Throughout the years, West Indies has become one of the countries providing several talented players for the Indian Premier League (IPL). West Indies are popularly known for their explosive batting and bowling variations. They also hold many records, as Chris Gayle has the highest individual score (175*) in the IPL. By taking the performance and fan following into consideration, we will talk about the top ten West Indian cricketers of IPL.
10. Shimron Hetmyer
Shimron Hetmyer is a left-handed middle-order batsman who plays for Delhi capitals in the IPL. In December 2018, Royal Challengers Bangalore bought Shimron for the IPL 2019 and later released him. Later, Delhi Capitals purchased him for IPL 2020, where he showed an excellent performance. Hence, Shimron is in the tenth position on the list.
9. Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran is a left-handed wicket-keeper batsman who plays for Punjab Kings in the IPL. In 2017 Mumbai Indians bought Pooran for 30 lakhs but didn’t play any match in the season. In December 2018, Kings XI Punjab bought him for 4.2 crores for the IPL 2019. Nicholas had a perfect season in IPL 20-20, where he scored more than 350 runs in 14 matches and became the fourth highest six-hitter of the season, making it into the ninth position on the list.
8. Jason Holder
Jason Holder is a right-handed lower-order batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler (an all-rounder) who currently plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Holder also played for Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2013 and 2016. In his IPL career, Jason scored more than 100 runs and took 22 wickets. He is in the eighth position on the list.
7. Dwayne Smith
Dwayne Smith is a former right-handed batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler who played for Mumbai Indians (2008, 2012 to 2013), Deccan Chargers (2009 to 2010), Chennai Super Kings (2014 to 2015), and Gujarat Lions (2016 to 2017) in the IPL. Smith played 91 Matches where he scored more than 2300 runs and took 26 wickets in the IPL. He is seventh on the list.
6. Lendl Simmons
Lendl Simmons is a right-handed top-order batsman who played for Mumbai Indians from 2014 to 2017 in the IPL. Simmons played 29 IPL matches where he scored more than 1000 runs with a century and took a wicket. Lendl played a vital role in the Mumbai Indians team winning the 2015 and 2017 seasons. He is the sixth on the list.
5. Andre Russell
Andre Russell is an explosive right-handed lower-order batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler who currently plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. In IPL 2019, Andre was the highest run-scorer and leading wicket-taker for his team with being awarded the IPL Super Striker of the season for his batting strike rate of 205. Due to his excellent performance, Russell is in the fifth position on the list.
4. Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine is a left-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler who currently plays for Kolkata Knight Riders as a capable opening batsman. Sunil has played 124 IPL matches where he scored more than 900 runs with a strike rate of 161 and took 130 wickets. In IPL 2018, he became the most valuable player of the season second time after his debut year in 2012 and is in the fourth position.
3. Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo is a right-handed lower-order batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler, popularly known as a death-over specialist. He currently plays for Chennai in the IPL. Bravo has won the Purple Cap of the season award for the 2013 and 2015 IPL seasons and is one of the two bowlers. Dwayne has played 144 IPL matches where he scored more than 1500 runs and took 156 wickets. He is in the third position on the list.
2. Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard is a right-handed middle-order batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler who has played for Mumbai Indians since 2010 in the IPL. Over the years, he has become one of the crucial players for the team. In his IPL career, Pollard has played 171 matches and scored more than 3000 runs with a strike rate of 150. As a bowler, he has taken 63 wickets. Due to Kieron’s valuable performance for the team, he is in the second position on the list.
1. Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle is a destructive left-handed top-order batsman who plays for Punjab Kings in the IPL. He is considered the greatest T20 batsman of all time. Gayle has played 140 IPL matches where he scored 4950 runs with a strike rate of 150 and took 18 wickets. Chris has won two orange cap awards of the IPL seasons 2011 and 2012 and holds the record for the most centuries (6). He is in the top position on the list.