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Brad Hogg picks ‘Best IPL 2021 XI’; names Rishabh Pant captain

Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg, in his YouTube channel, picked his Best XI of IPL 2021 and interestingly chose Rishabh Pant as the skipper of his side. Hogg further included both Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, but, interestingly, omitted the duo of Glenn Maxwell and Moeen Ali.

‘Lockdown 1’ was witness to a plethora of former cricketers and experts picking a variety of different ‘XIs’, and the charge was headed by none other than Brad Hogg, who entertained fans with his analysis, insight and humor in his YouTube channel. India is currently overseeing ‘Lockdown 2.0’ and Hogg has now, rather fittingly, comeback with another ‘Best XI’ video. The former Australian spinner has named his ‘Best IPL 2021 XI’ and it is a team that has quite a few interesting omissions.

Unsurprisingly, the Delhi Capitals duo of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan open the batting in Hogg’s XI. Dhawan and Shaw have, by some distance, been the best opening pair in the competition and both the batters placed in the Top 5 run-getters in the competition has seen the 50-year-old pick the Capitals duo as the openers of his team. Hogg’s team features the ‘consistent’ Sanju Samson at No.3 and the skipper of Delhi, Rishabh Pant, as No.4. What’s interesting about Pant’s selection is that the wrist-spinner has chosen the Delhite as the skipper of his team, despite there being the presence of several other senior figures. In his maiden season as captain, Pant ensured that Delhi topped the table when the tournament came to a halt.

At 5 and 6 in Hogg’s team are usual suspects AB de Villiers and Ravindra Jadeja and at 7, interestingly, is Sam Curran. The younger Curran did not have the greatest of seasons but he has still managed to slot into the side ahead of other match winners like Glenn Maxwell, Moeen Ali and Kieron Pollard.

The ever-reliable Rashid Khan slots in at 8 in Hogg’s team, while Rahul Chahar joins Rashid as the second leg-spinner in the side. The pace attack of Hogg’s XI is all-Indian, with the duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Avesh Khan completing the side

Hogg’s Best IPL 2021 XI

Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant (wk) ©, AB de Villiers, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Rashid Khan, Rahul Chahar, Avesh Khan, Jasprit Bumrah

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George Garton to join Adelaide Strikers

George Garton will join Adelaide Strikers for the upcoming season of the Big Bash League. The 24-year-old bagged ten wickets from nine matches in The Hundred for the Southern Brave and helped them clinch the title. He was subsequently picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore for the UAE leg of the Indian Premier League 2021. "I'm really excited to be a part of the Adelaide Strikers, a club with such a successful history in the Big Bash," Garton said.

Garton will join former Sussex head coach Jason Gillespie during his time with the Strikers. Gillespie felt that the left-arm pacer will be able to fill the void left by Michael Neser. "George has been on England's radar for a while now," Gillespie said. "He bowls left-arm fast. He can swing the new ball, which is great. He is an aggressive left-hand batter who can clear the rope and he would be one of the best fielders in the world at the moment. He is top drawer."We identified that in the middle-order, to have a batting and bowling option is something that will be extremely useful to us. We are comfortable that we have a lot of great top-order options, but this is an area that we can strengthen within our squad."

Strikers will play their opening match against Melbourne Stars on December 7 to get their campaign going.Exciting English left-arm quick George Garton has signed with Adelaide Strikers for the upcoming BBL season, joining forces with former Sussex coach Jason Gillespie.

Garton, 24, has had an excellent summer for Sussex and Southern Brave in the Hundred starring in their Eliminator victory over Trent Rockets and helping them claim the inaugural title. He was among the leading wicket-takers in the Hundred claiming 10 scalps in nine games and has subsequently joined Royal Challengers Bangalore for the second half of the IPL as a replacement player for Kane Richardson. Garton has already played with Travis Head, Alex Carey, and Rashid Khan at Sussex and was thrilled to sign with the Strikers.

"I'm really excited to be a part of the Adelaide Strikers, a club with such a successful history in the Big Bash," Garton said. Strikers coach Jason Gillespie has been targeting Garton for some time and believes he will add some valuable variety to Strikers' attack following the loss of Michael Neser to Brisbane Heat.

"George has been on England's radar for a while now," Gillespie said. "He bowls left-arm fast. He can swing the new ball, which is great. He is an aggressive left-hand batter who can clear the rope and he would be one of the best fielders in the world at the moment. He is top drawer. "We identified that in the middle-order, to have a batting and bowling option is something that will be extremely useful to us. We are comfortable that we have a lot of great top-order options, but this is an area that we can strengthen within our squad."

His overall numbers in T20 cricket are impressive. He has picked 46 wickets in 39 matches with a strike rate of 14.40. In 15 innings with the bat, he has made 228 runs with a strike rate of 132. With his stint at the Strikers in Australia, he will re-unite with his former head coach at Sussex, Jason Gillespie. The former Aussie pacer also spoke about the new signing and how he can potentially fill the void left by Michael Neser.

“George has been on England’s radar for a while now. He bowls left-arm fast. He can swing the new ball, which is great. He is an aggressive left-hand batter who can clear the rope and he would be one of the best fielders in the world at the moment. He is top drawer. We identified that in the middle-order, having a batting and bowling option is something that will be extremely useful to us. We are comfortable that we have a lot of great top-order options, but this is an area that we can strengthen within our squad,” Gillespie was quoted by Cricbuzz.

Strikers will start their campaign against Melbourne Renegades on December 7 at the Marvel Stadium (Docklands) in Melbourne.