Liam Livingstone, Ishant Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal are all included in the fifth team of the week for IPL 2023. Every XI can contain a maximum of four overseas players besides having no more than three players from a single franchise. For this year, there is also an impact player to be chosen every week in addition to the starting XI
Photos: TT archives
Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR): Breaking Paul Valthaty’s record for the highest IPL score by an uncapped player, Jaiswal’s rollicking 124 off 62 balls against MI was an exhibition of world-class timing. Equally elegant and effective in how he picked the gaps at the Wankhede Stadium, Jaiswal may not have won RR the game, but certainly won a ton of new fans with the finest knock of his career till date
Devon Conway (CSK): For the third week running, Conway is selected in our lineup, this time for a brilliantly paced 92 not out that saw him carry his bat through CSK’s total of 200 against PBKS in Chennai on Sunday. In spite of hitting just one sixer in his knock, Conway maintained a strike rate of 176, thanks to an eye-popping 16 fours, the third most in an IPL innings
Ishan Kishan (MI): In a clean sweep of left-handers for this week’s top three, it is MI’s wonder boy Kishan who stakes his claim after a sensational 75 off 41 helped his team hunt down an imposing total against PBKS in Mohali. With Rohit Sharma struggling for runs at the other end, Kishan has found his touch at an important time for MI, who relied on him for a fast start against Punjab to set the tone for the rest of the chase
Suryakumar Yadav (MI): After a spell of mediocre form, SKY is back in his element in the shortest format of the game. Two pivotal half centuries in back-to-back 200-plus chases saw SKY return to his effervescent best, playing all across the ground to keep MI ahead of the asking rate. All in all, he added 121 runs to his kitty this week, at a strike rate in excess of 200
Mitchell Marsh (DC): One of the best all-round performances of the season came from Marsh, who was overdue for a good outing, against SRH. After grabbing four wickets in the first innings at the expense of only 27 runs, Marsh gave DC an excellent foundation for their chase with a highly watchable 63 off 39 balls
Liam Livingstone (PBKS): One of the IPL’s biggest hitters entered beast mode this week. If his 40 off 24 against CSK was a trailer of the fireworks he is capable of with the bat, then his scintillating knock of 82 in almost double quick time against MI was the complete package, studded with seven fours and four sixes
Piyush Chawla (MI): The wily spinner continues to impress in the IPL, with his latest demonstration of class coming against PBKS, where the former Punjab man gave away 29 runs in exchange for the precious scalps of Shikhar Dhawan and Matt Short. The wicket of Dhawan, in particular, would have delighted Chawla, for he was able to outfox the PBKS skipper with his flight and pace, before getting him stumped
Karn Sharma (RCB): His may not be the first name that comes to mind when one thinks of game-changing leg-spinners in the IPL, but Sharma brought his A-game to the middle against LSG in a pulsating encounter. Going at just five per over in his spell, Sharma picked up the crucial wickets of Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis, depriving LSG of their finishing power and handing RCB two points in a low-scoring thriller
Ishant Sharma (DC): Proving that he still has what it takes to deliver the goods at 34, Ishant was the pick of the bowlers in DC’s successful defence of 130 against GT on Tuesday. While the dismissal of Rahul Tewatia may have been Ishant’s most decisive contribution of the match, his marvellous knuckle ball to get rid of a hapless Vijay Shankar was one of the moments of the tournament so far
Mohammed Shami (GT): If anyone was a shoe-in for the best XI this week, it was GT’s spearhead, the evergreen Shami who was at the top of his game against both KKR and DC. First, at the Eden Gardens on Saturday, Shami dislodged three KKR batters as Gujarat restricted the Knights to 179. Then, against DC in Ahmedabad, Shami bowled arguably the spell of this year’s IPL so far, giving away just 11 runs en route to removing four of DC’s top five batters
Naveen-ul-Haq (LSG): While social media might remember him for his needless hostility with Virat Kohli, the Afghan pacer enjoyed a stellar week for LSG when it came to doing his primary job of taking wickets. A total of six wickets against PBKS and RCB has suddenly made him Lucknow’s go-to strike bowler, a moniker that suits him much better than his franchise’s trash talker
Impact Player: Jitesh Sharma (PBKS): Perhaps the best wicket-keeper finisher in the IPL this season (sorry, MSD), Jitesh was in sparkling form this week, with two blistering cameos in as many games. His 10-ball 21 dragged PBKS over the line against CSK, while his magnificent 27-ball 49 provided for a flurry of highlights against MI
