IPL 2018: Overseas XI of the season

#7 Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders)

The Jamaican was returning to cricket after a year and KKR retaining him, did raise a few eyebrows. Russell made sure that all those doubts were laid to rest. In just the fifth match of the tournament, he scored 88 off 36 deliveries against CSK at Chepauk. The innings included 11 sixes and just a four. His late cameo against RR in the Eliminator was a game-changing knock.

He was also very effective with the ball despite bowling both in the powerplay and at the death. The West Indian provided the perfect balance to the side. Russell was consistent throughout, which made him an invaluable asset to the Kolkata franchise.

M- 16, Inn-14, Runs-316, Avg- 28.73, SR- 184.80, Wickets- 13, Economy-9.38, Best- 3/31

---

#8 Jofra Archer ( Rajasthan Royals)

Though he came in with a reputation of being an all-rounder, it was mainly his bowling that got him all the success. Despite playing just 10 matches for the Rajasthan Royals, Jofra Archer was RR’s highest wicket-taker.

He announced his arrival in style against the Mumbai Indians at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. Archer took 3/22 off his three overs in a spell, where he produced accurate yorkers very consistently. He followed it up with another 3-wicket haul against SRH.

He was Rajasthan’s go-to bowler in crunch situations, and he delivered more often than not. Both of his lethal deliveries- the bouncer and yorker came at calculated pace, which made it very difficult for the batsmen. Had Jofra Archer played earlier, RR would have probably finished higher than they did.

M-10, Inn-10, Wickets-15, Economy- 8.37, Best- 3/22