Chris Gayle snubs Rohit Sharma in his all-time IPL XI, names MS Dhoni as captain

Former West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle has picked his all-time playing XI in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Surprisingly, he left out Mumbai Indians' former skipper Rohit Sharma, who has won five titles in the league as captain and six as a player. The Caribbean batter included Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja over Rohit.

Gayle came up with a solid top-order, including himself, Virat Kohli, and Suresh Raina, who have been terrific in the league. Hiss middle-order boasts the likes of AB de Villiers, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, and Dwayne Bravo. All the players have proven records of finishing the games for their respective teams.

As for pace bowlers, he named Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar but excluded Lasith Malinga. Malinga was a lethal bowler for MI and single-handedly won his team some unexpected games. He included his compatriot Sunil Narine and Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal as the spinners alongside Jadeja. 

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“In the end, I need two fast bowlers. However, I can’t pick Malinga because I already have four overseas players, so I have to go with Bumrah now," Gayle told InsideSport.

Speaking of Gayle, he had a magnificent career in the IPL. The star batter played 142 games and amassed 4965 runs at an average of 39.72. He also holds the record for the highest score in the league, having scored a 175 off just 66 balls against Pune Warriors India in 2013. He also holds the record of hitting the most number of sixes (357). Gayle, who played in the IPL from 2009 to 2021, represented three franchises: PBKS, RCB and KKR.   

Chris Gayle's all-time IPL XI

Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.