Team of IPL 2012

The season Five of IPL has come to a starling end. The good news is that despite the hurtling television ratings the stadiums had been filled and gate revenue has increased. By far this has been among the better IPLs in the past 5 years. The close finishes have been frequent with many a match being decided on the last ball. The batsmen have made merry as usual this time too but the bowlers did have their say in the initial stages of the tournament. The overall good news has been that unlike the previous seasons, most of the star performers have been the ones who had class in them rather than the slog effect of T20 Cricket.

 Now I have sit down to pick my best XI of IPL 2012. I have followed the rule of taking in four overseas players and have picked the squad based on the performance over the season. Here is my team.

Chris Gayle: There is no question on who will face the first ball in my XI. If there was one person who could be described as murderous, it was the Jamaican. The jubilant news has been his sorting out the issues with WICB during the course of the tournament. The overt differences in the number of sixes he hit against the next name in the list, the difference in the runs scored tally all point out this man to be the Power Pack Performer of the second reason in row. Despite his side’s inability to reach the next stage, Gayle was one man army for the Mallaya’s side.

Ajinkya Rahane: The surprise of the season is the Mumbaikar. Rahane was seen as a Dravid school batsman who was more suited for the longer formats. But he adjusted his game to the nuances of T20. His scores at the top kept the Royals atop in the first leg. Though his form wavered in the final half, Rahane had made enough to guarantee him a seat on the plane to Lanka for World T20. His hundred against Royal Challengers is easily the classiest innings of this IPL. There were no brash strokes or slogs. Most shots were conventional and he made it look easy. Another innings of mention was the 98 against Kings XI.

Gautham Gambhir (Captain): He made most of the runs opening the bat and almost took his side to the Knockouts. His captaincy was influential and he finally gave the city of joy what it deserved. He had a point to prove when the selectors stripped of the vice captain role from Gambhir and his form was tragic coming into the tournament. But he hit the stride soon and took his side along with him. More than anything his captaincy gave positive signals to the Indian selectors about the next skipper in line. He will also lead my side.

Rohit Sharma: The slot of Indian middle order batsman does not have many options available since all the three expected trio of Raina, Rohit and Kohli had an ordinary tournament. But this is a personal choice. Rohit once again threw his wickets making his fans shake their head “not again” but when he did score, he scored with authority. The century at Eden Gardens against the eventual champions was a master piece. His presence was pivotal for Mumbai which had top order issues. Though he could have made more runs that the eventual tally, his class keeps helps him sneak into my XI.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Wicket Keeper): Dhoni did not have a great IPL either but he did perform when it mattered. Above all he was easily the best keeper of IPL, better than AB De Villers or Kaarthik. Dhoni’s form was wayward until Chennai sneaked into the Playoffs by nook and crook and stroke of luck. But once there, Dhoni and Chennai were different. The Eliminator match against Mumbai witnessed vintage MSD at his best and the much lauded Helicopter was back in business. He may have not got the third win in row but Dhoni gives his side a much needed “Am here when it matters” belief. He will don the gloves in my side.

Ambati Rayadu: After a season of lull in IPL last time, Rayadu fit into the role of finisher for Mumbai winning matches from unbelievable positions. His ability to keep the scorecard ticking combined with powerful shots make him the best candidate for the role of finisher. Rayadu’s class was evident in the chases against Bangalore and Delhi. Though he did not get much opportunities to stamp his authority as he had three seasons ago, Rayadu was the best finisher from India this time around.

Dwayne Bravo: The question of all rounder has been frustrating the Indian cricket circle since Kapil Dev’s retirement and this time it was no different. Despite the ample opportunities, the trio of Pathans and Jadeja could not make it count. Bravo comes here as a go to go man for his side. His bowling in the middle overs was splendid without giving many. His lower order blitz took Chennai to the scores beyond their expectations when the batting started. Bravo played lot of cameos to underline his style. Who could forget that last ball six of Bhatia to keep CSK in the hunt? Though he was expensive in the slog, he managed to take few wickets too. He fills the all rounder slot in my XI.

Dale Steyn: The best bowler in the game currently blew hot and cold this time. When he was good, he was too good but when he went bad, he went to worse. Steyn despite playing for a weak side carried the side to exceptional positions only to see his colleagues throw it away. He did get whacked sometimes but overall he troubled the batsmen more than others. His spell of the tournament against Bangalore threw them out of the tournament. His venomous spells against the best in business made him the stand out bowler of IPL.

Morne Morkel: The Purple cap’s proud owner was the man who took Delhi with him in the league stages. His omission in the Qualifier 2 against Chennai showed his ability. What should have been a 170 chase became a 220 chase. He was consistent throughout the season with the supportive home track at Kotla which had bounce and pace in it. He ended up a great economy rate and his presence inspired the battery of quicks in Delhi to punch their weight.

Parwinder Awana: Every IPL throws in a surprise element and this time it was Awana. After a fruitful domestic season for Delhi, Awana led the Punjab attack with grit and determination. While his partners were taken for runs, Awana managed to keep his head steady and ended up among the top wicket takers. He is the only unknown name in the wickets chart of this IPL. His pace and accuracy combined well to give him exceptional returns when others got plundered. He managed to outperform Praveen Kumar, India’s first choice pacer in limited overs by a long margin. He has a promising future lying ahead if he can keep up his promise.

Sunil Narine: The mystery man from Trinidad is the first bowler to win the Man of the Series award in IPL. Ever since he made his name in the last CLT20, Narine was expected to rock the Indian circuits and he did so in some style. His mystery ball was unplayable and he extracted a lot with his high arm action. He was almost unplayable by even the best players of spin. He was the mainstay of the Champion side and his ball to dismiss Tendulkar was easily the ball of the tournament. The World T20 will pose a threat from West Indies through this lanky off spinner. 

Umesh Yadav : The best Indian pacer in display this time. Umesh came of a successful tour of Australia and lived up to his promise. He was fast, furious and proved a perfect ally to Morne as they destroyed the oppositions this time. In the Eliminator when Chennai was going all guns, Umesh proved his class giving as low as 27 in his spell when the total was 222. Yadav holds the promise of Indian pace attack for future. It is unfortunate that I have to place him as the 12^th man in my side.

The side looks good with some classy batsmen who can score quickly as well as play a waiting game when the situation gets tough. The spin attack is manned by a one man army in Narsine but he is more than enough to get the opposition. The pace attack has the two best in the World with a promise from India. The lower middle order is studded with hitters who can score it big. All in all, this looks to be the best choice I could pick up. I would like to mention Mandeep Singh, Shikar Dhawan, Cameroon White, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Lasith Malinga, Zaheer Khan and Mutthiah Muralitharan who missed the bus to the better options.