The fourteenth season of the cash-rich league was completed last Friday when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to win their fourth IPL title.
Starting with the openers, RP picked Orange Cap winner Ruturaj Gaikwad and third-highest run-getter in the competition, KL Rahul.
CSK opener Ruturaj impressed everyone with his superior batting skills and top quality consistency. He accumulated 635 runs in 16 games at an average of 45 and strike rate of 136 with four fifties and one hundred. Similarly, Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Rahul managed to score 626 runs from 13 matches at a phenomenal average of 62.60 and a strike rate of close to 139 with six half-centuries to his name.
After the openers, RP went with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli, star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, and Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant to form the strong middle-order. Maxwell finished IPL 2021 as the fifth-highest run-scorer (513), while Pant (419) and Kohli (405) ended the season at 10th and 12th position, respectively.
The former Uttar Pradesh cricketer picked MS Dhoni as his team’s captain, followed by Ravindra Jadeja and Varun Chakravarthy as two spinners. Dhoni was not at his best with the bat but proved his leadership skills by guiding CSK to their fourth IPL title.
Similarly, Varun and Jadeja shined with the ball for their respective sides. While the KKR mystery spinner picked up 18 wickets this season, Jaddu managed to bag 13 scalps.
Among the fast bowlers, RP went with Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer Jasprit Bumrah, CSK star Shardul Thakur and RCB bowling sensation Harshal Patel. Interestingly, Bumrah, Shardul and Harshal, were the leading wicket-takers for their respective teams in IPL 2021.
While Harshal finished the season as the leading wicket-taker (32 in 15 games), Bumrah (21 in 14 games) and Shardul (21 in 16 games) ended the season at third and fourth spot, respectively.
Here is RP Singh’s IPL XI of 2021 edition:
MS Dhoni (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy, Shardul Thakur, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah.
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