Friday, March 29
       

IPL 2020: Sanjay Manjrekar selected his best XI of the tournament

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Sanjay Manjrekar (Photo Source: Facebook)

Former Indian cricketer and current commentator Sanjay Manjrekar picked his best eleven of the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL). To start with, he named the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) pair of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. Even when both were scoring at the same average, their captain Rahul came down the pump, batting in strike-rate, especially in the powerplay.

At number three, Manjrekar went for Suryakumar Yadav, who scored a brilliant half-century in Qualifier 1 against Delhi Capital (DC). Sanjay did not go for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli, who does not have the biggest reason for the outing, keeping in mind the standards established over the years in the T20 tournament.

“My number is 3 Suryakumar Yadav, Which is very good for someone like him who has made a place in this IPL XI. He bats at No. 3 and I don’t think any No. 3 has batted and has done so consistently. It is not just about the run and the continuity, but also about the quality of the shots that he played, ”Manjrekar was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

Kagiso Rabada not in Sanjay Manjrekar’s XI

At number four, the veteran chose AB de Villiers, arguably the most fluent batsman for the Challengers in the T20 League. Manjrekar picked Nicholas Pooran of KXIP at number five. As his all-rounder, he zeroed in on Axar Patel. Sanjay said that Axar is an under-rated star, but changed with some significant performances under critical circumstances.

“Axar Patel is my batting all-rounder. He flies under the radar, but in this IPL, he has delivered small doses of match-winning, impact performances to make a difference, ”he said.

In the fast bowling department, he went for Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer. Bumrah is currently the Purple Cap holder and has taken 10 wickets in his last three matches.

However, Manjrekar avoided picking up DC Kagiso Rabada, who has 25 wickets to his name. In the spin department, Manjrekar went for Rashid Khan’s leg-spin duo and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Watch IPL XI here:

KL Rahul [WK], Mayank Agarwal, Suryakumar Yadav, AB de Villiers, Nicholas Puran, Axar Patel, Rashid Khan, Joffra Archer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Jaspreet Bumrah