Kevin Pietersen’s IPL 2022 XI: Rahul At No.3, Hardik Pandya in Middle-order; No Place for Rashid Khan, Shami
Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has picked his top playing 11 from the recently concluded 15th edition of the Indian Premier League. To much surprise, the English man picked only three players from the title winners Gujarat Titans, leaving the likes of Rashid Khan and Mohammad Shami out of his team, despite their phenomenal run in the tournament. Dinesh Karthik, who was stunned with his brilliant batting form also failed to make the cut in Pietersen’s playing 11.
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So who all impressed Pietersen?
Orange Cap holder Joss Buttler finds an obvious mention in Pietersen’s playing 11 and Lucknow Super Giants’ Quinton de Kock grabs the second opening spot. Buttler finished the season with 863 runs, including four hundred in his 17 innings.
KL Rahul takes the number three spot. While Pietersen did not make his choice clear for the leadership role, title winner skipper Hardik Pandya seems like an obvious pick with his ‘captain’s effort’. Mentioning Pandya’s name, Peitersen hailed his captaincy skills in leading Gujarat Titans to the title.
Hardik starred with an all-rounder performance in the final as he delivered a dream spell, picking 3 while giving just 17 runs in his four overs. He returned to stabilise his team’s run chase with a crucial 30-ball 34.
Banking on his explosive batting performance, Liam Livingstone becomes the only Punjab Kings player to feature in Pietersen’s playing 11. Livingstone hit 34 sixes in his 14 innings, second only to Buttler’s tally of 45.
Gujarat’s David Miller takes the number six spot whereas ‘all rounder’ Ravichandran Ashwin also finds a mention, thanks to an impressive campaign for Rajasthan Royals. Rahul Tewatia takes the role of a finisher in the Pietersen team.
The former English cricketer has also picked Sunrisers Hyderbad’s, Umran Malik. Umran won the Emerging Player of the Season award, impressive with his ability to pick wickets at crucial junctures and deliver at a constant pace touching 150 km/hr. The Jammu and Kashmir pacer has been rewarded for his form with an India call-up for the upcoming T20 series against South Africa.
Kevin Pietersen completes his playing 11 with Purple cap winner Yuzvendra Chahal and Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Josh Hazlewood. Playing his debut season for Rajasthan Royals, Chahal picked 27 wickets in 17 matches at an average of a little over 19 and an economy of fewer than 8 runs per over.
