IPL: Best player with each letter of the alphabet

The Indian Premier League commenced in 2008 and completed its 10th edition in 2017. In its decade of existence, a huge assortment of players have made an appearance. Cricketing veterans such as Glenn McGrath, Sanath Jayasuriya, Stephen Fleming and Matthew Hayden to name a few have featured in the prestigious tournament that is the IPL.

In its vast history, let us take a look at the best player with each letter of the alphabet. Though some alphabets were fairly straightforward owing to the lack of options, some alphabets produced incredibly competitive options.

---

David Warner is one of the few people who could edge Dwayne Bravo out of this list!

A - AB de Villiers

This list is sure off to a great start! Mr. 360 has shaped to be one of the most popular figures in the IPL. He can truly call the Chinnaswamy home considering the love he is shown there. His stints for the Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore have been outstanding. It is quite unfortunate that this fabulous cricketer is yet to lay his hands on the coveted trophy.

Matches - 129, Runs - 3473, Average - 38.16, Strike Rate - 148.16

Notable mentions - Amit Mishra, Ajinkya Rahane, Adam Gilchrist

B - Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has won two purple caps on the trot and is favorite to make it a hat-trick. He is the sixth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history despite having played fewer games than those around him. The Sunrisers must be glad to have signed him and rightfully decided to retain him for the upcoming season.

Matches - 90, Wickets - 111, Average - 21.07, Economy - 7.08

C - Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle had an inauspicious start to the IPL with the Knight Riders and went unsold in the 2011 auctions owing to his poor performances. A Dirk Nannes injury saw him join the Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement, and he never looked back. The big man has scored five centuries and played some unbelievable knocks in the IPL, and has truly mind boggling stats.

Matches - 101, Runs - 3626, Average - 41.20, Strike Rate - 151.20

D - David Warner

If there's anyone who could be as menacing as Chris Gayle with the bat, it's this man, David Warner. He has won two orange caps in the last three seasons, having finished runner up in the third. He captained the Sunrisers to the title in 2016. His ability to provide explosive starts consistently is priceless and his superb stats speak for themselves.

Matches - 114, Runs - 4014, Average - 40.54, Strike Rate - 142.13

Notable mentions - Dwayne Bravo

E - Eoin Morgan

Morgan makes it to the list purely owing to the lack of options. Only three players whose first names start with E have featured in the IPL - Eklak Ahmid, Eklavya Dwivedi and Eoin Mogan. Only hardcore IPL fanatics would remember the former two cricketers. Morgan hasn't racked up too many runs owing to his batting position, but has many a times proven to be a useful slogger.

Matches - 52, Runs - 854, Average - 21.35, Strike Rate - 121.13

Veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis makes the cut ahead of countryman JP Duminy and new sensation Jasprit Bumrah

F - Faf du Plessis

Again just five names to pick from, and Faf was a no-brainer among the available options. Faf was consistent with the bat for the Chennai Super Kings, but hardly featured for the Rising Pune Supergiants. He has been in good touch internationally as captain of the South African team. The Chennai Super Kings employed their right-to-match card on him in the recently held auction.

Matches - 53, Runs - 1295, Average - 30.11, Strike Rate - 127.96

G - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir doesn't need an introduction. He is the fourth-highest run-scorer in IPL history and his consistency has been impeccable. He has scored 35 half-centuries over 10 seasons. He captained the Knight Riders to both of their titles. He will be looking to extend his IPL legacy with his home team, the Delhi Daredevils, this season.

Matches - 148, Runs- 4132, Average - 31.78, Strike Rate - 124.60

H - Harbhajan Singh

"The Turbanator" has been one of the faces of the IPL. He was infamous in the first season because of the slap gate controversy. Over time, he has proven to be one of the best bowlers the IPL has seen. He is the third-highest wicket-taker of all time and even captained the Mumbai Indians to their first trophy in the Champions League T20.

Matches - 136, Wickets - 127, Average - 26.54, Economy - 6.95

I - Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan has been one of the finest Indian all-rounders the IPL has seen. With over a 1000 runs and 80 wickets, he has fared quite well. He earned a huge sum of $1.9 million from the Delhi Daredevils in the 2011 auction owing to his all-round prowess.

