IPL: Greatest left-handed XI of all time

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the biggest events in cricket that attracts top players from all around the world. Often, the left-handers are associated with that extra bit of elegance for some mysterious reason. Here is an attempt to compile the best IPL XI of all time with only left-handers.

In the bowling department, the right-handers dominate the list of highest wicket-takers and hence, it was relatively easy to pick the top left-handed bowlers. However, when it comes to batting, there is no dearth of southpaws at the top of the list.

Openers:

#1 Chris Gayle (overseas)

A no-brainer. What Sachin Tendulkar is in ODI cricket, Chris Gayle is in T20 cricket. Perhaps even more. T20 cricket gives the license for the batsmen to go hammer and tongs at the bowlers right from the outset, leading to the emergence of many aggressive batsmen. But, Chris Gayle is a different beast altogether! Be it in T20 internationals or the IPL, Gayle towers over all other great batsmen.

In the IPL, he averages 42 and boasts of a Strike Rate of 152, which make him an obvious selection. His six-hitting ability is unparalleled.

#2 Adam Gilchrist (overseas) (wicket-keeper) (captain)

Gilly was one of the most hard-hitting batsmen of his time

Adam Gilchrist was a crucial ingredient of the success enjoyed by the Kangaroos throughout their period of world dominance. He carried the same impact to the IPL as well and led his team Deccan Chargers to the title in the second edition. Gilly's wicket-keeping skills need no special mention and when coupled with his aggressive batting, sent shivers down the spine of the bowlers.

He will be the captain of this side. David Warner is also a good choice but Gilly deserves to get the nod ahead of Warner because of his wicket-keeping skills. After all, it is impossible to have a cricket team without a gloveman.

Middle order:

#3 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina is the epitome of consistency in the IPL

It took 158 games for Suresh Raina to miss an IPL match for Chennai Super Kings. That is a testament to his fitness and the faith the Super Kings think-tank possess in him. He breached the 400 run mark more often than not, placing Raina among the most consistent batsmen in the tournament's history.

Barring the run-machine Virat Kohli, no batsman has scored more runs than this left-hander and his Strike Rate of 139 makes him one of the most dangerous batsmen to bowl to. A perfect no.3.

#4 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvi can smack the ball a long long way

Considering his exploits in T20 internationals for India, it is fair to say that Yuvraj Singh never set the IPL stage alight in the manner expected of him. However, his IPL record is pretty decent. His average of 25 may be on the lower side, but his Strike rate of 130 is impressive.

On his day, Yuvi can clobber the bowlers to all corners of the park and can score runs at a breakneck pace. His left arm spin can be handy and apart from just breaking partnerships, it can win matches too.

#5 Shakib Al Hasan (overseas)

Shakib Al Hasan is a highly valuable player in any format

Prior to Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh never had a truly great player and all they could boast of was the presence of some talented players who failed to live up to the initial promise. In Shakib, they have the world's best allrounder at the moment. He is the first great to emerge from Bangladesh and when he hangs his boots, he will have become one of the greatest ever.

Shakib is a brilliant left-arm spinner who does not leak too many runs and takes wickets regularly. He may not bludgeon the ball but can set the scoreboard ticking with a collection of dazzling strokes.

#6 David Miller (overseas)

If the ball is in his zone, it will disappear

There was a time when Kings XI found themselves neck-deep in trouble but miraculously recovered to win the contest. David Miller was the architect of many such rescue acts for Punjab. When Miller is on song, he wallops the bowlers without an iota of mercy and no target is impossible for him to chase.

His average of 36 and Strike Rate of 140 scream for his inclusion in this side.

Lower order:

#7 Ravindra Jadeja:

Jadeja is one of the tournament's leading allrounders

In the first edition of the IPL, Rajasthan Royals were the least fancied team to win the tournament and Ravindra Jadeja played a pivotal role in their eventual triumph. Since then he has grown from strength to strength and become a vital member of the Indian side as well. He was sarcastically labelled 'Sir' by his detractors but he soon won them over. His performances were so impressive that the title 'Sir' remained but the sarcasm was replaced by admiration.

Jadeja is one of the best allrounders in the IPL. He possesses the ability to clear the fence and his fast left-arm spin is valuable.

#8 Irfan Pathan:

Irfan Pathan had a decent IPL career

Irfan Pathan might have faded away from the international scene a long time ago but there was a time when his left-arm swing was so mesmerising that he was hailed as 'India's Wasim Akram' and when he began to make an impact with the willow too, the tag was further raised to 'India's next Kapil Dev.'

Pathan has played for multiple teams in the IPL and has 80 wickets in 103 matches at a respectable economy rate of 7.77.

#9 RP Singh:

RP Singh can look back on his IPL career with satisfaction

Another Team India discard! Just like Irfan Pathan, RP Singh has represented many IPL teams and has a better record than most of us would imagine. In 82 matches, Singh has 90 scalps to his name at 7.90 runs per over.

In a format where a wicket-taking rate of less than 1 per match is perfectly acceptable for a frontline bowler, Singh's IPL record cannot be written off.

#10 Zaheer Khan:

Zaheer Khan mastered fast bowling like no other Indian pacer of his generation

Throughout the second half of his career, Zaheer Khan remained the spearhead of the Indian pace bowling attack and his bowling attained such levels of potency that it could be classified as 'world-class', a distinction that is rarely attributed to the Indian pacers.

Even in the IPL, Zaheer was a very fine performer and a great mentor to the younger generation of fast bowlers. He played exactly 100 matches and grabbed 102 wickets. He was a master of many aspects of left-arm fast bowling. His economy of 7.58 deserves plaudits in this slam-bang format, where many frontline bowlers are often clobbered for around 8 runs per over.

#11 Ashish Nehra:

Ashish Nehra will have a lot to smile about in his IPL career

A cursory look at Ashish Nehra's stats shows that there have not been many better bowlers than him in the last two decades for India in ODIs. Injuries were his constant companion and played a key role in depriving him of a long career. However, in the IPL where he was required to bowl a maximum of four overs, his body held out long enough for him to forge a praiseworthy career.

His record of 106 wickets in 88 matches is admirable. His form was so brilliant in the IPL that he even earned a recall to the national side once due to his IPL exploits.

When at his best, Nehra bowls with so much venom that mere survival against him becomes a huge challenge in itself. His delivery that comes back into the right-handers is a treat to watch.

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