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Over the years, the Indian Premier League has been blessed with some premier overseas stars. Chants of AB de Villiers or Chris Gayle aren’t uncommon in Indian grounds, for they have provided ample of moments for fans to cherish.
Many a time, the foreign nationals have been their team’s pillar. Shane Watson for Rajasthan Royals being one such example. With them, they also bring different cultures from all over the world. The dances from the Carribean and Jamaica have become famous throughout India.
The Indian Premier League would never have been the competition it turned out to be, without these players. The 11th edition of the IPL too has seen some magnificent performances from the overseas players. The slide looks at the Overseas XI from IPL 2018.
#1 Jos Buttler (wk) (Rajasthan Royals)
Jos Buttler and the Rajasthan Royals were having a strange season till their match against DD at Feroz Shah Kotla. Buttler was sent to open the innings against DD where RR had to chase a total of 150 runs in 12 overs, according to the D/L method. Although RR lost the match, Buttler played a magnificent knock of 67 runs off 26 balls.
It wasn’t all for Buttler, as he went on to equal the record for most consecutive half-centuries by a batsman in IPL. The Englishman hit five consecutive half-centuries on a trot changing RR’s fortune on its head. The Jaipur based franchise made it to the playoffs after five years. His absence was felt by RR in the eliminator as they went down to KKR by 25 runs.
M-13, Inn-13, Runs-548, Avg- 54.80, SR-155.24
#2 Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders)
The West-Indian all-rounder was at his supreme best with the bat at the top of the order. He, more often than not, did the job that he was sent in to do.
His 75 against KXIP at Indore was an absolute treat to watch. Narine performing well at the top made KKR’s batting look stronger. Had Narine stayed a bit longer on the crease in the second qualifier, KKR might well have been the second finalists.
He didn’t do too bad with the ball either. He stepped up whenever the team needed him the most as he bowled at all stages of the innings. His 3/18 against DD at the Eden was a wonderful exhibition of spin bowling.
M-16, Inn-16, Runs-357, Avg-22.31, SR-189.89, Wickets-17, Economy- 7.66, Best-3/18
#3 Kane Williamson(c) (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
No words are enough to describe the consistency that the Kiwi showed during IPL 2018. One wasn’t sure of Kane Williamson’s spot in the XI before Warner was in the scheme of things but all of it changed dramatically after Warner’s ban. Williamson, alongside Dhawan, was SRH’s best batsman.
Such remarkable was his consistency that he ended the tournament with the Orange Cap. He broke all general perceptions about the shortest format of the game as he played only orthodox cricketing shots and made big scores.
Kane, the captain was spot on throughout the season. As you would expect him to be, Williamson was calm and composed throughout. He led from the front with the bat and made smart bowling changes.
Though he fell a step short of the title, he impressed everyone enough with his composure. Needless to say, he was one of the biggest impact players of the 11th edition of the IPL.
M- 17, Inn-17, Runs- 735, AVG- 52.50, SR-142.44
#4 Chris Lynn (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Though he opened for the Kolkata Knight Riders, he doesn’t get that place in this line-up. Lynn showed a different form of himself in this edition. The Australian batsman played according to the conditions rather than going berserk from the first ball.
This served the Knight Riders well as Lynn batted deep into the innings. One of its examples was his innings against RR at the Eden Gardens in a must-win match. Although KKR didn’t make it to the finals, the KKR management must have been delighted to see the versatile form of Chris Lynn.
M-16, Inn-16, Runs-491, Avg- 32.73, SR-130.24
#5 AB de Villiers (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
There is hardly any batting list that AB de Villiers doesn’t make. This year too, the South African legend had a great season. He stood tall when the batting around him crumbled. Though he wasn’t able to take his team home, RCB’s last league game was one such example.
Like each edition, there had to be a ABD special and it came against the Delhi Daredevils at the Kotla. Chasing DD’s 174, de Villiers played a gem of an innings scoring 90 off 39 after RCB were 2 down for 29. Apart from all of it, it was his consistency that set him apart. It is a pity that despite his greatness, RCB didn’t qualify for the playoffs.
