IPL 2018: Best Indian XI after week 1

IPL 2018 has got off to a great start with all teams looking equally strong on paper and every player wanting to step up and perform for his team. There were a number of fantastic performances with both bat and ball this week and the current season of this lucrative T20 tournament promises to be bigger and better than ever.

It is very important for the players to start the tournament positively and find form quickly as teams can't afford to allow them their own sweet time to settle into the rigorous demands of this league.

Let's take a look at the top Indian performers in the first week of IPL 2018.

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Openers

#1 KL Rahul

Kings XI Punjab shelled out a massive Rs. 11 crores to acquire the services of KL Rahul. He justified his price tag by smashing the fastest ever IPL fifty, off just 14 balls, in the very first game of the season for KXIP.

Rahul currently has a mind-boggling strike rate of 198.52. He looks in great form and will hope to carry on in similar fashion all through the season. Rahul is a serious contender for the orange cap this year.

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#2 Shikhar Dhawan

After David Warner was ruled out, Shikhar Dhawan has taken the onus upon himself to score runs at the top of the order for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has scored 130 runs in 3 matches at a more than decent strike rate of 141.3.

He is back to his menacing best and will hope to make a serious impact for SRH in IPL 2018. Dhawan's form augurs well for India with the upcoming tour of England.

Middle Order

#3 Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav is a batsman who has surprised quite a few people with his grace and elegance at the batting crease. He is currently a regular in the Mumbai Indians top order and has repaid the faith of the team management by scoring 124 runs in the first 3 games.

He opened the innings against the Delhi Daredevils and got his team off to a flyer. Suryakumar is a fine prospect for the Indian team in all three formats of the game.

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#4 Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson is back with the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018. After playing three matches for the Royals, he is currently the holder of the orange cap. He displayed impeccable timing as he smashed an unbeaten 92 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.

He is striking the ball at a whopping 163.30, which is a massive improvement from his strike rate of 141.39 in IPL 2017.

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#5 Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant's inclusion in this list might come as a surprise to a few as he's only scored 95 runs in three matches for the Delhi Daredevils. The fact that he's hit 16 boundaries at a strike rate of 182.69 earns him a place in this XI.

Pant has been moved around in the batting order but has shown great maturity in adapting to each situation. He has started IPL 2018 on the right note and will want to make his performances count for the Delhi franchise.

All Rounders

#6 Ravichandran Ashwin

After given the responsibility of captaining the team, Ashwin has taken the onus upon himself to perform with both ball and bat for the Kings XI Punjab this season.

He displayed his batting prowess by scoring a critical 33 runs at a massive strike rate of 157.14 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

On the bowling front, Ashwin has been at his miserly best. He will hope to keep going at this rate and win a few games for KXIP.

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#7 Krunal Pandya

After going all out to retain the services of Krunal Pandya, the Mumbai Indians will be happy that he has found form early in the tournament.

Krunal has been operating at a paltry economy of 6.20, which is outstanding in this format of the game. With the bat in hand, he is smashing the ball at an incredible 159.52.

The Mumbai franchise will be well served if he continues in this fashion all through IPL 2018.

Spinners

#8 Rahul Tewatia

After getting the nod ahead of Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Tewatia has justified the move by picking up crucial wickets at crucial moments for the Delhi Daredevils. This leg-spinner from Haryana has picked up 6 wickets in 4 games for the Delhi franchise.

He is very economical and has been operating at a brilliant 7.13. Rahul will hope to be able to retain this form in the business end of the tournament.

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#9 Mayank Markande

Not many people would have heard of Mayank Markande, a young leg-spinner from Punjab until he finished with figures of 3-23 against the Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of the season. Such is the beauty of this lucrative T20 league.

He went on to pick up four wickets for the Mumbai Indians in their next match against SRH and is currently the holder of the purple cap. Mayank is certainly a great prospect for Indian cricket.

Fast Bowlers

#10 Siddarth Kaul

Siddarth Kaul has picked up five wickets for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2018. It is a new look Siddarth that we have seen in this season of the IPL. He has used the bouncer to good effect and bowled at a fantastic economy of 6.91.

Kaul is not the quickest bowler going around but has used subtle variations to deceive the batsmen and win matches for the Hyderabad franchise.

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#11 Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav has begun season 11 of the IPL with sincerity and dedication. He has been at his intimidating best and bowled his heart out with intent. The Royal Challengers Bangalore will hope he can sustain this energy and form all through their campaign.

In the match against KXIP, Umesh picked up the wickets of Mayank Agarwal, Aaron Finch and Yuvraj Singh in one over and finished the match with figures of 3-23.