The all-time IPL all-rounders XI

T20 is the current buzzword of Cricket wherever you go and the IPL is its most dainty and appetizing snack. But you would be wrong to think that it's just a plain contest between batsmen and bowlers dub-smashed on a turf of unpredictability. In a game where the batsmen threaten to dominate the ball and where the ball can outfox best of the batsmen, it is the rise of all-rounders that has changed the complexion of the game.

You can't deny their obvious talent. They can produce magical results with their twin talents. And at times, they are just unstoppable. Where bowls spin action jolting batting attacks and where rising sixes indicate soaring temperatures, there we see the all-rounders rising to the forefront of a contest.

We take a glimpse at what could possibly be an ideal contemporary IPL Eleven comprising just of all-rounders.

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1. Shane Watson

Easily one of the most defining cricketing talents of our times, Shane Watson is a heavyweight name in a side that can make his unit punch above its weight. A guy who can hit sixes at will and take useful wickets at timely intervals, is there anything more that a captain can desire from a player of his caliber?

Inarguably, the finest all-rounder in international cricket ever since Jacques Kallis and possibly one of the best in business in the ongoing IPL, Watson's solid batting technique and interesting variations in medium pace bring eclectic power to his Royal Challengers Bangalore outfit.

The muscled hunk has struck 2472 runs, at an average of 34 with 2 hundreds, 14 fifties and has collected 70 wickets with best bowling figures of 3 for 10.

2. Kieron Pollard

Bowlers in the IPL don't exactly fancy running into this 6 feet 7 giant whose big, feisty blows, that mostly translate into sixes can stir up the opposition dazed and confused. When he's on the field, you could be sure that most of your 2s could improbably become singles and many a possible boundary could be stopped, becoming nothing but just an admirable stroke that fetched you zilch.

Keiron Pollard is a tall, imposing all round cricketer. His able services have helped his Mumbai Indians to claim the IPL not once but twice. What's more: an artful sledger, he manages to get rather undesirably on to the batsman's nerves.

From 92 innings, he's collected 1875 runs, with 9 fifties at an average of 29 and a highest score of 78. With the ball, Pollard has scalped 56 wickets with best bowling figures of 4/44.

3. Yuvraj Singh

Once the heroic figure in the King's XI unit, Yuvraj Singh, the elegant left-hander is now a powerful inspiration in the Hyderabad Sunrisers camp. It makes for a fitting observation to note that Singh's rise to prominence was also in T20 when he sent Stuart Broad flying for 6 consecutive sixes in an over.

He may not be the consistent batsman that he was once circa 2011, but you would take Yuvraj lightly only at your own peril. Possessing a natural gift of timing, he can send the best bowling attacks to all sides of the park with ease, exhibiting a broad range of strokes.

From 96 innings, Yuvi has collected 2105 runs, at an average of 25, with a highest score of 83 striking 10 fifties at a rate of 129. He's also a useful slow bowler who has scalped 35 wickets from 65 innings with best bowling figures of 4/29.

4. James Faulkner

It is only in the last two editions that Jimmy Faulkner has proved to be a tad bit more expensive in his bowling that he'd ideally like. A star all-rounder, alongside his Aussie compatriot Watson in the now dismantled Rajasthan Royals, is roaring alongside his in-form Gujarat Lions teammates.

A very tricky bowler who bowls left arm with clever deceptions, Faulkner is often looked to up the batting ante in the final overs. He bats from the lower order and his quick scoring ways ensure the scoring of boundaries and flat sixes. A quick runner between the wickets, the Aussie all-rounder also has a safe pair of hands.

He has collected 473 runs from 39 innings, with a highest score of 46, scoring at a strike rate of 142. He has also picked 53 wickets and happens to be one of the rare bowlers to have picked up a 5 wicket haul; 5/16.

5. Yusuf Pathan

His Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gambhir recently suggested that what fans see is a newly resurgent Pathan. In the 9th edition of the IPL, just as the Kohli's and Warner's, Sharma's and Samson's were exhibiting their batting class, suddenly the experienced Pathan came out of nowhere and created headlines.

In their recent 5-wicket crushing loss to the KKR, RCB slammed into a powerful Yusuf Pathan, who made a thrilling 60, starring in a 44 ball 96 run stand with teammate, Russell.

An experienced campaigner, Pathan can seem occasionally dormant in the middle but can charge back into the game right out of nowhere. His occasional off spins have often struck magic for his side and he's also an athletic fielder with a safe pair of hands.