Matches - 103, Runs - 1139, Batting average - 21.49, Strike Rate - 120.40

Wickets - 80, Bowling average - 33.11, Economy - 7.77

Notable mentions - Ishant Sharma

J - Jacques Kallis

It was a difficult choice between Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy and Jasprit Bumrah. We decided to go with the South African legend because of his all-round brilliance. He has scored nearly 2500 runs and has managed to bag 65 scalps in his 98 IPL games. Jasprit Bumrah has been instrumental for the Mumbai Indians, but he has been around for just a few seasons. JP Duminy has been terrific in the IPL over its history, but has failed to guide his team to a trophy, and hasn't been as effective with the ball. Kallis was part of the Knight Riders outfit that won the title in 2012 and 2014.

Matches - 98, Runs - 2427, Batting average - 28.55, Strike Rate - 109.22

Wickets - 65, Bowling average - 35.27, Economy - 7.89

Notable mentions - Jasprit Bumrah, JP Duminy

Kieron Pollard's all-round prowess rightfully earn him a spot on this list

K - Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard has been one of the biggest IPL sensations. In the 2010 auction, four teams were ready to empty their purse for the big man. The Mumbai Indians emerged victorious in the secret bid and what a difference it made! He has been instrumental in their three IPL titles. He has done incredible things for the Mumbai Indians with bat, ball and on the field too. He has guided his team home from the lower middle order on many separate occasions.

Matches - 123, Runs - 2343, Average - 28.92, Strike Rate - 146.52

Wickets - 56, Bowling average - 31.60, Economy - 8.85

L - Lasith Malinga

Three things distinctly define the Sri Lankan fast bowler - his conspicuous mop of hair, the perpetual smile on his face, and his toe-crushing yorkers. Lasith Malinga has made his name known in every household in India with his devastating performances for the Mumbai Indians. His pinpoint perfect yorkers in the death overs have been a menace to every batsman he has bowled to. He is IPL's undisputed highest wicket-taker with 154 wickets, and it's incredible how he's got a major chunk of these wickets by getting the batsman out clean bowled. His amiable nature was a joy to watch, particularly his smile after being hit for a boundary.

Matches - 110, Wickets - 154, Average - 19.01, Economy - 6.86

M - Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Dhoni the captain. Dhoni the wicket-keeper. Dhoni the finisher. MS Dhoni took the IPL into his own hands. He captained the Super Kings to two IPL titles and five finals in their eight seasons in the IPL. He is the ninth-highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament despite being a lower order batsman on many occasions.

Matches - 159, Runs - 3561, Average - 37.88, Strike Rate - 136.75

Notable mentions - Manish Pandey, Michael Hussey

N - Naman Ojha

Naman Ojha has been pretty impressive in the IPL over the years. He has featured in all seasons except the inaugural one and has managed to feature in an impressive 112 games. He even got to feature for the Indian team owing to his IPL exploits. The Madhya Pradesh wicket-keeper is excellent behind the stumps and can be explosive with the bat too. He won the title with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.

Matches - 112, Runs - 1553, Average - 20.98, Strike Rate - 118.69

O - Owais Shah

Owais Shah makes this list for one and only one reason - there is nobody else in IPL history whose first name starts with the letter 'O'. Owais Shah has featured in 23 games in which he has managed to gather 506 runs. He had a standout season in 2012 with the Rajasthan Royals where he managed to accumulate an impressive 340 runs.

Matches - 23, Runs - 506, Average - 33.73, Strike Rate - 130.07

Suresh Raina wins the battle oveer Shane Watson and Sunil Narine owing to the impact his batting has had

P - Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history. He started his career with the Kings XI Punjab. To this day, he holds the record for having played most games for the Punjabi outfit. He moved to the Knight Riders in 2013 where he won a title under Gambhir's captaincy. He has also proven to be handy with the bat on more than one occasion.

Matches - 129, Wickets - 126, Average - 25.88, Economy - 7.63

Notable mentions - Pragyan Ojha, Parthiv Patel

Q - Quinton de Kock

No other player whose name starts with the letter 'Q' has featured in the IPL. Quinton has played only 26 games so far, all for the Delhi Daredevils. He has impressed in this short duration though. In the international circuit, he has shown his immense potential and is shaping up to be an exciting prospect. With age on his side, he has it in him to become one of the best talents the league has seen.

