Hyderabad: An all-rounder in a team can turn the tables in any situation. With just days left for the annual T20 festival -- the Indian Premier League (IPL) -- franchises are banking on their all-rounders to give them that extra edge as fans across the nation eagerly awaits the twists and turns of the three-hour extravaganzas.
Here's a look at the top 5 all-rounders to watch out for in this edition of the cash-rich league:
Ben Stokes (RR)
- Stokes, who earned the Most Valuable Player award in 2018, has played in only two seasons but proved his metal in the short span. Although the English all-rounder has less experience to the cash-rich league but picked up 20 wickets at an average of 30.95 and also hit one century and half-century.
- Rajasthan Royals retained him for 12.5 crores ahead of the upcoming season.
Sunil Narine (KKR)
- Narine will be playing an important role in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad. In 2018, he slammed 357 runs in 16 matches with a strike rate of 189.89 and also claimed 17 wickets.
- Narine has played a total of 98 league matches and scored at a strike rate of over 168. The spinner also has 112 wickets to his name.
Shane Watson (CSK)
- Veteran Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has shown his skill and class in the T20 league. His experience has come in handy for Chennai Super Kings in 2018.
- Last year, he played 15 matches and slammed 555 runs at a strike rate of 154.59 and also bagged six wickets. He has also performed in several other domestic T20 Leagues like Pakistan Super League and Big Bash League.
Kedar Jadhav (CSK)
- Although Jadhav suffered an injury in the opening match against Mumbai Indians in 2018 edition but he was retained by CSK ahead of the 2019 IPL.
- CSK splurged Rs 7.8 crore in the player auction 2018 for the middle-order batsman, who has also taken crucial wickets bowling off-spin with a low arm action.
- Jadhav will now be hoping for a good outing and can play an important role in this edition. He has impressed in the international colours.
Hardik Pandya (MI)
- A big hitter and a fast-bowling all-rounder, Hardik ticks all the boxes that a team desires from an all-rounder. Playing with the same team throughout his IPL career, Hardik played some stunning knocks. He also proved himself as a pacer. In his 50 matches, the Baroda player slammed 666 runs at an average of 23.78 and has picked 28 wickets.
- However, his potential was truly known when he took Mumbai to victory with a quick-fire eight-ball 21 against CSK coming when the team needed 30 from two overs.
