IPL 2018 :- The best All-Indian Playing XI of the season

With the double-header two days ago in Delhi and Pune, the league stage of IPL 2018 came to a heartbreaking end for the fans of Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians. We now have our four deserving teams in the playoffs, with SRH taking on CSK in Qualifier 1 & KKR and RR fighting for a spot in Qualifier 2 in the Eliminator.

This league stage was arguably the most tightly fought season in the history, with 5 teams in contention on a place in playoffs till the penultimate day. Records were broken, new stars emerged from the shadows of established players, and once again, it was the all-rounders that ended up being the show stealers.

While perennial IPL stars like Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and Amit Mishra ended up having lukewarm seasons, there were some who were in the form of their life in this season of IPL. With the playoffs starting tomorrow, here is a playing XI of the best Indian player from IPL 2018.

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Openers

KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab)

Ready for India's limited overs side.

Where was this KL Rahul in the 4 years that have passed since his debut? The way he played in all the league matches for the Kings XI Punjab was his way of telling the selectors that he is now ready to represent India in all formats of the game. His aggressive batting at the top of the order was only matched by his brilliant ability to hold an end while steadily building the inning.

So good was Rahul in the 14 matches that he played as KXIP opener that the sum total of 2nd and 3rd highest run scorer for the franchise just manage to eclipse his total by 10 runs. He started the season with the fastest 50 in IPL history and ended the season with 5 other 50+ scores to his name. With a total of 659 runs at a strike rate of almost 160 and average of almost 55, Rahul was easily the best Indian opener in this IPL.

Ambati Rayudu (Chennai Super Kings)

Just phenomenal at the top of the order.

There is definitely something with Chennai Super Kings. It doesn't matter if the player is out of form or playing in the big man's league for the first time. If he is playing for the Chennai Super Kings, there is a very big chance that he will catch the eye of both the selectors and the cricketing fans. This season, it was the turn of Ambati Rayudu and Shane Watson, both of whom played arguably their best game in years.

Ambati Rayudu, in particular, was just spectacular in his new role as the swashbuckling opener of the team. Playing for a franchise not based in Mumbai for the first time, the seasoned veteran gathered 586 runs in the 14 matches he played in the league stage. His strike rate of over 150, an average of 45.07 and, of course, that memorable 100 was enough to earn him a well-deserved place in the Indian Limited Overs' side.

Middle Order

Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

The Superman of Indian Cricket.

You just can't have an IPL XI at this moment and not include the current Indian skipper in that lineup. So efficient has Virat Kohli been ever since the inaugural season back in 2008 that not only is he the leading run scorer of all time, he also has multiple other records to his name. Even though Royal Challengers Bangalore again failed to make it to the Playoffs, Virat Kohli made sure that he continued his love affair with IPL.

While most of the RCB batting line up, barring one superhuman from South Africa, failed to make a big impact, Virat Kohli was again scoring runs for fun. 530 runs at a strike rate of almost 140 and an average of over 48 in 14 league matches - these are the stats of arguably the best batsman in the world at this moment. Even though he failed to lead his team to the trophy again, he definitely deserves a place in this XI based on his batting performance.

Rishabh Pant (Delhi Daredevils)

The coming of age for young Pant.

The biggest talking point of this IPL was the coming of age of young Rishabh Pant. Even though he was quite efficient for Delhi Daredevils in the last season as well, this edition brought out a completely different shade of the Delhi batsman. Not only was he scoring runs at an unimaginable strike rate, he was just bashing the best bowlers in the world all around the park with a plethora of unconventional shots.

The only silver lining for the Delhi Daredevils in the disastrous campaign, Pant was rock-solid in the middle order. Fighting for the Orange Cap for a better part of the season, Pant ended his magical season with a grand total of 684 runs in 14 matches. If those numbers were not good enough, he scored those runs at a strike rate of almost 175, an average of over 52 and broke the record of the highest individual score by an Indian in IPL with 128* against SRH.

Dinesh Karthik (Kolkata Knight Riders)

DK is enjoying the run of his life.

Many eyebrows were raised when Kolkata Knight Riders opted for new recruit Dinesh Karthik as their skipper for this season ahead of their loyal soldier Robin Uthappa. However, not only has Dinesh Karthik led his team to the playoffs in his maiden season as a skipper, he has done that in style by emerging as the highest run scorer for his franchise. Guess the pressure of captaincy does bring out the best from some exceptional players.

While he was always regarded as a respectable player for the shorter format of the game, he somehow managed to raise his stock to a whole new level after the league stage. Since he is the captain, he played in all the 14 matches and accumulated a grand total of 438 runs, which is a great figure for someone batting at no. 6. His strike rate of almost 150 and average of over 50 makes him an easy choice for the finisher slot in this lineup.

Lower Order

MS Dhoni(c & wk) (Chennai Super Kings)

A return of Mahi of the old.

If there is one thing that this IPL has given to all the Indian fans, then it is the return of the MS Dhoni of the old. Although he is still capable of playing vital innings at plenty of times, the special talent that he was famous for throughout his career - his ability to accelerate the innings - was slowly fading away. However, the way he played in the league stage has proved one thing - Form is permanent, Class is temporary.

