The TATA IPL 2022 season has been a roller-coaster ride. The teams have been on a roll. The new additions to the league were superb throughout. Gujarat and Lucknow have added nothing but more value. Finally, the IPL is out of the “MI-CSK” bubble and we will be able to see a new champion this time around. 3 out of the 4 qualified teams can win their very first title. The TATA IPL 2022 saw many top performers. Both Indian and overseas players did very well. Here is an in-depth look at the best team that can be made from all the players in the league:
**I have used the 4 Overseas, 7 Indian Format to make the team**
1) Opener: Jos Butler (VC) will open for TATA IPL 2022 XI.
The sheer dominance of Jos Butler in the first half of the TATA IPL 2022 season has found a spot for himself in the best XI of the seasons. Jos Butler was playing around with the bowlers in the first 8 to 9 games. Butler is the current orange cap holder with 600+ runs under his belt. He has single-handedly taken the Rajasthan Royals to the playoffs. He specifically likes playing against big teams like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. His 3 hundreds this season have been elite. His game has improved leaps and bounds.
2) Opener: KL Rahul will open for TATA IPL 2022 XI.
KL Rahul like every season has ragged the bowlers. This is his 4th consecutive season of scoring 500+ runs in the IPL. He is second in line to be the orange cap holder. KL has also led the Lucknow Super Giants to the playoffs in the very first season of the tournament. He has been exceptional as a batter and as a leader. He also likes bashing the more dominant teams like the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings. Playing well against these teams means a lot as they have ruled over the tournament for the past 10 years. This shows the player’s character. And KL certainly has a strong one. Not to forget his 2 hundreds this season.
3) Top-Order: Rahul Tripathi.
When the Indian Team for the South Africa T20I Series has announced it was sad to see Rahul Tripathi’s name not being on the list. If any player deserved it more, it was Rahul. He has been in the cricketing circuit since 2016 and has been dominating the domestic tournaments too. Whoever has played with Rahul Tripathi regards him as a complete team man. His work ethic is also lauded. He has been knocking at the national team’s door for quite some time. With 413 runs under his belt, Rahul has proven his mettle. It was because of him and Abhishek Sharma that SRH was in contention.
4) Middle-Order: Hardik Pandya (C) will lead TATA IPL 2022 XI.
Hardik Pandya would have been an ideal finisher but for the entire season, the boy from Baroda has batted at number 4. So, it will only be fair if I bat him at that position. Hardik also has amassed 413 runs at an average of 41.30 at a strike rate of 139. This speaks a lot about his batting prowess. What has been more impressive is Hardik’s captaincy. Around him, the players are feeling comfortable and free. He has given players the opportunities to express themselves. Under him, he has a good set of experienced players too. Matthew wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Shami, and Rashid have given their inputs to Hardik too. He is the perfect fit for number 4 as he can give 1 or 2 overs of pace as well.
5) Floater: Liam Livingstone.
Liam Livingstone has taken the TATA IPL 2022 season by storm. Of the 10 longest hit sixes, 5 of them have come from his bat. He has made sure that the domestic Indian bowlers get a taste of world-class ball-striking. He has been hitting sixes for fun. Sam Curran in an interview with ESPNCricinfo had predicted that Liam will have a good season. And turns out that this prediction is true. Livingstone was the silver lining of the dark season for Punjab Kings. He at times carried the team single-handedly. Being 6th in the orange cap list at a strike rate of 160+ tells us a lot about his game. He is a true ambassador of the future of cricket as he is bowling off-spin, and leg-spin and his fielding is exceptional.
6) Floater: Deepak Hooda will play for TATA IPL 2022.
Deepak Hooda is the unsung hero for the Lucknow Super Giants. When we talk about LSG, we talk about QDK or Rahul but Deepak has batted well in critical situations. Deepak is one of the most improved cricketers of recent times. His leadership role at Rajasthan has helped him perform to the fullest. He has always had the potential but it has turned into reality just a few months back. He isn’t very aggressive but certainly plays according to the situation. Hooda is a thoughtful player and has game sense. His game against spin is one of the best in the country. He is as good as Mayank Agarwal in that department. He can give 2-3 overs of off-break if required.
