IPL 2019: Best all-rounder of each team

All-rounders have always been an integral part of cricket and after the advent of the IPL, they have become highly sought after players and have earned the most from the auctions. Each season, the all-rounders for each side have produced few of the best performances in the league and have quite a fan following.

This season too, there'll be a few new all-rounders like England's Sam Curran who was bought for ₹7.2 crore by the Kings XI Punjab or the Mumbai lad Shivam Dubey who was paid ₹5 crore to play for RCB. All-rounders play a key role in selecting the team's playing XI as they give an extra bowling or batting option so that the captain can fit in another bowler or specialist batsman.

So without further ado, let's take a look at the best all-rounder for each team.

Chennai Super Kings - Kedar Jadhav/Shane Watson

Jadhav will be crucial to CSK's hopes this season

Apart from his stellar contribution in the first game last season, DJ Bravo had a poor season in all standards and his famed "death" bowling specialist tag was broken due to the ferocious smashing of his bowling by the opponents' batsmen. Though he returned to form in the BBL, his form is certain to dwindle after suffering an injury and if asked who CSK's best all-rounder is, an instinctive response would be to go with either Shane Watson or Kedar Jadhav.

Both of them have been in great form and Watson especially comes off from a good BBL season. He is going strong in the Pakistan Super League and has been a driving force for the great form of the Quetta Gladiators. Though he hasn't been among the wickets in BBL and PSL, he will be used by Dhoni as a seam-bowling option just like in last season and can excel in that role. He brings vital experience to the side and is essential to its hopes.

Another player who CSK will be glad to see will be Kedar Jadhav who heroically finished off the season opener but missed the entire remainder of the season due to injury. He returns as a World Cup surety and a great part-time bowling option with Dhoni behind the stumps. Jadhav possesses a wide array of shots and is the best middle order batsman they can have to partner MS Dhoni. His slinging round-arm bowling has posed a problem to many and can prove to be a different option in T20 cricket.

Delhi Capitals- Chris Morris/Axar Patel

Chris Morris has played many memorable knocks in the past

The Delhi Capitals have assembled a great squad this season though they seem to be short of experienced Indian players in their bowling unit. They have quite a number of all-rounders in their side.

They bought Hanuma Vihari, Sherfane Rutherford and Axar Patel at the auction and they will add to the all-round strength of the side. Kagiso Rabada can bat and Chris Morris is one of the most complete T20 all-rounders. They also have Rahul Tewatia, the all-round spinner.

Among these options, Chris Morris and Axar Patel remain the standout all-round options for the Capitals to choose from. Morris has a devastating strike-rate and is very useful in the slog overs. He is a very economical and wicket-taking bowler and can bowl at all stages of the game.

Axar Patel was the best Indian all-rounder available at the auction and the Capitals were quick in snapping him up for ₹5 crore. His very tight bowling and sound batting technique lower down the order can help the team.

Kings XI Punjab- Sam Curran/ Moises Henriques

The Kings XI Punjab made the most expensive overseas signing in the IPL 2019 Auction as they paid a whopping ₹7.2 crore to secure the services of Sam Curran, the English all-rounder.

Curran provides skipper Ravichandran Ashwin with a solid bowling option who should bowl all his 4 overs and pick up wickets. His left-arm seam bowling creates a tight angle which cramps the right-hander for room and leaves him stranded in a position where he's unable to do any foot movement. His batting is chivalrous and he's a brave batsman who is a clean striker of the ball.

He possesses good technique and can hang in during tough situations and is a complete package. Moises Henriques is a highly under-rated player and was a steal at the price of 1 Crore. He is a proper all-rounder who can take over in case Curran is injured or they need to play another batsman.

Kolkata Knight Riders- Sunil Narine or Andre Russell

The Kolkata Knight Riders have always had a set of quality all-rounders in their team ranging from Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan to the now playing, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. The Caribbean duo were the only players retained by the side ahead of Vivo IPL 2018 and they showed why they were so important to the team and Narine won the MVP award. In this auction, they bought Carlos Brathwaite for a hefty sum of ₹5 crore, probably as a back-up for the injury-prone Russell.

