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The fifteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) came to an end on Sunday. It was the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans who beat former champions Rajasthan Royals in the summit clash to lift the trophy in their first season. The world's largest cricket stadium - the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad - bore witness to the grand finale and as the season has drawn to a close, it is time to reflect on some of the spectacular performances witnessed in this season.
While Jos Buttler finished as the leading run-scorer in this season, it was Yuzvendra Chahal who finished as the leading wicket-taker and despite the two of them playing for the same team, Rajasthan Royals finished as the runners-up.
Here in this article, we present to you SportsTiger's Best XI of IPL 2022. The side has been picked keeping in mind that a maximum of four overseas can be selected in the team with the remaining spots to be filled by Indian domestic players.
1. Jos Buttler (overseas)
The Orange Cap winner of IPL 2022, Jos Buttler, walks into SportsTiger's Best XI of the tournament. The Englishman opened the innings for Rajasthan and dominated the opposition bowlers ending the season with 863 runs, scoring 4 hundreds and averaging 57.53 with a strike rate of 149.05. In addition to equaling Kohli's record of most hundreds in a season, Buttler smashed four half-centuries. He finished with the maximum sixes this season as well as the maximum fours and deservingly clinched six end-of-the-season awards after the final.
2. KL Rahul
KL Rahul will open the innings along with Buttler in this XI. What a combination that promises to be. While Buttler finished as the leading run-getter, Rahul's tally of 616 runs from 15 innings was the second-best this year. Much like Buttler, Rahul also smashed four half-centuries. The Lucknow Super Giants captain scored two hundreds, both of them coming against Mumbai Indians as he averaged 51.33 and scored runs at a strike rate of 135.33 in the competition.
3. Deepak Hooda
Deepak Hooda had a good season for the Lucknow Super Giants this year. He finished with 451 runs from 14 innings averaging 32.21 with a strike rate of 136.66. Hooda looked to take more responsibility with the bat and scored four half-centuries in IPL 2022. Moreover, he provides a bowling option for the captain although he did not have to bowl much this year and was used in just 2 innings bowling a total of 4 overs.
4. Hardik Pandya (c)
Hardik Pandya will bat number four and captain this team. While several cricket experts and pundits had their doubts over Gujarat Titans, one of the main reasons behind their success was not only the batting and bowling form of Hardik Pandya but also his leadership. Hardik mostly batted at number 4 this season and ended up as the team's leading run-scorer with 487 runs from 15 innings at an average of 44.27 and a strike rate of 131.26. In addition, he chipped in with 8 wickets, including 2 on the night of the final as he bowled over 30 overs in 10 innings, sometimes even taking the new ball. The IPL-winning skipper will lead SportsTiger's Best XI.
5. Dinesh Karthik (wk)
Dinesh Karthik ended up winning the Super Striker of the Season. Karthik displayed a finishing masterclass this year and ended up helping Royal Challengers Bangalore make a comeback or finish strong on multiple occasions this year. At one point it started looking like whenever DK failed, so did RCB as their top-order lacked consistency. Karthik finished with 330 runs at an average of 55 as he remained unbeaten on 10 occasions. Moreover, he scored his runs at a strike rate of 183.33 - which changed the complexion of the game in no time. He will also don the gloves behind the stumps in SportsTiger's XI.
6. Liam Livingstone (overseas)
While there was a consideration to include left-handed David Miller into the side, Liam Livingstone and his six-hitting ability was hard to ignore. Ultimately, Livingstone made the cut for his much-superior strike rate that of 182.08 compared to Miller who struck at 142.72. Livingstone scored 4 half-centuries this season and averaged 36.41. He hit the longest six of IPL 2022 as he sent the ball flying 117 metres off the bowling of Gujarat Titans' Mohammed Shami. The England star accumulated 437 runs in 14 innings. In addition, he was handy with the ball, scalping 6 wickets in 12 innings at an economy of under 9 runs an over.
7. Yuzvendra Chahal
The Purple Cap holder of IPL 2022 simply had to be in the Best XI. Chahal was in prime form this season and outwitted the batters with his street-smart variations. Eventually, the leg-spinner finished with 27 wickets from 17 innings at an average of 19.51 and an economy of 7.75. He even scalped a hat-trick this year, sealing a tense game against Kolkata Knight Riders in the favour of those in Pink.
8. Wanindu Hasaranga (overseas)
It would be quite a sight to see Chahal bowling in tandem with RCB's Wanindu Hasaranga. The two were the best spinners of the season and finished number 1 and number 2 in the highest-wicket takers tally with Chahal just pipping him, having played an extra game. However, the Sri Lankan star had a better bowling average of 16.53 and a slightly better economy at 7.54. Much like Chahal, Hasaranga finished with one fifer and one four-wicket haul.
9. Kagiso Rabada (overseas)
While it was a case of so close yet so far for Punjab Kings and the IPL 2022 Playoffs, Kagiso Rabada still managed to make an impact with that team - much like Livingstone. He produced the goods for his side and was the leading wicket-taker among the pacers, finishing with 23 wickets from 13 innings at an average of 17.65 and an economy of 8.45. Rabada can be a good option with the new ball as well as the death.
10. Umran Malik
IPL's Emerging Player of the Season award winner Umran Malik is the out and out fast bowling option that captains may tend to go with. While raw pace is usually a double-edged sword as the ball tends to travel faster off the bat, the same can be seen in his economy of 9.03. However, he picked 22 wickets this season and even scalped a five-wicket haul which are indications of the bright future he has ahead of him. Malik did not bowl his quota of 4 overs on several occasions in the season and the same can be expected from him in this team with several all-round options available to the captain.
11. Mohammed Shami
What a season Mohammed Shami had for the champion side Gujarat Titans. He finished as their leading wicket-taker and was particularly impressive with the new ball. Eventually, the senior pacer scalped 20 wickets at an average of 24.40 and an economy of 8. His best figures were 3/25 which came against the Lucknow Super Giants. Along with the youth of Malik, the experience of Rabada and the bowling of Hardik- Shami will complete quite a lethal fast-bowling combination.
Special Mentions: Mohsin Khan, Sanju Samson, David Miller