My Best Playing XI of IPL 2020

I was speaking to one of my friends earlier today and as expected our discussion soon moved to cricket and he was asking me about my views on the best XI for IPL 2020. So I thought, why not – let’s do it.

We had a great time watching the tournament this year and I must thank all the members of the organising committee to make this tournament happen amidst this Global pandemic. It brought a lot of happiness to the cricket-loving people in India.

We have had some very close matches this year and some great performances too. Remember, never have had we experienced so many tied contests. 

Most players in the XI that I have selected don’t require a debate other than a couple which I will explain in detail below.

Openers: KL Rahul & Shikhar Dhawan

Rahul & Dhawan were the top 2 scorers in this year’s IPL. This makes it an easy choice. Rahul had a fantastic IPL and it has been 3 years in a row now that he has scored more than 500 runs in an IPL tournament. He started with a bang and his innings of 132 against Royal Challengers Bangalore was a treat to watch. His scoring rate dropped as the tournament progressed and it was mainly due to the team’s performance and the losses they bore at the start. He led well and his keeping has improved by leaps and bounds. It’s a rarity that a batsman ends as the top scorer without his team reaching the playoffs. Just shows how consistent he was throughout the league phase.

Shikhar Dhawan played 17 matches. That’s 3 more than Rahul and ended up scoring 52 runs less but still, he was the second-highest scorer in the tournament. He started very bad in the first few matches he got out within the powerplay. But then in the middle of the tournament, he played a sedate 60 odd which got him back to the groove. He roared back to form scoring back to back centuries (first time in IPL) and didn’t look back since. His form against Mumbai Indians was a problem though but Bumrah and Boult were top class.

Middle Order: Surya Kumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan & AB DeVilliers

Surya Kumar Yadav has been on the borderline of getting called into the Indian team for the last 3-4 years but he always missed the bus mainly due to his inconsistency. Rarely has he played in a consistent fashion the way he played this year. He played his part at the start of the tournament without any big contributions but towards the end, he became indispensable for Mumbai Indians. His knock against RCB was the standout where he calmly took the team home and his hurricane knock against Delhi capitals in the first qualifier helped Mumbai Indians reach the finals. He is my number 3 of my playing XI.

Ishan Kishan was not even part of the playing XI when Mumbai Indians started the tournament. But a freak injury to Saurabh Tiwary gave him an opportunity and he immediately capitalised by playing a masterful 99 runs. He didn’t look back since and he played his part in both the Qualifier as well as the finals. You need consistency in the number 4 position and Kishan provides that in this team. He showed his batting power too by hitting 30 sixes in the tournament which was the highest number this year.

You can’t keep AB DeVilliers out of a T20 team – can you? The Mr. 360 of cricket and he was in full display this year too. He must be disappointed that RCB didn’t have a consistent run this year. He is the ideal number 5 in the team and the backup keeper to KL Rahul. What a sight it would be to see Surya Kumar Yadav and ABDV playing together. The two 360 degree players playing together.

A great Top 5 in my books for this year.

Lower Middle Order: Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer & Rashid Khan

Rahul Tewatia has been a sensational find this year. He showed his true all-round capabilities throughout the tournament. He was slotted at number 7 throughout the tournament so his chances with the bat were limited but whenever he got an opportunity he delivered nothing better than the turnaround against Kings XI Punjab when he took 30 runs off one of Cottrell to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat. His batting rubbed on to his bowling too and he performed equally well with his leggies by picking up 10 wickets. The best part was that he was economical too. A great number 6. To have a finisher with bowling skills is ideal for the number 6 spot and Rahul Tewatia is ideal for my team this year. Hardik Pandya was the closest to beat him but Pandya didn’t bowl so Tewatia takes his place.

Jofra Archer is one of the best bowlers in world cricket and you can’t really keep him out from your playing XI. Once again a player from Rajasthan Royals makes my team though they didn’t make the finals. Jofra Archer had the best economy rate in the power plays throughout the tournament and he got the team a breakthrough in the early overs. A must-have man in your playing XI. He is quite handy with the bat too and he showed his power in a couple of matches to help his team in critical situations. An ideal number 7.

Rashid Khan is one of the best Limited Overs bowlers in World Cricket today if not the best. He had a relatively slow start this year and one of the reasons was that no batsmen were taking any risks against him. He was not leaking runs but was unable to pick up wickets. But in the latter stages of the tournament, he got his mojo back and started picking up wickets regularly. He had the best economy rate in the tournament and he plays as one of my strike bowlers in this team.

Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Jasprit Bumrah & Yuzvendra Chahal

Rabada is the best bowler in the world today along with Jasprit Bumrah. Both of them bowled as per the expectations. Rabada picked up wickets in each and every match-saving one and he walks into the team ahead of Boult because only 4 foreigners are allowed in the playing XI. This was a direct fight between two overseas fast bowlers but I go with Rabada because he got the maximum wickets in the tournament.

Bumrah got the second most number of wickets in the tournament and to think about it he had a very indifferent start. That he finished with 27 wickets (3 less than Rabada playing 2 matches lesser) just proves his worth in the team. He just went better and better as the tournament progressed and he was in top form in the playoffs. A great bowler to have in the team.

Having so many leg spinners in the team might not sound ideal but you need to pick your best XI and Chahal gets into the team on the back of some solid performances. He was the go-to man for Virat Kohli in the toughest situations and he always delivered. A great team man and a wicket-taker. He picked up 21 wickets which was the highest among all spinners in the tournament. 

So what do you think about my playing XI from IPL 2020 which would be led by KL Rahul? Have you built your team yet? Who is in and who is out?

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