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Quinton De Kock, R Ashwin in Kevin Pietersen's IPL 2022 Team of the Season; no place for Dinesh Karthik

Kevin Pietersen picked his IPL 2022 Team of the Season but there was no place for Dinesh Karthik. A few of KP's picks were surprising ones. The former England captain went with the likes of Quinton de Kock and R Ashwin in his team, leaving many baffled.

TN Sports Desk

Updated Jun 1, 2022, 08:03 IST

Kevin Pietersen snubbed Dinesh Karthik as he picked his IPL 2022 team of the season | BCCI/IPL Photo

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Kevin Pietersen has picked his IPL 2022 Team of the Season.
There was no place for Dinesh Karthik, arguably the finest finisher in the campaign.
KP's decision to pick Quinton de Kock and R Ashwin was surprising for some.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season concluded with some mind-blowing performances. While Jos Buttler emerged as the top-scoring overseas player in a single season, Hardik Pandya impressed everyone with his leadership skills.

Umran Malik's rise as a prolific pace bowler was another big highlight of the IPL season while Yuzvendra Chahal emerged as the highest wicket-taker, bagging 27 scalps with his new franchise, Rajasthan Royals.

As former cricketers continue to pick their Team of the Season, Kevin Pietersen also assembled a team of XI, but with some surprising picks.

For his choice of openers, Pietersen went with the pairing of Jos Buttler and Quinton de Kock. KL Rahul, who played the IPL 2022 season as an opener for Lucknow Super Giants, was picked as a No. 3 batter. It was De Kock's 140 no-out against the Kolkata Knight Riders that turned out to be a huge influence in Pietersen's decision to pick the South African.

"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", said Pietersen.

Hardik Pandya, with 487 runs and 8 wickets to his name, was named the captain by Pietersen. He was followed by Liam Livingstone and David Miller.

Surprisingly, Ravichandran Ashwin made the cut in the team despite not being at the top of his game this season. With the bat, Ashwin aggregated 191 runs and bagged a total of 12 wickets. Speaking of his decision to pick Ashwin, Pietersen told Betway: "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."

Rahul Tewatia, a match-winner for Gujarat Titans on numerous occasions, also found a spot in the team as a finisher.

Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal and Josh Hazlewood were the three mainstream bowlers in Pietersen's team.

Kevin Pietersen’s 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.

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