Top 5 all-rounders of the IPL 

All-rounders play an essential role in every format of the game, and if any side has a genuine all-rounder, they virtually play with 12 players. The term 'all-rounder' has been misused to a great extent in the modern era, and many bits-and-pieces players have received the all-rounder's tag, which they don't deserve. The proper definition of an all-rounder thus stands, "a player who has the potential to get selected in a side both as a specialist batsman as well as a specialist bowler."

The Indian Premier League has been dominated by many top quality all-rounders, and most of them have been overseas ones. They have always played a part in successful franchises like Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, and have contributed to some of their major victories.

The top 5 all-rounders in terms of match-winning abilities are listed below.

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#5 Shane Watson

The power-packed Aussie all-rounder has been a part of the IPL since its inaugural season. He started his IPL career with the Rajasthan Royals and subsequently played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. This year we will see him play for the Chennai Super Kings under the captaincy of M.S. Dhoni.

Watson is a quality player and can whack a few at the top of the order. He has the ability take full advantage of the field restrictions in the first six overs and can strike the ball to a distance. In his 102 IPL games, he has scored 2622 runs, which also includes a hundred.

The veteran bowls at a decent pace, and can hurry the batsman with his bouncer, but does not bowl at the death because he doesn't have the knack of bowling yorkers. He has 86 scalps in his IPL career so far and has gone at an economy rate of close to 8 an over.

#4 Chris Morris

Chris Morris is someone who can easily bowl at 140 kmph and can get early wickets for his side. He proved to be quite effective towards the death as well, due to his ability to execute yorkers at will. Till now in the IPL, he has played for the Delhi Daredevils and the Chennai Super Kings, getting 53 scalps in just 48 games at an economy rate of 7.54. The economy rate is not too bad considering he bowls up front during the field restrictions, and towards the death as well when the batsmen are going after everything.

He is handy with the bat, especially towards the end of the innings, and his fluent bat swing helps him to hit some lusty blows. He has a remarkable strike rate of 165 plus and has made some vital contributions with the bat.

He has impressed with the bat especially in the last two seasons playing for the Daredevils, and this year, he has been retained by his franchise.

#3 Jacques Kallis

Kallis was a prolific all-rounder for the Proteas and he was one of the best all-rounders that world cricket has ever seen.

He used to play for the RCB at the start of his IPL career and then went on to play for the KKR. He batted at the top of the order and used to give a rock solid start to his team, more often than not. He played the role of a sheet anchor to perfection, letting others go after the bowling from the other end whilst he held the other end up. He ended up playing some sizable knocks for the team, getting 2427 runs in his IPL career at an average of 28 plus with 17 half centuries beside his name.

He was handy with the ball as well, controlling things in the middle overs and breaking some crucial partnerships when his team required. At present, he is the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders and will be looking forward to having a great season ahead.

#2 Dwayne Bravo

The all-rounder from Trinidad has been a popular figure in the IPL, making a severe impact with both bat and ball. He played a major role in CSK's success in the tournament and has been the go-to bowler for their captain M.S. Dhoni.

Coming down the order he can hit some lusty blows with his typical Caribbean flair and has played some match-winning knocks when his team required him to.

He has 122 IPL scalps and has been outstanding with the ball, especially towards the death, bowling some quality yorkers and slower balls.

Not only with the bat and the ball, Bravo has also been one of the best fielders in the IPL and has taken some unbelievable catches. He turned some games on their heads with the help of his acrobatic fielding and tremendous commitment.

Till now, he has played for 3 IPL franchises, and this year we'll see him play for his old franchise CSK again.

#1 Andre Russell

The big Jamaican is probably the best all-rounder in the IPL considering his match-winning abilities. He was banned from playing the last season of the IPL, but this year he'll be back in purple again as he has been retained by his franchise KKR.

He was at his best in IPL 2016 and 2015 and won games for his side with both bat and ball. He is someone who can bowl at a brisk pace striking up front with the new ball and can also execute some accurate yorkers towards the death.

With the bat, he has won plenty of games for his side and changed the course of some games where KKR was down and out with no hope of winning. He is a muscular bloke who is known for his colossal hitting and can clear the park without making much of an effort. If he gets going with the bat, he can make a mockery of any target and can destroy any bowling attack on his day. In just 34 IPL games he has already hit 37 sixes and has a spectacular strike rate of 173 plus.