The former Indian batsman and renowned commentator has chosen his 2020 IPL XI, and it’s a list that doesn’t really contain many surprises. Manjrekar’s XI is quite on the expected notes except for one or two entries. Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli, despite being RCB’s second best rider for his team, cannot find a place in the XI, and Manjrekar takes the lead in his place with Mumbai Indians No. 3 Suryakumar Yadav.
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“My number 3 is Suryakumar Yadav, which is great for someone like him to have made it to this IPL XI. He’s hitting No. 3 and I don’t think any No. 3 has hit as well and as consistently as him. It’s not just about runs and consistency, it’s also about the quality of the shots he’s played. At number 4 is AB de Villiers; no matter his age, he still achieves all your old XIs, ”Manjrekar said in a video posted by ESPNCricinfo.
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Despite a memorable IPL debut season, Devdutt Padikkal did not find a place in the Manjrekar XI. Padikkal not only became the second player to accumulate 400 or more runs in his first season playing the IPL, but he also emerged as the leading scorer for RCB with 463 runs in 15 games. Instead, Manjrekar chose the initial Kings XI Punjab partner of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal.
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“The idea is to choose players who have had a pretty good IPL and I am going to limit myself to four foreign players and maintain that discipline and make that job more difficult. For the opening pair, I have chosen KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. It was very tempting to bet on a Kock Quinton, but I only have four foreign players and I wanted to use them very carefully, “he added.
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For the middle order and bowling lineup, it wasn’t a huge surprise with some long-awaited names entering the Manjrekar squad. “At No. 5 I have Nicholas Pooran, who is perfectly prepared to hit there. We are yet to see the best of Nicholas Pooran, but clearly from what you’ve seen so far you can see that he is a dangerous player, “he said. “When it comes to fast bowling, I’m looking at Jofra Archer, who better than him to take responsibility. Bumrah, obviously come in and I don’t think I need to explain. “
Big leg spinners Rashid Khan and Yuzvendra Chahal were the top two spinners in the Manjrekar XI along with Axar Patel being the hitting all-rounder. “I’m going to go with the ever-reliable bowler from Afghanistan Rashid Khan and [Yuzvendra] Chahal because he has had a great IPL and it is almost as if he has the freedom of Chinnaswamy Stadium to go bowling in these stadiums in the UAE, ”added Manjrekar.
“Axar Patel is my hitting all-rounder. He flies under the radar, but in this IPL, he’s delivered the match win, small doses of impact performance to make a difference. Mohammed Shami has been a great bowler in death so he will be my pick. I’ll go with KL Rahul as my wicketkeeper hitter. “
Sanjay Manjrekar IPL XI: 1 KL Rahul (WK), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit Bumrah
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