M-12, Inn-11, Runs-480, Avg-53.33, SR-174.55
#6 Shane Watson (Chennai Super Kings)
Most of the cricketing world had written off Shane Watson after his disastrous season with the RCB last year but as it happens with many players, Watson found his way back with CSK.
The Australian all-rounder had an excellent season with the bat which included a century against the Rajasthan Royals at Pune. He dispatched the ball to all parts of the ground with mercilessness. His century in the final of IPL 2018 was one that the cricketing world won’t soon forget.He, also was more than handy with the ball. Though, he only scalped six wickets in the tournament, he choked the flow of runs at important stages of the game.
M- 15, Inn-15, Runs-555, Avg-39.64, SR-154.60, Wickets-6, Economy- 8.96
#7 Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders)
The Jamaican was returning to cricket after a year and KKR retaining him, did raise a few eyebrows. Russell made sure that all those doubts were laid to rest. In just the fifth match of the tournament, he scored 88 off 36 deliveries against CSK at Chepauk. The innings included 11 sixes and just a four. His late cameo against RR in the Eliminator was a game-changing knock.
He was also very effective with the ball despite bowling both in the powerplay and at the death. The West Indian provided the perfect balance to the side. Russell was consistent throughout, which made him an invaluable asset to the Kolkata franchise.
M- 16, Inn-14, Runs-316, Avg- 28.73, SR- 184.80, Wickets- 13, Economy-9.38, Best- 3/31
#8 Jofra Archer ( Rajasthan Royals)
Though he came in with a reputation of being an all-rounder, it was mainly his bowling that got him all the success. Despite playing just 10 matches for the Rajasthan Royals, Jofra Archer was RR’s highest wicket-taker.
He announced his arrival in style against the Mumbai Indians at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. Archer took 3/22 off his three overs in a spell, where he produced accurate yorkers very consistently. He followed it up with another 3-wicket haul against SRH.
He was Rajasthan’s go-to bowler in crunch situations, and he delivered more often than not. Both of his lethal deliveries- the bouncer and yorker came at calculated pace, which made it very difficult for the batsmen. Had Jofra Archer played earlier, RR would have probably finished higher than they did.
M-10, Inn-10, Wickets-15, Economy- 8.37, Best- 3/22
#9 Rashid Khan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
The Afghani spinner weaved his magic yet again in the IPL. He undoubtedly was SRH’s lead spinner throughout the tournament. No matter how good a start the opposition got, Rashid made sure that he pulled things back by picking regular wickets.
As all good players are, he was very consistent barring the two matches against KXIP and CSK. The leggie was excellent with his variations as well. Just when the batsmen started playing him as a googly bowler, he would bowl the leg break, deceiving the batsmen completely. His performance in the second qualifier against KKR was one of the best all-around performances in T-20 cricket.
M-17, Inn-17, Wickets- 21, Economy- 6.74
#10 Andrew Tye (Kings XI Punjab)
The Australian bowler was picked for Rs. 7.2 crore by KXIP and he was “surprised” by that price tag. After KXIP’s campaign, that tag wasn’t really a “surprise” as Tye went on to scalp the highest number of wickets in the tournament.
He bowled the toughest overs for his side. The famous “knuckleball” almost seemed to be perfected by Tye. Most of his 24 wickets came of the variations, and not his stock delivery. Such impactful was his performance that, had the other players contributed a little more, KXIP had a good chance to qualify for the playoffs.
M-14, Inn14, Wickets-24, Economy-8.00, Best- 4/16
#11 Trent Boult (Delhi Daredevils)
The New Zealand bowler had a lot of responsibility on him, especially after Kagiso Rabada was ruled out after an injury. Boult responded well to the situation as he eventually became DD’s lead fast bowler and like all lead bowlers do, he bowled the most difficult overs.
One of his finest spells in the IPL came against the Rajasthan Royals at the SMS stadium and not because he picked a five-for or a three-for. Boult just got the one wicket but it was the movement that he got that made that spell special. He bowled perfect test match lengths and made the batsman look foolish. If Rabada is fit to play next year, these two are set to form a deadly combo.
M-14, Inn-14, Wickets-18, Economy- 8.85, Best- 2/20
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