IPL: Best player with each letter of the alphabet

Kieron Pollard's all-round prowess rightfully earn him a spot on this list

K - Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard has been one of the biggest IPL sensations. In the 2010 auction, four teams were ready to empty their purse for the big man. The Mumbai Indians emerged victorious in the secret bid and what a difference it made! He has been instrumental in their three IPL titles. He has done incredible things for the Mumbai Indians with bat, ball and on the field too. He has guided his team home from the lower middle order on many separate occasions.

Matches - 123, Runs - 2343, Average - 28.92, Strike Rate - 146.52

Wickets - 56, Bowling average - 31.60, Economy - 8.85

L - Lasith Malinga

Three things distinctly define the Sri Lankan fast bowler - his conspicuous mop of hair, the perpetual smile on his face, and his toe-crushing yorkers. Lasith Malinga has made his name known in every household in India with his devastating performances for the Mumbai Indians. His pinpoint perfect yorkers in the death overs have been a menace to every batsman he has bowled to. He is IPL's undisputed highest wicket-taker with 154 wickets, and it's incredible how he's got a major chunk of these wickets by getting the batsman out clean bowled. His amiable nature was a joy to watch, particularly his smile after being hit for a boundary.

Matches - 110, Wickets - 154, Average - 19.01, Economy - 6.86

M - Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Dhoni the captain. Dhoni the wicket-keeper. Dhoni the finisher. MS Dhoni took the IPL into his own hands. He captained the Super Kings to two IPL titles and five finals in their eight seasons in the IPL. He is the ninth-highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament despite being a lower order batsman on many occasions.

Matches - 159, Runs - 3561, Average - 37.88, Strike Rate - 136.75

Notable mentions - Manish Pandey, Michael Hussey

N - Naman Ojha

Naman Ojha has been pretty impressive in the IPL over the years. He has featured in all seasons except the inaugural one and has managed to feature in an impressive 112 games. He even got to feature for the Indian team owing to his IPL exploits. The Madhya Pradesh wicket-keeper is excellent behind the stumps and can be explosive with the bat too. He won the title with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.

Matches - 112, Runs - 1553, Average - 20.98, Strike Rate - 118.69

O - Owais Shah

Owais Shah makes this list for one and only one reason - there is nobody else in IPL history whose first name starts with the letter 'O'. Owais Shah has featured in 23 games in which he has managed to gather 506 runs. He had a standout season in 2012 with the Rajasthan Royals where he managed to accumulate an impressive 340 runs.

Matches - 23, Runs - 506, Average - 33.73, Strike Rate - 130.07