Sunrisers Crowned Champions, But Here’s The Best XI of IPL 9

5 Indians and 6 International cricketers.

Virat Kohli: 973 runs

Average: 81.08, Strike Rate: 152, 100s: 4, 50s: 7

Often, statistics can mislead. Not so with Virat Kohli, for whom if anything, the numbers undersell the magnitude of what we witnessed this season. Kohli entered uncharted territory this season, in the process scoring the most runs by a single batsman in any T20 tournament. Ever.

He led RCB with a hunger and desire that infected his troops, and fired them up throughout the tournament, ending in an earth-scorching run of wins. It wasn’t that Kohli just scored runs, there was something otherworldly about the way in which he did it. He was masterful. The best batsmen leave you with no hope, and Kohli left all comers demoralized.

David Warner: 848 runs

Average: 60.57, Strike Rate: 151, 50s: 9

A couple of years ago, many observers felt that putting David Warner in charge of a cricket team was like leaving a pyromaniac in charge of a petrol station, but I’ve long been an advocate of Warner as a team leader. He has showed that his on-field cricketing intelligence is up there with the very best, and Warner has an innate ability to both build an innings batting first, as well as time a chase to perfection.

These days, any Tom, Dick and Hari Shankar can bulldoze runs under ‘easy’ circumstances, Warner deserves credit for scoring consistent, tough runs when it mattered most. His Sunrisers team was arguably short on batting power, and with a few inconsistent batsmen in his line-up, Warner deserves plenty of praise for a perfect IPL.

AB de Villiers: 687 runs

Average: 52.84, Strike Rate: 168, 100s: 1, 50s: 6

De Villiers has occasionally had IPL seasons that could best be described as ‘flaky’. He has often flattered to deceive, taking his side close, and then faltering near the finish line. This year, he combined brutal power with an unholy combo of sweeps and flicks that could only be described as ‘Stick Cricket Exhibition Mode’.

He is the world’s most talented batsman, and one of the world’s most talented sportsmen, which is precisely why we should hold him to a higher standard. When we criticize AB, it is with the knowledge that Superman doesn’t expect praise for getting a cat down from a tree. It must be an itch for AB that the only thing lacking on his CV is a big performance in a tournament final.

KL Rahul: 397 runs

Average: 44.11, Strike Rate: 146, 50s: 3

Before the IPL, KL Rahul keeping Chris Gayle out of the side was about as likely as Lalit Modi joining N Srinivasan for a friendly evening stroll along Juhu Beach. But, it happened. And it was all thanks to KL Rahul developing a new range to his game. He has been working on his T20 game with Karnataka over the past few months, and was unrecognizable as a batsman this IPL. India would do well to nurture this versatile, smart cricketer - he has excellent potential in all three formats.

Yusuf Pathan: 361 runs

Average: 72.2, Strike Rate: 145, 50s: 3, 1 wicket @ 33

This year’s renaissance man, Yusuf Pathan showed that he may still have potential as a finisher at the highest level. His methods have arguably become more sensible with age, and his batting is less overtly destructive - 13 sixes this IPL, compared to 26 in 2008 - but on the flip side, this has also meant that he has become less self-destructive.

This IPL, Yusuf managed to bat in partnerships, rotate the strike, and act as the responsible senior partner. My feeling? He deserves another shot with India.

Krunal Pandya: 237 runs

Average: 39.5, Strike Rate: 191, 50s: 1, Wickets: 6

In a line-up with Pollard and Buttler, you’d have got long odds on Krunal Pandya being Mumbai’s most valuable player of the IPL. With the best strike-rate of anyone to have scored more than 100 runs, Pandya showed glimpses of rare star quality. His 86 against Delhi was one of the highlights of the tournament, as he routinely smashed Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir against the spin, on a turning pitch. It was a whipsaw innings, and one that catapulted him above his brother Hardik, whose fortunes faded in the opposite direction.

Chris Morris: 195 runs

Average: 65.0, Strike Rate: 178, Wickets: 13, Average: 23.7, Economy Rate: 7.00

From being a much-maligned “No, seriously?!” buy for Chennai Super Kings [Rest in Peace], Morris has become one of the most-improved T20 players in the world. Few would have expected Morris to outshine Carlos Brathwaite, who starred in the WT20, but Morris was preferred over the West Indian throughout the IPL. Morris has promised much for years, but this IPL he hit the heights of an international-class all-rounder, the sort that could perform the Klusener role that South Africa have been so desperately searching for since, well, Klusener. With the ball, Morris has come on leaps and bounds, and has adjusted his game so that he is now adept at working over the opening batsmen and honing in on a weakness.

Andre Russell: 188 runs

Average: 26.8, Strike Rate: 164, Wickets: 15, Average: 19.4

A late leg injury cut Russell’s tournament short at the back part of the IPL, and irreparably hurt KKR’s chances of lifting the trophy again. Russell is - by a distance - the best T20 player in the world. Having been a leaky bit-part bowler two years ago, Russell’s accuracy now means that he is afforded the responsibility of bowling spearhead. His batting is as dangerous as anyone in world cricket. His athleticism in the field should grant him automatic entry into this summer’s Olympics as a freestyle gymnast.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 23 wickets

Average: 21.3, Economy Rate: 7.42

Bhuvi is India’s boy next door. Unassuming, humble, and with brown eyes that make girls swoon, he is the sort of boy your mother would tell you to spend more time with, in the hope that his virtues rub off on you. The IPL is where medium-pace bowlers go to die, and so for Bhuvi to thrive as leading wicket-taker demands recognition. He became Sunrisers’ reliable foil for Mustafizur, with a newly-developed repertoire of wide yorkers and slower balls often flummoxing batsmen. The key to Bhuvi’s success was that he kept it simple: he bowled to his field, and he did so incredibly accurately. Batsmen were forced to take risks, and Bhuvi came out on top.

Mustafizur Rahman: 17 wickets

Average: 24.76, Economy Rate 6.90

He makes the ball zip, grip, spin, dip, dive, and before you know it...it’s past you. Where did it go? How did it move like that?

Mustafizur’s pace, accuracy and variety would usually make for a potent combination, but it was his slower ball that stole the show this IPL. Batsmen could not set themselves for it, because of the weird and wonderful loop he extracts from his whippy action. With more dip than a Dorito’s factory, batsmen often submitted to Mustafizur midway through their shot, checking their slog in an instant admission of defeat.

Mustafizur doesn’t bowl the ball; he releases a venomous cobra in your direction and you have 0.45 seconds to escape it.

Adam Zampa: 12 wickets

Average: 9.58, Economy Rate 9.58

Pune only chose to play Zampa late - too late, for them - into the IPL, but with a best of 6/19, Zampa showed that he is a T20 force to be reckoned with. Leg-spinners often pick up plenty of wickets in T20 cricket thanks to wild slogs, but Zampa was picking up wickets with excellent deliveries for which the batsmen could only offer a defensive prod. Cricket fans, pundits, and Australians desperate for #TheNextShaneWarne have of course christened Zampa as such, but there will be plenty of mileage in this youngster. Australia will need to nurture Zampa carefully, and back him with confidence on the biggest stage. To date, he’s been messed around more than an employee at Kingfisher Airlines.