T20 World Cup 2014: Five players who could win it for their team

The fifth edition of the T20 World Cup is here,and all the teams will be gearing up to take the cricket worldby storm. The previous editions have witnessed superb individual performances from the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle etc., resulting in their team's success. Here are the top five players, who could prove to be critical for their teams to succeed.

#5 Sunil Narine, West Indies

West Indies are the defending champions and will be hoping to repeat the same this time. The recently concluded Asia Cup has given enough evidence that the conditions in Bangladesh will favour the slow bowlers, thereby making Sunil Narine the bowler to watch out for. The mystery spinner was their highest wicket-taker last time with an economy rate of 5.63. With little assist from his fellow bowlers, Narine can create havoc in the opposition line-ups. West Indian players have enough experience in this format of the game to be a force to reckon with.

#4 Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan

The off-spinner from Pakistan is the highest wicket-taker in this format. He also comes with loads of experience and quality to be ranked as a player of watch out for in this T20 World Cup. Pakistan were the finalist in the recently concluded Asia Cup held in Bangladesh, and Saeed Ajmal has had enough opportunity to practice for the World Cup bowling on the Bangladeshi pitches. The presence of Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi alongside Ajmal makes the Pakistani bowling the most dangerous among others, and Ajmal could well prove to be a nemesis this time for opposition's batsmen.

#3 Brendon McCullum, New Zealand

Brendon McCullum's appointment as the Kiwi captain has rekindled the batting form of this diminutive yet dangerous batsman. McCullum became the first Kiwi batsman to score a triple century in Test cricket, when he scored 302 against India at Wellington earlier this year, and will be hoping to continue his good form to help the Kiwis win their first Cricket World Cup. His 59 in 45 balls against Pakistan in the warm-up game is a reminder of his capabilities; the 32-year-old is surely one of the players to watch out for in the 2014 T20 World Cup.

#2 Virat Kohli, India

Virat Kohli, the world number 1 in ODI rankings, stands at the 4th position among the top T20 batsmen in the latest ICC Player Rankings. The stylish Indian no. 3 has been exuding confidence every time he goes out to bat, and it can be said that there is no one in the game with more swagger than Virat Kohli. The opportunity to captain the Indian Asia Cup team in the absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni would have only added to his confidence. The whole Indian nation will be expecting a run fest from Kohli as they hope to see their team regain the title of T20 world champions.

#1 David Warner, Australia

The pub brawl with Joe Root in England last summer has proved to be a blessing in disguise for David Warner, who is looking a completely different batsman nowadays. Warner hit centuries in both innings for Australia against the Proteas to hand his team a rare series victory in South Africa. The southpaw has looked a more mature batsman lately without letting go his trademark aggressive batting style. The 27-year-old's presence at the top of the Aussie batting order will instill fear among opposition bowlers, and he will have to play a crucial part for Australia to win the World Cup.