IPL 2014: Top five all-rounders IPL teams should retain

1. Shane Watson – Rajasthan Royals

The Australian will come to the Indian Premier League on a high after having been part of a victorious Australian squad which defeated England at the Ashes 5-0. With that series, Watson achieved a personal high as well as he played some fantastic innings in the latter half of the series to pile misery on England.

His ability to smash the bowlers at will and produce match-winning efforts at the top of the order means that he is a one man army worthy of retention just for his batting capabilities. However, Watson has much more to offer.

The Australian is one of the likely candidates to lead Rajasthan now that Dravid has walked into retirement and he will also succeed another Australian great Shane Warne who also captained the franchisee. Watson’s bowling capabilities are under-rated since he is a troublesome customer who has the knack of breaking partnerships.

He finished the last edition of the IPL among the highest run-getters scoring 543 runs in 16 matches at an average just below 40.00. He also picked up 13 wickets at an economy of just over 7.00 making him the most successful all-rounder of the tournament.