IPL 2021: COC All-time Indian Premier League- IPL XI

Team COC chooses the eleven all-time greatest performers in IPL history.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen more than 13 seasons of unbelievably amazing cricket involving some of the biggest stars of the game participating in the tournament which has become one of the leading and most valuable sports brands in the whole world.

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The tournament, which began in 2008, has seen many records broken in the course of time by many players, who have left their mark on the IPL with either the bat or the ball or both. The tournament has seen many players create some brilliant records and helped their franchise win matches and at the time, win the tournament also.

Keeping such great players in mind and the numbers they have generated over the years, Team COC presents to you the All-Time XI of the Indian Premier League or the IPL XI of all time.

(All Figures At Upto The Postponement Of The IPL 2021 Edition)

CHRIS GAYLE (KKR, RCB, PBKS)
Mat: 140| Runs: 4950| HS: 175*

The Universe Boss has owned the T20 format since its inception as he was the first batsman to hit a century in an international T20 match and in the T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa. Since then, Chris Gayle has played almost every T20 league in the world and has generated some eye-watering numbers with his bat.

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Gayle was the first to reach 10,000 runs in the T20 format and has hit more than 20 centuries till now. Even in the IPL, Gayle has ruled the roost when it comes to the sheer dominance of the bowlers, as he has 4950 runs in 140 matches at an average of 40.24 and at an astonishing strike rate of 149.45.

He holds the record for most sixes in an IPL inning- 17 and the highest score in a match in IPL and T20 history- 175*, which is also the fastest century in T20 history in just 30 balls. Gayle is even going strong at the age of 41 and has scored the most centuries-6 in IPL history.  

ROHIT SHARMA (C- DEC, MI)
Mat: 207| Runs: 5480| HS: 109*

Rohit Sharma, MI captain, is the most successful captain in IPL history with five titles to his name. He has won the trophy in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. His back-to-back IPL title wins in 2019 and 2020, made him only the second captain after MS Dhoni to win consecutive IPL trophies, who achieved the feat in 2010 and 2011.

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Not only as captain but also as a batsman, Rohit Sharma is IPL royalty with 5480 runs in 207 matches, positioned at no.4 in the all-time highest run-getters list in IPL. He averages 31.49 and has a strike rate of 130.50. He has one century and 40 half-centuries to his name.  

SURESH RAINA (CSK, GL)
Mat: 200| Runs: 5491| HS: 100*

Suresh Raina is rightly called “Mr. IPL” given that at one point in time, from IPL 2008- IPL 2014, he had never scored anything less than 400 runs in a single season. He has 5491 runs in 200 IPL matches with one century and 39 half-centuries and was one of the most reliable batsmen for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) over the years.

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He also captained CSK and Gujarat Lions in the tournament and has perhaps played the innings of IPL, when he smashed 87 runs in just 25 balls against Punjab Kings in IPL 2014 qualifiers. Raina still manages to bring incomparable energy into the CSK team whenever he is on the field.   

VIRAT KOHLI (RCB)
Mat: 199| Runs: 6076| HS: 113

Virat Kohli is the king of the IPL with the bat, as he became the first batsman to 5,000 and 6,000 runs in the tournament history. Not only this, he is the highest run-getter in the IPL with 6076 runs in 199 matches with 5 centuries and 40 fifties to his name. He averages 37.97 and has a strike rate of 130.41.

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He holds the record for most runs in a single season of IPL- 973 in the 2016 edition, where he also slammed 4 centuries as well. Kohli was bought outside the auction as a U-19 player in 2008 by RCB and has played for them ever since. Unfortunately, Kohli has never been able to win the IPL trophy for his franchise the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).   

AB DE VILLIERS (DC, RCB)
Mat: 176| Runs: 5056| HS: 133*

When you talk about the RCB team in recent years, you cannot forget the contributions made by AB de Villiers to the franchise. De Villiers might have started his IPL career with the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and had considerable success with them as well, scoring his first IPL century for them.

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However, he has redefined T20 batting playing for RCB. Given a free rein to do whatever he wants, De Villiers has excelled at any position he has been asked to bat by the RCB team, be it top order, or even as a finisher, De Villiers has never disappointed and has won matches from impossible situations for his team.

He has been one of the few consistent foreign batsmen in the IPL who has done wonders which even his record shows, He has 5056 runs in 176 matches in IPL with 3 centuries and 40 half-centuries to his name. He averages 40.77 and has a strike rate of 152.38, one of the highest in IPL history. He has also kept wickets for RCB and done quite well behind the stumps and as a fielder.  

