Wisden has announced its IPL team of the decade that mentions Rohit Sharma as the captain and an opener. The announced team follows the ‘maximum of four foreigners’ rule as it has seven Indian players.
Rohit, who has won the four IPL titles as captain for the Mumbai Indians (MI), will open the innings with the West Indies veteran Chris Gayle.
The self-proclaimed ‘Universe Boss’ is the leading run-scorer in T20 cricket across the world, and he cannot be kept out of any team of the decade wherever he is eligible. At No.3 comes in Suresh Raina, who is the second-highest run-getter in the IPL history with 5368 runs in 193 games for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Lions (GL).
The number 4 batsman is even stronger. Virat Kohli, the highest run-scorer in the tournament, grabs that spot with 5412 runs under his belt in 177 matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCN).
The second foreigner in the Wisden’s IPL team is AB de Villiers. The former South African skipper has been a consistent performer for the Bangalore-based franchise over the last few years.
MS Dhoni, undoubtedly the best wicketkeeper-batsman Team India has ever produced, will fulfill the keeping duties in the Rohit Sharma-led team. Dhoni is also the second-most successful captain in the IPL history with three titles in his kitty. His teammate and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja find his spot in the team as the only all-rounder.
Jadeja has scored 1927 runs and picked up 108 wickets in 170 IPL games. He is followed by the Windies spinner Sunil Narine, who can also bat fearlessly at the top. Narine has bagged 122 wickets and scored 771 runs at a strike rate of 168.34 in 110 IPL matches.
There are three fast bowlers in the team. Bhuvneshwar Kumar of Sunrisers Hyderabad joins Lasith Malinga and his pupil Jasprit Bumrah from MI.
Malinga is the highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 170 wickets in 122 games. Bumrah is the most dependable bowler that Mumbai Indians and Team India are proud to have. Bhuvi was the most dependable bowler before Bumrah came on to the scene, and he grabs the 11th spot in Wisden’s team of the decade.
Wisden’s IPL team of the decade:
Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma (c), Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sunil Narine, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
