5 all-rounders who could take the World T20 by storm

With the ICC World T20 2016 just around the corner, cricketing fans will be expecting fireworks from batsmen and bowlers throughout the tournament. If there is one thing the T20 format can promise is entertainment. In the short and crisp format that predominanly involves power hitting, fans are glued to the game hoping to see something special.Not every cricketer who plays Test and ODI formats can shift to top gear – be it bowling or batting – while playing the T20 format. But, the players who are most beneficial to a team in the T20 format are the all-rounders, the ones who are equally good with ball and bat.Ahead of the World T20, we take a look at the five of the best all-rounders who are set to feature in the mega-event. The list is based on a player's batting and bowling performances in the T20s (including T20Is) as well as their performance in India, the hosts of the World T20.Here are the five all-rounders who could take the World T20 by storm:

#5 James Faulkner (Australia)

Termed as one of the best finishers in limited-overs cricket, James Faulkner is a priceless player with ball and bat for Australia. Although he is predominantly in the team as a bowling all-rounder, he is quite useful with the bat as he has proved time and again how he can take the game away from the opposition.

He has not had a lot of experience playing T20Is, having scored 124 runs in 11 T20I innings at an average of 20.66 and a strike rate of 114.81. With the ball, Faulkner averages just 23.26 after having picked up 19 wickets in 15 matches.

Faulkner has played only one T20I in India, however, this won't worry the Australian fans as his performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the erstwhile Rajasthan Royals has been well known.

In 48 matches for the Royals, Faulkner picked up 53 wickets at an average of 27.37 and an economy rate of 8.28. In 35 innings that he batted for the Royals, the 25-year-old has scored 387 runs at an average of 20.36 and at an excellent strike rate of 143.86.

With more than half of his T20 experience coming in India, it can be concluded with some certainty that Faulkner will be one of the most important players in the Australian side if they are to try and win their first World T20 title.

#4 Andre Russell (West Indies)

Despite being just 27 years old, Andre Russell is one of the most experienced campaigners in the T20 format, having played in most T20 leagues across the world. Russell has been a vital part of the all the teams he featured for, showing his worth in batting and bowling in the shortest format of the game.

Russell has played 188 T20 matches and scored 2669 runs at an average of 23.61 and a phenomenal strike rate of 167.02. He has been effective with the ball too as he has picked up 158 wickets at an average of 27.12 and an economy rate of 8.12.

Despite his exceptional form in the T20 format, Russell is yet to translate that to the international format as he scored just 219 runs in 35 matches at an average of 11.52 and a strike rate of 124.43. With the ball, he only has 11 wickets in 35 games at an average of 48.90.

However, what makes Russell one of the most dangerous all-rounders is his form in India in the IPL. For the Kolkata Knight Riders, Russell has been immense in the last few years, scoring 393 runs in 17 innings at an average of 28.07 and a strike rate of 184.50. In 20 matches, he has also picked up 17 wickets at a healthy average of 28.29 and an economy of just over 8.

Russell's experience in India will come in handy for the West Indies in their quest to reclaim the World T20 title after having won it in 2012.

#3 Shane Watson (Australia)

The Australian all-rounder, who had a topsy turvy 2015, has come back strongly to fix his place in the national T20I side and is finding good form at the right time for the Aussies.

Shane Watson's numbers in the shortest format of the game speak for itself as he has garnered a lot of experience and performed well with bat and ball for the teams that he has played for.

In 54 T20Is that Watson has played, he has scored 1366 runs at an average of 28.45 and a strike rate of 145.01 in addition to picking up 43 wickets at an average of 25.20 and an economy rate of 7.68. His highest score in T20Is came in the recent series against India which was also the highest ever unbeaten individual score in T20Is.

Watson was the highest bid in the IPL auction when Royal Challengers Bangalore purchased him for 9.5 crore. This shows how valuable a player Watson is in the T20 format. In the IPL, Watson has scored 2474 runs in 84 matches at an average of 35.85 and a strike rate of 140.16. He also picked up 67 wickets for the Rajasthan Royals at an average of 27.83 and an economy rate of 7.55.

With such an experienced and talented campaigner in their team, Australia will hope that the 34-year-old bring all that into play when they commence their World T20 campaign.

#2 Hardik Pandya (India)

This name might surprise a few people as Hardik Pandya has not had a lot of T20Is to feature in for India. But, since making his debut for India, Pandya has been a regular member of the Indian playing XI, with captain MS Dhoni hailing the impact of the 22-year-old all-rounder.

India has been missing a good quality all-rounder for a while now, and Pandya's rise in international cricket is definitely something that will give hope to a billion hearts.

Although Dhoni has been using Pandya primarily as a bowler, Pandya is no dummy with the bat as he has the ability to hit sixes for fun. In 11 T20Is, Pandya has batted in only 5 innings, but at a strike rate of 147.61. With the ball, he has picked up 10 wickets at an impressive average of 21.70 and a healthy economy rate of 7.11.

The IPL 2015 was Pandya's breakthrough moment as he took the limelight with some special knocks with the bat. In the 8 innings that he played for the Mumbai Indians, Pandya scored 112 runs at an average of 22.40 and a remarkable strike rate of 180.64.

Having shown his prowess with the ball in the international scene, it can be expected that playing in familiar conditions in the World T20 will give Pandya an opportunity to shine with the bat as well and help India win their second World T20 title.

#1 Dwayne Bravo (West Indies)

It would be difficult to argue against Dwayne Bravo being one of the most threatening in T20 cricket. His experience in the format is immense and will be the most experienced T20 player at the World T20. Bravo is second only to his teammate, Kieron Pollard, who will miss out on the World T20 owing to an injury.

In 285 matches that Bravo has played in T20s, he has scored 4603 runs at an average of 26.60 and a strike rate of 125.62. He has been more impressive with the ball picking up 289 wickets at an average of 24.39 and an economy rate of just above 8.

Bravo is just 9 runs away from notching up 1000 runs in T20Is and has picked up 40 wickets in 55 T20Is. Bravo is a thinking bowler, always trying to outfox the batsman with his subtle variations and this will come in good stead for the Caribbeans following his experience in the IPL.

The 32-year-old's record in the IPL is exceptional as he picked up 123 wickets in 108 matches at an average of 21.87. His average for the now-suspended Chennai Super Kings was 20.26 which is highly impressive in the T20 format. He has also scored 1490 runs in the IPL at an average of 26.60 and a strike rate of 130.13.

Bravo will be West Indies’ go-to man throughout the tournament and will be the all-rounder to look out for during the World T20 as his experience and skills will be put to test in India.