IPL 2017: De Villiers, Raina, Warner or Buttler: Player of the Tournament candidates from each franchise

With a new IPL season coming, all eyes will be on the superstar players in each team – will they score centuries at will, how many matches will they win for them, will they pick up three-fors and five-fors, will they help their team to the title.

It is almost impossible to pick which superstar will end up taking the player of the season honours, purely because there are so many to pick from.

While Virat Kohli would have been the overwhelming favourite to be named the best player of IPL 2017, going by his blistering form and performances last season, the fact that the India skipper will be injured for the first few games, changes things a little.

Here is a look at the most likely player to win the Man of the Tournament award from each of the eight teams in IPL 2016.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: AB De Villiers:

With Virat Kohli out for a while, the player of the season weight will fall upon De Villiers and Chris Gayle. Just because De Villiers has a few points to prove, as he returns from injury, let's just go with ABD and hope that he brings the Mr.360 out to the fore.

When De Villiers is in the zone, there really is nothing bowlers can do – not even Mustafizur Rahman and his cutters will make a dent. The shots he plays, the excitement he brings out in fans is what makes De Villiers special and special De Villiers is what everyone wants in IPL 2017.

Go on then AB, smash four centuries this season, like Virat did last year.

AB De Villiers IPL 2016 batting stats: Matches: 16. Runs: 687. Highest: 129 not out. Strike rate: 168.79. Average: 52.84. Hundreds: 1. Fifties: 6.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner:

If Virat Kohli did not have a season that will be almost impossible to beat, Warner would have been the player of the season of IPL 2016. The SRH captain carried his team's batting lineup, time and again, giving his bowlers a score they could defend. And then he went on to score a brilliant knock in the IPL final, again making sure there were enough runs on the board for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mustafizur Rahman and the rest to show their worth.

Warner has not had a good time of it over the past six weeks, but then there are very few better batsmen in world cricket with the white ball than the Australian left-hander. He is SRH's main man and expect him to turn it on in IPL 2017.

David Warner IPL 2016 batting stats: Matches: 17. Runs: 848. Highest: 93 not out. Strike rate: 151.42. Average: 60.57. Fifties: 9.

Gujarat Lions: Suresh Raina:

Apparently, Raina has lost his focus in cricket. After getting married, Raina has not quite been his usual self as far as eating, breathing and sleeping cricket is concerned, or so recent reports say. That might be true, that might not, but what is, is that Raina is not a centrally contracted player anymore with the BCCI.

Even if he isn't quite the player he was, that would have hurt. So, what better way to prove his critics wrong and show the selectors they made a mistake by doing what Raina has done throughout the entire history of the IPL – score runs, score runs and then score some more runs.

Suresh Raina IPL 2016 batting stats: Matches: 15. Runs: 399. Highest: 75. Strike rate: 127.88. Average: 28.50. Fifties: 3.

Rising Pune Supergiant: Steve Smith:

If there is anybody that is about scoring runs at the moment, it is Smith. The ease with which he racks up hundreds is scary, and if he keeps this form up, Smith will soon be one of the all-time greats of the game.

Can he turn it on in T20 cricket, though?

There is no doubting the talent, but to excel in Test cricket, Smith has buried some of his outrageous shots somewhere deep. Finding it whenever you want it isn't easy. So, the key for Smith will be to get those T20 shots out of the locker – he is capable of scoring runs even without those shots, but it would certainly help if the ridiculous-shots-Smith is brought out – and continue doing what he has done in Australia colours.

Steve Smith IPL 2016 batting stats: Matches: 8. Runs: 270. Highest: 101. Strike rate: 153.40. Average: 45. Hundreds: 1. Fifties: 0.

Mumbai Indians: Jos Buttler:

The Englishman did not have the most spectacular of maiden IPL campaigns last year. There were signs of that outrageous ability, but for the most part, something was missing.

With one season under his belt now, Buttler will look to kick-on; and if he does, the bowlers are going to have a hard time of it. There are very few cleaner hitters of the ball than Buttler, and he is also someone who can score all around the ground, making it difficult for the bowlers to stick to one plan.

Rohit Sharma needs more batting help, and this could be the season that Buttler really lights up the IPL stage.

Jos Buttler IPL 2016 batting stats: Matches: 14. Runs: 255. Highest: 41. Strike rate: 138.58. Average: 23.18.

Kings XI Punjab: Glenn Maxwell:

Captain of the KXIP and the biggest match-winner in the team along with David Miller. Maxwell is one of those players who makes you want to tear your hair out – sublime one moment, daft the next. If he can bring consistency to his game and show he can score big in these conditions, Kings XI will be a force this season.

Will he though? That is the big question.

Glenn Maxwell IPL 2016 batting stats: Matches: 11. Runs: 179. Highest: 68. Strike rate: 144.35. Average: 19.88. Fifties: 2.

Delhi Daredevils: Rishabh Pant:

DD's squad is filled with fast bowlers. Therefore, while the Daredevils will bank on their bowlers to deliver, they will also need someone to score the runs. At 19, Pant is still a baby, but what he lacks in experience, he can more than make up with talent.

Pant will, most likely, get an opportunity to bat at the top of the order, and maybe he will become DD's David Warner for IPL 2017 – the left-hander who scores the bulk of the runs and sets the game up for the bowlers.

Rishabh Pant IPL 2016 batting stats: Matches: 10. Runs: 198. Highest: 69. Strike rate: 130.26. Average: 24.75. Fifties: 1.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil Narine or Trent Boult:

With Russel not available, there is a bit of stardust missing in this team owned by one of the biggest stars in Bollywood. So, in a list dominated by the batsmen, let's go for a couple of bowlers.

Narine isn't quite the force he was anymore, after he was asked to correct his action. Yet, he remains really difficult to get away. What KKR will want from the spinner is more wickets; if he can do that, the Kolkata Knight Riders could make another deep run.

Helping Narine out with the wickets will be Trent Boult, the New Zealand bowler, who has the penchant to dismiss batsmen with the new ball. Will it be Boult or Chris Woakes in the playing XI? Hopefully, both of them find a way in.

Sunil Narine IPL 2016 bowling stats: Matches: 11. Balls: 257. Runs: 304. Wickets: 11. Economy: 7.09. Best: 3/26. Strike rate: 23.36. Average: 27.63.

 

Trent Boult IPL 2016 bowling stats: Matches: 1. Balls: 24. Runs: 39. Wickets: 1. Economy: 9.75. Best: 1/39. Strike rate: 24. Average: 39.