IPL 2022: Buttler, Livingstone, Mohsin in Hardik-led ESPNcricinfo's Team of the Tournament

Rajasthan Royals' most important player dominated the tournament. His runs tally was the second-highest ever in an IPL season. He scored four centuries and smashed 45 sixes. He targeted certain bowlers and played the match situation to perfection. His 863 actual runs were worth 955 Smart Runs. He had an Impact Score of over 100 in five games, with his performance in the second qualifier being the most impactful.

Among openers, de Kock had the second-highest Batting Impact Score in IPL 2022. In both the games against Kolkata Knight Riders, de Kock made his presence felt with scores of 140* and 50. With Rahul looking to play through the innings on most occasions, the pressure was on de Kock to score quickly. And he managed to do that quite well. de Kock's unbeaten 140 against Knight Riders was the performance with the second-highest Batting Impact (156.82) in a match in the entire tournament.

Patidar came into the tournament as a replacement and played eight games and he cashed in on the opportunity making a telling impact almost every single time. He often had to come in early due to the loss of one of the openers but did not look to protect his wicket. Patidar made up for the lack of intent by his partners on more than one occasion. His knocks against Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad were among the most impactful, especially given the early wickets. His 112 off 54 in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants was the innings with the highest Batting Impact (175.37) this year, which helped Royal Challengers go one step further than the last two.

Although Mumbai Indians had a season to forget, Suryakumar was one player who stood out during his short stint. Surrounded by big-name players like Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard who were out of form, Suryakumar played some high-impact knocks for the team. Although it did not result in enough wins, Smart Stats show that in six out of eight games he scored higher and faster than most of his team-mates.

Having succeeded in most leagues across the world - except the IPL - Livingstone came into this season with a point to prove. He perfectly fit into a Punjab Kings side which played high-risk cricket. Livingstone had an Impact Score of over 100 in three matches while also contributing with the ball taking some crucial wickets. He finished the tournament with 34 sixes - second only to Buttler.

Hardik reserved his best performance for the crunch match. His best Impact Score of the tournament came in the final when he took 3 for 17 that included the wickets of Sanju Samson, Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer. He also scored 34 runs from 30 balls. Although Hardik struck at just 131.26 this time his role was very different. In a line-up that was short on big-name batting talent, he looked to bat deep rather than go big from the first ball. He made small contributions in most games throughout the tournament and finished with an economy rate of 7.27 with the ball.

After a couple of below-par seasons, Russell delivered this time around. He was one of the only bright spots in Knight Riders' average campaign. With the top order failing more often than not, Russell was left with a lot of work to do. He was the only player to score 200 runs and take over 10 wickets in the tournament. Similar to Buttler, Russell had five performances in which his Impact Score was over 100. He also bowled the tough overs on a few occasions. Russell's best performance came against Sunrisers when he scored 49 off 25 balls and then took 2 for 12.

The pitches throughout the tournament were mostly batting-friendly - but uncapped Indian bowler Mohsin stood out with some superb spells. He is at the top of the Impact Ratings for IPL 2022 with a score of 58.4. His tournament economy is 5.96. He took six wickets and conceded just 5.25 runs per over in the powerplay. He also backed it up with a lot of variations at the death. His standout Impact Score came against Knight Riders when he went at just 5.5 runs per over in match that saw both teams scoring in excess of 200. Mohsin's 14 wickets were worth 20 Smart Wickets.

Umesh was one of the last few names to be picked up in the auction. Knight Riders made his role clear - they were majorly going to use him in the powerplay. He finished the season with a standout economy rate - 7.06 - and was instrumental in helping Knight Riders win a few games early on in the tournament. When the pitches were fresh and offering swing and bounce, Umesh had a very good impact. His 16 wickets were valued at 23 Smart Wickets. In the powerplay, Umesh went at just 6.41 runs per over and picked up eight wickets. Smart Stats rewards bowlers who perform in tougher phases and also pick up top-order wickets. Umesh delivered on both counts.

Chahal was the top spinner in terms of Smart Stats. He finished the season with 27 wickets - the most for any spinner in a single IPL season. His 27 wickets were valued as 33 Smart Wickets. Amidst small boundaries and batting-friendly conditions, Chahal was also able to control the runs ever so well. His standout performance was against Knight Riders. Chasing 218, Knight Riders were cruising at 178 for 4 after 16 overs. Chahal took four wickets in an over including a hat-trick to help Royals get over the line.

If you did not follow the IPL closely there is good chance Khaleel would have slipped under your radar. He took 16 wickets and interestingly all the wickets were off different batters. Khaleel's impact was very high as per Smart Stats since he picked up a lot of important top-order wickets. Twelve out of the 16 wickets he took were of top four batters. His 16 wickets were valued at 20 Smart Wickets. Unfortunately, due to injury and bowling combinations, Khaleel played only 10 games.