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After 56 hard fought games, the Indian Premier League has now entered the playoffs stage. In the battle of top two(Qualifier-1), it was Chennai Super Kings who made an inspirational comeback from the jaws of defeat and plunge themselves into their 7th Indian T20 League final last night. The winner of Qualifier-1, CSK are just a step away now from laying their hands on the coveted trophy while SRH will have a second opportunity when they meet one of Kolkata Knight Riders or Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier-2 on May 25.
This season has seen many breathtaking matches with thrilling finishes. When it comes to the individual brilliance, the level has been quite high as not only some bigwigs performed to their reputation but some new faces also have made quite an impact with their exceptional cricketing skills.
Let's take a look at one such player from each team who has performed exceptionally well this season.
#8 Delhi Daredevils - Rishabh Pant
The 20-year-old has taken the cricketing world by storm with his incredible batting skills this season. The youngster has been among the runs in almost every game. The Delhi lad has scored a mammoth 684 runs in fourteen innings with the help of five fifties and a century at an average of 52.62 and strike-rate of 173.63.
The innings he played recently against the Sunrisers Hyderabad wherein he scored a 63-ball-128 facing the best bowling line-up of the season is a testimony to his growing stature as a player.
The southpaw has scored 26.6% of the total runs Delhi scored this season. That speaks volumes of the dependency Delhi Daredevils has on Rishabh Pant.
#7 Mumbai Indians - Hardik Pandya
The 24-year-old has been retained by Mumbai Indians for a whopping Rs.11 Crore this season. The investment in him has been paying rich dividends for Mumbai Indians since 2015.
The showy Indian all-rounder has donned the all-rounder role to the perfection this season. The youngster has been exceptional this season for Mumbai Indians by scoring valuable runs with the bat and picking wickets at crucial junctures.
Hardik Pandya has scored 260 runs in 13 innings at an average of 28.89 and has picked up 18 wickets to stand third in the wickets column. His 42-ball-50 against RCB and 3/24 against CSK are his best figures this season with bat and ball respectively.
#6 Royal Challengers Bangalore - Umesh Yadav
The Indian fast bowler was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL 2018 auctions and was snapped up by RCB for Rs 4.20 crore. The 30-year-old has been exceptional for Royal Challengers Bangalore this season. Umesh has picked 20 wickets at an excellent average of 20.9 going at 7.86 runs per over with his 3/23 against KXIP being his best this season.
He is not the same Umesh who bowls five good balls and gives away a boundary for the last ball. The Umesh Yadav that we are witnessing now is a more improved version of his former self.
Given his knack of giving the early wickets to the captain, his improved economy and his ability to bowl at any moment of the game will make him a perfect option to have for any captain. For a team that has always been criticized for lacking potent bowling resources, the inclusion of Umesh Yadav is a boon.
#5 Rajasthan Royals - Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler made headlines this season with his consistent performances for Rajasthan Royals. The wicketkeeper-Batsman has single-handedly secured Rajasthan Royals a playoff berth this season.
The 27-year-old has scored five back-to-back fifties this season, a feat that was previously achieved only by Virender Sehwag representing Delhi Daredevils in 2012. He registered the scores of 67, 51,82 95 and 94 against DD, KXIP, KXIP, CSK, and MI respectively in five consecutive innings.
The English cricketer has scored 548 runs in 13 outings at an average of 54.8 and a strike rate of 155.24 with his 60-ball-95 against CSK being his best this season.
#4 Kolkata Knight Riders - Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine has been a revolution in the Indian T20 League. First, he used to weave a magic even around the finest of the batsmen in the world. Just a year ago he was promoted as an opener and he started belting the finest of the bowlers too with the bat.
Sunil Narine has thus far scored 327 runs in 14 innings with the help of two fifties at an average of 23.36 and a staggering strike-rate of 189.02. With the ball, the right arm spinner has scalped 14 wickets at an economy of 7.82.
The Carribean all-rounder has been retained for this season by Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping Rs.12.5 Crore and he has been worth every penny this year.
#3 Kings XI Punjab - KL Rahul
The stylish batsman from Karnataka, KL Rahul, has had a stellar season this year playing for Kings XI Punjab. The 26-year-old has single-handedly shouldered the burden of carrying KXIP's batting this season.
The right-hander slammed a fastest fifty of the Indian Premier League by registering a 14-ball fifty against Delhi Daredevils in their season opener at Mohali. His knocks of 54-ball-84, 70-ball-95 and 60-ball-94 in do-or-die games speaks volumes of his technique and temperament.
The 26-year-old has scored 659 runs this season with the help of six fifties and two ninety plus scores in 14 innings at an average of 54.92 and a strike rate of 158.41.
#2 Chennai Super Kings - Ambati Rayudu
After being in the shadows of the star players like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Rohit Sharma etc during his stint with Mumbai Indians over the years, Ambati Rayudu has finally come into the limelight this season playing for Chennai Super Kings.
The 32-year-old was roped-in for Rs. 2.2 Crore this season and Chennai probably have got three or four multiples of their investment on him this season with his performance at the top.
The right-hander has been exceptional for Chennai Super Kings donning a new role as an opener. Rayudu has thus far scored 586 runs in fifteen innings at an average of 41.86 and a strike rate of 153.0.
As his team, CSK already reached the finals, the Andhra-born player must be raring to make for his failure in the Qualifier-1 by delivering a match-winning performance in the summit clash.
#1 Sunrisers Hyderabad - Kane Williamson
With his calm and composed captaincy, Kane Williamson has taken Warner-less SRH to the playoffs this season. Kane has been donning the dual role of being a key batsman and the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Kane along with Shikhar Dhawan has shouldered the whole burden of their fragile SRH batting line up. He has shown his wide variety of shots to score runs on the slow and turning surfaces of their home ground, Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad.
Thus far the SRH skipper has amassed 685 runs in fifteen innings with the help of eight fifties at an average of 57.08 and a decent strike-rate of 143.61.
With his team losing to CSK in the Qualifier-1, the onus will be on Kane to come up with a big innings to give bowlers a decent score to fight with, when they next meet the winner of eliminator on Friday.
Given the form the 27-year-old is in, he is most likely to top the batting charts and win the orange cap this season.
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