Aakash Chopra picks the top six batsmen of IPL 2020; Virat Kohli and Mayank Agarwal fail to make the list

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has picked six batsmen who excelled in IPL 2020. He also ranked them in order in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

The reputed commentator picked AB de Villiers at the sixth spot on his list of batsmen who stood out in the recently concluded edition of the IPL. Mayank Agarwal and Virat Kohli were the other contenders for the position.

He pointed out that the South African genius has been the most consistent match-winner for the Royal Challengers Bangalore this year as well as over the last few seasons of the IPL.

"At No.6, I was considering Mayank Agarwal and Virat Kohli but I am going with AB de Villiers. Some people have also questioned what sort of genius he is when he cannot win the tournament. But that is not his job, he has won the most Man of the Matches for RCB since 2018, most Man of the Matches this year and won the most matches single-handedly."

Suryakumar Yadav was Aakash Chopra's pick for the fifth spot in his list of top six batsmen of IPL 2020. The latter highlighted that the Mumbai Indians batsman continued to perform consistently despite being overlooked by the national selectors for the Indian team's tour of Australia.

"At No.5, I have got Suryakumar Yadav. He has been outstanding for a variety of reasons because your heart is broken when you are not selected for the Indian team but that was not the case with him. And the way he has batted - convincingly, technically, temperamentally - whichever way you may want to judge him he has been outstanding."

The former KKR player chose Ishan Kishan as the fourth-best batsman in IPL 2020. He lauded the short-statured batsman's big-hitting abilities while observing that he was another player who was unlucky not to have been selected for the tour of Australia.

"At No.4, I have got Ishan Kishan. He has hit so many sixes despite his diminutive frame and that too against pace. I am a tad bit disappointed that his name is not there in the Indian team, just as the case with Surya. He is a decent keeper, he is a fab batsman and a decent fielder also."

---

Aakash Chopra's picks of the top three batsmen of IPL 2020

Shikhar Dhawan was the second-highest run-scorer in IPL 2020 [P/C: iplt20.com]

David Warner got Aakash Chopra's vote as the third-best batsman of IPL 2020. The latter praised the Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper for the consistency he has shown over the years while appreciating him for delivering the goods this year despite not being in his prime form.

"At No.3, I have got David Warner. He is the greatest of all-time kind of player if you talk about overseas players. He has scored more than 500 runs in six consecutive seasons. This kind of consistency at this kind of strike rate is unthinkable. He may not have been at his best rhythm but still managed to score important runs."

The 43-year-old named Shikhar Dhawan as the second-best batsman of the recently concluded edition of the IPL. He praised the Delhi Capitals opener for hitting back-to-back centuries while pointing out that a lean patch in between hit his team pretty hard.

"At No.2, I have kept Shikhar Dhawan. He is the first player to score two consecutive centuries. He was almost the heart and soul of the team. The only thing against him was the peaks and throughs he went through because of which the team derailed at times."

A moment to remember for me 😁 This team keeps rising 💪 pic.twitter.com/vUVezLZF4e

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) October 17, 2020

KL Rahul was deservedly picked by Aakash Chopra as the best batsman of IPL 2020. The former Test opener highlighted that the Kings XI Punjab captain outscored all the other batsmen despite his team not making it through to the playoffs.

"At No.1, I have picked KL Rahul. His team did not go ahead but if you go so far ahead in the league stage, then it means you have done something special. The 69-ball 132* against RCB was one of the finest innings we have seen in the tournament."

Chopra lauded the Karnataka batsman's consistency over the last three seasons of the IPL while observing that Rahul might have batted a tad slowly on a few occasions because of the situation his team was in.

"He played a little slow later but you can understand considering the situation of the team. This is his 3rd consecutive season where he has scored more than 600 runs and the consistency with which he played, he almost did not have a bad game."

KL Rahul was the proud recipient of the Orange Cap in IPL 2020 for finishing as the highest run-scorer. The stylish opener amassed 670 runs in the 14 matches he played, at an excellent average of 55.83 and a decent strike rate of 129.34.

Highest score in #IPL2020 ✅Highest run scorer in #IPL2020 ✅A tip of the cap for our cap’n 🙌🏻🟠#SaddaPunjab #KXIP pic.twitter.com/CUhxf8PqQ2

— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) November 10, 2020