Matches - 26, Runs - 726, Average - 29.04, Strike Rate - 132.24

R - Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma is the IPL's most successful captain, having won three titles with the Mumbai Indians. He has won a title with the Deccan Chargers too. He is one of the leagues highest run-scorers in its history and is a proven match winner. He will be looking to extend his fine record in the IPL this year with the Mumbai Indians. He has even taken a hat-trick with the ball!

Matches - 159, Runs - 4207, Batting average - 32.61, Strike Rate - 130.89

Notable mentions - Robin Uthappa, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin

S - Suresh Raina

This was a really difficult choice, considering that the other names to chose from included Shane Watson and Sunil Narine. However, Suresh Raina has been one of the biggest revelations of the IPL. He is the highest run-scorer in IPL history. He is incredibly consistent and has been instrumental in the Chennai outfit's vast success. As if his consistent batting weren't enough, he has chipped in with the ball on many an occasion too.

Matches - 161, Runs - 4540, Batting average - 34.13, Strike Rate - 139.09

Wickets - 25, Bowling average - 44.48, Economy - 7.39

Notable mentions - Shane Watson, Sunil Narine, Shikhar Dhawan, Sachin Tendulkar

T - Tillakaratne Dilshan

The Sri Lankan batsman makes the list primarily owing to the lack of options. At the top of the order, he has been consistent, although surprisingly, his strike rate was always an issue.

Matches - 52, Runs - 1153, Average - 26.81, Strike Rate - 114.49

Yusuf Pathan supersedes Yuvraj Singh in the list owing to his spectacular exploits in the IPL

U - Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav is the thirteenth highest wicket-taker in the history of the IPL. He is known for his wicket-taking abilities and has taken crucial breakthroughs quite often. He is one of the genuine Indian pacers in terms of speed, and has an excellent arm in the outfield. Having played for the Daredevils and the Knight Riders, the speedster will be looking to continue taking wickets with the Royal Challengers.

Matches - 94, Wickets - 91, Average - 29.74, Economy - 8.39

V - Virat Kohli

Nothing much needs to be said about Virat Kohli. He is the second-highest run-getter of all time, second to only Suresh Raina. He has featured in 149 games, all for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. His incredible 2016 season saw him dominate his way to the orange cap with over 900 runs which included 4 centuries. His only shortcoming is that he is yet to lay his hands on the title.

Matches - 149, Runs - 4418, Average - 37.44, Strike Rate - 129.82

Notable mentions - Virender Sehwag

W - Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha is excellent with the gloves and took over from MS Dhoni as India's wicket-keeper in the longest format of the game. He is a handy batsman to have in the lower middle order and has hit some valuable small knocks in his career. His most incredible knock came at the best possible time as he scored a century in the 2012 final against the Knight Riders. Despite that knock being in vain, it showed what Saha is capable of.

Matches - 104, Runs - 1557, Average - 25.52, Strike Rate - 130.73

X- No player whose name starts with 'X' has played IPL.

Y - Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan rightfully makes the list ahead of veteran Yuvraj Singh. The older Pathan was a revelation in the first season, helping his team from Rajasthan to the title in the inaugural edition of the IPL. He then won two more titles, both with the Knight Riders. There have been very few batsmen who have been able to cause the sort of havoc he has in the lower middle order. His century of just 37 balls against the Mumbai Indians, and his fastest half-century in just 15 balls against the Sunrisers both show just what he is capable of.

Matches - 149, Runs - 2904, Batting average - 39.63, Strike Rate - 145.49

Wickets - 42, Bowling average - 33.14, Economy - 7.39

Notable mentions - Yuvraj Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Z - Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan shuttled between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians before finally moving to the Delhi Daredevils and even captaining them. He took a lot of wickets in the process, and is currently the ninth-highest wicket-taker of all time. His knack of taking crucial wickets was impeccable.

Matches - 100, Wickets - 102, Average - 27.27, Economy - 7.58