2018 T20 team of the year

"I must warn you up front, this is not the team of the best T20 players in the world. This is the team of best T20 performers," started Harsha Bhogle as he picked the T20 eleven of 2018. There weren't any spots available for the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, with the numbers of the ones mentioned below outshining the star players.

(Note: Player stats considered till December 16, 2018)

Aaron Finch

Despite an underwhelming IPL season, Australia's limited-overs captain has had a successful year in the T20 format, aggregating more than 1300 runs with an average close to 50 and a strike rate of over 170. A record-breaking 172 off 76 deliveries against Zimbabwe in a tri-nation series was among Finch's highlights this year.

Shikhar Dhawan

The leading run-scorer in T20Is in 2018, with 689 runs at 40.53, the left-handed opener also had a good IPL in which he scored 497 runs. He scored 10 half-centuries in T20s in 2018, six of which came in international games.

Colin Munro

The highest run-scorer in the CPL, the New Zealand batsman was also the only player to aggregate more than 1500 runs in the year in T20s. His 1529 runs came at an average of 34.75, including 1 hundred and 12 fifties, at a strike rate of 151.38.

Rishabh Pant

With 1209 runs at an average of 41.68 and a strike rate of 172.71, including 10 fifties and 2 hundreds, Pant features as the wicketkeeper-batsman in this eleven, edging out the likes of Jos Buttler and Dinesh Karthik. Pant had a standout IPL season, finishing as the second highest run-getter in the IPL with 684 runs at 52.61 and a strike rate of 173.60, including a century against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He also scored a 100 off 32 balls in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, the second fastest T20 ton.

Glenn Maxwell

A utility player in the line-up, who can be used as a floater in the batting order and a handy spin option, the Australian allrounder scored over 1000 runs in T20s in 2018 (926 at the time of writing this). His contributions included a sensational all-round effort in the trans-tasman T20I against England, in which he picked up 3 for 10 and smashed an unbeaten 103 off 58 deliveries.

Andre Russell

A hat-trick and a century in the CPL, made him only the second player to achieve that feat in T20s. What made it even more special was that it was the fastest century in the history of the tournament, coming off 40 balls, and it came on his captaincy debut, as he helped his side chase down a target of 224 after his team was reduced to 41 for 5 at one stage. Russell managed over 600 runs in T20s in 2018 and bagged more than 30 wickets, scoring at a strike rate of over 180.

Dwayne Bravo

Another of those T20 specialists who plies his trade in leagues, Bravo is the utility cricketer in the line-up. He was in fine form in the IPL, accruing 141 runs at a strike rate of 154.94. He had his fair share of ups and downs with the ball in hand but finished the tournament with a creditable 14 wickets. Bravo followed it up by leading Trinbago Knight Riders to their second successive title (third over overall). He scored 209 runs at an average of just under 30 and picked up 13 scalps. In the ongoing Big Bash League, he has taken three wickets so far.

Sunil Narine

The 30-year-old, who has made a name for himself by playing for various franchises, started the year in fine fashion by snaring 10 wickets in the Pakistan Super League. Narine, who can also provide explosive starts at the top of the order, finished with 357 runs at a superb strike rate of 189.89 for KKR in the IPL. In addition to it, the spinner grabbed 17 wickets in the tournament. In the CPL, he snared eight scalps at a noteworthy economy rate of 6.53.

Rashid Khan

The spin sensation had a brilliant year in the T20 version of the game. The Afghanistan cricketer, who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, took 21 wickets at an average of 21.80 in this year's tournament. He also gave a glimpse of his ability with the bat in hand by tonking 34 off just 10 balls alongside snaring three crucial scalps in the Qualifier 2 game versus KKR. His splendid all round show powered SRH to the final. Rashid also shone brightly in T20Is this year, with 22 wickets at an astonishing average of 8.68 for Afghanistan.

Jofra Archer

The 23-year-old, who will be available to play for England next year, has found success in the shortest version of the game. Archer, known for his deceptive pace, yorkers and variations, showed his class and quality while playing for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018, taking 15 wickets. In the subsequent T20 Blast, he made his presence felt with 22 wickets for Sussex. If needed, he can also use the long handle and slog a few hits.

Billy Stanlake

The 6'8" tall Australian fast bowler, will be the last man in the batting order. Stanlake extracts awkward bounce and can slip in the yorker. He picked up five wickets in the IPL before an injured finger forced him to return home. He also scalped 25 wickets at a creditable average of 18.4 for Australia in T20Is.