From AB de Villiers to Sam Curran: Aakash Chopra picks his best overseas XI of IPL 2021
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"At No.5, I have kept AB de Villiers. He is not your No.5 but when RCB kept him there, we all were surprised. At No.6, the start was slow, there was a knock of 40-odd but then the 87 against CSK, Kieron Pollard became the lord of the Kotla," Chopra continued.
Indian Premier League 2021 was suspended halfway after cases emerged in the bio-secure bubble. However, there were some exciting matches with spectacular performances from the players. Among these players, some overseas cricketers left a lasting impact on their respective franchises.
Former Indian opener-turned commentator Aakash Chopra assembled his best XI of foreign players who are involved in the recently-suspended IPL 2021.
"I have picked Faf du Plessis first. He has batted amazingly well, scored runs consistently and at a good pace. I think with him will be Jos Buttler. His real form was seen in the 124-run knock against SRH. He was a little hot and cold before that but it was not that he was getting out for five runs. I have kept Moeen Ali at No.3. He made good contributions when he was sent to bat at No.3. At No.4, I have got Glenn Maxwell. RCB started to play him at No.4. We thought he will get stuck on the Chennai pitch but he batted well," said Chopra on his Youtube channel.
"At No.5, I have kept AB de Villiers. He is not your No.5 but when RCB kept him there, we all were surprised. At No.6, the start was slow, there was a knock of 40-odd but then the 87 against CSK, Kieron Pollard became the lord of the Kotla," Chopra continued.
"At No.7, I have got Andre Russell. One day when they were 31/5, he demolished the attack. He took wickets as well and even took five wickets in an innings against Mumbai," added Chopra.
"After that, I have kept Chris Morris. Whichever encounters Rajasthan won, his performance has been good, somewhere wickets and runs at other times. They were important runs. It might have been a short knock but a match-winning one. I was confused between Pat Cummins and Sam Curran, I am going with Sam Curran for the simple reason that he is value for money. He does better than his abilities.”
"At No.10, I have got Rashid. I thought about Narine and didn't find any other good spinner in the overseas contingent. In the end, I have kept Trent Boult," signed off Chopra.
Akash Chopra's best overseas XI: Faf du Plessis, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Chris Morris, Sam Curran, Rashid Khan, Trent Boult
