IPL 2023: 5 all-rounders to watch out for
What's the story
The 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will get underway on March 31.
As all 10 teams on display are studded with T20 stalwarts, only time would tell which team tastes the glory.
Meanwhile, all-rounders have been of great significance in T20 cricket as they provide balance to the line-up.
Here are five all-rounders to watch out for in IPL 2023.
#1
Hardik Pandya - Gujarat Titans
Hardik Pandya has overcome his injury issues to become one of the finest all-rounders going around in white-ball cricket.
He led Gujarat Titans from the front last season and powered them to the title.
Pandya hammered 487 runs at 44.27 and scalped eight wickets (ER: 7.27).
Overall, he owns 1,963 runs and 50 wickets in 107 IPL appearances. The tally includes eight fifties.
#2
Ben Stokes - Chennai Super Kings
Ben Stokes bagged Rs. 16.25 crore for Chennai Super Kings in the 2023 auction.
The southpaw is truly a captain's delight as he can bat anywhere in the order alongside bowling four overs.
Notably, he was the Player of the Tournament in IPL 2017, scoring 316 runs and scalping 12 wickets for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant. He also boasts two IPL tons.
#3
Cameron Green - Mumbai Indians
Australian sensation Cameron Green received Rs. 17.5 crore from Mumbai Indians in the 2023 bidding event.
The youngster has risen to prominence in recent times and many expect him to go a long way.
He can smack the ball a long way alongside clocking around 140 KPH consistently.
Green has so far played just 21 T20 games, scoring 245 runs and five wickets.
#4
Andre Russell - Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders' Andre Russell is truly an opposition's nightmare in the T20 format.
Russell's career strike rate of 177.88 is the highest for any player in IPL history.
For KKR, he has smoked 1,977 runs besides scalping 88 wickets in 91 IPL games.
He could become the first-ever player to complete 2,000 runs and 100 wickets for a single franchise in the IPL.
#5
Ravindra Jadeja - Chennai Super Kings
Another CSK star on this list is Ravindra Jadeja, a true three-dimensional player.
The veteran can smack the ball long besides delivering four handy overs consistently.
Jadeja is also among the finest fielders going around.
In the IPL, he has slammed 2,502 runs and scalped 132 wickets in 210 appearances.
In 2021, he hammered RCB pacer Harshal Patel for 37 runs in an over.