IPL 2018: Top performers for each franchise

IPL 2018 finally reached its climax as, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad battled it out in the finals, with CSK coming out on top. As a result of this win, the yellow brigade became the second team to win three IPL titles.

After six weeks of action-packed IPL matches, some players performed well under pressure situation while some crumbled. Each team had key players who were the star performers for their team.

Players who got opportunities at the top of the order made most out of it and scored the runs consistently for their team. It was not just the youngsters who stole the show but also the senior players who used their experience to the best.

Let us find out the players who played a crucial role for the team.

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#8 Rishabh Pant (Delhi Daredevils)

Rishabh has been the stand out performer for Delhi Daredevils.

Before the auction started, Delhi Daredevils(DD) had retained three players Rishabh Pant, Chris Morris and Shreyas Iyer. Pant performed decently in the last season and was expected to go big this season considering his good form in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The wicket-keeper batsman did not disappoint at all and looked in ominous form right from the start. Pant scored 684 runs in 14 matches at an impressive average of 52.60 and strike rate of 173.60.

The swashbuckling batsman from Delhi scored most of the runs at Number 4 while most of the top scorers have scored runs at number 3 or opening slot. He has also changed the course of the games with hard-hitting abilities and won games single-handedly for DD.

#7 Lokesh Rahul (Kings XI Punjab)

KL Rahul has rejuvenated his batting form under Kings XI Punjab

KL Rahul was struggling with form and could not cement his place in the Indian team. In the auction, Bangalore did not retain him and was finally bought by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for Rs 11 crore.

KXIP had invested in Rahul not only for his batting skills but also for his wicket-keeping skills. Along with Chris Gayle, they formed the best opening partnership and destroyed the opposition with their batting prowess.

Rahul scored 659 runs in 14 matches at an amazing average of 54.91 and impressive strike rate of 158.41. He finished third in the orange cap race.

#6 AB de Villiers (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

AB de Villers was the consistent performer for RCB team

This year Virat Kohli and Co had come with only one mission to win the elusive IPL title. In the auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) primary focus was to get a strong bowling attack to compensate for strong batting line-up.

In the end, RCB failed to qualify for the playoffs, and one of the main reasons for their failure was over-reliant on AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. Both Kohli and De Villiers scored runs, but it was Mr.360 who won more matches for RCB single-handedly.

He was the only player who was consistently scoring runs at a brisk pace with Kohli struggling to convert starts. Overall, the South African star scored 480 runs in 12 matches at an average of 53.33 and strike rate of 174.54.

#5 Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai Indians)

Suryakumar Yadav was the trump card for Mumbai Indians this season

In this year's IPL auction, Mumbai Indians (MI) had bought Suryakumar Yadav for Rs. 3.2 crore. In the past, he played the role of a finisher for Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) and was quite successful.

Suryakumar batted in the middle order for MI and was looking in sublime touch. With skipper Rohit struggling at opening slot, team management decided to swap the position with him.

The move worked wonders for the Mumbai Indians as Suryakumar was scoring consistently for the team. He finished with 512 runs in 14 matches and was also the first uncapped player to score 500 runs in a single season.

#4 Jos Butler (Rajasthan Royals)

Jos Butler showed incredible consistency while batting at the top of the order

After a bidding war with Mumbai Indians, Jos Buttler was bought by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Rs 4.40 crore. In the first seven matches, he had scored only 120 runs as a middle order batsman.

Butler was promoted to the opening position and scored 428 runs in 6 matches. Overall, he scored 548 runs in 13 matches for RR.

The English keeper looked in sublime touch and won matches single-handedly for the team. RR qualified for playoffs riding on his incredible form and eventually got knocked out in the eliminator.

#3 Dinesh Karthik (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Karthik was in exceptional form and finished matches for Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were in a big dilemma after the auctions got concluded. It was a big task for the team management for choosing the captain of this side.

It finally came down to Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik with the former being the frontrunner. Surprisingly, it was the Tamil Nadu batsman who was chosen as the leader of the side.

Karthik had played brilliantly for KKR and finished matches with his batting prowess. He scored 498 runs at a healthy strike rate of 147 and also led KKR to playoffs.

Based on his terrific captaincy and batting skills, he was undoubtedly the star performer of this KKR side.

#2 Shane Watson (Chennai Super Kings)

Shane Watson was in devastating mood against Hyderabad in the IPL final 2018

Before the IPL auction started, it appeared that Shane Watson would go unsold as he had failed to perform for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In the last season, he scored only 71 runs and took only five wickets in eight matches.

Chennai Super Kings(CSK) had bought Watson for Rs 4 crore to compensate the all-rounder slot. He scored 555 runs in 15 matches, including a match-winning 117* against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the finals.

The former Australian all-rounder also picked up 6 wickets with an economy less than 9 and was the key performer for CSK, who made a huge difference and won the IPL title for the team.

#1 Kane Williamson (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Kane Williamson won the orange cap for the leading run-scorer in IPL 2018

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) received a big blow when the Australian board announced the suspension of o ne year for David Warner. He was the backbone of SRH team, and it seemed that team would struggle without his services.

Kane Williamson was picked to lead this side, and surprisingly the team finished at the top of the league table. SRH lost the finals against Chennai Super Kings but had performed well under Williamson.

Apart from great captaincy, the Kiwi batsman scored runs consistently accumulating 735 runs in 17 matches with 8 half-centuries to his name. Overall, he was the perfect fit for Warner, and also the chief architect in team's overwhelming success.