IPL 2019: One player from each team who has impressed the most

The 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League is reaching towards its business end and by now, we tend to know how every player has featured for their respective franchises and in this slideshow, we take a look at the one player who has impressed the most from every team.

The beauty of IPL is that there are 8 different grounds on which cricket is played and every ground has different pitches and conditions to offer. So, by the time we reach the playoffs, batsmen get to bat and bowlers get to bowl on every kind of deck.

Once again this year, we have seen West Indians take the IPL by fire and wrist spinners have been ruling the show as far as bowling is concerned. The openers are ruling the top scorers' chart.

Currently, three teams have qualified into the playoffs, namely Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Mumbai Indians, while the fight for the remaining place is heating up and that pressure will only provide us with more entertainment.

Talking about entertainment, let's take a look at the players who have impressed the most for their respective franchises this year.

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#8 Royal Challengers Banglore - AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers (Image Courtesy: iplt20.com/BCCI)

All right, before even reading the RCB column, you would have guessed that only two players will make it to this list and one of them is AB de Villiers. AB has been so good that people all around the world, especially South African cricket fans are requesting him to play the ICC World Cup 2019, but that's not going to happen.

So, coming to his performances in the red and black, the veteran South African has scored a total of 441 runs in his 12 innings at an average of 49. His strike rate has also been impressive with 155. He has scored a total of 5 fifties, which is joint second with KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan.

All in all, this year again de Villiers has shown why he is considered one of the very best white ball players of this generation.

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#7 Rajasthan Royals - Shreyas Gopal

Shreyas Gopal (Image Courtesy: iplt20.com/BCCI)

As stated above, pitches play a huge role in a player's performance and at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur, the ball seems to grip and turn, and it is no surprise to see a wrist spinner be the best player of RR. Shreyas Gopal had an average year last season but this year, he has stepped up a notch.

Gopal has that uncanny ability to pick up important wickets and by important wickets, I mean the best batsmen in the opposing team. He has picked up both AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli out twice this year and those two are one of the best IPL has to offer. Gopal has picked up a total of 18 wickets at an average of 18.11.

If Gopal keeps up his performances in the domestic circuit, it wouldn't be long and we see him making his India debut.

#6 Kings XI Punjab - KL Rahul

KL Rahul (Image Courtesy: iplt20.com/BCCI)

Before the start of the tournament, there were many questions over KL Rahul due to his recent involvement in a controversy which saw him banned along with Hardik Pandya. But Rahul has come out and answered his critics in the best possible manner as he has been a mainstay in that KXIP batting order.

The Karnataka opener has scored 520 runs in the 12 innings that he has played, averaging almost 58. He has notched up 5 fifties this year and is currently second to David Warner in the Orange Cap list. While the wickets on offer at Mohali have been supporting stroke play, that doesn't take away any credit from Rahul.

His performances have seen him picked as the backup opener in the World Cup and he would be on top of the moon.

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#5 Kolkata Knight Rides - Andre Russell

Andre Russell (Image Courtesy: iplt20.com/BCCI)

Was this even debatable? No, it was not. West Indian players have been taking over IPL with their performances, one player who stands out even in that bracket is Andre Russell. The West Indian has taken power hitting to a different level in this year's IPL and he has won KKR matches singlehandedly.

The all-rounder has scored 489 runs at an astonishing average of almost 70 and his strike rate touching 208. He has scored 4 fifties and he is currently third in the race for the Orange Cap. He has picked up 10 wickets with the ball as well.

Seeing those unbelievable stats, there is no doubt about the importance of this man to the KKR side.

#4 Sunrisers Hyderabad - David Warner

David Warner (Image Courtesy: iplt20.com/BCCI)

Another batsman who had a lot of questions hanging over his head before the start of the tournament was David Warner but the southpaw has come out and smacked every question out of the park just like he has been hitting the ball.

The current Orange Cap list leader has scored a total of 692 runs in his 12 innings at an average of almost 70. He has scored an astonishing 8 fifties which is 3 more than the second best.

He has departed from Hyderabad for international duty but it will be hard to overtake him in top scorers chart. One thing is for sure, Australia have been handed a huge boost for the World Cup 2019 as the pitches on offer in England are expected to be flat.

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#3 Mumbai Indians - Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya (Image Courtesy: iplt20.com/BCCI)

Another player who was under pressure to perform in this year's IPL was Hardik Pandya and the young all-rounder has had the best IPL in his career with the bat, scoring runs quickly and by quickly, it means he has almost matched Russell's strike rate which is a huge feat in itself.

Hardik has been brilliant with his all-round skills and he has scored a total of 373 runs in his 13 innings at an average of almost 47 and a strike rate of 197. The fast bowling all-rounder has picked up 12 wickets as well at an average of 30.

Since breaking through for MI, he has been an important part of the franchise and this form that he is showing just before the World Cup, will please Indian cricket fans.

#2 Delhi Capitals - Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada (Image Courtesy: iplt20.com/BCCI)

DC have already qualified for this year's Playoffs and one of the main reasons for that has been the performance of Kagiso Rabada with the ball. The South African is Shreyas Iyer's go-to man in any situation and his ability to pick wickets makes him very dangerous.

The current Purple Cap list leader has picked up a total of 25 wickets at an average of 14. That's how good he has been, picking up a wicket almost every two overs. Also, most of his wickets have come on that Feroz Shah Kotla wicket which supports spin more than pace.

The young South African is currently considered one of the very best fast bowlers in the world and he is going to remain very important to DC's chances of winning their first ever IPL.

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#1 Chennai Super Kings - MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni (Image Courtesy: iplt20.com/BCCI)

There were two choices in MS Dhoni and Imran Tahir for this one but one has to go with Captain Cool and there are two reasons for it; first - Dhoni has scored most of his runs on that MA Chidambaram wicket which assists spin, second - his average this year is better than many players' strike rate.

Dhoni also has not played every game in the group stage for CSK but in his 8 innings, he has scored a total of 358 runs at an astonishing average of almost 120. The master finisher has been returning not out for most occasions and don't undermine his presence behind those stumps.

This form of the former Indian captain is going to please the current Indian captain as India continue their struggles of finding a dependable middle order in the World Cup.