: 429

Average: 30.64

SR: 125.80

The Aussie combined power with smart rotation of the strike to provide stability for his team in the middle order. He also pitched in with a few overs whenever the team required his services with the ball.

#5 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma

Innings: 16

Runs: 404

Average: 28.85

SR: 133.77

Coming into the tournament, there was a considerable amount of hype surrounding Rohit Sharma’s batting and his incredible timing. He fulfilled the promise and also showed his versatility by adjusting his game according to the demands of the situation. He also showed a lot of composure while chasing big totals.

#6 MS Dhoni (c)

M.S Dhoni
M.S Dhoni

Innings: 11

Runs: 287

Average: 31.88

SR: 136.66

More than his skills as a finisher and his ability to change the course of a match, it was his captaincy ability that made him stand out from the rest of the bunch. CSK did not start the season well and lost a string of games but MSD’s calmness and his immense faith on the players paid off as CSK won their first IPL title.

#7 Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan
Yusuf Pathan

Batting

Innings: 14

Runs: 333

Average: 27.75

SR: 165.67

Bowling

Overs: 34

Wickets: 5

Economy: 7.23

He was used by his team as a pinch hitter and did that role to perfection. He scored a record-breaking 37 ball century against Mumbai at the Brabourne stadium which included eight sixes. He was also useful as a part-time bowler as he picked up some crucial wickets at a decent economy rate.

#8 Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn

Overs: 59

Wickets: 15

Economy: 6.88

He was already a proven performer with the red ball but in that season, he displayed his credentials with the white ball as well and was RCB’s strike weapon throughout the tournament. He swung the ball late on dry pitches and caused a lot of trouble to the big hitters.

#9 Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga

Overs: 49

Wickets: 15

Economy: 7.02

He was brilliant with both the new ball and in the death overs and the batsmen struggled to pick him because of slingy action. His slower balls and yorkers were difficult to predict and the majority of his wickets came during the slog overs.

#10 Pragyan Ojha-

Pragyan Ojha
Pragyan Ojha

Overs: 58.5

Wickets: 21

Economy: 7.29

Despite his team not doing well in the 2010 edition, Pragyan Ojha managed to grab the limelight with some excellent bowling performances. Ojha’s performance showed that good old fashioned spin bowling still has a lot of value in modern cricket. Even when he went for runs, he did not hesitate to flight the ball and that fetched him a lot of wickets.

#11 Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble

Overs: 63.2

Wickets: 17

Economy: 6.42

After having a brilliant 2009 season in South Africa, Anil Kumble was once again lethal in the 2010 edition as well. The legendary Indian leg spinner was undoubtedly the tournament’s best bowler as the batsmen struggled against his disciplined bowling.

He did not give any room for the batsmen to hit the ball and controlled the flow of runs from both ends. This resulted in batsmen getting out to other bowlers by playing big shots in an attempt to increase the scoring rate.

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Edited by Rajdeep Puri