IPL 2018: Team of the tournament

Right, so 60 days have come and zipped past us, there have been humdingers, there have been one-sided affairs, there have been new names to do the rounds, there have been prominent names who never arrived.

It was perhaps the closest IPL ever, it was indeed the toughest final as the host broadcasters correctly pitched, and then we got the champions.

Chennai Super Kings came back from a ban and then sauntered to a win, no sweat, Dhoni gets another trophy for his collection.

We take a look at the team of the tournament and this one was particularly tough since there were so many sparkling performers who had to left out owing to paucity of places.

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Openers

KL Rahul

It was a breakthrough season for KL Rahul as the Indian star was in irresistible form right through the season. He has relied on pure cricketing strokes and has been a refreshing sight to behold.

In 14 matches, he has scored 659 runs at an average of 54.91 and with a strike rate of 158.41.

Ambati Rayudu

Much like Rahul, this was a season which brought Ambati Rayudu to the fore yet again. He opened the batting for Chennai Super Kings and has churned out runs for fun, so much so that he is now part of the Indian team to tour England.

Rayudu scored 603 runs at an average of 43 and with a strike rate of 150. He also hit the winning boundary to clinch the trophy for CSK.

Middle Order

Kane Williamson

The Kiwi captain was given the mantle of SRH after David Warner was barred and he has led the team with distinction and has also been a revelation with the bat.

For people who never rated him as a T20 player, Williamson has managed to dispel all the negative muttering this season with a strike rate of 143.

In 17 matches this season, Williamson scored 735 runs at an average of 56.53.

Rishabh Pant

Perhaps the biggest find for Indian cricket this season has to be young Rishabh Pant who has taken all the promise and translated into performance for Delhi Daredevils.

He was one of the lone performers for the side which struggled this season with only five wins.

Pant scored 684 runs in 14 matches at an average of 52 and with a strike rate of 173.60.

MS Dhoni

The veteran has been enjoying his most productive IPL since 2014 and has wound the clock back this season.

He walks out, surveys the field and then has finished off matches like the Dhoni of yore.

In 16 matches, he scored 455 runs at an average of 75.83 and with a strike rate of 150.7.

All-rounders

Andre Russell

The big-hitting Jamaican has been a crucial member of the Kolkata Knight Riders even this season and although he has not been at his absolute best, he has been superb with both bat and ball.

In 16 matches this season, Russell has managed to score 316 runs at an average of 28.72 and with a strike rate of 184.79.

With the ball, he has been carefully monitored by KKR and has managed to pick up 13 wickets with an economy rate of 9.38.

Hardik Pandya

He was retained by Mumbai Indians and was decent in the league for the side. He was stellar with the ball and was sedate with the bat for Mumbai.

He scored 260 runs in 13 matches for Mumbai at an average of 28.88 and with a strike rate of 133.33.

With the ball, he picked up 18 wickets at an average of 21.16 and with an economy rate of 8.92.

Spinners

Rashid Khan

Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar declared Rashid Khan to be the "best spinner in the world in this format" after his match-winning performance against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

He had only a couple of blips in an otherwise flawless league as he picked up 21 wickets with a frugal economy of 6.75.

Also, his cameo against Kolkata Knight Riders turned the match in his side's favour, so his batting can never be shrugged under the carpet.

Seam Bowlers

Andrew Tye

The Western Australia was a consistent performer for the Kings XI Punjab and despite the fact that his team could not make it through to the playoffs, he was a shining light for R Ashwin-led Kings XI.

Tye picked up 24 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 18.66 and with an economy rate of 8.

Siddarth Kaul

Kaul has been a quiet performer for SRH this season and despite the presence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan, Kaul has managed to hold his own spot and this season's performance has ensured that he gets drafted into the Indian team.

Although he did not have an entirely fruitful final, Kaul managed to pick up 21 wickets and was brilliant with his attitude and temperament.

Umesh Yadav

Umesh was shunted out of the Indian ODI setup and this season, he gave ample indication of his prowess with the new white ball.

He was fast, furious and always looked for wickets in the powerplay. With 20 wickets in 14 matches, Umesh was one of the star performers for RCB this season.