Shaun Tait selects his all-time IPL XI

It has been a great journey for the Indian Premier League (IPL) so far. The tournament, which started way back in 2008, was embraced by the fans with both hands. It was a unique mix of cricket with entertainment and glamour, and fans found it hard to miss. Hence, IPL is a huge hit among the fans. On Sunday, the tenth edition of the annual cricket extravaganza will come to an end. Rising Pune Supergiant will take on Mumbai Indians at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

With the tenth edition coming to a close, many cricketers have started to pick their all-time IPL XIs. IPL-winning captain and former Australian spinner Shane Warne and former Australian captain Ricky Ponting had already made their predictions. Now it is time for the Australian speedster Shaun Tait to indulge his energy in selecting the best XI of the IPL so far.

Here is Shaun Tait’s all-time XI

Mighty Caribbean beast Chris Gayle is the opener of the team despite his current form. The only player to have scored 10,000 runs in the format certainly deserves a spot. Tait wants his former team-mate and Kolkata Knight Riders’ skipper Gautam Gambhir to open the innings with Gayle. Gambhir is a two-time IPL winning captain and the driving force behind KKR’s meteoric rise from the rock-bottom they had hit after the first three seasons.

Suresh Raina is the constant name in all the IPL XIs. The Indian left-handed batsman was impressive in every single season he played for the Chennai Super Kings and did well for the Gujarat Lions as well leading them in the last couple of seasons. Indian skipper Virat Kohli for his brilliant numbers and unshakable consistency at the IPL has included him in this XI.

Kohli’s South African teammate AB de Villiers has also grabbed a spot in Shaun Tait’s XI. AB is one of the most impactful cricketers in the shortest format of the game. He has justified his reputation time and again and hence is a hard-to-miss-out player. Mumbai Indians’ skipper Rohit Sharma also finds a place in this lineup. He is the captain of one of the most consistent teams in the IPL, Mumbai Indians. Tait himself said he found Rohit a difficult batsman to bowl to.

Veteran Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh is a member of the two-time IPL winning team Mumbai Indians. He may not have the same prowess he used to have once, but at his prime, the turbanator was a terror to the batters.

Dwayne Bravo is one such player, who is good with the bat, great with the ball and exceptional in the field. Known to mix up things in his bowling, the Caribbean superstar has won two Purple Caps while playing for the temporarily banned franchise Chennai Super Kings.

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is a brilliant bowler in the shortest format of the game. Very few bowlers are known to restrict the flow of runs in the death overs. Bhuvaneshwar is the ideal bowler for the death overs and he is well known for his economical bowling. He is on his way to winning his second purple cap this year.

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been chosen by Tait to partner country-mate Harbhajan Singh. Ashwin has been brilliant for CSK day in day out. He missed the tenth edition of the IPL, but fans are eagerly waiting to see him back in action in the Champions Trophy 2017.

Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga is the spearhead in another speedster Tait’s team. ‘Slinga-Malinga’ was once the nightmare for batters with his toe crushing yorkers. He might have lost the grip on the game a bit, but due to his overall performance, he has found himself a place in Tait’s XI.

Shaun Tait’s all-time IPL XI:

Chris Gayle, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni (C& Wk), Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lasith Malinga.