Another blockbuster Indian Premier League tournament finally comes to an end, with the Chennai Super Kings emerging as the champions for the 5th time. Along with Mumbai Indians, they are now the joint-most successful side in the history of the tournament.
The tournament ended with a thrilling final, with the Gujarat Titans posting a commanding 214/4 in the first innings. A rain-interrupted chase was completed in style by Chennai Super Kings, with Ravindra Jadeja finishing things off in style.
Like every year, IPL 2023 produced some memorable performances. Apart from some historic knocks and some incredible spells, a number of all-rounders did both for their teams.
This most notably includes Rashid Khan and Sam Curran, with the former finishing as the third-highest wicket-taker in this year’s IPL. A number of other usual suspects also came good, apart from Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya.
Hardik’s limited bowling meant that he misses out on the list of the best all-rounders of IPL 2023. However, his brother fared slightly better and sneaks in at number 5.
#5 Krunal Pandya (Lucknow Super Giants)
Hardik Pandya’s elder brother led his team in the absence of skipper KL Rahul. He did a commendable job, leading an arguably weak team to the qualifiers, where they fell short against Mumbai.
Krunal Pandya took responsibility for the loss, claiming that it was his shot selection that eventually lost his team the game. Regardless, he produced some memorable displays both with the ball and the bat.
Against Hyderabad, Pandya finished with figures of 3/18, picking up 9 wickets through the tournament. He scored an unbeaten 49 against Mumbai Indians in the league stage and will be disappointed to come up short when it mattered the most.
#4 Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals)
Axar Patel had a decent tournament despite Delhi Capitals’ struggle in IPL 2023
In yet another woeful season for the Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel was one of the lone bright sparks. Named the vice-captain under David Warner, Axar was both the second-highest wicket-taker and second-highest run-getter for his team.
While Warner found help hard to come by from the top order, it was Axar who provided some spark in the middle order. He finished with 283 runs with 1 fifty, scoring at an impressive strike rate of 139.41.
With the bowl, Patel picked up 11 wickets in 12 innings at an economy rate of 7.19 despite being riddled by a bowling lineup that kept changing around him throughout the season.
#3 Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings)
By his consistently lofty standards, Ravindra Jadeja did not have the best of campaigns. However, even so, he ended up making a difference in the final for his team.
Jadeja has been a consistently top performer across formats for many years now. He scored a total of 175 runs in IPL 2023, which included 3 unbeaten knocks. In the final, he walked in at number 7, with Chennai still needing 21 off the final two overs. Jadeja responded with a cameo of 15 runs in 6 balls, finishing the match off in style.
The left-arm spinner also picked up 20 wickets in 16 IPL 2023 innings, the second-highest for any CSK bowler throughout the tournament.
#2 Sam Curran (Punjab Kings)
While not at his best, Sam Curran produced multiple impressive knocks in IPL 2023
Another player who performed consistently for an average team was Englishman Sam Curran. Punjab Kings finished eighth in the table and needed better performances from their batting order.
Shikhar Dhawan failed to break the 400-run mark for the first time since IPL 2016, with Punjab’s foreign players simply not living up to the expectations. Among them was the talented Sam Curran, who showed flashes of brilliance with both bat and ball throughout the tournament. He scored 276 runs for Punjab, which included one half-century.
In addition to that, Curran also picked up 10 wickets, finishing as Punjab’s third-highest wicket-taker. While Curran won’t be happy with his tournament considering his match-winning talent, the Englishman was still consistent enough to make it to this list.
#1 Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans)
Rashid Khan continued to flummox opponents in this edition’s IPL. He produced his best-ever bowling record, finishing with 27 wickets in 17 innings.
Rashid Khan’s consistent scalps were the major reason why the Gujarat Titans made their way to the Final. Of course, the 44 runs he conceded in his 3 overs against Chennai was also a big reason why they lost. Still, Rashid was the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2023. He also scored 130 runs in 9 innings, out of which he was not out 5 times.
Rashid Khan’s 32-ball 79 against Mumbai, along with his 27 wickets is enough to see him make this list as the number 1 all-rounder of IPL 2023. Of course, the 24-year-old also picked up 4 wickets in the same game.