T20 World Cup 2022: IPL Stars who can decide the game in Australia

The upcoming World Cup will be no less than a celebration for cricket lovers as the best players will gather to play at the competitive pitches of Australia to battle it out in the shortest format. With so many star names all set to grace the event, let’s take a look at the IPL stars who can make and break the game for their teams in Australia. 

Josh Hazelwood- A tall and accurate fast bowler who is perfect with his line and length has been part of IPL since 2020. Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in this edition, he scalped 20 wickets in 12 matches giving an economy of 8.11. The numbers drastically improve in T20I games, where he has 53 wickets for an economy of 7.62. 

Aakash Chopra said, “He bowls on hard lengths and is accurate even when the batters attack him.”

Ranked number one in the T20I ranking of bowlers, he is likely to dominate home conditions and lead his side from the front. In the IPL, he has mostly been struck by batters, but he has kept the run flow under control. So he has the potential to make or break a game for Australia. 

Moeen Ali- He has been an integral part of IPL, playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore initially and then for Chennai Super Kings. The all-rounder has the qualities of a good batter and bowler. While his strike rate with bat stands at 143.99, playing 44 IPL matches, his economy with the ball is just 6.79. Both the figures show the quality of the player that he is.

But as his strike rate with the bat is good, his average is low considering his position to bat, and though economical, his wicket numbers remain low. The scenario remains more or less the same for him in international cricket. 

Given a day in Australia, the spinner can be smashed for heavy runs, considering the pitches there and can even have a good day with the bat against opponent bowlers. 

Aiden Markram- A batter of class and composure, he is aggressive and assertive on the field. In IPL 2022, he displayed a unique character as a middle-order batter for Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad. He averaged 47.63 at a strike rate of 139.05 in 12 innings, getting SRH out of tricky situations many times. 

His average remains 40-plus in T20Is, with his strike rate rocketing to 151.16 while playing for South Africa. He displayed great character and form while playing against India in a recently concluded tour. 

Marcus Stoinis - The Australian all-rounder with a muscular build adds enormous strength to the overall playing XI with his muscle power and pace attack. Marcus Stoinis has been a star for his team, and the captain Aaron Finch knows it very well. 

“Stoinis, the reason he wasn’t available to bowl yesterday was just prior injury history. So, we went with the conservative route there.”

He carried a strike rate of over 140 in IPL 2022 for Lucknow Super Giants and has shown equivalent power-hitting for Australia. The all-rounder is very handy with the bat but becomes a risky prospect with the ball. He might bring a breakthrough or can be very expensive. 

Rashid Khan- Rashid Khan has been Afghanistan’s global superstar. He has been extraordinarily effective with his leg spin to put his name against dangerous bowlers, irrespective of whether the pitch favors pacers or spinners. 

He has previously been a great asset of Sunrisers Hyderabad, leading their bowling attack from the front and doing the same for Gujarat Titans to help them win the title. He has 112 wickets in 92 IPL matches and 118 in 71 international games. He is highly economical even on fast and bouncy Australian pitches, which aids pacers. 

A lot of the fate of Afghanistan will depend on his early breakthroughs for them.