IPL 2022 team of the tournament: Who joins Jos Buttler in our XI?

The Cricketer looks back at the top performers from the 2022 Indian Premier League

Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals)

17 matches, 863 runs, 57.53 average, 149.05 strike rate, high score 116

From the moment he scored a century against Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan’s second match, Jos Buttler was the standout batter in the tournament. The Orange Cap winner outscored his nearest rival by nearly 250 runs and if wasn’t for a dip in form at the back end of the group stage, he would surely have challenged Virat Kohli’s record haul of 973 runs in a single IPL season. Four centuries, four half-centuries, 45 sixes and a strike rate of 149.05 – the numbers speak for themselves.  

KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants)

15 matches, 616 runs, 51.33 average, 135.38 strike rate, high score 103*

KL Rahul was the only batter to come close to Buttler, scoring 616 runs at 51.33, including two centuries and four fifties. Consistency may not have been his strength this season, nor did his strike rate of 135.38 set the world alight, but on the occasions when he got himself in, Rahul was the perfect anchor for Lucknow. His twin centuries against Mumbai Indians, coming off 60 and 62 balls, respectively, were the pick of his performances.

Rajat Patidar (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

8 matches, 333 runs, 37.22 average, 152.75 strike rate, high score 112*

He came into the tournament as a replacement signing and exited as a player who will surely be in the RCB XI next season. A veteran of just 31 T20s prior to this season, Rajat Patidar passed 40 in four of his seven IPL innings, including blasting 112 not out off 54 balls in the Eliminator. The 28-year-old’s 333 runs placed him third in RCB’s run standings while only Dinesh Karthik could better his 18 sixes. He lit up RCB’s tournament and outshone his fair share of overseas players. 

^{KL Rahul}

Hardik Pandya (Gujarat Titans)

15 matches, 487 runs, 44.27 average, 131.26 strike rate, high score 87*, 8 wickets, 27.75 average, 7.27 economy, best figures 3-17

Gujarat Titans’ captain fantastic. A team-leading 487 runs at a strike rate of 131.26, four half-centuries, and eight wickets. Like Buttler, he faded slightly at the back end of the group stages but came back with a bang in his final three matches, scoring 62 not out, 40 not out and 34. His stands with David Miller in the middle order, in particular, were invaluable. With the ball, he saved his best performance for the final, dismissing Buttler, Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer on his way to figures of 3 for 17. A timely reminder of his talents after a couple of tricky years. 

David Miller (Gujarat Titans)

16 matches, 481 runs, 68.71 average, 142.72 strike rate, high score 94*

Prior to 2022, David Miller had passed 300 runs in an IPL season just twice – 2013 (418 runs) and 2015 (357 runs) – but for Gujarat Titans, he rolled back the years and established himself as their middle-order rock. His 94 not out off 51 balls against Chennai Super Kings was a wonderful reminder of the South African’s big-hitting best and after scoring a match-winning half-century in the Qualifier, he was deservedly in at the end when Gujarat Titans won the title. And to think he went unsold in the first round of the mega auction. 

Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders)

14 matches, 335 runs, 37.22 average, 174.47 strike rate, high score 70*, 17 wickets, 16.35 average, 9.86 economy, best figures 4-5

One of the few success stories for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022. Veteran West Indian Andre Russell was the only player to score 200 runs and take 10 wickets, and whiel his performances being a bit hit and miss, when he was on form, he was unstoppable. His 4 for 5 in six balls against Gujarat Titans was a phenomenal display of death bowling while with the bat only Jos Buttler (45) and Liam Livingstone (34) bettered his haul of 32 sixes. After a run of poor IPL seasons, there’s life in the old allrounder yet. 

^{David Miller}

Wanindu Hasaranga (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

16 matches, 26 wickets, 16.53 average, 7.54 economy, best figures 5-18

Several players were in the running for this spot in the XI, including Rashid Khan, Liam Livingstone and Josh Hazlewood. However, Hasaranga gets the nod as the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament – he lost out to Yuzvendra Chahal in the Purple Cap standings by one wicket. He was effective in the middle overs, both reasonably miserly and a regular wicket-taker, and posted the second-best figures of the entire tournament, taking 5 for 18 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He’s well on the way to justifying his hefty price tag.  

Yuzvendra Chahal (Rajasthan Royals)

17 matches, 27 wickets, 19.51 average, 7.75 economy, best figures 5-40 

The fourth-most wickets in an IPL season and just the third spinner to win the Purple Cap. Yuzvendra Chahal fell short of Dwayne Bravo and Harshal Patel’s record (32 wickets), but on his day, he was quite unplayable. He took his second career five-for against Kolkata Knight Riders, picking up 5 for 40 and a hat-trick, and also took a four-for against Lucknow Super Giants. 

Mohsin Khan (Lucknow Super Giants)

9 matches, 14 wickets, 14.07 average, 5.96 economy, best figures 4-16

Plenty of players took more wickets than Mohsin Khan but the 23-year-old pacer blew them all out of the water with his miserly bowling - only Ayush Badoni (5.5), who bowled just two overs, and Sunil Narine (5.57) could better his economy of 5.96. His 14 wickets also came in just 33 overs. The pick of his performances? 4 for 16 against Delhi Capitals, including the wickets of David Warner, Rishabh Pant and Rovman Powell.    

^{Umran Malik}

Umran Malik (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

14 matches, 22 wickets, 20.18 average, 9.03 economy, best figures 5-25

An eye-catching tournament for the uncapped pacer. Umran Malik picked up 22 wickets in 14 matches, was one of only four bowlers to take a five-for – he picked up 5 for 25 against eventual champions Gujarat Titans, including both Pandya and Miller – and regularly challenged the speed gun with his pace. Not bad for a player who only made his debut in January 2021 and had just eight T20 appearances to his name heading into the tournament. 

Mohammed Shami (Gujarat Titans)

16 matches, 20 wickets, 24.40 average, 8.00 economy, best figures 3-25

Mohammed Shami was the standout bowler in the powerplay, striking 11 times in the opening six overs and conceding just 6.62 runs per over. Gujarat Titans won six matches out of seven when he took wickets in the powerplay compared to six from nine when he didn’t. Since the beginning of 2019, Shami has taken 78 wickets in the IPL. 

12th man: Dinesh Karthik (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

16 matches, 330 runs, 55 average, 183.33 strike rate, HS 66*

The veteran wicketkeeper was one of the standout finishers, scoring 330 runs at a strike rate of 183.33 and posted a best knock off 66 not out off 34 balls against Delhi Capitals. A shrewd auction pick-up from RCB.