Best Playing XI from the bottom 4 teams of IPL 2021 season

The Indian Premier League is undoubtedly a tournament that keeps the cricket on-lookers on the edge of their seats. Every year the anticipation and excitement for one of the world’s biggest T20 leagues reach a crescendo. How else can one describe a tournament wherein until the last league game the fans are often clueless of the sure four teams that would battle it out against each other in the playoffs?

This year’s IPL was no different. Though DC, CSK, RCB, and KKR made it to the top four, it is to be noted that the teams at the bottom of the points table also played some competitive cricket. T20 is a game of margins they say and thus the difference between the winning and the losing side can be just a single run or a wicket at times.

MI, PBKS, RR, and SRH are the teams that finished as the bottom four teams of IPL 2021. But having said that, the teams produced some good performances in the league that one has to take note of. A few key players displayed their fiefdom on one of the biggest stages even if their teams couldn’t finish at the top four.

Here is the Best Playing XI from the bottom 4 teams:

1. KL Rahul

The keeper-batter has looked in tremendous form lately. He produced some impressive performances in the Test match series against England. Though these two are completely different formats, KL Rahul made sure he continues his good momentum into the IPL.

Rightly termed as Mr. Consistent, he has ended his IPL 2021 season on a commanding note. Rahul has been consistently scoring runs in every season of the IPL to display his dominance with the willow. He became the first player to have scored 500+ runs in four consecutive seasons of the league. Punjab finished sixth on the points table, but their skipper stood out for the team and continued his splendid form.

From 13 matches, he scored 626 runs at a staggering average of 62.60 in this edition of the IPL. KL Rahul registered three 90+ scores in the tournament and his outstanding innings of unbeaten 98 against CSK in the last league game could definitely be his best knock.

2. Mayank Agrawal

Alongside KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal has been one of the most important cogs of Punjab’s wheel in the IPL. He has been instrumental in providing the team with flying starts. He sometimes might not be talked about a lot but the batter is the backbone of the team over the last couple of years now.

Even this year he brought some impressive innings to the fore. From 12 matches that he played for the team, Agarwal chipped in 441 runs at a healthy average of 40.09. With the kind of promise he has shown with the bat, he is pretty much a key name that PBKS will look to retain ahead of the next season.

3. Sanju Samson

Rajasthan Royals finished at the seventh position of the points table with five victories from 14 matches. But the one name that stood tall for the team was that of their captain Sanju Samson. He was undoubtedly the most valuable player for the side.

He was handed the captaincy of the team but that did not create any pressure on the keeper-batter. He has been consistently scoring runs for the franchise and has held the fort of the side on most occasions. In the IPL 2021, Samson smashed 484 runs at an average of 40.33 and a strike rate of 136.72.

4. Surya Kumar Yadav

The batter has been one of the strongest links of MI’s chain over the years. Owing to his outstanding stint with MI, Suryakumar Yadav received his India call up and he impressed the cricketing fraternity by making his debut in style. In the middle-order, his contributions to the team often prove pivotal for the Rohit Sharma-led side.

Mumbai couldn’t manage to make it to the play-offs and one of the reasons behind it was the form of their key players in the tournament. Suryakumar Yadav too experienced a tad bit of challenging time with the willow but eventually found back his rhythm by the end of the UAE leg. He had a decent IPL 2021 with 317 runs to his account from the 14 matches.

5. Kieron Pollard

Think of the name that can pull the momentum towards the team from any crunch situation and one cannot miss considering Kieron Pollard. Over the years, MI without Pollard seems an unusual equation. He possesses the prowess to play the quickfire knock and also chime in with important breakthroughs for the team.

In the first leg of the IPL, Pollard was dominating the proceeding with some intriguing performances. Though he looked a bit out of form in the UAE leg, he is too big a player to be dropped from the side except for any serious concerns. On his day, he can change the fortunes of the game upside down and MI who were struggling to make an impact in the second half of the tournament needed all his contributions.

6. Abhishek Sharma

Sunrisers Hyderabad had a dismal IPL 2021 as the team just couldn’t find ways to bounce back in the league. A lot of chats surrounded the team as David Warner had to give up captaincy mid-way with Kane Williamson taking the responsibility. Owing to his lean patch, Warner was even dropped from the playing XI. However, amidst all this chaos, one name that shone for the team was that of Abhishek Sharma.

The young player turned many heads with his small but impactful cameos with the bat. SRH made a strong statement in the league when they defeated Rajasthan Royals whilst chasing a total of 165. Sharma stood firm with skipper Kane Williamson to take the team to victory.

7. Jason Holder

For SRH who were going through a difficult time in this IPL, Jason Holder provided some hopes to the teams on most occasions in the UAE leg of the IPL. With both the bat and the ball, the West Indies all-rounder made important contributions to the team. The moment he came into the scenario, it felt as there would be some shift in fortune for SRH.

He played just eight matches for the team but scalped a total of 16 wickets for the side. Though SRH couldn’t pull enough wins, Holder put the team in the driver’s seat. He also has the ability to play a quick cameo with the bat and send the ball out of sight.

Thus, as a batter too, he scored 65 runs in the tournament. His excellent all-rounder abilities were a great asset for SRH who were looking to get back to winning ways.

8. Rashid Khan

The Afghanistan spinner is a great benefit for any team he is in. His heroics with the ball are known to all. Rashid can put the greatest of the batters in trouble with his lethal googlies and pull a win from the jaws of the victory. Over the years, he has been a prime aspect of SRH.

When in a crunch situation, the skipper would turn to him to provide the team with the much-needed breakthroughs, and more often than not he delivers. Even if he goes wicketless in a match, his economical bowling display proves important for the team.

It yet again boils down to the same thing that even if SRH couldn’t manage to make a larger impact, just like Holder, Rashid too was a ray of hope to change things for the team. In 14 matches, the spinner clinched 18 wickets.

9. Arshdeep Singh

For Punjab Kings, the young pacer Arshdeep Singh provided great faith and promise with his performances. He is already considered to be the next big thing in Indian cricket. The 6’3” tall left-arm pacer also traveled as a net bowler for the white ball series against Sri Lanka and that has probably upped his spirits even more.

Cutters and precise Yorkers are the primary weapons in Arshdeep’s armory. He has excellent abilities to control the flow of runs which was witnessed during this IPL. The speedster was skipper KL Rahul’s go-to man when the team was in desperate need of wickets.

10. Mohammed Shami

Shami too has presented himself as one of the important cogs of Punjab’s wheel. He has been consistently picking up wickets for the team. The experience the pacer has under his belt is an added advantage to have for the Punjab Kings.

He has had yet another good run with the franchise in this edition of the IPL. He finished as the highest wicket-taker for Punjab Kings this year. From 14 matches, Shami has scalped 19 wickets. His good time with the ball will be a great positive for team India as well.

He is a part of team India for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021. Considering that the venue of the IPL and the mega event is the same, the side will pin hopes on him if he makes it to the playing XI.

11. Jasprit Bumrah

It is a fact that the speedster is probably one of the bests in the business right now. No matter what the conditions are, Bumrah always finds ways to deliver for the team. The pacer was in fine form in the Indian leg of the IPL and carries his momentum in the second half as well.

In the UAE leg, Mumbai Indians were experiencing a tough time on the field, but the pacer made sure that he leads the fast bowling unit. Bumrah came up with some clinical bowling display as from the seven matches of the second half of the tournament, he picked up 15 wickets. He maintained the economy rate of 7.45 which goes down pretty well considering the tough situations he bowls in.