MS DHONI (WK- CSK)
Mat: 211|Runs: 4669|HS: 84*|Dis: 157

No all-time IPL XI is complete without the emperor of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), MS Dhoni. The most expensive buy in the very first auction in 2008, MS Dhoni has defined how CSK has played their cricket over the years.

He has taken all the hurdles and problems faced by CSK in recent years and turned them into opportunities. Or else no team would have succeeded if they had to uproot their base from their home ground to some other ground in the middle of the tournament, which CSK did, moving to Pune from Chennai in IPL 2018.  

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Dhoni was the first captain to win the IPL more than once, win the IPL in two consecutive years and win the IPL three times. He also became the first player to appear in 200 matches in IPL, some of them played for Rising Pune Supergiant when CSK was suspended for two years.

He is also the only lower middle-order batsman to feature in the all-time top-ten run-getters list in IPL with 4669 runs in 211 matches at an average of 40.25 and strike-rate of 136.64.

RAVINDRA JADEJA (RR,CSK,GL)
Mat: 191|Runs: 2290 | HS: 62*| Wkts: 120|BB: 5/16

Ravindra Jadeja had rocked the IPL when he first turned out for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2008 and has only become stronger from there when he joined the Chennai Super Kings in the 2011 edition. He was always one of the best spinners and fielders in the league but has evolved as a batsman as well in the last 2-3 years of the IPL.

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He has 2290 runs and 120 wickets in 191 IPL matches thus far, some of which he played for Gujarat Lions as well. His best bowling figures are 5/16, while his highest score is 62*. He also holds the joint record for scoring the most runs in one over of an IPL match-37 which he took off Harshal Patel of RCB in the postponed IPL 2021 edition.

RASHID KHAN (SRH)
Mat: 69|Wkts: 85|BB: 3/7

Rashid Khan has set the IPL on fire since his debut in IPL 2017 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad team. He has 85 wickets in just 69 matches thus far at an economy of just 6.23.

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His ability to stifle batsmen for runs and pick wickets when most needed has made him an asset for the SRH team, but lack of support from other bowlers in the past 2 seasons has dulled his impact a bit, him being the lone warrior for the Orange army.

BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR (PWI, SRH)
Mat: 126|Wkts: 139|BB: 5/19

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the best Indian new ball and death overs bowler in the IPL for a long time. He is even considered to be one of the best T20 bowlers of all time, thanks to his variations and abilities to bowl yorkers in the death and keep the batsmen guessing all the time.

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He can generate swing and seam movement from the new ball and then bowl terrific yorkers at the death, couple with knuckleballs and slower deliveries. His smart bowling has netted him 139 wickets in 126 IPL matches with a best of 5/16. His economy of 7.31 is quite good considering that he bowls in powerplays and death overs.

JASPRIT BUMRAH (MI)
Mat: 99|Wkts: 115|BB: 4/14

Jasprit Bumrah was a diamond that was unearthed by the Mumbai Indians in 2015 IPL and has since polished his bowling under the guidance of Lasith Malinga and Shane Bond at the franchise. Bumrah’s quirky action has made him a nightmare for batsmen and MI has often used him in death overs primarily.

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He formed a deadly combination with veteran Lasith Malinga for MI, as the duo choked the opposition batsmen in death overs with pinpoint yorkers bowled consistently at high pace or variations coming out of nowhere.  

Now the leader of MI bowling attack after the retirement of Lasith Malinga, Bumrah has 115 wickets in 99 matches for MI with a best of 4/14 at an economy of 7.39.

LASITH MALINGA (MI)
Mat: 122|Wkts: 170|BB: 5/13

Inarguably the greatest T20 bowler of all time, or atleast the greatest IPL bowler of all time, Lasith Malinga leads the most wickets chart in the Indian Premier League with 170 scalps in 122 matches with a best of 5/13.

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He recently announced his retirement from franchise T20 cricket and his last outing for MI was that amazing last over against CSK in the final of IPL 2019, which MI won by 1 run after Malinga had Shardul Thakur dismissed LBW on the last ball with a yorker when 2 runs were needed to win.

Malinga redefined death overs bowling for MI and groomed a young Jasprit Bumrah into a world-class bowler for not only the Mumbai Indians but also for the Indian team. He will remain one of the greats of the game which his record speaks for.