5. QUINTON DE KOCK (DD) (WICKET-KEEPER)
One of the finest talents to have emerged in the international arena in recent years, Quinton de Kock exerted enormous impact on Delhi’s Daredevils campaign this season. In a side which is saturated with top order batsmen, de Kock cemented his place from the outset and was assigned to perform the dual role of opening the batting and donning the gauntlets. Under the supervision of Rahul Dravid and stewardship of Zaheer Khan, Delhi Daredevils demonstrated remarkable improvement from the previous years and looked in contention for a play-off berth for a major part of the season before stumbling at the back end of the tournament. He led the charge with his effusive knocks and remained the backbone of the DD batting line-up throughout the season. The 23-year old South African brought up his maiden IPL century in Match 11 where Royal Challengers Bangalore squared off against Delhi Daredevils in Bangalore. Chasing a stiff target of 192 set by the home side, de Kock rose to the occasion and guided his team to a 7-wicket win. Unfazed by the loss of two early wickets, he along with Karun Nair built a third wicket partnership of 134 runs and saw the team home. In his knock of 108 off 51 balls, he hit 15 fours and 3 sixes. Besides shining resplendently with the bat, he affected 4 dismissals when behind the stumps.
Stats- Batting- Matches 13, Runs 445, HS 108, N.O 1, Avg.- 37.08, S/R- 136.08, hundred, 3 fifties.
Wicket-Keeping- 2 catches, 2 stumpings.
