Former India skipper and the winner of the 2011 World Cup, MS Dhoni on Sunday, was named the captain of the all-time greatest IPL team, beating the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the process. The team’s selection panel included former players like Wasim Akram, Matthew Hayden, Tom Moody and Dale Steyn, along with 70 other journalists.
Virat Kohli as Opener, No Rohit Sharma in Team
There were of course, a few surprise picks along the way, while some selections were on the expected lines. Virat was picked as an opener alongside David Warner, with Chris Gayle taking the number three slot. The middle-order then saw former CSK star Suresh Raina occupy the number 4 position in the team.
AB de Villiers, Suryakumar Yadav, and Dhoni completed the batting line-up. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kieron Pollard were picked as the three all-rounder in the 15-member squad. Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine and Yuzvendra Chahal were the obvious choice for the spinners.
Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah made the cut for fast bowlers. What remained common among all the experts was, Dhoni as their leader in the team. Speaking exclusively on the ‘Star Sports Incredible 16 of IPL’ show, Steyn rightly pointed out, that ‘Dhoni is a leader of men’.
“It has to be MS Dhoni. He has won everything — World Cup, IPL, ICC Champions Trophy,” said Steyn.
“He’s a leader of men, and you’ve got a bunch of men here that are all at the highest level of their game, and they need someone who has been there and done that and can manage them extremely well on and off the field, so I will have to go with MS Dhoni,” he said.
MS Dhoni, Not Just Captain..
In fact, Hayden went on to point out, that Dhoni had the potential to be a coach as well. “It’s an obvious choice, it’s not a debate over here. It’s going to be unanimous amongst the entire Indian community. Of course, Rohit Sharma, the Hitman, is such an incredible leader as well, so it’s a tough choice, but I’m going to be bold and I’m going to pick Dhoni as a Captain and Coach as well.
“He started in 2008, Shane Warne was captain and coach, and he took the franchise, the double R’s, to a title that year, and I just feel that MS Dhoni can also be a coach,” he said.
All-time Great IPL XI
MS Dhoni (C), Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, David Warner, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah.
