As the title states, this piece is going to be all about the Englishmen in the Indian Premier League. There weren’t many English players to garner the limelight during the early years of this high-profile tournament. But over the years, they have swarmed through the ranks to become an indispensable part of IPL. That’s why we decided to come up with an all-time IPL XI consisting of only English players. This XI consists of English players who have shined throughout the history of this league.
All-time IPL XI of English players:
1. Jos Buttler:
There are only two English openers to make a mark in IPL to date. One of them is Jos Buttler. Often innovative, Buttler has a few tricks up his sleeve to be among runs. You rarely see him scoring close to run a ball. He is the kind of batter who likes to dominate the bowlers from the beginning.
Buttler has scored 1968 IPL runs with a career strike rate of 150. He has piled these runs at an average of 35.14 and has also managed to hit 11 half-centuries and an IPL century in the process. Buttler has single-handedly turned several games in the favor of his team Rajasthan Royals. Hence, he is a well-deserving contender for the opening spot.
2. Jonny Bairstow:
The only other opener who is deserving of a place in this XI is Jonny Bairstow. Bairstow is not much innovative as his partner Buttler but muscling the ball is one of his major strengths. A proper opener, Bairstow makes good use of the powerplay and rarely fails to give a quick start to the innings.
Bairstow has played only 28 matches in his IPL career but has still managed to climb a mountain of 1000 runs. He has amassed 1038 at an average of 41.52 and a strike rate of 142.19 from these 28 matches. Bairstow even has an IPL century in his name. Partnered with Jos Buttler, this duo can bring utter destruction to any bowling lineup in IPL.
3. Kevin Pietersen:
Kevin Pietersen is one of the few English cricketers of his era to have a successful time at the Indian Premier League. Pietersen used to be one of the best all-format English batters of all time. He also used to be good at playing on Indian pitches, which is evident from his recent performance in the Road Safety Series.
KP played 36 matches in his IPL career spanning five seasons. In these 36 matches, he managed to accumulate 1001 runs at an average of 37.07. A career strike rate of 134.72 and an IPL century are evidence of his T20 heroics in India. And this needs to be rewarded with a spot in this all-time IPL XI is English players.
4. Owais Shah:
Born in Pakistan, Owais Shah had a faint experience of how Indian pitches can be. That’s why he was one of the few English players of his time to make a mark in IPL.
Owais Shah averaged 33.73 throughout his IPL, scoring 506 runs from 23 matches. During these 23 games, he maintained a strike rate of 130 as well. So, Owais Shah takes the number four in the all-time IPL XI of English players.