IPL 2022 - Best XI

Two weeks of IPL have witnessed some outstanding knocks and breathtaking spells. Let us frame the top playing XI of these two weeks of IPL.

Butler :

As a big hitter, sixers' lover, Romeo of mega cameos Butler had already engraved his name in the present IPL, in this couple of weeks. It was a humble start against SRH (35 runs in 28 balls). But, against his ex franchise, Butler just displayed some brutal and wild knock. His bat revolved like the sword of a Fruit Ninja to smash some boundaries and sixers. The first hundred of this season came from his bat and to date, it is the only one too. Finally, against RCB, he maintained his consistency to score 70 runs at a strike rate of 149. This orange cap holder already proved himself to be the ruler of Rajasthan's fort. 

Ishan Kishan :

Mumbai went to the extreme of spending crores of money for this young lad and he proved that he is worth every penny of it. As a gun opener, Ishan always ignites his innings with some breathtaking battles for bowlers. Out of his four innings, two had met the half-century celebrations and he is the one who hit the most number of boundaries so far (20). Depending upon how the situation demands, he is playing the attacking or anchoring part. How he built up the partnership with Tilak Varma against RR already proved that he is already the senior of the team to shoulder the responsibilities, such a calm and composed inning that was!

Faf du Plessis :

When Faf's franchise is changed and he was given a new responsibility, people were wondering whether he can do the same magic and maintain the balance. Du Plessis has done it manifold better than the expectations. In his debut match for RCB, he troubled the Punjab bowlers with his terrific knock of 88 runs. It was an unbelievable knock that started as a stream but ended as a storm. Even though his bat started well but failed to carry over it from there on in the remaining three innings, he deserved to be in the top playing 11, just for his captainship skills, which made him win 75% of the matches they played.

Tilak Varma :

Mumbai's new adoption Tilak Varma is proving his potential, in every match. Dewald Brevis was called to be the Baby AB, but Tilak is Indian AB. How he handled the Rajasthan Royals' top class bowlers Ashwin and Chahal to hit his first half-century speaks about his caliber. In that particular innings, even after the two quick wickets of the top-order batsman, with Ishan on one side, Tilak could handle the pressure which was building in and played significant innings. His classical batting displays already portrayed him as the next-generation player of the Mumbai crew. 

Deepak Hooda : 

Out of the four innings, he had played, he hit two half-centuries. In his debut match for Lucknow, when other batsmen were struggling hard against Shami and others, the first five overs saw the fall of four wickets. That pressure could have crumbled anyone, but Hooda handled it so well and his partnership with Badoni gave a positive attitude to the team. Even Rashid's wrong'un was punished for a sixer. His next fifty came against SRH. Taking control over bowlers of sunrisers can never be easy and Hooda did it picture-perfect. 

Shivam Dube :

The search for a new generation of players is initiated everywhere. Even though CSK is not doing it in full swing, it happens all by itself for CSK, in the case of Dube. In his first match for CSK, against KKR, he failed miserably with both bat and bowl. His one-over = 29 runs brought curses to him from the fans of CSK, even after his decent innings of 49 runs. But excluding that one bad over, he has been developing as the future hope star of CSK. His astounding 57 runs in 30 balls, against Punjab, is the proof of it. Five wickets within 8 overs had shaken the grounds of CSK, but not Dube. He could face that circumstance well and drain away that pressure with boundaries proving that he is a top-class player.

Wanindu Hasaranga :

Hasaranga'a last year's campaign with RCB did not have a kick start. RCB did not give him chances for more number of matches, even in a couple of matches in which he had got the chance, he could not perform well. He went wicketless with an economy of 10.00. This is the reason why RCB fans got shocked when RCB bid big for him in this year's auction and paid 10.75 crores. But now, as the one who is familiar with Indian subcontinent conditions, Hasaranga is playing an exceptional game. Out of the four matches, he had played so far, he took 8 wickets, that too at a notable economy of 7.50. Hasaranga is a bumper prize for RCB, as he can bat too.

Umesh Yadav :

Umesh has not played for India in the recent past, but this season has been proving that this lion is still ready to hunt. As a new ball specialist, Umesh is striking since match 1, this season. He proved his worth in every spell and his every delivery is like a lethal weapon. He is the top wicket-taker and purple cap holder for now. Out of the 9 wickets he took in this season, 6 came from the new ball. Umesh emerged as the new ball and death over specialist.

Avesh Khan :

Avesh Khan continues to present his outstanding bowling in the current IPL season too. In the previous season, along with the battery of international standard pacers in Delhi, Avesh was performing very well. In this season, he had taken 7 wickets in 4 matches and he clearly showed his domination, even on pitches that do not support seam bowlers. His fantabulous effort again SRH was resulted in 4 wickets for Avesh and rewarded with a 12 runs victory for Lucknow.

Chahal :

After being released from the franchise for which he had played for years together, Chahal's redemption is quite impressive. In 3 matches, he had taken 7 wickets and especially his spell against the RCB batting lineup was like avenging the revenge. He was out of color in the last few months in international cricket, but he came back with flying colours to prove his worth once again. His new version is expected to continue for one more round. 

Tymal Mills :

Even if Mumbai is off the track, this season so far, Tymal Mills has had a great season. The medium-pacer had taken 6 wickets out of 3 matches, so far with a fancy average bowling figure of 16.50. Bumrah failed to create vibrations for Mumbai and that was perfectly done by Tymal Mills. In the middle overs, he has been doing a great job for MI.

One great thing about this season is whether is it, young lads or renowned players, most of the good performances are coming from the Indians this time, after all, that is the aim of this platform.

Hope in the days to come, this number will be even greater.