The Seventh season of the Indian Premier League kicks off and a host of international superstars are lined-up to showcase their talent in the 20-over format of the game.
The Seventh season of the Indian Premier League kicks off and a host of international superstars are lined-up to showcase their talent in the 20-over format of the game. T20 cricket has mostly been a batsman’s game and here are some of the best that express themselves with the willow:
Suresh Raina (Chennai Super Kings)
The yellow brigade of the Chennai Super Kings boasts some of the biggest names in T20 cricket and southpaw Suresh Raina is one of them. Across six seasons played so far, Raina has 99 matches to his name with 2,802 runs at a strike rate of 141.37. This season, Raina will look to add more runs to his willow and take the 3-time champions to yet another Final.
Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)
It was just last year that Mumbai Indians had a ‘change of heart’ and decide to hand over the mantle of leading the side to Mumbai-born, Rohit Sharma. Voila! What a masterstroke that was as the batsman led the side to an IPL title as well the CLT20. Coming into the seventh season, Sharma is the second-highest run scorer in IPL history with 2513 runs from 97 matches.
Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
After menacing bowlers in the past six seasons of the IPL, West Indian Chris Gayle still has the hunger to add more. The menacing has been a nightmare for bowlers so far to which he has amassed 2,512 runs from 59 matches. Can he add more to that tally? You bet on it!
Gautam Gambhir (Kolkata Knight Riders)
He may be an Indian outcast but the the Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir is still regarded as one of country’s finest opening batsman. Gambhir who received the highest bid in player auctions in 2011 has led his side to an IPL title in 2012. Gambhir 2,471 runs in 88 IPL matches so far and could rise up if the southpaw hits top form.
Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
The man of the tournament in the 2014 T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli is one run-machine that has no ‘stop’ button. The in-form batsman has been a vital cog for Royal Challengers Bangalore so far with 2273 in 93 matches and could be one of the key men in landing a major trophy for the men in red this year.
The above men have so far shown that if the runs flow from the bat, that winning form comes along with it. These men can be so important for their respective franchises going into the IPL 7 and if one of them fails to show up, can it be the end?
