Greatest IPL XI of all time

Shane Watson

Shane Watson in action for Rajasthan Royals.

Shane Watson will forever remain one of the best buys in the IPL. The talented all-rounder was scooped up by the financially prudent Rajasthan Royals in the first auction for a meagre $125,000 as clouds hovered around the fitness of the Australian.

In his first season, the Australian helped the unfancied Rajasthan side win the inaugural edition of the tournament. Watson helped himself to 472 run and 17 wickets that season as he deservedly won the Man of the Tournament award.

Watson has ever since been the fulcrum of the team around which the Rajasthan Royals have built their teams. His ability to bat at different positions combined with his more than handful bowling ability has always given the Rajasthan teams of past the flexibility to shuffle their team according to conditions.

In his time in the IPL Watson has played a total of 78 games, scoring 2372 runs at an average of 36.49 while striking it at an impressive rate of 141.72. Meanwhile, his bowling skills have helped him scalp 61 wickets, striking every 22 balls.

After spending his first eight seasons playing for the Rajasthan Royals, the dynamic all-rounder was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore to bolster their arsenal which already contains the likes of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers.