The Ultimate T20 All-rounders XI

All-rounders are a fascinating breed. They can dislodge the stumps and destroy a bowling line-up with equal ease. The emergence of T20 cricket has made all-rounders the most sought-after breed of cricketers and for good reason, a good all-rounder can save the day in the death with both the ball and the bat, contributing almost twice as much as a pure batsman or bowler does.

All-rounders provide their team with great balance and their quality often decides the victorious side. The West Indies side that won the 2012 World T20 had as many as seven all-rounders playing in the finals, providing them with a very deep batting order and an equally impressive bowling lineup.

A team made entirely of all-rounders would be a joy to watch, but till that happens, here is an imaginary XI that might become world conquerors in the shortest format of the game.

Special mentions:

Keiron Pollard: Does not bowl regularly anymore and plays purely as a batsman.

Mohammad Nabi: The former Afghan Skipper is a brilliant all-rounder but he couldn't fit into the side.

The former Afghanistan skipper could not find a place in the XI

The Openers

#1 Shane Watson

Shane Watson finished his T20I career as #1 all-rounder in the ICC player rankings

Watson's T20 record speaks for itself. In 260 innings, he has scored a staggering 6783 runs at an average of 30 with 4 tons and 39 fifties. With the ball, 'Watto' has scalped 228 wickets at an economy of 7.90. The 36-year-old won 4 consecutive Man of the Match awards in a dream run in the 2012 T20 world cup, topping the batting charts. He was also the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

The Aussie is also the only cricketer to have won the IPL MVP award twice-in 2008 and 2013. Despite a fragile body that fell prey to career-threatening injuries every now and then, the two time World Cup winner's resilience resulted in him being regarded as one of greatest all-rounders in limited overs cricket. Without the injuries, who knows what he could have become?

#2 Sunil Narine

Narine's Pinch hitting prowess makes him an invaluable asset in the powerplay

When Gautam Gambhir pushed Sunil Narine to the top last year after Chris Lynn injured his shoulder, it was nothing short of a masterstroke. The mystery spinner scored 224 runs for KKR at strike-rate of 172. In this edition too, Narine has continued his purple patch with both the bat and the ball and remains on top of the MVP list, just ahead of Shane Watson, having taken 12 wickets and hit 14 sixes.

Although he's not as complete a batsman as many others in the list, his bravado and fearlessness often put his team in the driving seat in the power-play. Of his bowling, nothing needs to be said. In 275 innings, the Trinidadian has claimed an incredible 329 wickets. At 6.02, Narine has the third lowest economy rate in T20 internationals, behind Daniel Vettori and Rashid Khan.

#3 Kedar Jadhav (wk)

Kedar Jadhav is perhaps the world's only Wicket-keeper all-rounder!

The hard-hitting 33-year-old came into limelight when he hit a 29 ball fifty for Delhi Daredevils in his IPL debut in 2010. Since then his career graph has only gone upwards.

As a batsman, his credentials were never in doubt, but when in 2016, Dhoni tossed him the ball and the diminutive off-spinner picked up 3/29 against New Zealand, fans were pleasantly surprised. Jadhav is also an adept wicket-keeper having kept the wickets in 23 IPL innings, with 11 catches and 4 stumpings. An excellent player of spin, he has a strike rate of 136.28 in T20s.

#4 Glenn Maxwell

On his day, Glenn Maxwell can tear apart any bowling lineup in the world.

An absolute showman with the bat, Maxwell is more than handy with his off-spin bowling as well. The Victorian has scored over 1000 runs for Australia in T20Is at a strike rate of 165 and claimed 20 victims, making him the go-to spin bowling all-rounder on dry wickets.

#5 Andre Russell

Russell has a strike rate of 165.80

Andre Russell has a strike rate of 165.80, highest on this list. A clean striker of the ball, Russel is a powerhouse in the death and a live-wire in the field, having taken 108 catches. The Jamaican has scored more than 3700 runs and taken 220 wickets in 246 T20 matches.

#6 Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes has been a consistent performer for England with both the bat and the ball

Considered by many, the first true fast bowling all-rounder since Andrew Flintoff, Ben Stokes can bat out long hours in a Test match on a green pitch and consistently hit the 145 KM/h hour mark with equal ease.

In T20 cricket too, he has impressed many with his all-round skills, especially in IPL-10 where his effort with both the bat and the ball was crucial in taking Pune to the final. The 26-year-old has scored 1895 runs in T20 cricket and bagged 49 wickets.

#7 Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al-Hasan is among the few players to have been ranked #1 all-rounder in all 3 formats

Shakib Al-Hasan has been ranked #1 all-rounder in all the three formats of the game. The southpaw is among the most effective spin bowlers in T20 cricket.

A miser with the ball, Shakib is an absolute blitzkrieg with the bat having blasted 4138 runs in 241 innings. The 31-year-old has taken 304 wickets with 3 five-wicket hauls at a meagre economy of 6.8.

#8 Hardik Pandya

Pandya has matured as a bowler in IPL-11

The 24-year-old, is India's first pace bowling all-rounder in a long time, the last one being the legendary Kapil Dev. Comparisons thus, are inevitable between the hot-headed youngster and the World Cup winning former captain. But they are mostly irrelevant. Hardik, in his own right, is a brilliant all-rounder.

An astounding player of spin bowling, the boy from Surat is known for muscling the ball deep into the stands. He is also more than just useful with the ball, having claimed 76 wickets in 97 T20 innings. Pandya, having taken 14 wickets in the current edition of the IPL, is second in the race for the purple cap.

#9 Chris Morris

Morris is lethal at death with both the bat and the ball

A very capable lower order batsman, Chris Morris has scored 1197 runs in T20 cricket, striking at 152.09. The 31 year old averages 24.42 with the bat and 22 with the ball. Morris is an excellent bowler at death and with the new ball, having bagged 180 wickets in 145 T20 matches.

#10 Dwayne Bravo

Bravo's contribution with both the bat and the ball at death make him a consistent matchwinner

If there's anything more famous than Bravo's dance moves, it is his bowling in the death. His bowling arsenal has, among other things, an unplayable slower ball and a perfect toe crusher. Bravo has claimed 420 victims and scored 5635 runs in T20 cricket.

The Trinidadian strikes the ball at 125.44 and claims a victim every 17.5 balls. Add to all this, his inhuman agility in the field and you have a consistent match-winner.

#11 Ravichandran Ashwin (c)

Ashwin is India's highest wicket-taker in T20Is

While a complete batsman than many others preceding him in the list, Ashwin comes into bat so late primarily because of his poor strike rate of 111. And yet, India's premier spinner does possess a more than a decent capacity of clearing the ropes as 49 fours and 11 sixes in 68 T20 outings show.

The former engineer is India's highest wicket-taker in T20 internationals with 52 scalps in 46 innings. Arguably the best spinner currently in all three formats of the game, Ashwin is equally at home bowling in the power-play and in the middle overs. He has impressed as a captain in the current edition of the IPL, and is thus, the skipper of this side.