The 10th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has reached its halfway stage and we almost have a picture of the cricketers who could possibly end up as the top performers this season. So far most of the big names have done well as anticipated.
Ricky Ponting, the former head coach of Mumbai Indians, has revealed his ‘Team of the IPL’ comprising of the top names in the ongoing season.
His IPL XI comes with some modifications. The four foreign player rule has been relaxed to help Ponting accommodate the players of his choice.
Therefore, the team which the cricketing legend has chosen has seven overseas players (Two Australians, two South Africans, an Englishman, a Kiwi and an Afghani) along with four Indian names.
Ponting has chosen Hashim Amla and David Warner as his openers. The duo makes up a dynamic pair, as one offers calmness while the other complete aggression. Amla is currently the third highest run-getter with 299 runs in seven matches.
Warner, the skipper of defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad, stands next to him in the run-getters list with 282 runs in seven matches. The entire batting performance of SRH revolves around their skipper, to say the least.
Suresh Raina takes up the no.3 position. The Gujarat Lions skipper is currently the highest run-getter in the series with 309 runs in eight matches at an average of 61.
The middle order has England’s Jos Buttler and local revelation Nitish Rana. Both the cricketers play for the Mumbai Indians and have won matches single-handedly on a couple of occasions this season.
Kings XI Punjab’s newly elected skipper Glenn Maxwell takes up the sixth position. His versatility along with current form has earned him the place. Maxwell has been the most successful batsmen for his team after Amla with 193 runs from seven matches at an average of 38.
Chris Morris has been chosen as the seam bowling all-rounder. Ponting looked mighty impressed with the Proteas cricketer’s all-round skill and praised him with great words.
“Chris Morris bowls 145kph with the new ball, swings it out to the right-handers and his yorkers and change-ups at the end of the innings are very good. And he’s a very damaging batsman as well; he’s a big tall guy who can hit the ball long and hard. He’s a pretty complete package in a T20 game.”
Harbhajan Singh, whom Ponting calls as his ‘old sparring partner’, will lead the two-man spin attack. Ponting felt that his variations and underrated hard hitting skills will be very useful. Afghanistan’s spin bowling superstar – Rashid Khan – will be Bhajji’s bowling partner. The 18-year-old is currently playing his debut season and has impressed wonderfully with his combination of leg-breaks and googlies.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mitchell McClenaghan will form the fast bowling attack. Both the bowlers lead the bowling attack of their respective teams – Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians – and have shown the capability of bowling at any stage of the innings with great success.
Ricky Ponting’s IPL XI: Hashim Amla, David Warner, Suresh Raina, Jos Buttler, Nitish Rana, Glenn Maxwell, Chris Morris, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mitchell McClenaghan, Rashid Khan.