Hardik Pandya picks his all-time IPL XI; Rohit Sharma not given captaincy duties

The marquee T20 tournament of the calendar year, Indian Premier League (IPL), went missing this season due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It was supposed to start on March 29 and conclude on May 24 but as of now, the competition remains suspended until further notice. Though there is a possibility that the IPL might happen later this year, there is still no confirmation from the BCCI over the same.

However, during this lockdown period, a lot of cricketers have picked them IPL all-time XIs and the Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya has joined the bandwagon now. He has picked a star-studded team and has hilariously included himself at number seven along with the other four genuine bowlers.

Starting from the top, Hardik has picked Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma to open the innings. Both of them, especially the former, are considered legends of the T20 extravaganza thanks to their exploits with the bat. Virat Kohli is the undisputed number three in almost every XI while his RCB teammate AB de Villiers is at number four in this line-up.

Hardik Pandya picks Suresh Raina at number five

While speaking to Cricbuzz, Hardik Pandya was tasked with a tough job and he had to make Suresh Raina bat at number five. The southpaw is known as Mr IPL for his heroics while playing for the CSK (and briefly for the Gujarat Lions) since the inception of the league. He is also the second-highest run-getter of the IPL and has scored almost all of his runs at three.

MS Dhoni is the wicket-keeper of Hardik’s XI and he has also been handed over the captaincy duties. This is little surprising given the fact that Rohit is the most successful captain in the IPL. However, Dhoni has led the CSK into the playoffs in every season they’ve played.

Hardik Pandya’s bowling attack comprises of two best pacers Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah apart from himself. Rashid Khan and Sunil Narine who play for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look after the spin-bowling department.

Here’s Hardik Pandya’s all-time IPL XI: Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Hardik Pandya, Sunil Narine, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga.