The Rajasthan Royals may be sitting at the top of the table, but life isn’t all about winning — it’s also about looking good while you are at it. Here is our line-up of IPL’s hottest hunks

 

 

 

 

Irfan Pathan: TAKE HOME TO MOM

Daughters love him and so do their moms.

Irfan hasn’t grabbed the headlines quite like his elder brother Yusuf in this batsman’s game, but he is a big reason why Kings XI Punjab is now the team to beat. With 14 wickets at an average of 23.28, the 23-year-old left-armer from Vadodara is beating batsmen and bowling the women over.

With his dimpled smile, dreamy eyes and disarming manner, Irfan has been a pin-up boy and a teen heartthrob ever since he started swinging the red cherry on the international stage in 2003. One of Dada’s finds (now you know the secret of those two sixes in the last over at Eden!), he is the reason why many young women started watching cricket. And despite Guru Greg, he has not disappointed them.

 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni: CAPTAIN COOL

The most expensive player of the IPL at $1.5 million, Dhoni came in strong, with the taste of the Twenty20 World Cup victory still fresh on his tongue. And though the Chennai Super Kings have slowed down after their cracking start, the cool captain (“The skipper with air-conditioner,” says Sunil Gavaskar) has managed to lead his team into the semis. With 385 runs under his belt, the 26-year-old dude from Jharkhand has also made heads turn with his new, trendy, short hair and sexy stubble. And giving up the big gloves (he handed them over to Parthiv Patel, the boy who narrowly missed making it to this list of men) has actually helped up Dhoni’s appeal quotient, as he prowls the covers like a cool cat. MSD has got the girls to “mind it” all right!

 

Yuvraj Singh: PREITY’S PRINCE

This 27-year-old Punjabi munda is the poster boy of Indian cricket. With his himbo looks and his six sixes in a row in the World Cup Twenty20, this left-handed hitter is the star of the short format. The way he carries himself — catwalk to cricket field — makes him a youth icon, as well as an icon player for the Kings XI Punjab. When questions were asked about Yuvi the captain, he answered them with a winning streak. When questions were asked about Yuvi the batsman, he answered them with a 16-ball 49 against the Rajasthan Royals. That makes him look even better. But during the IPL, Yuvi has looked best in the arms of Preity Zinta (no hard feelings Ness!).

 

Daniel Vettori : GUILE AND STYLE

This dishy left-arm spinner and New Zealand captain leads from the front, even when it comes to looks. With his wire-rimmed glasses and week-old stubble, the 29-year-old looks more like a college student or a writer rather than someone who gets down and dirty on the field. He did precious little in the two matches he played for the Delhi Daredevils before going off to do what he does best — bowl the opposition out in Tests. But there is no doubting his worth as the spinner with guile and style or as the perfect balm for the eye that is weary of seeing too much brawn on the sports field.

 

Brendon McCullum: BLONDE BOMB

Blonde bombshell Baz is one of the main reasons why the inaugural version of the Indian Premier League won so many women supporters to start with. The eyeful from Otago jumpstarted the tourney for the Kolkata Knight Riders with a mammoth 158 comprising 13 hits into the stands and 10 to the fence.

A combination of explosive batting (strike rate of 157.48) and looks makes the 26-year-old McCullum a strong contender for the crown of the hottest cricketer of IPL 2008. This New Zealand-born wicket-keeper-batsman also sports three tattoos on his rippling right biceps which do wonders for his cool quotient.

 

Shane Watson: SURPRISE PACKAGE

It’s elementary, dear Watson — nothing succeeds like success.

If Shane Warne doesn’t make it to this list, it is only because he is a little too old at 38 and beginning to show it. So we gave a berth instead to his namesake, who at 26 has some of his charisma and some (if only a fraction, so far) of his skill.

This big blonde Queenslander may have come cheap to the Rajasthan Royals, but he has lifted their game and their style standards. With his unruly mop tucked safely under the blue helmet, Watto has always impressed with the bat — capped by an astounding 76 off 49 against Yuvi’s Punjab — and often with the ball.

 

Dale Steyn: SOMETHING ABOUT HIM

We can’t decide what works in Dale Steyn’s favour — his unconventional looks and intense eyes or the effort he has put in for his team. The 24-year-old South African pace sensation has found the going tough as a Bangalore Royal Challenger in the IPL, but he scores A for effort and A for attitude. With nine wickets from nine matches, he hardly made Mallya’s day, but his economy rate of seven runs per over and his arresting looks sure found Dale more than a few female fans during his Indian summer.

 

Brett Lee: THE ROCKSTAR

This guy’s got style. And beach-boy good looks. And a fabulous physique. The fastest bowler in cricket today (sorry Shoaib, you need to play more to be considered) can bowl over just about any woman who gets in his way. It’s a pity that he had to leave Kings XI Punjab mid-tourney and fly off to the West Indies to get back into his whites, but that doesn’t deny him a place in this handsome hall of fame.

Brett has his own fashion label called BL. Plus, he plays bass and acoustic guitar for the rock band Six & Out from New South Wales, which makes him just about irresistible. The man who has been named the singer for the theme song of the next World Cup has done a bilingual duet with Asha Bhonsle and has also appeared in the Bollywood cricket film Victory. What more can any woman ask for? Except, he’s not available! The 31-year-old is married with a son.

 

Manpreet Singh Gony: THE HULK

When this six-feet-plus seamer comes charging in for the Chennai Super Kings, it’s hard not to watch. The imposing presence and the serious, almost sullen, expression are quite compelling. This hulk has picked up 14 wickets in the IPL, making him a favourite for a berth in the national team soon. And to think that he made his first class debut only last year!

His sharp features and proud carriage make him a hot favourite with the girls. But beware: though Gony may seem an eligible catch at just 24, he is already hitched, and his wife is named Manpreet too!

 

Shaun Marsh: MR CUTE

The batsman of the tournament so far, he looks as smart as he lofts. The 24-year-old Aussie is among the few cricketers who look better without the helmet hiding half the face. The orange cap sits well on his head but he looks the cutest when he comes up to collect yet another Man of the Match award, running his hand through his hair and grinning shyly.

“He’s got a few more shots than me,” is what his father Geoff Marsh, the former Australian opener with half his son’s strokes and half his looks, had to say about Shaun. With 593 runs (including a blistering 115 on Wednesday night), the Mohali man also known as Sos is in the running for both the Mr Consistent and Mr Cute crowns.

 

Kumara Sangakkara: MAN WITH A PLAN

This Sri Lankan southpaw has been called the best wicket-keeping batsman in the world (after Adam Gilchrist called it a day). And that’s not all that turns us on! This doe-eyed, well-spoken Sri Lankan is just the kind of guy you’d like to bring home for dinner. His contribution to Team Mohali is not just in terms of runs (317 in nine matches) and dismissals (4) but also in his being a guide to skipper Yuvraj Singh. Sophisticated and self confident, this 30-year-old has a retirement plan too: he’s still studying to be a lawyer between tours!

 

Shiv Pandit: the 12th man

As if the IPL didn’t have enough eye candy, during the breaks the girls can chill with the cheeky Shiv Pandit. Though he may not be the next Mandira Bedi (and we don’t just mean the lack of noodlestraps!), Shiv looks great and can (just about) hold his own when it comes to talking shop. Coordinating with Vishal Malhotra on field, Shiv does a fine job of hosting many IPL matches, keeping a straight face even when confronted with some of the strangest fans. In truth, we already loved Shiv, even before IPL, ever since we saw him in devilish form balancing two babes in the Sprite ad. Naughty, naughty!