Narine and Russell are KKR's best all-rounders by a large margin. Narine, who is one of the best bowlers in the league has managed to strangle the batsman with his accurate bowling and occasional mystery spin. He has unleashed his great timing and gap-finding abilities after being asked to open the innings with Chris Lynn. After starting out as a pinch-hitter, he has become a full fledged all-rounder and scored a lot of runs in the BPL. Russell, is a swashbuckling middle order batsman who can smash the ball to all parts of the park. He is an impact bowler and can pick up clusters of wickets with his pace bowling.

Mumbai Indians- Hardik Pandya or Krunal Pandya

This is obvious. Of all the teams in the league, the Mumbai Indians have the best all-rounders and the best among them will be the Pandya brothers. There is no shoutout for Pollard as his recent form doesn't go by his usual standard and even his prized fielding skills have toned down. Yuvraj hasn't bowled much and even if he does, he's plundered for runs.

The Pandya brothers have either combined or individually won many games for Mumbai and have a great bonding between them. Krunal usually bats ahead of Hardik and is an effective batsman and can hit the ball a long way. He doesn't slog everything like his brother does and he's very economical and wicket-taking with his left arm orthodox bowling, he even opens the bowling on few occasions. Hardik hits the deck hard with his fast bowling and is a monstrous hitter. He has smashed many sixes since his advent in the league and has finished off many games for Mumbai.

Rajasthan Royals- Ben Stokes or Krishnappa Gowtham

The Rajasthan Royals appear the weakest on paper and have been dealt a huge blow due to the injury of Steve Smith which casts serious doubt about his participation this season. They however have Ben Stokes, the most expensive buy in 2017 and 2018 and Jos Buttler, who saved them last season to count on.

Stokes disappointed last season and didn't produce much note-worthy performances with the bat and wasn't at his best with the ball. He is still one of the best all-rounders in the world and will be key to the side's fortunes this season. He will look to provide stability to their batting order.

Krishnappa Gowtham turned a few heads last season after he fetched a huge amount in the auction. Though he took some time to settle down, he later performed with the ball bowling off-spin and also showed his potential with the bat. He's a proper middle-order batsman with all the strokes though he was deployed as a lower order batsman. He scored 33 off 11 balls against MI to finish off the game all on his own and he must be seen more often wielding the bat.

Royal Challengers Bangalore- Marcus Stoinis or Shivam Dubey

The Royal Challengers Bangalore don't have too many big names but have all-rounders who can do the job for their side. Players like Moeen Ali, Colin De Grandhomme and Pawan Negi will be secondary choices for the side and their new recruits Marcus Stoinis (traded) and Shivam Dubey (5 crore) are their best all-rounders this season. They Washington Sundar who can bat.

Stoinis was one bright spark in Australia's otherwise dull last year. He impressed with the bat on many occasions and his performance in the BBL further strengthened his credentials. He opened the batting for the Melbourne Stars and made a lot of runs at a great strike-rate and he must be allowed to open by RCB.

Another all-rounder to watch out for will be Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dubey who made a name for himself after his six-hitting abilities slowly circulated. He's also a very able and clever pacer and is a great choice by RCB.

Sunrisers Hyderabad- Vijay Shankar or Shakib Al Hasan

The Sunrisers Hyderabad have a large group of talented all-rounders in their side and the players will battle it out to make it to the Playing XI. The side signed all-rounders Abhishek Sharma and Vijay Shankar along with spinner Shahbaz Nadeem from the Delhi Capitals in exchange for Shikhar Dhawan. They have all-round options in Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, Mohammad Nabi but the best remain Shankar and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.

Vijay is now an integral part of the Indian side following Hardik's injury and will be keen on sealing his place in the WC squad. He provides a versatile batting option and flexibility to the top order and is a handy, economical bowler. Shakib possesses wide experience and had a tremendous BPL. Shakib can bowl at any stage of the innings and is very crucial with his left-arm spin. He is a stable batsman who has made a lot of runs and will look to continue in the same vein this season.

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