Back in the Yellow clothes after a gap of 2 years, Dhoni not only brought the best out of himself but also from other players of his team. In the 14 league matches, Dhoni managed a grand total of 446 runs at a stunning strike rate of 157 and a gargantuan average of almost 90. Leading his team from the front, Dhoni kept his record of taking CSK to the playoffs at a perfect 100% as well.

Krunal Pandya (Mumbai Indians)

Slowly climbing up the ladder.

In a short span of 3 years, Krunal Pandya has evolved from being a relatively unknown domestic player into one of the most versatile cricketers in the IPL. Be it taking wickets at vital stages of the match or finishing the inning with quick blows, Krunal is capable of doing anything for the Mumbai Indians. With his surreal skills, Krunal has surpassed Pollard and his younger brother as MI's premier all-rounder.

Even though Mumbai Indians struggled throughout the league stage, Krunal somehow managed to make a significant impact to earn a place in India A squad. Featuring in the playing XI in all league matches, Krunal accumulated 228 runs at a strike rate of over 145. With the ball, he was part of 12 dismissals at a fantastic economy of 7.07. Based on his current form, it won't be long before he joins Hardik Pandya in the national side.

Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians)

A return of form for India's rockstar.

Speaking of Hardik Pandya, What a season he had for the Mumbai Indians. Let me make one thing clear first, I'm not a big fan of Hardik Pandya. In fact, I actually feel he is the weakest link in the Indian National Team. But the way he played for the Mumbai Indians in this season was a big throwback to the time when Hardik was titled as the next big thing in Indian cricket.

Along with his brother Krunal, Hardik was the backbone of the MI middle order. Part of the playing XI in 13 league matches, Hardik scored 260 runs at an average of 29 and strike rate of over 133. Before his season ended with MI's exit from IPL, Hardik was a contender for the Purple Cap and ended the league stage with 18 wickets to his name at a strike rate of just over 14.

Bowlers

Umesh Yadav (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

A season of resurgence for Yadav.

This is inarguably the biggest plus point for the Indian team when it comes to their bowling department. Once regarded as India's premier fast bowler in all formats, Umesh Yadav saw his stock take a dip with the improving performances of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah. However, an impressive performance in a rather disappointing season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore has again raised his stock by a few notches.

Just like Virat Kohli in the batting department, Yadav was the only Indian bowler that was performing exceptionally well for RCB. Playing all 14 league matches for RCB, Umesh accounted for 20 dismissals at an economy of 7.86 and impressive strike rate of just 16. Umesh was so lethal with the ball that he was just unplayable in few league matches.

Siddarth Kaul (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Finally making a big impact.

Sunrisers Hyderabad had Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma, two of the best swing bowlers at this time, in their squad. Still, it was Siddarth Kaul, the least famous from the trio of Indian bowlers, that made the difference in SRH's near perfect campaign in the league stage. Taking up the senior fast bowlers role in the absence of Bhuvi in initial matches, Kaul excelled in the already bowling heavy SRH lineup.

The only bowler who actually has a chance of taking the Purple cap off of Andrew Tye, Kaul was actually the proud owner of the cap at one point in the league stage. Part of the playing XI in all league matches, Kaul was involved in 17 dismissals of the opposition team at an economy of 8 and strike rate of 19.41. His spectacular performance earned him a hard-earned place in India's limited overs' squad for the tour to England.

Mayank Markande (Mumbai Indians)

The young sensation has been on fire.

Who could have thought before the start of IPL 2018 that a young spinner from Bathinda, who was unknown to everyone before April 7, would end up as the most successful Indian spinner in the league stages? There was a time in the league stage when Mayank Markande was the only positive for the Mumbai Indians lineup. He impressed a lot of critics with his impressive spin bowling and definitely managed to leave an impact on everyone.

Despite playing in his first season of IPL, Markande featured in all league matches for the franchise. In those 14 matches, he was involved in 15 vital dismissals of the opposition team, 7 of which came in first two league matches. An economy of 8.36 and a strike rate of 17.60 are very good numbers for your debut season, and equally good is the fact that he has managed to eclipse India's premier spinners for a spot in this team.

Honorable mentions

surprise success at the top of the batting lineup.

Suryakumar Yadav:- Easily the best batsman in the entire Mumbai Indians lineup, SKY's season came to an end with a total of 512 runs at an average of almost 37 and strike rate of over 133.

Shreyas Iyer:- While Rishabh Pant was earning applauds from everyone, DD's skipper was also piling runs at a reasonable rate, with his season ending with 411 runs in his bag at an average of over 37.

Kuldeep Yadav:- Even though he was struggling to find form in the initial stages, a late resurrection saw Kuldeep finish the league stage with 14 wickets in as many matches to his name at an economy of 8.56.

Jasprit Bumrah:- Just like in each of the last 4 seasons, Jasprit Bumrah was just phenomenal with the ball. His campaign ended with 17 wickets to his name in 14 matches, that also at a splendid economy of just 6.88.

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Playing XI:- KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni(c & wk), Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Umesh Yadav, Siddarth Kaul, Mayank Markande

Bench:- Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah