Indian Premier League: Dwayne Bravo, James Faulkner Among Top 5 All-Rounders to Watch Out For

The 2016 T20 World Cup proved to be a good one for all-rounders. From Shane Watson's useful knocks against Bangladesh and Pakistan to Shakib Al Hasan's spells, all-rounders did make their mark in the tournament.  Same could be the case in Indian Premier League 2016. The five all-rounders who could steal the show this time around are: (IPL: Top 5 Bowlers To Watch Out For)

1. Dwayne Bravo (Gujarat Lions) (IPL: Top Five Batsmen To Watch Out For)

The most consistent all-rounder across all seasons of IPL, Dwayne Bravo will once again hold the key but this time for his new team, Gujarat Lions.

When he was with Chennai Super Kings, MS Dhoni used the West Indian more at the death and in batting at number 5 or 6. This time around too, his role will more or less stay the same given the fact that Gujarat captain Suresh Raina, a former CSK player himself, knows Bravo's strengths as a cricketer.

IPL STATS: In the 91 matches, Bravo has picked 105 wickets at an economy rate of 8.07. He has scored 1,163 runs at an average of 24.74 with a strike-rate of 126.83.

2. Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Rarely do we see a cricketer who can hit it big and can even clock 140 kmph and Andre Russell is actually one of them. Russell has earned the reputation of being a reliable team player in all three departments of the game. He has been a great performer for Kolkata Knight Riders in the past two seasons and will again be the one to watch out for in this season too.   

IPL STATS: In the 22 matches, Russell has taken 16 wickets and scored 390 runs with an awe-inspiring strike-rate of 179.72.

3. Pawan Negi (Delhi Daredevils)

As it can be said, a week is all it took to change Pawan Negi's fortunes. Soon after he got selected for Sri Lanka T20s on February 1, he fetched a jaw-dropping 8.5 crores from Delhi Daredevils for the ninth season of the Indian Premier League.

From being one of costliest buys in the auction also brings a great sense of responsibility too. The onus on Negi now will be to prove his credentials else we all know that there are several examples of the big buys who failed to live up to the expectations.

IPL STATS: In the 21 matches, Negi has taken 13 wickets at an economy of 8.05 and scored 152 runs at a massive strike-rate of 149.02.

James Faulkner was Rajasthan Royals' premier allrounder in the Indian Premier League.

© BCCI

4. James Faulkner (Gujarat Lions)

In the last few seasons, the role that James Faulkner played for Rajasthan Royals (with both bat and ball) was very pivotal. His death bowling was exceptional and batsmen found it hard to score boundaries off it. In batting, it was his magnificent striking ability that helped Royals either chase a total or finish with a big one.

This time around too, Gujarat Lions captain Suresh Raina will expect the same from the Australian. Faulkner and Bravo together will surely give debutants Gujarat Lions a big edge over other sides.

IPL STATS: In the 45 matches, Faulkner has taken 51 wickets at an economy of 8.40 and scored 396 runs with an impressive strike-rate of 145.05.

5. Irfan Pathan (Rising Pune Supergiants)
 
His last appearance in the Indian Premier League was in 2014 for Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 2015, he was a part of Chennai Super Kings but didn't get to play at all. After a good 2015-16 domestic season, Irfan Pathan will be itching to come out all guns blazing in IPL 9, this time around for debutants Rising Pune Supergiants. In the 2016 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Pathan finished as the leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets in 10 matches and scored 200 runs with an impressive strike-rate of 152.67.     

IPL STATS: In the 98 matches for KXIP, DD and SRH, Pathan has taken 80 wickets at a decent economy rate of 7.76 and scored 1,126 runs at an average of 22.98 with a strike-rate of 121.08.