IPL 2022 | Sachin Tendulkar names his best XI of the tournament, appoints Hardik Pandya as captain

IPL 2022 came to a conclusion and Gujarat Titans became the champions of the cash-rich league beating Rajasthan Royals in the final. Hardik Pandya led the team to their maiden trophy in the very first captaincy stint of his career. This season many of the youngsters produced some noteworthy performances while stars like Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma failed to live up to the hype.

Sachin Tendulkar has named his best XI of the tournament and has picked Hardik as the captain for the brilliant leadership he showed in IPL 2022. Jos Buttler will open the innings in Sachin’s squad being the orange-cap holder with a whopping 863 runs. Shikhar Dhawan will open the innings along with him as he scored 460 runs at 38.33 for Punjab Kings. KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and David Miller will play in the middle order. All of them had a terrific season as Rahul amassed more than 600 runs, Hardik contributed with the bat as well as ball and Miller enjoyed an extraordinary average of 68.71 in the season.

Liam Livingstone and Dinesh Karthik will have finishing duties and Sachin has also revealed the reason behind their inclusion in the lower order. 

“(Livingstone) has the ability to hit sixes, a dangerous player. He is very clear in his mind and backs himself. Dinesh Karthik showed extraordinary consistency this season. I felt he looked calm and composed. He looked in control,” Sachin said while speaking on his Youtube channel. 

Finally, the bowling attack has Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, and Yuzvendra Chahal courtesy of their performances. However, there is one surprise with the inclusion of Jasprit Bumrah in the team. Bumrah suffered a slump in form this time as he was able to pick only 15 wickets from 14 games and was not even in the top 10 bowlers to take most wickets this season.

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