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The 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League, cricket's most lucrative league, is right around the corner as the eight teams in the fray will look to put up their best and grab the honors at the end of the tournament.
Over the past years, the Indian Premier League has set a benchmark for the shortest format of the game, with fledging talent rubbing shoulders with some of the greatest names in the sport that has shed light on the importance of the league.
Be it Virat Kohli's cover drive or Jos Buttler's scoop, AB de Villiers' 360-degree innovation or Kane Williamson's trademark cuts and drives, the IPL has seen it all and has played host to some top knocks in the past.
With yet another season fast approaching, we take a look at the best of batters from last season, who enthralled with their prowess with the blade in hand. Here are the top 10 batsmen from the 2018 edition.
#10 - Shikhar Dhawan
The southpaw was in top form all through the season as he opened the batting for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and finished with a total of 497 runs from 16 matches at an average of 38.23 and a strike rate of 136.91.
Dhawan started the season in full flow as his unbeaten 77 handed SRH a nine-wicket win in their opening encounter against RR. A 45-run knock against MI was followed by a couple of poor shows until he picked up an injury against KXIP.
His return a few games later saw him notch up just 55 runs from the next four matches before he struck form against the Delhi Capitals with a powerful 50-ball 92, laced with nine fours and four sixes.
The left-hander picked up from where he left off from against CSK as he scored a 49-ball 79 and came back and followed it up with a fighting half-century against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Dhawan did make a couple of strong starts in the knockout stages but could not convert them into big knocks and with the southpaw shifting sides to join the Delhi Capitals for IPL 2019, his alliance with Prithvi Shaw at the top of the order will be one to watch out for.
#9 Dinesh Karthik
The wicketkeeper-batsman joined the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018 for a whopping sum of ₹7.4 crore after a decent outing with the Gujarat Lions and was immediately given the job of captaining the team for the season.
In what was his first season with KKR, Dinesh Karthik seemed to enjoy the added responsibility on his shoulders as he played the role of a finisher to perfection and in the process notched up 498 runs from 16 matches at a commendable average of 49.80 and a strike rate of 147.77.
Walking in at No.5, Dinesh Karthik looked in solid touch all through the tournament as he contributed with some quick-fire knocks, his unbeaten 17-ball 45 against the Chennai Super Kings proving to be one of his stand-out knocks.
Karthik's first half-century came against KXIP when his 23-ball 50 took KKR to 245-6 and his other top effort was in the Eliminator against RR where he scored a 38-ball 52.
Such was Karthik's form that he finished as the top run-getter for the Knight Riders and will yet again hold the key to his team's chances this season.
#8 Suryakumar Yadav
One of the best finds for the Mumbai Indians, Suryakumar Yadav was in the best of form during the IPL 2018 as he scored a total of 512 runs from 14 matches at 36.57 and a strike rate of 133.33.
Having played as a middle-order batsman for the Kolkata Knight Riders, Suryakumar Yadav was asked to open the batting for MI which he converted extremely well, applying a solid technique to churn runs at the top of the order.
Yadav started the season at No.4 and did well to notch up scores of 43 and 28 but his promotion to an opener against the Capitals proved to be a positive move as he scored his first half-century of the season with a 32-ball 53.
Having scored his second fifty, a 47-ball 72 against RR, Yadav made a couple of useful starts in the next few games before getting to his third fifty of the season, a 42-ball 57 against KXIP and followed it up with a 39-ball 59 against KKR.
Although the Mumbai Indians failed to make it to the playoffs, Suryakumar Yadav's form was one of the biggest takeaways and yet again, his ability to milk runs at the top could prove to be vital.
#7 Virat Kohli
One of the Indian Premier League's best batsmen, Virat Kohli stands second in the list of most run-getters in the league's history with 4948 runs from 163 matches. Kohli's record of 973 runs from 16 matches in the 2016 edition of the IPL still stands as the most runs in a single season.
2018 was yet another good year for the RCB skipper as his IPL stint fetched him a total of 530 runs from 14 matches at an average of 48.18 and a strike rate of 139.10.
Kohli started on a positive note with a couple of 25+ scores and notched up his first fifty against the Rajasthan Royals at home. In the next game against MI, Kohli pushed himself up the order and smacked an unbeaten 62-ball 92 but was unfortunate to end on the wrong side of the result.
The RCB skipper scored his second fifty, a 44-ball 68 against KKR and against DD, in Match 45, Kohli combined with AB de Villiers in a 118-run partnership as he scored a 40-ball 70 in RCB's 5-wicket win.
An unbeaten 28-ball 48 against KXIP was yet another preeminent knock for Kohli in a season that turned out to be a pretty good one on a personal level for the RCB skipper.
#6 Jos Buttler
The Englishman's ability to don the role of an aggressor at the top of the order was one of the brightest sparks for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018. In just 13 matches, Jos Buttler scored 548 runs at 54.80 and a jaw-dropping strike rate of 155.24.
Joining the team for a sum of ₹4.4 crore, Buttler started the season with the role of a finisher and contributed with an 18-ball 29 and 14-ball 23 and continued with a couple of handy knocks at the death.
With the Royals unable to find a settled opening combination, Buttler was thrust into the role of opening the batting against Delhi and he impressed with 26-ball 67 with four fours and seven sixes.
With three more fifties in a row, including an unbeaten 60-ball 95, Buttler's sizzling form at the top fetched him, three Man of the Match awards, as Buttler's form was one of the talking points for RR.
