Dream Team of IPL: IPL 2023 Top Players Analysis

The recently concluded 16th edition of the fiercely competitive Indian Premier League (IPL) has come to an end. Chennai Super Kings emerged victorious, clinching their remarkable 5th title after a nail-biting final against Gujarat Titans. Despite only four teams making it to the playoffs, if we were to create a dream team comprising the best players from all ten teams, even players from teams that were eliminated in the league stage would be considered for selection in this coveted team.

We have meticulously picked out the top-performing players for powerplay, middle overs, and death overs throughout the entire tournament. Using these selections, we've curated a dream playing-11 team that includes impact players as well. Adhering to IPL's official rules, our team consists of 4 foreign and 8 Indian players. We take pride in our ability to identify and choose the most exceptional players for each position on the field.

Openers of the Dream Team
When we talk about the top openers in the tournament, there's no doubt that Shubman Gill is the first name that comes to mind. Shubman Gill has been outstanding this season and has earned numerous accolades, making him the star performer of the tournament. The other top contenders for the best openers in the tournament are Faf du Plessis, Devon Conway, Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal. This is due to their impressive performances as openers, having scored the highest number of runs among all other players.

Shubman Gill emerged as the top performer in the recently concluded tournament, bagging the coveted Orange Cap. He proved his mettle by scoring crucial runs during both the Powerplay and middle overs, while also hitting an impressive three centuries. This stellar performance also saw him become the first opener to achieve this feat.

Meanwhile, other notable players such as Virat Kohli and Devon Conway failed to compete in terms of powerplay runs and strike rate. When it came to partnering with Gill, there was a tough competition between Faf du Plessis and Yashasvi Jaiswal. While Du Plessis scored 730 runs, Jaiswal was not far behind with 625 runs. However, what set Yashasvi apart was his higher strike rate and excellent shot-making ability - he hit an impressive 26 sixes and 12 more fours than Du Plessis' tally of 36 sixes. To maximize our batting performance, we strategically placed Yashasvi at the opening position. Meanwhile, we positioned Du Plessis at number-3, considering his impressive track record of scoring runs during the powerplay and middle overs.

Aggressive batters for Middle Order
In the game of T20, it is imperative to have an aggressive batsman occupying the number-3 and number-4 positions while also exhibiting sensibility. This player must be capable of stabilizing the innings in case of early wickets falling and also possess a fast strike rate when late wickets tumble. Our team has already assigned Faf to occupy the number three spot. Currently, Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green, Shivam Dubey, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis are vying for this crucial position in T20 cricket.

When discussing the players for the number-4 position, it's worth noting their individual performances. Dubey proved to be a powerful hitter, smashing 35 sixes during the tournament. Meanwhile, Green's batting skills shone through as he scored an impressive 452 runs at a strike rate of 160.28. Stoinis also made significant contributions with 27 sixes and 28 fours, accumulating a total of 408 runs. Additionally, RCB's Glenn Maxwell was among the top-performing players, boasting an exceptional strike rate of 183.48 while scoring over 400 runs.

Suryakumar emerged as the standout performer with 605 runs in 16 matches, making him the highest run-scorer after the openers. Within these impressive stats, he hit one century and five fifties while maintaining a phenomenal strike rate of 181.13. Notably, he smashed 28 sixes and 65 fours in the process. What's more impressive is that Suryakumar scored the highest number of runs (483) during the middle overs, all while batting at just number-4 position.

Wicketkeeper-batter
The position of specialist wicketkeeper batsman attracted several candidates including Ishaan Kishan, Jitesh Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, and Nicholas Pooran. Even though Butler was also in the running, he did not take on the keeping responsibilities. Unfortunately, despite scoring 454 runs with a strike rate of 142.76 and making 10 catches and 3 stumpings, Kishan is out of the race due to his inability to play big innings at the opening position. On the other hand, Jitesh Sharma scored over 300 runs at a strike rate of over 150 but did not keep wickets in most matches.

Pooran played many match-winning innings during the 15 matches he played, scoring a total of 358 runs at an impressive strike rate of 172.95. He hit a whopping 26 fours and as many sixes. The wicketkeeper also displayed his skills by taking 6 catches behind the wicket and making 3 stumpings. However, in comparison, Klaasen managed to score a higher total of 448 runs in just 12 innings at a strike rate of 177.08.

Klaasen proved to be a dominant force with his bat, scoring a century and 2 fifties while hitting 25 sixes and 32 fours. He was especially impressive in the middle overs, accumulating 303 runs at an impressive strike rate of 175.14, including 18 sixes and 19 fours. With several outstanding performances in recent matches, Klaasen has emerged as the top contender for the wicketkeeping position.

Game Finishers
In the competition for the number-6 finisher's position, CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Tim David, Shimron Hetmyer, and Nicholas Pooran were among the contenders. However, KKR's Rinku Singh emerged as the winner and claimed the finisher's position ahead of all of them.