From 116 innings, Pathan has collected 2565 runs, with 10 fifties, at an average of 29 and a highest score of 100. He's also picked up 40 wickets, with best bowling figures of 3/20.

6. Ravindra Jadeja

He's young, multi-talented, hungry for success and determined to deliver good results for his Gujarat Lions. Bringing tons of experience into the Raina led unit, the former Chennai Super Kings all-rounder is a quick accumulator of runs and a handy bowler who can spin games into his team's favor.

An excellent fielder who bowlers love having in the outfield, there's a freak chance of dropping a match due to poor show than having a dropped catch with Jadeja running around tirelessly in the park. From 93 innings, the left-hander has scored 1490 runs, at an average of 22 with 48 as his highest score.

He has also collected an excellent 75 wickets, with best bowling figures of 5/16.

7. Chris Morris

A tall bowling all rounder who can deliver effective blows from the straight bat in the death overs. That's the South African Chris Morris for you. With a high-arm action, Morris generates the pace and bounce that are key to keep the scoring rate in check and has emerged as a handy pick for the Dravid powered Delhi Daredevils.

Exhibiting, perhaps the best innings in a chase thus far, in IPL 2016, just weeks ago, Chris Morris nearly took Delhi home with his timely 32-ball-82 against Gujarat Lions who seemed to be running helter-skelter in front of the Morris onslaught.

Relatively new to the IPL, Morris has made 183 runs from 16 innings, at an average of 30. He's also picked 34 wickets, with best bowling figures of 4/23.

8. Andre Russell

Muscular, agile and an extremely fit athlete, Russell, the 28-year-old Jamaican is at the peak of his all-round exploits in a format he so cherishes. One of the mainstays of Kolkata's batting unit, Russell also happens to be KKR's opening bowler in an inning.

And clocking up close to 150 K/hr in a recent game against the Mumbai Indians, Andre 'the giant' has announced his intentions to dominate.

Hitting hefty blows at will and flat sixes, Russell also happens to be an excellent bowler of the yorker and is a very handy cricketer that his fellow performers in the IPL look up to. Having started his career around 2011, Russell has miles to go with age and form in hand.

From 24 innings, the six hitting right-hander has accumulated 539 runs, at an average of 24, scoring 3 fifties, with a highest score of 66. Russell the bowler has collected 29 wickets with best figures of 4/20.

9. Corey Anderson

We just got thinking where was a Kiwi in such an impressive list and the name of Corey Anderson announced itself. Anderson is a gritty all-rounder and someone whose presence adds vital strength to any T20 side, something that his Mumbai Indians valued with good measure in 2014.

He is a talented big hitting left hander who can bowl left-arm medium pace. At times, Anderson struggles with variations in his deliveries but he’s got the wicket taking ability with the short-pitched ball.

In the IPL, Anderson has played 15 games, from which he has snapped 5 wickets at an economy of 9. From his blazing willow, Corey has struck 379 runs with 3 fifties at an impressive strike rate of 136.

His highest score of 95 at Mumbai was replete with flair and firepower strokes on all sides of the wicket. At 25, Anderson has both age and temperament on his side to clock up good miles on his cricketing journey.

10. Shakib al Hasan

An able left-handed batsman who can quickly accumulate runs when they matter most and someone whose left arm orthodox spin is quite handy for his side. Shakib is a vital cog for the Kolkata Knight Riders side who haven’t parted with him since 2011.

At 29, with years of experience at the international stage, the talented Bangladeshi has emerged with composure and consistency that you’d expect only from a top level performer.

He can throw the quicker ones out of nowhere and his outstanding fielding in the deep makes him a player that is a handy pick in any playing eleven. From 38 innings, Shakib has captured 41 wickets, with best bowling figures of 3 for 17 and has struck 469 runs with 2 half-centuries, playing from the lower order.

When he hits, he hits them big and his strike rate of 133 is just what his captain needs from an able all-rounder of his class.

11. Dwayne Bravo

A fun loving player, a brilliant all round talent and an experienced marksman of the T20 contest, there are myriad ways of conjuring praise at the Trinidadian. With plenty of experience under his belt, Bravo has got the right shots and the right moves on the T20 pitch, even in dance it seems.

An important member of the West Indian success of the ICC World T20 2016, Bravo and T20 are distant cousins it seems, meant for each other. The star all-rounder who's aced the shortest format and just collected over 300 T20 wickets has struck 1233 runs with 4 fifties and a highest score of 70.

His bowling is even more impressive. The best death bowler in the IPL has claimed 117 wickets, with best bowling figures of 4/22.