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Be it the swaggering instincts of Christopher Henry Gayle or the majestic yorkers from Mitchell Starc, left-handers in this IPL have been precious assets for most of the franchises. And having reached the business end of IPL 2015, it is time to have a look inside the vault.
Here’s the left-handers XI of IPL 2015:
(Note: The team has been framed keeping in mind the constraints of team formation in the IPL i.e. 4 overseas players are included alongside an uncapped Indian player)
1. David Warner
The SRH captain was the lone warrior for them throughout the entire IPL. Warner smacked 7 half centuries in the season and is currently the orange cap holder with 562 runs in just 14 matches with a gigantic strike rate of 156.54.
Not only in this season, Warner has been the prime strength up the batting order for his previous team DD. His influence as a fielder has been magnetic and the 28-year old batsman has led his team right from the front as an example in this particular season.
Warner has been the prime reason for the bulk of the success SRH have had this season. An instance of his masterpiece can be drawn from his innings of 81 runs off 52 deliveries against KXIP of late, with 5 sixes and 4 fours, which almost in a single-handed fashion, sealed the game’s fate in favour of SRH.
He is known for providing his team with such tormenting starts. His fiery innings of 91 runs off just 55 deliveries against a strong bowling line up of KKR in this IPL stood to be one of the best innings in this IPL and had the impact of enforcing a stern victory over the Knights.
2. Chris Gayle
When it comes to brute force, the first name that comes into our minds is Christopher Henry Gayle. Gayle has inflicted severe destruction to the opposition in the past and this season was no exception to it. As a matter of fact, Gayle has scored 450 runs in 13 matches this season.
Also, he has hit the maximum number of sixes this season so far with 35 sixes. Possession of the highest run scorer in T20 format (with 7398 runs) and opening the innings for the team, by itself inches the team a step closer towards the victory line. To draw instances of his tormenting destruction, one got to speak about his innings of 96 runs off 56 deliveries right in RCB’s first match in this IPL.
Gayle kept on smacking the balls when wickets kept on falling at the other end. Also, his century against KXIP, where he went on to score 117 runs off just 57 deliveries was terribly good in brief. Last but not the least, one got to mention about his fiery innings of 35 runs off 10 deliveries which did set the pace for RCB in the rain affected chase against SRH.
Even bowlers in the likes of Steyn and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar looked dim in front of the big Jamaican. Moreover, an opening pair featuring Gayle and Warner is equivalent to a nightmare for the opposition and perhaps is the last thing any opposition wants.
3. Parthiv Patel (Wicketkeeper)
Parthiv has been a consistent opening batsman for MI this season, but since our opening spot has been filled in by two greats, Parthiv had to be placed at number three.
The wicket keeper batsman has played decently and has been involved in back to back century partnerships for MI of late. Parthiv has scored a total of 339 runs in 13 matches this season. Moreover, he has proved his instinct as a big match player in this IPL.
He scored a decent unbeaten half century against SRH when it mattered the most for MI and ensured comprehensive victory for MI to qualify for the playoffs as the second-ranked team. Adding to that, his innings of 35 runs off 25 deliveries against CSK can never be ignored, owing to the impact that such an innings made. It eased off things for Pollard at the death overs to smack the ball fearlessly.
Also, he has been quite much reflexive with his wicket-keeping in this season. He has proved his maturity as a wicket keeper for a number of times in the past and this season has been no exception to it. The way he dismissed Bravo by a direct throw in the Qualifier is indeed something praiseworthy. Having him as the wicket keeper of the side, can be considered as a healthy measure for teams.
4. Shikhar Dhawan
Well, this might raise the brows of many folks by having him batting at this position. Owing to his importance as a dependable and an equally aggressive batsman, he makes his place into this list. Dhawan has been one of the top notch left handed batsmen for India for quite some time now.
Alongside that, his timing and placement has often been compared to some great left-handers including Sourav Ganguly and Mathew Hayden. His healthy innings right at the start for SRH has helped them to cruise to big totals. Also, the Man with the Distinct Moustache, complimented Warner brilliantly in the opening partnership for SRH.
Among the few impactful innings played by him in this season, the one against Rajasthan Royals at the Brabourne Stadium justifies his spot in this team. He smacked the bowlers all around the park and scored a total of 54 runs off 35 deliveries in real quick time. Batting in such a position, lower in the middle order might well explode out the pinch-hitting instinct of him.
5. Suresh Raina
Raina can also be called as Mr. CSK, owing to the fact that he has never missed a single game for them. Raina has been pretty much consistent throughout the seasons of IPL. But in this particular season, he has not fired to that extent.
The aggressive left-handed batsman has scored 346 runs in this season. Just to draw an instance of how his performance could play a pivotal part in the game, Raina’s emphatic knock of 61 runs off 32 deliveries against RCB with the aid of 6 sixes proved to be quite much enough in deciding the fate of the game.
He also possesses the sublime quality of sneaking in a few economical overs in the middle and this has helped CSK’s cause for throughout the years. Also, his intensified brilliance in the field in conjunction with his abilities to bowl economical spells adds to the strengths of any team. Owing to his sporting and fighting spirit on the field, in conjunction with his dramatically consistent fitness level, Raina can surely be the X Factor of any team on a day.
