What would an all-star IPL XI look like | Cricket News

MS Dhoni (Photo Source: X)

Building or curating a team of legends has always been a fantasy for most fans across team sports. When it comes to cricket, the dopamine rush that the sport’s consumers in the subcontinent get is simply irresistible. As India’s great summer carnival, the IPL, turns 18, TOI dons the avatar of super selector and curates an all-star IPL XI. Debate, troll, comment, rage if a player you loved did not make it. But most importantly, engage. Here goes…
ROHIT SHARMA
Matches 257; Runs: 6628; Hs: 109*; Avg: 29.72; SR: 131.14; 100s-2; 50s-43
The 2024 T20 WC-winning India skipper is the opener and vicecaptain. Savage in the powerplay, courtesy of his disgust for stat-padding and romance for impact, the Hitman can blaze away to rapid starts, putting the best bowlers under pressure. Six IPL titles, five of them as skipper, put him in a league of his own. Still the only player to have a hat-trick and a century to his name in the IPL.
CHRIS GAYLE
Matches: 142; Runs: 4965; Hs: 175*; Avg: 39.72; SR: 148.96; 100-6; 50s-31
The brand ambassador of T20 cricket. Fans are probably still picking up cricket balls at Cubbon Park in Bengaluru which the West Indian superstar hit out of the Chinnaswamy in 2013 while scoring his 175 not out vs Pune Warriors. Can complement Rohit’s coolness with quintessential Jamaican swag. Can also bowl fastish off-spinning yorkers that are awkward to hit. The Gayle Gangnam can entertain crowds if there is a dull passage of play.

VIRAT KOHLI
Matches: 252; Runs: 8004; Hs: 113*; Avg: 38.66; SR: 131.97; 100s-8; 50s-55
The only player who has played for one team right through the IPL. Kohli is the heart, mind, and soul of the franchise and managed to achieve mind-boggling consistency in a format in which you cannot be consistent. His 973 runs in a season in 2016 is still a record. Deceptively quick across the turf, he is plus 10 in the field every time he wears the red jersey. And No. 18 is the theme for this year.
SURESH RAINA
Matches: 205; Runs: 5528; Hs: 100*; Avg: 32.51; SR: 136.73; 100s-1; 50s-39
Can anchor, be explosive, bowl, field, and can run the fielders ragged by converting ones into twos. Few left-handers have been so versatile and offered so much utility to a team. One of the engine rooms of CSK’s title triumphs in 2010, 2011, and 2018. His inside-out shot over cover and the mow over mid-wicket and the diving leap to get into the crease deserve to be patented.
AB DE VILLIERS
Matches: 184; Runs: 5162; Hs: 133*; Avg: 39.70; SR: 151.68; 100s-3; 50s-40
There is a new synonym in law textbooks in Bengaluru for the word jailbreak: ABDed. The South African great starred in twice as many heists for RCB as the number of vehicles at peak hour on MG Road. Scooping Dale Steyn’s 150 kmph yorker for six in 2012 is the shot of the IPL across all editions. Throw in his gravity-defying catches and his ability to keep wickets, ABD is a lock in at No. 5.
MS DHONI (captain & wicket-keeper)
Matches: 264; Runs: 5243; Hs: 84*; Avg: 39.12; 50s-24
The presence of India’s most loved and celebrated captain with the most storied six to win the 2011 World Cup ensures that Chennai Super Kings never have to play an away game. ‘Yellove’ bearing No. 7 is the colour in the stands every time Thala walks in. Thanks to him, 10-ball cameos are in. Five IPL crowns as captain, mentoring bowlers from behind the stumps, and electric and efficient hands make Dhoni the brightest star among the All Star XI.
KIERON POLLARD
Matches: 189; Runs: 3412; Hs: 87*; Avg: 28.67; SR: 147.32; 50s-16; wkts-69; catches: 103
MI’s miracle worker. Since he made his debut in 2010, no foreign player in the franchise received as much love as the Trinidadian. Be it acing impossible chases or plucking one-handed impossible catches, Polly, as he is affectionately called, is the heartbeat of the franchise. When he was let go in 2023, he had offers from other teams but chose to remain with MI as batting coach. Provided amazing theatre too, most notably by bowling with tape on his mouth when it was alleged that he was sledging batters.
LASITH MALINGA
Matches: 122; Wkts-170; Best: 5/13; Avg: 19.80; SR: 16.63; 5w-1.
Bleach, bling, sling. Ma-Ling-AA MaLing-AA! The chants at CCI and Wankhede when this Sri Lankan took the ball made for a surreal experience. Skipper Rohit looked for him every time he needed a wicket or needed to squeeze batters with a tight over. When he lost pace, Malinga developed a deceptive slower one, which won MI the 2019 title when CSK’s Shardul Thakur was foxed during a heart-stopping finale in Hyderabad. Did an expert job as Jasprit Bumrah’s mentor.
JASPRIT BUMRAH
Matches: 133; Wickets: 165; Best: 5/10; Avg: 22.51; Economy: 7.30; SR: 18.50; 5w-2
Deception, skill, striking prowess, ability to bowl dry. How can one man be blessed with so many qualities? Jasprit Bumrah and his 24 balls have been used by MI skippers as carefully as a pensioner uses his funds. Unearthed by John Wright in 2013, Bumrah’s journey from a rookie to a legend has been phenomenal. When he and Malinga were at their peak and fit, rival teams actually had only 12 overs out of 20 to score.
BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR
Matches: 176; Wickets: 181; Best: 5/19; Economy: 7.56; 5w-2
The powerplay banker. That is why most captains that he played for bowled him for three overs out of his quota of four in the first six overs as he could nip out the big players. Can swing the ball in most conditions and has a devastating inswinger. Ask Aaron Finch. Was Sunrisers Hyderabad’s go-to bowler since 2014 and is the only bowler with a purple cap in back-to-back seasons in 2016 and 2017.
YUZVENDRA CHAHAL
Matches: 160; wickets-205; Best: 5/40; Avg: 22.45; ER: 7.84; 5w-1
Because he was a chess player, Chahal is always plotting his next move as a bowler. An attacking legspinner, he formed the core of the RCB bowling line-up for seven years and was never afraid to toss the ball even on the smallish field at Chinnaswamy. Rightly, he is the tournament’s highest wicket-taker. His 27 scalps in the 2022 edition for Rajasthan Royals is a record for a spinner. Impact Player
RAVINDRA JADEJA
Matches: 240; Runs: 2959; Hs: 62; Avg: 27.40; SR: 129.72; 50s-3; Wkts: 160; Best: 5/16; ER: 7.62 5w-1
The late Shane Warne was right when he labelled him the Rockstar in 2008 when Jadeja made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals. But his career blossomed at CSK under Dhoni. His bowling has been needed more, especially in spin-friendly Chepauk, but google who has scored the most runs in an over in the IPL and you will find that it is the Saurashtra Swordsman. Hit 10 off two balls to win the final for CSK in 2023. Is a gun in the field.