7) Keeper and Batsman: Dinesh Karthik will keep wickets for TATA IPL 2022.
It has been a dream comeback to the national team for Dinesh Karthik. 287 runs batting at number 6 or number 7 at a strike rate of 191.3 makes him the best finisher in recent times. The RCB management was very clear with regards to the role that they had for Dinesh. The sense of clarity worked well for him. Dinesh Karthik played the first T20I World Cup in 2007 and he is very keen to win the World Cup in 2022. The kind of performance, he has been doing, makes him a great candidate for that plane to Australia in October. Dinesh is aging like fine wine and is shutting the critics like a boss!
8) Spinner 1: Yuzvendra Chahal.
Yuzvendra Chahal is expected to win his well-deserved purple cap this season. He is leading the charts currently and is the reason why Rajasthan Royals are in the playoffs. Yuzi bowls in tandem with Ravichandran Ashwin and makes life hell for all the batters. He is the most daring bowler that the community has seen. This also makes him the most successful Indian T20 bowler. He has bagged 273 wickets in all the T20s he has played. Yuzi can also bowl in the powerplay if required by RR and tend to use him more in the middle-overs. He currently has 26 wickets in the TATA IPL 2022 season.
9) Fast Bowler 1: Harshal Patel/T Natarajan will bowl death-overs for TATA IPL 2022 XI.
Harshal Patel or T Natarajan can get the job done in the death overs. Both the bowlers have bagged 18 wickets this season. And have been very cheap in the death overs. Harshal uses the slower ones and the cutters but Nattu uses his laser-guided yorkers. Natarajan was the leader of the SRH bowling attack alongside Bhuvi. Both these bowlers are ideal commodities in the death overs. Harshal won’t give overs in the powerplay but has a lot to offer with the bat. On the other hand, Natarajan can give 1 or 2 overs in the powerplay as well.
10) Fast Bowler 2: Umran Malik/ Mohammed Shami.
Pace sensation Umran Malik or Mohammed Shami will also make it to my team. Mohammed Shami will be the first choice as he deals well with the powerplay overs. Shami is the leader of the bowling pack at Gujarat. He rattles the opposition in the beginning and from then on it becomes difficult to come back. Umran Malik was used in the middle overs by SRH. Umran is the talk of the town currently. He was getting batsmen out by sheer pace. His pace was too hot to handle even for overseas, experienced batters. He was frightening them with those fireballs. Mohammed Shami has grabbed 18 wickets, most of them in the powerplay. While “Jammu Express” has picked 22 wickets, most in the middle-overs.
11) Fast Bowler 3: Kagiso Rabada will bowl death overs for TATA IPL 2022.
Kagiso Rabada has the knack for taking wickets. This bowler is ranked at number 3 in the list of purple cap holders. KG has been exceptional for the Punjab Kings. He headed the bowling department along with Arshdeep. He is an ideal commodity for the death overs. His influence and guidance were such that even Arshdeep picked a few of his exceptional skills. He had a very dry season in IPL 2021. But he has been ruling TATA IPL 2022. The most important skill he has is of taking wickets. He may at times leak runs but will get the wickets which eventually win you the games. He has picked 23 wickets for the Punjab Kings.
- Coach: Ashish Nehra.
- Back-Up Opener: Shikhar Dhawan(If Indian), Quinton De Kock(If Overseas).
- Back-Up Middle Order: N Tilak Varma.
- Finisher/All-Rounder: Andre Russell.
- Back-Up Death Bowler: Arshdeep Singh.
To read more such articles go to Mumbai Indians: Who is Tristan Stubbs? Replaced Pollard in MI VS CSK.
Read more such articles at IPL 2022: Liam Livingstone Hits 117m Six. Mayank, Hardik Shocked.
Go to the official website of the IPL to know more.