6. JP Duminy
Duminy has been the Mr. Performer for DD in this season. The left-handed batsman batted incredibly well for them in this season and has scored a total of 414 runs in 14 matches with 4 half centuries. Also, as a matter of fact, his spin bowling has been an advantage for DD as he has succeeded in taking 8 wickets in the season. He has been the baton holder for DD in this season and DD simply over-depended upon him to a considerable extent.
This can be justified by his impact in DD’s away game against SRH. Duminy scored a blistering innings of 54 runs initially which was backed by a sensational 4 wicket haul coupled with incredible captaincy, which seized victory in favour of DD. Also, his unbeaten knock against MI of 78 runs in real quick time was indeed a treat to watch.
The centurion stand between him and Shreyas Iyer in that match can be called as one of the greatest partnerships in this IPL. A player of his class in such a prime form is likely to enforce amplified strength for a squad in the middle order. Also, Duminy is quite much versatile in his batting approach and can adjust himself to defensive or aggressive mode depending upon the circumstances of the game.
7. Axar Patel
The spinning all-rounder of India is perhaps one of the brightest prospects for India in limited over cricket. Due to the poor performances of KXIP this season, Axar’s game-changing contributions have been shadowed on a number of occasions.
It can never be forgotten that he had immense contributions in taking KXIP through to the finals in the previous IPL. He managed to take 13 wickets this season and who could forget the 21-year old’s cameo with the bat against RR to take the match down to the super over. With 13 runs required off the last over and with no recognized batsman to compliment him, Axar has been splendid in that match.
As a bowler, he is capable of bowling economically even in the powerplay overs. In the rain-intruded match against RCB of late, Axar’s cameo of 20 runs at the death overs helped KXIP to pose a defendable total. This was followed by his incredible performance with the ball (2/11 in 2 overs) to take KXIP par the victory line.
8. Jagadeesha Suchith
The left arm spinner of MI has been one of their consistent pros and has managed to assist Harbhajan Singh decently well with his spin. Suchith has managed to pick up 10 wickets this season and has played some brilliant cameos at the death overs for them.
The 21-year bowling all-rounder’s performance with the ball in the must win match against SRH in the final group stage game cemented the place for MI in the play-offs with sheer comfort. In a single over, Suchith turned the tables by dismissing Henriques and Naman Ojha in back to back deliveries.
Suchith conceded just 14 runs in the match in 3 overs. Also, his cameo against KXIP where he assisted Harbhajan Singh did prove his talent with the bat. MI could not win the match but it was a cherishable partnership between Harbhajan and him for sure. The 21-year old youngster is surely the uncapped player to pick up in the squad.
9. Mitchell Starc
Since his inclusion to the RCB squad, Starc has been lethal with the ball. Having picked up 18 wickets in just 11 matches, Starc has been quite economical too. He conceded his first six in the tournament after bowling 205 deliveries.
His Yorkers, nowadays referred to as the ‘Starc-ers’, have been quite much unplayable and that brought him 9 bowled dismissals in this season for RCB. Right in his first game of this season, the left arm pacer proved his point by taking 3 wickets at the expense of 22 runs which helped RCB to restrict RR to a tiny total of 130 runs.
No matter how strong RCB’s batting line up is, it has been their bowling attack, led by Starc, which lifted the team in the later half of this IPL and guaranteed a place in the playoffs for them. Starc’s lethal bowling against KXIP where he went on to take 4 wickets by conceding just 15 runs made KXIP look too much vulnerable. Also, needless to mention, he has been ecstatic for RCB in the death overs. Starc is currently one of the best bowlers in the limited over cricket and he can indisputably be the trump card for any squad.
10 Zaheer Khan
One of the old pros of the Indian cricket and a master of swing bowling, Zaheer Khan has made a decent comeback in this season. As a matter of fact, Zaheer is currently one of the leading wicket takers in the history of IPL and has managed to pick up 7 wickets in this season out of 7 matches.
After being out of cricket for almost a year, the left arm pacer made a fairy tale alike comeback when he struck his first wicket right in the second delivery of the match between DD and KXIP.
The veteran master of swing bowling proved his deadly instinct in the match against CSK where he conceded just 9 runs in his spell of 4 overs and took 2 crucial wickets of McCullum and Dhoni to take his team to a cruising position.
He can be a destructive bowler in the powerplay overs. In the death overs too, his impact as a swing bowler can be a boost for any team. Another important aspect of having him in the squad is his constant support for the young bowlers. We have seen many a times in the past that his influence guided youngsters to produce the best out of them.
11. Ashish Nehra
The veteran pacer has been one of the spearheads for CSK in this IPL and has been amongst the wickets. Nehra has managed to take as many as 19 wickets this season and has been in the run for the purple cap. He has coped up perfectly to his role in the CSK squad as a breakthrough bowler.
This was proved by him in the match against RCB at Bangalore where he went on to take 4 crucial wickets, including the one of Virat Kohli and gave away just 10 runs by bowling out the entire 4 overs.
In a batting dominated surface at the Chinnaswamy stadium, where bowlers hardly manage to find their line and length safe, Nehra’s economy rate stood to be 2.50, which is something that is enought to define his destructive instinct. With this man in form, any opposition might find it way too difficult to retain wickets.
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