Famous Indian analyst and pundit Harsha Bhogle just selected his all-time Indian Premier League starting lineup. This was the best-assembled team one could hope for, with each position filled by the most ideal candidates in each department, resulting in a lineup that had an IPL legend in every position.
Bhogle’s all-time IPL XI openers and captain
He chose Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle, two of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s mainstays, to open the innings for his team. The pair was a formidable combination most of the time, scoring 1210 runs in 28 innings and reaching the fifty-run barrier four times in all—the same number of times they shared a century-run partnership. “Mr. IPL”, Suresh Raina, placed at number 3, became the first player in competition history to score 5000 runs. In addition to being a daring southpaw, Raina exuded energy on the field. Over his IPL career, he has also stolen 109 catches in total.
Bhogle chose Suryakumar Yadav after Raina. The explosive hitter, who had his fifth consecutive disappointing season, is now a surefire regular in the Indian T20I system and has only gotten better in the IPL. Since 2017, Surya has only become better and better with the Mumbai Indians, and he has continued to advance in that direction. MS Dhoni was designated as the team’s captain. The world has seen his lightning-quick glovework behind the stumps and the thrilling finale he has brought to matches and innings with the bat.
Bhogle’s choice of bowlers and all-rounders
According to the roster, Hardik Pandya was the only true all-round player on the team. He has contributed significantly to the Mumbai Indians over a number of seasons. He may not have been able to leave his mark as captain of MI, but his outstanding time in 2022 and 2023 wearing the captain’s armband with the Gujarat Titans cannot be undervalued in the slightest.
The main death bowlers were MI’s past and present, Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah. The Mumbai-based team has been saved from the aforementioned legendary players of the major competition on numerous occasions by acts of bravery. Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan, the two spinners, came in at numbers ten and eleven. Despite beginning their careers in these roles, both of these people eventually developed into equally potent batters. While Narine has consistently given the Kolkata Knight Riders scorching starts at bat, Rashid has typically come through big time for the Sunrisers Hyderabad to give their innings the boost they need in the closing stages.
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