The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League is set to start in UAE on September 19th. With the first match between two of the most successful teams in IPL history Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings. Many start players have played in the Indian Premier League since it’s the first edition in 2008 but which of these players will be in your All-Time IPL XI? It is going to be a headache to select the team and many star players will be left out. Let’s look at the Best Indian Premier League XI of All Time.
Top Order : Chris Gayle
Whenever the T20 format comes up, the first player anyone would always select is Chris Gayle. I don’t think there are many people to disagree with me although in recent seasons Chris Gayle has become a little inconsistent as he will turn 41 years old by the time IPL starts. His massive 175 runs not out innings against the Pune Warriors India is not only the highest individual score in IPL but in T20 format cricket over all the leagues around the world. Amongst the top 10 all-time run-scorers in IPL, Chirs Gayle has played the least number of innings and yet is in the sixth position. His strike rate of 151.02 tells us how destructive of a batsman he is. He has also hit the highest number of sixes in IPL as well as in the T20 format cricket.
Top Order : David Warner
Although, David Warner is a Top Order batsman, but with the three stars it was difficult to put him in the top order. However, he is the fourth-highest leading run-scorer in the IPL. He has scored 4706 runs with an average of 43.17 at an impressive strike rate of 142.39. Not only David Warner has four centuries to his name but he is also the player with the highest number of half-centuries(44) in IPL history. So, couldn’t leave David Warner out of the All-Time IPL XI with his astounding numbers.
Top Order : Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has recently gone past Suresh Raina in the all-time leading run-scorers in IPL. He leads the chart with 5412 runs with an average of 37.84. He also has second-most hundreds in IPL just one behind his former teammate Chirs Gayle. Although individually he has been very impressive in IPL throughout the years but his team has failed to win the title. He has come close thrice in the final against (DC in 2009, CSK in 2011, and SRH in 2016) to win it but failed every time. Will this be Royal Challengers Banglore’s year or will they fail to win the IPL title this time again?
Middle Order : Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is the most successful captain and a player in the Indian Premier League to win five titles. He won his first IPL title for Deccan Chargers in 2009. And since he joined the Mumbai Indians in 2011, he has made them the most successful team in the IPL history winning four titles with them. Along with his captaincy, is also the third-leading scorer in IPL with 4898 runs in 188 innings at a strike rate of 130.82. He hasn’t bowled much in IPL. But a very interesting fact is that he has a hattrick against Mumbai Indians.
Middle Order : Suresh Raina
Just recently Suresh Raina was dethroned by Virat Kohli as the leading run-scorer in IPL. It was Suresh Raina for many years who had the highest runs in IPL history. He is still at second-position and will try his best to outperform Virat Kohli in the coming IPL season in UAE. He has been consistent in IPL throughout the years scoring regular runs and crucial runs for his team. Suresh Raina has also won three Indian Premier League titles for Chennai Super Kings. He has 5368 runs at a strike rate of 137.14. He also was the first player to cross the 5000 runs mark in IPL.
Middle Order : Abraham Benjamin de Villiers
Abraham Benjamin de Villiers, famously know as Mr.360 for his innovative and unorthodox batting style. He can hit the ball in any part of the ground. Often when everyone thinks of an explosive batsman we usually think about Chirs Gayle. But AB de Villiers has a better strike rate and average then Chris Gayle in IPL. He is the player with the second-highest number of sixes in the IPL. AB de Villiers has scored 4395 runs throughout IPL with an average close to 40 and an impressive strike rate of 151.23. Ab de Villiers surely deserves to be in any team in any format of the cricket.
Wicket Keeper : Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is probably the best wicket-keeping batsman to select in the All-Time Best Indian Premier League XI. While it is still a debate on whether he is the most successful captain in the IPL. Although, he has won IPL three times in history but has always finished in the top four of the table every time. Rohit Sharma who has won IPL four times in history. Along with the great captain and wicket-keeper, Dhoni is also among the best finishers in the world. Despite being a tail-ender he has scored 4432 runs in IPL history with a strike rate of 137.85. What do guys think, is Dhoni the best selection as a wicket-keeper batsman? Or is there any other player better than Dhoni? Comment below.
All Rounder : Hardik Pandya
We have a lot of players in this position including the likes of Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, etc. But we already have selected three overseas players and would like to add an overseas bowler. So, Hardik Pandya is our pick for as an Indian all-rounder. He has been very consistent in bowling taking regular wickets in middle overs. He has picked regular wickets with a decent economy. Hardik Pandya is also an excellent fielder and probably one of the best fielders to ever play in IPL. He is very good with the ball and on the field, also a very consistent batsman. He is the perfect batsman to finish the innings. Hardik Pandya has a strike rate of 154.88. Do you guys think he is the best pick or is there any other player who deserves to pick ahead of him? Comment below.
Bowler : Harbhajan Singh
A difficult choice between Amit Mishra, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, and Piyush Chawla. Although statistically, Amit Mishra has better numbers than Harbhajan Singh, he has been very consistent throughout IPL for Mumbai Indians and now recently Chennai Super Kings. Harbhajan Singh is the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL with 150 wickets. He is just seven wickets short of Amit Mishra. Harbhajan Singh uses all his experience and is always at the top. His economy of just 7.05 is an example of how crucial his overs are.
Bowler : Bhuvaneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his debut in 2011. Since then he has been consistently taking wickets at a good economy. He has won the Purple Cap twice for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 and 2017 when he won the IPL title. Bhuvnehswar Kumar has bowled 1124 dot balls in IPL history. In just 117 innings he has picked up 133 wickets and is at sixth position in the leading wicket-taker. He is one of the best bowlers to bowl in the powerplay. Although recently Jasprit Bumrah has been playing great but does he deserves to be picked in the all-time X1?
Bowler : Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga is one of the most lethal bowlers in modern-day cricket. His pinpoint accuracy of bowling yorkers in death overs makes it very difficult for many batsmen to score runs in his over. He also the highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 170 wickets. One of the main players for the success of Mumbai Indians in IPL. He also has the best average in IPL of 19.80 and an impressive economy of just 7.14. Surely one of the best bowlers to ever play in the IPL and deserves to be in Best Indian Premier League XI.
This was my all time Best Indian Premier League XI. Do you think it is a balanced squad? Comment below what changes will you guys makes.
