The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) is witnessing the dominance of Indian players but some foreign names hit the headlines for playing their roles efficiently in this tournament.
In the third week of the competition, a few overseas players looked stunning in their roles and handed their teams crucial wins. As week three of the tournament concluded with the contest between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Wankhede Stadium, let’s talk about 11 overseas players who looked confident recently.
Here is the best overseas XI of the fourth week:
1. Jos Buttler (WK)
Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Jos Buttler was struggling to be among the runs in this competition until the second week but against RCB at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, he showcased his mettle and guided his team to an emphatic six-wicket win. He hit an unbeaten 100 off just 58 with 13 boundaries (nine fours and four maximums).
2. Faf du Plessis
Faf du Plessis is under fierce criticism for his miserable captaincy and batting performances. In the third week, he couldn’t change RCB’s fortunes with his leadership but exuded confidence with his bat. Against RR, he played a decent knock of 44 off 33 and gave an ideal start to his side in a losing cause. The RCB skipper continued his form against MI at the Wankhede Stadium, hitting his first fifty in the season.
3. Aiden Markram
Aiden Markram failed to be effective with his bat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) but earlier against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, it was his 50-run innings off 36 balls that helped Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pull off a target of 166 runs comfortably.
4. Tristan Stubbs
Delhi Capitals (DC) couldn’t win their only contest in the week against MI but their young stalwart Tristan Stubbs exhibited his talent and smashed an unbeaten 71 off 25 in a losing cause. The 23-year-old completed his fifty in just 19 balls and recorded the fourth-fastest half-century for Delhi.
5. Nicholas Pooran
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pocketed a 33-run victory against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the EKANA Stadiu, riding on Yash Thakur’s fifer. Along with the pacer, Nicholas Pooran also played a vital role in the win with his steady knock of an unbeaten 32 off 22. It was his innings that helped Lucknow to post 163 runs on the difficult batting surface.
6. Tim David
Tim David was seen in red-hot form in the tournament’s third week. The right-handed batter played a rapid knock of an unbeaten 45 off 21 and helped his side reach 234 runs in 20 overs. His knock was studded with six boundaries (two fours and four maximums).
7. Romario Shepherd
Romario Shepherd looked phenomenal with his bat against DC at the Wankhede Stadium. The 29-year-old faced 10 deliveries and racked up 39 runs with three fours and four maximums. His batting effort helped MI to post a humongous score of 234 runs on the board. The West Indies all-rounder also got the Player of the Match award for his superb batting display.
8. Rashid Khan
GT couldn’t achieve a target of 164 against LSG at the EKANA Stadium and lost their third contest in the competition. In this defeat, Rashid Khan looked decent for the Titans, claiming 1/28 figures in his four-over spell. After getting hammered by Lucknow, Gujarat made a comeback with a three-wicket win against RR. Rashid played an instrumental role in the victory with both bat and ball.
While bowling, he got the better of Jos Buttler in his four-over spell and splurged only 18 runs. After bowling the frugal spell, the 25-year-old stepped up with his bat and took GT home with his match-finishing innings of 24 runs off 11 balls.
9. Pat Cummins (C)
SRH beat CSK and PBKS in the third week and gained four more points. In both victories, their captain Pat Cummins led from the front. Against the Super Kings in Hyderabad, the veteran delivered a thrifty spell of 1/29 in four overs to his side. Talking about his bowling numbers against Punjab on Mohali’s batting surface, he put up a disciplined bowling show and helped his team clinch a two-run win, racking up 1/22 figures in his four overs.
10. Mustafizur Rahman
Mustafizur Rahman spearheaded CSK’s pace attack confidently against KKR at the MA Chidambaram Stadium and guided his team to a seven-wicket triumph. Bowling four overs, he clinched 2/22 figures and his victims were Shreyas Iyer and Mitchell Starc.
11. Maheesh Theekshana
Maheesh Theekshana bolstered Chennai’s spin-bowling unit against the Sunrisers in Hyderabad. In his four-over spell, he removed Travis Head and leaked only 27 runs. However, his bowling effort went in vain as CSK lost the game to the Orange Army. Against Kolkata, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Co. came out victorious by seven wickets, Theekshana chipped in with 1/28 figures in his four overs.
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