Former England skipper, Kevin Pietersen picked his best XI from the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. It was a memorable season for the new-entrants Gujarat Titans (GT) as they went in to win the trophy in their debut season. The tournament saw a number of youngsters rise to the occasion once again while some of the experienced campaigners continued their impressive run for their respective teams.

Kevin Pietersen named Hardik Pandya the captain of his IPL 2022 XI after the star all-rounder led the Titans to their maiden title triumph in style. Hardik led from the front and contributed with both the bat and the ball to help his side dominate the proceedings throughout the season. He amassed 487 runs in 15 matches and also scalped 8 wickets, including a match-winning performance in the final against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

ALSO READ: Deepak Chahar’s Sister Sends Him A Cheeky Message Regarding His Marriage

Pietersen picked Jos Buttler and Quinton de Kock as the two openers in his XI. Buttler had a fabulous season finishing as the highest run-scorer in IPL 2022 with a phenomenal tally of 863 runs while De Kock too was consistent with the willow and notched up 508 runs in 15 matches. Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul, who played as an opener, was picked at no.3 by Pietersen.

Explaining the same, during a chat on Betway, Kevin Pietersen said, “Hit 140* as he and KL Rahul batted the entire 20 overs unbeaten against KKR. That innings, combined with some other solid contributions, means he warrants a place in this team.”

While there were other popular picks like David Miller and Liam Livingstone in his best XI, Kevin Pietersen also had a surprising inclusion in the form of R Ashwin. He decided not to include GT spinner Rashid Khan, who picked up 19 wickets at a brilliant economy of 6.59 to keep Ashwin in the side.

ALSO READ: Shoaib Akhtar expects pressure on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of T20 World Cup

Explaining the selection, Kevin Pietersen said, “Averaging over 27 with the bat and taking 12 wickets is a great effort. That all-round output means that this was a fine campaign.” He completed his bowling attack with the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, who was the highest wicket-taker of the season, Umran Malik and Josh Hazlewood.

Kevin Pietersen best IPL 2022 XI: Jos Buttler, Quinton de Kock (WK), KL Rahul, David Miller, Hardik Pandya (Captain), Liam Livingstone, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rahul Tewatia, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Josh Hazlewood.