Feature

King, Narine, du Plessis and Amir in ESPNcricinfo's CPL XI

The team has two Pakistanis and two South Africans - one of whom is now playing for Namibia - making up the overseas contingent

Deivarayan Muthu
03-Oct-2022
Brandon King topped the run-charts in CPL 2022  •  CPL T20/Getty Images

Brandon King topped the run-charts in CPL 2022  •  CPL T20/Getty Images

CPL 2022 ended on Friday in Guyana, with Rovman Powell's Jamaica Tallawahs emerging as unlikely title winners. Two Pakistanis and two South Africans - one of whom is now playing for Namibia - make up the overseas contingent in ESPNcricinfo's Powell-led XI. Find out if your favourite players made the cut.

1. Brandon King (Jamaica Tallawahs)

Runs: 422, Average: 38.36, Strike rate: 135.25
In CPL 2019, King topped the run-charts for Guyana Amazon Warriors and broke into West Indies' white-ball squads soon after. Three years later, King marked his homecoming to Jamaica Tallawahs by topping the run-charts once again and establishing himself as one of the top white-ball openers in the Caribbean. His century against Amazon Warriors at Providence and unbeaten 83 in the final against favourites Barbados Royals were among the highlights of Tallawahs' campaign.

2. Kyle Mayers (Barbados Royals)

Runs: 366, Batting strike rate: 134.55; Wickets: 8, Economy Rate: 5.37
Mayers extended his rich form from West Indies' international home season, leading the way with the bat for Royals, too. He regularly hit over the top in the powerplay and also maximised this phase with the ball in swinging conditions. His 4 for 4 in two overs against St Lucia Kings in St Kitts proved to be the best bowling figures in an innings this season. Mayers also works particularly well with King, which is why we have pushed the Kings pair of Johnson Charles and Faf du Plessis down the order.

3. Johnson Charles (St Lucia Kings, wk)

Runs: 345, Average: 43.12, Strike rate: 133.20
Charles had such a good season with the bat for Kings that he elbowed his way into West Indies' T20 World Cup squad as the back-up opener to King and Mayers and back-up keeping option to Nicholas Pooran, ahead of St Kitts & Nevis Patriots' Andre Fletcher. His three half-centuries in four innings towards the back end of the tournament played a crucial role in Kings making the playoffs. Along the way, he surpassed Chris Gayle to become the second-highest run-getter in the CPL, behind Lendl Simmons.

4. Faf du Plessis (St Lucia Kings)

Runs: 332, Average: 41.50, Strike rate: 168.52
Du Plessis usually aces the powerplay by taking on the quicks, but he can also do the job in the middle order, as he had shown during his IPL stint with Chennai Super Kings. King and Shamarh Brooks aside, he was the only player this CPL to hit a century. Du Plessis' strike rate of 168.52 is the best among batters with a minimum of 200 runs in the competition.

5. Rovman Powell (Jamaica Tallawahs, capt)

Runs: 281, Average: 35.12, Strike rate: 123.78; Wickets: 2, Economy rate: 13
Having improved his game against spin and impressed in IPL 2022 for Delhi Capitals, Powell enhanced his reputation by captaining Tallawahs to their third CPL title overall and first since 2016. In addition to contributing with the bat under pressure, Powell often fronted up to bowl yorkers at the death. His leadership was vital to Tallawahs winning three knockout matches in four days after a mid-tournament slump.

6. Jason Holder (Barbados Royals)

Runs: 155, Average: 51.66, Strike rate: 120.15; Wickets: 17; Economy rate: 6.86
Holder can bat anywhere in the line-up and bowl across phases - skills that make him an elite allrounder in T20 cricket. With the ball, he forged a strong partnership with left-arm seamer Obed McCoy and bested the opposition with his variations. His forties against Amazon Warriors in Tarouba and Guyana showed that he could pinch-hit as well as pinch-block, depending on the situation.

7. David Wiese (St Lucia Kings)

Runs: 126; Average: 25.20, Strike rate: 150; Wickets: 12, Economy rate: 6.75
Wiese was Kings' second-highest wicket-taker, with 12 strikes in ten games, often denying batters pace by bowling cutters in the pitch. With the bat, Wiese manufactured his own pace, producing powerful cameos down the order. In the absence of Tim David, who left the CPL for Australia duty after playing just five games, Wiese stepped up to give Kings' side a potent point of difference.

8. Imad Wasim (Jamaica Tallawahs)

Runs: 138; Average: 19.71, Strike rate: 121.05; Wickets: 17, Economy rate: 5.97
Imad is out of Pakistan's white-ball sides on fitness grounds, but he continues to be an ever-present in Tallawahs' line-up. Six years after Tallawahs them to the CPL title, Imad repeated the feat. He was thrifty as usual with his left-arm inswingers and arm balls, and also slid up the order to deny oppositions favourable match-ups. Imad's explosive 15-ball 41 not out in an unbroken 103-run stand off 30 balls with Shamarh Brooks in the second qualifier was among the highlights of the season.

9. Sunil Narine (Trinbago Knight Riders)

Runs: 111, Average: 13.87, Strike rate: 120.65; Wickets: 11, Economy rate: 4.80
Narine struggled with the bat as an opener and was eventually demoted down the order. In a way, his failures with the bat mirrored the overall batting failure of Trinbago Knight Riders. However, Narine, the bowler, continued to be un-hittable: his economy rate of 4.80 was the best among bowlers who had bowled more than 20 overs in the competition.

10. Alzarri Joseph (St Lucia Kings)

Wickets: 18, Economy rate: 6.75
After having won the IPL earlier this year with Gujarat Titans, Joseph torched the CPL with his high pace, hit-the-deck bustle and inch-perfect yorkers. These skills enabled him to take wickets in all three islands - St Kitts, Trinidad and Guyana - and top the charts. These skills also attracted the attention of Jo'burg Super Kings in the SA20 auction midway through the CPL.

11. Mohammad Amir (Jamaica Tallawahs)

Wickets 16, Economy rate: 6.43
Sure, Tallawahs' batting was hit-or-miss in the league phase, but Amir and Imad were consistent with the ball, performing the dual role of taking wickets as well as plugging the flow of runs. The Pakistan left-arm seamer bowled just 11 balls in the second qualifier and missed the final altogether with a groin injury, but his powerplay bite was central to Tallawahs qualifying for the knockouts. He swung the ball both ways, collecting nine wickets in the first six overs at an outstanding economy rate of 4.99.

Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo