The 2021 season of the IPL has sadly been suspended temporarily due to the growing COVID-19 pandemic in India. While the IPL will be conducted later in the year, overseas players have started returning to their countries. Many of these players made a great impact in the tournament, and it would be an exciting prospect to see them play together. Let us look at the best overseas XI from the 2021 season of the IPL.
Best overseas XI:
Openers: Faf du Plessis and Jos Buttler (wk)
Faf du Plessis has been a regular for Chennai Super Kings, and has been very successful as an opener. In the 2021 season of IPL, he played 9 matches and scored a total of 320 runs. He averaged an incredible 64 from the 9 matches. The former Proteas skipper would be a great pick for a stable start to the innings.
At the other end would be Jos Buttler, the explosive batsman from England. Buttler is the second highest overseas run scorer after du Plessis. He averages 36.28 from 7 matches, and is a great option as an opener. The combination of du Plessis and Buttler could be a great setup for the team.
Middle Order: Kane Williamson (c), Moeen Ali, Shimron Hetmyer, AB de Villiers
Kane Williamson would be in at number 3. The New Zealand skipper would also be the captain for this team. Williamson is someone who can effectively control the flow of the innings according to the needs of the game. He scored 128 runs from just 4 innings this season. Thus he would be a great entrant at #3. Kane averages 41.85 at this position.
Moeen Ali is one of the best all-rounders England has ever produced. He is a explosive batsman and a smart bowler. Ali is someone who can bowl and bat with equal intensity. Ali has a strike rate of 184.16 at number 4, and a healthy average of 37.20. Moeen scored 206 runs from 6 innings in 2021.
At number 5 comes one of the most destructive batsmen in the world, AB de Villiers. ‘Mr 360’, as he is popularly called, has an average of 40.41 at this position. de Villiers is an integral part of the RCB setup. He scored 207 runs from 7 innings in the 2021 season.
All-rounder: Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard is one of the best finishers in the world. The West Indies cricketer can change the course of a game at any moment. His brilliance was visible when he single handedly won the match for MI against CSK. Pollard had a strike rate of 171.42 in this season.
He is also a great bowler. Pollard can get wickets in crunch situations like he did against CSK. Pollard has an economy rate of 7.53 this year.
Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Sam Curran, Pat Cummins, Chris Morris
Rashid Khan is one of the top all-rounders in the world. He is a master spinner who can also be a big-hitter. Thus, he would be an excellent pick for the team. Khan has 10 wickets to his name this season. He is a surefire pick to be in the best overseas XI of the IPL.
Sam Curran has been an absolute asset for the Chennai Super Kings. He has got 9 wickets in 2021, and an average of 24.11. Curran gave the Mumbai batsmen a tough time the last time they faced off. He can be a great bowler in the death overs too. In addition to it, he is also a great batsman.
Pat Cummins is one of the best bowlers in the world. Cummins is a part of Australia’s pace attack and currently plays for KKR. Cummins picked 9 wickets with an average of 26.33 in 2021. He would lead the pace attack for the team.
Chris Morris was the costliest player in the 2021 season of IPL. Morris is the most successful overseas bowlers in the tournament this year, with 14 wickets to his name. Thus, it makes him a sure-fire pick for the playing XI.
