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Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has named his IPL 2022 best XI, which features six Indians and five overseas cricketers.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul has been named captain of the dream team while SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Rahul Tripathi and Rajasthan Royals (RR) leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal are among the Indians in the XI.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) star finisher Dinesh Karthik and Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya have not found a place in Kaif's best IPL XI of the ongoing season.
The league stage of IPL 2022 ended on Sunday with an inconsequential match between eliminated teams SRH and the Punjab Kings (PBKS).
The top two franchises from the league stage, Gujarat and Rajasthan, are battling it out in Qualifier 1 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Batting first, RR have put up 188 for 6.
In a Sportskeeda video, Kaif shared his best playing XI for IPL 2022. He picked Jos Buttler and Rahul as the opening combination. Explaining his reasons, he said:
"The first name in my team is Jos Buttler. He has been in excellent form and is also the Orange Cap holder. He has a lot of international experience and will keep wickets as well in playing XI.
"I have picked KL Rahul as the other opener because he is in good form again. Every year, he scores 500-600 runs and he is looking in very good rhythm. He is captaining the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and has led them to the Top 4. He will be the captain of my team as well."
IPL legend David Warner features at No. 3 in the IPL team because of his ability to score consistently. SRH's prolific middle-order batter Rahul Tripathi and PBKS' six-hitting wonder Liam Livingstone occupy the No. 4 and No. 5 slots respectively.
Terming Livingstone a utility player, Kaif stated:
"The last few editions had not been good for him, but this time he was excellent. He bowls off-spin and leg-spin as well."
Kaif picked Andre Russell as the all-rounder at No. 6, saying:
"What he does down the order, no one else can do. At numbers six and seven, the strike rate matters a lot. That’s why he's at No. 6. He bowls as well when needed."
Russell had an exceptional IPL 2022 for KKR, scoring 335 runs at a strike rate of 174.48 while also claiming 17 scalps with his medium pace.
View the IPL 2022 orange cap here.
Leggies Rashid Khan and Yuzvendra Chahal in Mohammad Kaif's IPL 2022 best XI
Shifting focus to the bowlers, Kaif picked two leg-spinners in RR's Yuzvendra Chahal and GT's Rashid Khan. Explaining his choices, he elaborated:
"I have Rashid Khan because he has done very well with the bat for Gujarat this time. He has discovered his rhythm with the ball too as the tournament has progressed. His economy is excellent and it is very difficult to go after him.
"Yuzvendra Chahal is the Purple Cap holder. It is because of the wickets that he has taken that RR have finished in the Top 2 after many years. He is a very important member of the team."
While Chahal has claimed 26 wickets at an average of 16.53, Rashid has 18 scalps while averaging 22.38.
In the fast bowling department, Kaif has picked 'X factor' Umran Malik for his raw pace plus wicket-taking ability and Jasprit Bumrah for making a brilliant comeback in the second half of the tournament.
Both Malik and Bumrah have claimed five-fers in IPL 2022 and, incidentally, both the spectacular efforts have come in losing causes.
GT's Mohammed Shami is the third pacer in Kaif's IPL 2022 dream team. He has been chosen for his fantastic bowling with the new ball. Hailing the veteran pacer, Kaif asserted:
"His bowling performance in the powerplay is good news for Gujarat and Indian cricket as well. His economy has been very good. Even at the death, where he had earlier struggled, he has been reasonably economical."
Shami has claimed 19 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 23.94 and an economy rate of 7.98.
Mohammad Kaif's IPL 2022 best XI: Jos Buttler (wk), KL Rahul (c), David Warner, Rahul Tripathi, Liam Livingstone, Andre Russell, Rashid Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umran Malik, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami.
