No Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in Sachin Tendulkar's best XI from IPL 2022; Hardik Pandya named captain

The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) concluded recently with Gujarat Titans (GT) lifting the elusive trophy for the first time in their debut campaign. The debutants played some impressive cricket throughout the tournament and emerged as favourites for the title after dominating the proceedings in the league stage. They were one of the most consistent teams during the league stage and deservingly went on to lift the trophy capping off a stunning debut campaign.

Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets in the final on Sunday (May 29) to script history by becoming only the second team to win the IPL in their debut season. From skipper Hardik Pandya to the likes of David Miller and Rashid Khan, several players stepped up for the Titans across the season and won them a few games from almost improbable situations.

Sachin Tendulkarnamed his best XI from IPL 2022 and picked Hardik as the captain of his side after the Gujarat Titans skipper showed excellent leadership skills this season to inspire his side to their maiden title triumph. The Master Blaster also picked both Miller and Rashid in his team of the tournament.

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The cricket legend picked Shikhar Dhawan and Jos Buttler as the two openers in his team. While Dhawan continued his prolific run with the bat for Punjab Kings, amassing 460 runs from 14 matches, Buttle enjoyed a stunning campaign for Rajasthan Royals. The English opener amassed a staggering 863 runs in 17 games and finished as the highest run-getter of the season.

Also Read:Hardik Pandya to David Miller: 5 heroes of Gujarat Titans' memorable maiden IPL triumph

"I would want a left-hand, right-hand combination and hence I am going to play Shikhar Dhawan. He accelerates beautifully and keeps rotating the strike. "One need not discuss who Dhawan's opening partner would be. Jos Buttler - what a season he has had, just fabulous. When Buttler gets going, no one can match him," Tendulkar said in a video on his YouTube channel as he picked his best XI from IPL 2022.

Snubbing superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who both had average seasons with their respective teams, Tendulkar picked Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul at number 3 and Hardik at number 4. In the middle order, Tendulkar went with the in-form Miller, the dangerous Liam Livingstone and Dinesh Karthik, who was arguably the best finisher in the tournament.

Also Read:Rohit, Dhoni and Kohli among least valuable players for their franchises in IPL 2022 - Report

In his bowling attack, the Master Blaster picked Rashid and Yuzvendra Chahal as the two spinners while Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah were the two pacers in his best XI from the tournament. Chahal was the highest wicket-taker of IPL 2022 with 27 scalps to his name.

"I would have Rashid as he is a dangerous batter and, with the ball, he gets the breakthroughs in the middle overs. His success rate is very high. Chahal was the highest wicket-taker. He always thinks about outsmarting batters," said Sachin.

Sachin Tendulkar’s best XI fromIPL 2022: Shikhar Dhawan, Jos Buttler, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya (captain), David Miller, Liam Livingstone, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rashid Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.