Legendary Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni added a new feather to his already overflowing hat and was named the captain of the all-time greatest IPL team chosen by a selection panel comprising former cricketers and journalists.
The panel included Wasim Akram, Matthew Hayden, Tom Moody, Dale Steyn, and 70 sports journalists. The lineup of 15 players was picked to celebrate the success of the world’s most popular T20 league which was launched in 2008.
All-time leading run-getters of the IPL, Virat Kohli and David Warner were chosen as openers while big-hitter Chris Gayle was given the number three spot in the batting order.
The middle order of the all-time greatest IPL team saw the likes of Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, Suryakumar Yadav, and MS Dhoni was named the wicketkeeper-captain. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja along with Kieron Pollard were picked as the all-rounders.
Three spinners made the cut including Sunil Narine, Rashid Khan, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Mumbai Indian greats Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah were the unanimous choice for the seamers’ spots.
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In IPL cricket, few names shine as brightly as MS Dhoni. Widely regarded as one of the most successful captains in cricket history, with 5 IPL titles to his name with Chennai Super Kings.
Speaking on the ‘Star Sports Incredible 16 of IPL’ show, Dale Steyn said: “It has to be MS Dhoni. He has won everything – World Cup, IPL, ICC Champions Trophy. He’s a leader of men, and you’ve got a bunch of men here that are all at the highest level of their game, and they need someone who has been there and done that and can manage them extremely well on and off the field, so I will have to go with MS Dhoni.”
Former Australia cricketer and coach Tom Moody emphasized on Dhoni’s remarkable feat.
“It has to be MS Dhoni for me, the reason being MS Dhoni has won the title with very good squads and average squads, and that tells me a lot about the captain and how he can lead a variety of talent in a squad to success. “Rohit Sharma has been a brilliant captain for MI but MI have always had the best squads or up there with the best squads in the IPL since its inception,” he said.
Former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden, who played alongside Dhoni in CSK, stated that he has the potential to be a coach as well.
“It’s an obvious choice, it’s not a debate over here. It’s going to be unanimous amongst the entire Indian community. Of course, Rohit Sharma, the Hitman, is such an incredible leader as well, so it’s a tough choice, but I’m going to be bold and I’m going to pick Dhoni as a Captain and Coach as well. He started in 2008, Shane Warne was captain and coach, and he took the franchise, the double R’s, to a title that year, and I just feel that MS Dhoni can also be a coach,” he said.
All-time greatest IPL squad:
MS Dhoni (C), Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, David Warner, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah.
(Star Sports inputs)
