IPL 2018: Best XI after the first half of the tournament 

The Indian Premier League 2018 is at its half-way mark and the competition for the top-four is finally reaching its peak. Chennai Super Kings are leading the pack after the first 27 games of the tournament while the defending champions, Mumbai Indians are struggling at the bottom of the table.

It's been a wonderful year so far with a lot of surprises. Many uncapped players are doing remarkably well for their teams and a number of veterans are looking far beyond their peak.

On that note, let’s look at the Best XI after the first half of the tournament.

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Openers

KL Rahul is in a brilliant form this season.

#1 KL Rahul

Eyebrows were raised when KXIP decided to spend a whopping ₹11 crore on KL Rahul. But the Karnataka-born cricketer is proving his critics wrong with his performances and is also in contention to win the Orange cap.

He scored 268 runs in seven matches so far with an impressive strike rate of 170.70. Rahul registered two half-centuries to his name this season and also created a record of scoring the fastest fifty (14 balls) in the history of IPL.

KXIP are doing well this season and Rahul's form is one of their keys to their success.

#2 Ambati Rayudu

Nobody would have predicted Ambati Rayudu leading the race for the Orange Cap after the first half of the season. However, that's the scenario right now and the CSK batsman is running a riot this season.

Rayudu scored 329 runs in the six games with an average of 47.00. His strike rate of 154.46 is also impressive and is way above his IPL average of 128.99. He registered two half-centuries to his name with 82 being his highest score.

The Chennai-based team is sitting at the top of the points table and the veteran, Ambati Rayudu deserves a huge credit for that.

Middle Order

Virat Kohli is in a good scoring touch this year,

#3 Virat Kohli

One of the most talented batsmen of his generation, Virat is among the contenders to win the orange cap this season.

RCB's skipper played six matches this season and scored 249 runs with a strike rate of 136.81. He averages 49.80 runs per game and his unbeaten 92 runs against Mumbai Indians remains to be his best inning of the season so far. He also scored another half-century in a game against Rajasthan Royals.

Virat Kohli is performing brilliantly this season, however, he needs support from RCB's bowling unit in order to get something out of the tournament.

#4 Kane Williamson

One of the few performers in SRH's struggling batting line-up, Kane Williamson is the second-most scoring foreign player in IPL this season.

The Kiwi captain scored 259 runs in the seven matches he played, at an average of 43.16. He bats mostly in the difficult situations with a decent strike rate of 130.15. Williamson scored three half-centuries this season, which is the joint-most among the players playing in IPL 2018.

#5 AB de Villiers

One of the biggest entertainers in the cricket, AB de Villiers is at his usual best and smashed the joint-most number of sixes (23) in the IPL this year.

ADB played six games so far and scored 280 runs at an average of 56.00. He smashes the ball all over the ground with his stunning strike rate of 184.21.The 34-year-old Proteas scored joint-most half-centuries (three) this campaign alongside Kane Williamson.

RCB won just two games and de Villiers played a match-winning knock in both.

Wicketkeeper & all-rounders

MS Dhoni is playing some great cricket this season.

#6 MS Dhoni

There were doubts about MS Dhoni's form prior to the IPL but the former Indian skipper shuts down his critics by playing some great cricket.

The CSK skipper took part in all of the seven games and scored 235 runs. He averages 58.75 runs per game with a strike rate 159.86. Dhoni smashed a quickfire 70 runs off 34 balls in his last match against RCB. He has scored two half-centuries so far, with ne came in a game against KXIP.

Mahi is 36 years old but is showing no sign of decline in the IPL.

#7 Dwayne Bravo

One of the most consistent performers in the IPL, Dwayne Bravo was picked by his former team Chennai Super Kings in the 2018 IPL auctions.

The Windies all-rounder played seven games this season and scored 118 runs witha strike rate of 196.66. Bravo is performing well with the ball as well and took seven important wickets for the team.

Bravo single-handedly took Chennai across the finishing line in the season opener against Mumbai with an astonishing knock of 68 in 30 balls.

Bowlers

Mayank Markande is the find of the season.

#8 Rashid Khan

The top-ranked T20 bowler in the world, Rashid Khan is the architect of Sunrisers Hyderabad's brilliant performances with the ball this season.

The Afghani teen-sensation took nine wickets in his first seven matches and is among the leading wicket-takers this season. He got banged by batsmen on a couple of occasions but still manages to have a decent economy rate of 7.17.

Rashid Khan is unplayable on his day and he already bowled 72 dot balls in just 28 overs.

#9 Mayank Markande

One of the finds of the season, Mumbai Indians' Mayank Markande is making a name for himself this season and is in a contention to win the Purple Cap.

Markande announced his arrival in his first game against CSK by taking three wickets and conceding just 23 runs. The Punjab-born spinner followed this up with an even better spell against Sunrisers Hyderabad taking four wickets.

He took ten wickets in six matches so far this season with an impressive bowling strike rate of 12.00.

#10 Siddarth Kaul

One of the biggest surprise packages of the season, Siddarth Kaul is having a dream IPL campaign.

The Punjab born pacer is outshining the stars like Bhubhneshwar Kumar, and Jasprit Bumrah and is the highest wicket-taking Indian pacer in the IPL this year. He dismissed nine batsmen in seven games. His economy rate of 7.03 is impressive as well.

Siddarth Kaul is amongst the most improved bowlers this season and he adds speed and variations to his bowling.

#11 Umesh Yadav

RCB is having a poor campaign with the bowl this term but that cannot outshine Umesh Yadav's performances.

The Indian pacer is among the Purple cap leading wicket-takers with nine wickets recorded to his name already. Although his economy rate of 8.2 is a bit expensive, he managed to bowl 62 dots in just 24 overs.

The 30-year-old played only a single T20 match for the Indian national team but, his current form can change the situation for him.