The Royals, however, lost Buttler's services for the last few games and with yet another season coming up, Buttler's domination at the top of the order could have a direct say on the outcome of the game.
#5 Shane Watson
A premier all-rounder in T20 cricket, Watson's all-round ability has fetched him many a contract in franchise cricket but one defining stint with the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2018, where he scored 555 runs from 15 matches, including 117* in the finals exposed Watson's caliber.
The burly all-rounder from Australia shifted to the CSK ranks after a below-par season with RCB and looked in serene form all throughout as he scored at 39.64 and a strike rate of 154.59.
Watson started with a bang against KKR, a 19-ball 42 with three fours and three sixes setting the tone for the rest of the season. Against the Rajasthan Royals, Watson was at his decimating best, as he powered his way to a 57-ball 106, his first century for CSK.
However, he picked up just 28 runs from the next three games before finding form yet again with a 40-ball 78 against Delhi and notched up his second fifty of the season with a 35-ball 57 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
A duck in the first qualifier did not deter the all-rounder as he blasted his way to a 57-ball 117 against SRH in the finals and in the process, helped CSK register their third IPL title.
#4 Ambati Rayudu
A rock in the middle order for the national setup in the ODI format, Rayudu enjoys a similar role in the CSK setup and one that has brought with it a lot of success.
CSK's top run-getter in IPL 2018, Rayudu notched up 602 runs in 16 matches at an average of 43.00 and a strike rate of 149.75- by far his best ever IPL season.
Asked to open the batting alongside Shane Watson, Rayudu started off well, with 110 runs from the first three games and slammed his first fifty, a 37-ball 79 in CSK's win against SRH. Rayudu continued his fine show as he smashed 82 off just 53 balls in pursuit of RCB's target of 206.
Rayudu contributed with 46 (v MI) and 41 (v Delhi) and then underwent a slight slump in form before he found his lost bearings and notched up his maiden century, a 62-ball 100 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
A half-century against KXIP took Rayudu's half-century tally to three from the season as the right-hander finished with 602 runs and more importantly, was a key architect in CSK's title win.
#3 KL Rahul
A gifted opening batsman for Karnataka and in the Indian Premier League, KL Rahul has emerged as one of the best Indian batters in the recent past and with 659 runs from 14 matches for KXIP in IPL 2018, Rahul will hold the aces for the Punjab-based franchise yet again.
Having failed to cement his place in the SRH setup, Rahul was snapped up by RCB in 2016 where he scored 397 runs in 14 matches, but an injury ruled him out of IPL 2017 until impressive shows with the national setup earned the opener a massive ₹11 cr contract with KXIP.
Opening the batting with West Indian marauder Chris Gayle, Rahul overshadowed the big Jamaican with some power-packed batting performances as he scored at a strike rate of 158.41 and finished the season with six fifties to his name.
Rahul started the season with a 16-ball 51 against Delhi and maintained his top form all through the contest, with his 70-ball 95* against the Rajasthan Royals proving to be the best of KL Rahul in the season.
#2 Rishabh Pant
One of the most impressive youngsters in Indian cricket, Rishabh Pant will yet again be the cynosure of all eyes in this edition of the IPL after a stellar run in the previous edition where he scored 684 runs from 14 matches to finish as the season's second-highest run-scorer.
A southpaw, who believes more in his big hitting ability than piercing the gaps, Pant's strike rate of 173.60 last season is indicative of the strength that he adds to the Delhi middle-order. Striking an average of 52.61, Pant's IPL season saw him notch up five fifties and one hundred as well.
Capable of floating around in the middle order, Pant started in fine fashion for Delhi as 138 runs in four games before smashing his first half-century, a 48-ball 85 against RCB. A couple of failures came by but were soon wiped out as the dashing left-hander pummelled CSK to pick up a 45-ball 79 and followed it up with a match-winning 29-ball 69 against RR.
However, Pant's best knock came in a losing cause against SRH as he blasted his way to a 63-ball 128 laced with 15 fours and 7 sixes and carried his form over against RCB, against whom he scored a 34-ball 61.
In Delhi's final game against MI, Pant smacked a 44-ball 64 as he capped off his fabulous season on a high and will undoubtedly hold the key to Delhi's success while also, on a personal level, Pant will be looking to strike it big and claim a place in the World Cup squad.
#1 Kane Williamson
A batsman gifted with sound technique and an ability to shift gears when required, Kane Williamson looked in prime touch in IPL 2018 as he notched up a mammoth 735 runs from 17 matches at an average of 52.50 and a strike rate of 142.44 to finish as the highest-run getter from the season.
In the absence of David Warner, Williamson, who captained the team scored a total of eight half-centuries, with the first one coming against KKR in SRH's 5-wicket victory. A 41-ball 54 against KXIP in the next encounter saw the Hyderabad skipper carry his form against CSK with a 51-ball 84 including five fours and five sixes.
A slight dip in form was subsequently doused by a match-winning 63 against Rajasthan and after a couple of games, RCB's challenge failed to find an answer to Williamson's fighting 39-ball 56 and in reply to Delhi's target of 188, Williamson's 53-ball 83* gave SRH a handsome nine-wicket win.
Two back-to-back fifties, (51 v CSK) and (81 v RCB) held Williamson in good stead going into the knockout stages but a couple of rare failures, leading to the summit clash where Williamson top-scored with a 36-ball 47 for his team.
With Warner returning to the fold for IPL 2019, Williamson will be hoping to strike a rich alliance with the opener that could well bring about a title for SRH.
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