Top 10 specialists in Twenty20 cricket

Modified May 11, 2018 19:42 IST

Chris Gayle who has 21 centuries in the game's shortest format, poses with KXIP co-owner Preity Zinta

#4 Sunil Narine

Franchises: Kolkata Night Riders, Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Sixers, Trinbago Knight Riders Barisal Burners, Cape Cobras, Comilla Victorians, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Lahore Qalandars

Sunil Narine started off as a mystery spinner, who was impossible to pick. After a re-modelling his bowling action, he is still potent, and still mysterious. With his repertoire of carrom ball, knuckleball, off-spinner and the slider, he has been able to keep a lot of batsmen tied down. He boasts the most economical bowling rate in the history of IPL (6.33/ over). Add to that his reinvention as a dynamite opener who regularly returns a strike rate in the region of 150, and you have one of the most valuable players in the XI.

Trivia: Once bowled 21 dot balls out of 24 balls (4 overs) in a Caribbean Premier League game.

#3 Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo can win games with his bowling, batting and his outfield catches

Franchises: Chennai Super Kings, Essex, Gujarat Lions, Kent, Lahore Qalandars, Melbourne Renegades, Mumbai Indians, Peshawar Zalmi, Sydney Sixers, Trinbago Knight Riders, Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel, Chittagong Kings, Comilla Victorians, Dhaka Dynamites, Dolphins, Surrey

Dwayne Bravo has had his share of fallouts with West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for prioritising his IPL career over his Windies one. But given the value and flexibility that he brings to any given line-up, this street-smart cricketer is never short of offers to ply his skills around the T20 leagues around the world. He is a specialist death bowler, a specialist finisher and a terrific outfielder, making him a beast of a player and capable of winning matches though any of these skills.

Trivia: Bravo is the leading wicket-taker in T20 matches of all time and the second on the list of most catches by a fielder.