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The much-awaited fourteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is ready to get underway from Friday (April 9), with reigning champions Mumbai Indians (MI) taking on Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the tournament’s opener.
Ahead of the mega event, many experts of the game have revealed their analysis on teams who will reach the playoffs and which one will lift the title this year. Following the bandwagon, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has picked his all-time IPL XI featuring some of the best players, who entertained fans with their top-class performances over the years.
Starting from the opening pair, Gavaskar went with MI captain Rohit Sharma and Punjab Kings (PBKS) power-striker, Chris Gayle. Both the players have been outstanding in the top-order and have smashed plenty of runs, especially in the powerplay.
When it comes to the middle-order, the veteran cricket legend picked Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper David Warner, RCB captain Virat Kohli, Challenger’s spinal-column AB de Villiers, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) backbone Suresh Raina and CSK leader MS Dhoni.
Interestingly, all the five mentioned players are on the list of top-10 run-getters in IPL history. While Kohli, Raina and Warner have acquired the first three spots, De Villiers is at the sixth position followed by Dhoni at the seventh place. Gavaskar also named the Ranchi-born superstar as the captain and wicketkeeper of his side.
Among the bowlers, the cricketer-turned-commentator picked two pacers and as many spinners in his all-time XI. He named MI’s ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah and SRH’s frontline paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar as fast bowlers.
Similarly, Gavaskar went with CSK all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) veteran Sunil Narine as spinners in all-time XI.
“I am sorry if I missed out on any players. I have never been a selector in my life, and I now understand how hard it is to pick a team”, said Gavaskar on Star Sports.
Here is Sunil Gavaskar’s all-time IPL XI:
Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, David Warner, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sunil Narine, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah.
