IPL 2018: Report card of India's T20I superstars

IPL 2018 has come to a roaring end with Chennai Super Kings, riding on the back of Shane Watson's blitzkrieg, being crowned for the third time. The eleventh edition of the tournament, expectedly, gave a lot to cherish and remember.

While the game's superstars wooed the crowds with their signature magic, numerous youngsters too stole the limelight with their blistering performances. Now with the season done and dusted, the focus would soon be shifting to the international scene where India will be locking horns with Afghanistan and England in the coming few months.

While India's test against Afghanistan holds a historical significance, it is the England tour that has got the fans intrigued and it would be interesting to see if the men in blue do manage to surpass Eoin Morgan's spirited troops.

The squad selected for the T20Is looks to be pretty strong in each department. However, if the recent form in IPL is any indication, the fans look deemed to have several reasons to cherish as well as worry ahead of India's flight to Europe. Here's how India's T20I superstars fared in IPL 2018 and what do the fans expect of them against England.

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Rohit Sharma - 4/10

Rohit Sharma had a pretty ordinary season with the bat

With just 286 runs from the 14 games that he played this year, Rohit Sharma was disappointing, to say the least. The Mumbaikar failed on numerous occasions to lead from the front and help his team get over the line. In fact, thus far, the latest edition of IPL stands as the only one in which Sharma didn't score an aggregate of above 300 runs.

With a bleak average, that is certainly not of his standard, and mere two fifties to his name, Rohit Sharma would be hoping to turn the tide at the home of cricket.

Shikhar Dhawan - 7.5/10

Shikhar Dhawan had a decent season for Hyderabad this year

Shikhar Dhawan, along with Kane Williamson, took charge of Sunrisers Hyderabad's batting department this year. "Gabbar", as he's fondly called, looked in great touch as he scored runs freely at the top of the order for the orange army, and emerged as the team's second highest run-getter of the season.

The man from Delhi will, however, be disappointed for not being able to make a telling contribution with the bat in the final. With 497 runs in 16 games, including a few match-winning knocks, Dhawan certainly looks to have hit the right chord of form ahead of the England tour.

KL Rahul - 10/10

KL Rahul blew the oppositions away with his sublime batting

The Kings XI Punjab batsman set the season alight right from the word go when he registered IPL's fastest fifty right in his very first game for the franchise this year. KL Rahul carried on with his juggernaut and went on to amass 659 runs in 14 games at a breathtaking strike rate of 158.41.

Not only did he have 6 half-centuries to his credit, but the Karnataka boy also blew away the critics and fans alike with his masterful strokeplay, and cruised along his merry way to be crowned as KXIP's top scorer this year.

Virat Kohli - 8.5/10

Virat Kohli couldn't quite inspire RCB to a title win this year either

India's skipper could not quite manage to inspire Royal Challengers Bangalore to a title win this year either. With 530 runs in 14 games, at an average of 48.18, Kohli had a decent IPL this year. The man also stood out as RCB's highest run scorer for the season. However, it was his captaincy that came under the scanner of a few critics.

Going into the England tour, Virat Kohli will, undoubtedly, be one of India's biggest weapons in the shorter formats. A champion batsman who has fast emerged as one of the finest T20I players in the world, Kohli would be looking to put up an inspired show in the upcoming series.

Suresh Raina - 6.5/10

Suresh Raina wasn't quite at his consistent best for the men in yellow

Considering his status of being one of the biggest superstars of IPL, Suresh Raina had an off-season at this office this year. Scoring 445 runs in 15 games, Raina couldn't quite stand out as the team's mainstay in the batting department.

While the southpaw did manage to contribute some handy runs in crucial situations, it was his prolonged inconsistency that caused a worry or two for the CSK fans. Come the England tour, Raina will be hoping to overcome his shortcomings against quality pace attack and prove to a major asset for the Indian team.

MS Dhoni - 7.5/10

MS Dhoni led CSK to its third IPL title

After an exile of two years, the fans of Chennai Super Kings couldn't have asked for a better comeback as MS Dhoni led the men in yellow to their third title victory. While CSK rode on the back of a complete team effort, it was Dhoni's belligerence with the bat that helped the team in crunch situations on many occasions.

The 36-year-old looked fitter than ever and seemed to have found his mojo back. With 455 runs in 15 innings, at a staggering average of 75.83, Mahi, as he's fondly known, certainly looks poised to take the English bowlers to the cleaners in the T20 series in July.

Hardik Pandya - 7.5/10

Hardik Pandya could be a crucial factor for India's success in England

Hardik Pandya's case in IPL 2018 consists of two tales. While the all-rounder played a crucial part with the ball, it was his disappointing show with the bat that caught the ire of the critics. With 18 wickets and 260 runs in 13 games, the flamboyant cricketer had a mixed bag of fortunes in the latest season of IPL.

Pandya could prove to be a crucial factor in determining the team's balance in England and the fans would certainly hope the man brings forth his best all-rounding skills.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 4/10

Bhuvneshwar had a subdued season for SRH this year

Even though Bhuvneshwar Kumar posed a major threat with the new ball on various instances, the right-arm pacer couldn't quite get the tide turning his way this year. With just 9 wickets in 12 games, Kumar fell short of the expectations and ended the tournament on a disappointing note.

While his tight bowling at the death helped SRH get over the line a few close games, it was his lack of penetration that hurt the team. However, given the seam-friendly conditions in England, Bhuvneshwar Kumar would pose a serious challenge to the English batsmen.

Yuzvendra Chahal - 7/10

Chahal wasn't quite at his bamboozling best for RCB this year

In a season where their bowlers were put to the cleaners by the opposition's batsmen, Yuzvendra Chahal stood as the lone ranger for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The leg-spinner was economical and controlled the run flow in the middle stages of the game.

In spite of not being anywhere near to his best, Chahal accounted for 12 scalps in 14 games at a decent economy rate of 7.26. Given the English batsmen's vulnerability to leg-spin, Chahal might just prove to be Kohli's trump card in India's upcoming T20 series against England.

Jasprit Bumrah - 8/10

Jasprit Bumrah had a decent season for Mumbai Indians this year

Fast emerging as one of the best death bowlers in the world, Jasprit Bumrah is certainly one of the key components of the Indian squad that has been picked to play England, and if the recent form in IPL is anything to go by, the fans can be assured of another impressive performance from the speedster.

While picking up 14 wickets in 14 games at an economy of 6.88 is a praiseworthy aspect, it was Bumrah's accurate yorkers in the death overs that helped Mumbai Indians win games on multiple occasions.

However, a few argue that the man seems to have lost a bit of his steam at the death as compared to his previous self and Bumrah would be itching to set the criticism right when he takes on England.