Rinku is a remarkable player who has scored an impressive 239 runs in the death overs with a strike rate of 194.30. He has also smashed 20 sixes and 15 fours during his outstanding performance. His exceptional innings against Lucknow and his incredible feat of hitting 5 sixes against Gujarat are considered as some of the all-time best moments in IPL history.

Allrounder in the Team
The competition for the number-7 all-rounder position was intense, with highly skilled players like Axar Patel, Cameron Green, Hardik Pandya, Abhishek Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja vying for it. Unfortunately, Green faltered in the lower order while Abhishek performed well in the top order. Hardik emerged as a strong contender with his impressive score of 346 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 136.76. Although he bowled 25 overs throughout the tournament, he could only manage to take three wickets as an all-rounder.

At the number-7 position, only Axar and Jadeja were left. This season, Axar performed admirably with 283 runs scored at an impressive strike rate of 139.41, while also taking 11 wickets in bowling. In contrast, Jadeja managed to score 190 runs across 16 matches with a strike rate of 142.86. However, it's worth noting that he held the number four spot for most runs in death overs.

Jadeja also took 20 wickets with his left arm spin, which is the most by any bowler between 7 and 15 overs. Jadeja's fielding remains world class, he took 9 catches in the season. That's why Jadeja is the best option at number-7. Everyone saw his finishing in the finals.

Jadeja had a fantastic season, taking an impressive 20 wickets with his left arm spin - the highest tally for any bowler between 7 and 15 overs. Additionally, his world-class fielding skills were on full display as he took 9 catches throughout the campaign. It's no wonder that Jadeja is considered the top choice for the number-7 spot. His exceptional performance in the finals was further proof of his abilities.

Spinners are ready to do the magic
The spinners' slot was fiercely contested by Rashid Khan, Piyush Chawla, Yuzvendra Chahal, Varun Chakraborty and Noor Ahmed. Rashid emerged as the top contender with an impressive record of 27 wickets in 17 matches while maintaining an economy rate of just 8.23. He proved to be a valuable asset for the team with his ability to take wickets in almost every situation. Besides his exceptional bowling skills, Rashid is also a competent batsman which sets him apart from other spinners. However, it is his impeccable bowling that makes him a desirable addition to any team.

In the realm of spinners, Chawla emerged as the front-runner with 22 wickets, closely followed by Chahal with 21 wickets. Even Chakravarty gave a tough competition with his impressive tally of 20 wickets. Noor Ahmed also proved his mettle by taking 16 wickets in just 13 matches. However, considering that Jadeja was already a strong left arm spinner, there was no room for another leg spinner to make it to the team as the third spinner. In this scenario, Yuzvendra Chahal's excellent performance of taking 20 wickets secured him a spot as the third spinner.

Fast Bowlers
In the hunt for fast bowlers, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj were joined by Tushar Deshpande, Trent Boult, and Arshdeep Singh. However, despite taking 21 wickets in 16 matches, Deshpande's economy rate of 9.92 was too high to keep him in contention as a top bowler. Meanwhile, Boult's limited appearances and Arshdeep's tally of only 17 wickets in 14 games meant that they too weren't able to establish themselves as the best bowlers in the race.

Mohammed Shami emerged as the winner of the coveted Purple Cap by taking an impressive 28 wickets in 17 matches. Notably, he secured a maximum of 17 wickets in the powerplay, and also showcased his exceptional skills by snatching 8 wickets in the last over. Thanks to his consistent performance, he rightfully earned his place among the top performers of the tournament.

RCB's Mohammed Siraj proved to be a star performer, taking the maximum ten wickets in the powerplay after Shami. He continued his impressive form in the death overs, picking up an impressive eight wickets, on par with Shami. In just 14 matches played by his team, he managed to take 19 wickets at an excellent economy rate of 7.52. It's no surprise that he is considered the ideal partner for Shami in RCB's bowling attack.

Death Over Specialist
In the competition for Death Over Specialist, Mohit Sharma and Matheesha Pathirana are the only two bowlers. Pathirana has an impressive record, having taken 19 wickets in the 12 matches he played for CSK. On the other hand, Mohit, who represented GT in 14 matches, took an impressive haul of 27 wickets. He was just one wicket shy of claiming the purple cap.

Pathirana has proven to be a specialist in the death overs with an impressive tally of 18 wickets in the tournament. Following closely behind him is Mohit Sharma with 13 wickets to his name. To leverage Pathirana's expertise, we appointed him as our team's go-to death over specialist, while Mohit was recognized as one of our impact players.

Impact Players
We have successfully designated Mohit Sharma as an impact player, ensuring that we have ample batting options until Rashid Khan. However, it's important to note that each team still has four more players available in the form of impact options. This means that talented batters like Tilak Verma from Mumbai and Sai Sudarshan from Gujarat will have valuable opportunities to shine with their impactful performances at the crease. Glenn Maxwell has been kept as the 13th man, who won the striker of the year award with a strike rate of over 183.