Former Pakistan cricket team fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar recently picked his all-time IPL XI. The right-arm fast bowler picked some of the biggest match-winners in the Indian Premier League history. However, he left out the trio of David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, and Suresh Raina, who have been consistent performers in the league.
Speaking about the all-time IPL XI selected by Shoaib Akhtar, his first two picks were former Royal Challengers Bangalore star Chris Gayle and current Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma. While Rohit has won the most IPL titles, Akhtar decided against naming him as the skipper of the team.
The number three batter of the team was Virat Kohli, while his former teammate AB de Villiers got the number four position in the batting order. Star all-rounders from West Indies Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard made it to the team as well. The number seven batter was Chennai Super Kings captain, MS Dhoni.
Shoaib Akhtar said that Dhoni will be the captain and the wicket-keeper of his all-time IPL XI. Fans should note that Dhoni is the only captain who led a team in the 2008 edition of the Indian Premier League and is doing the same job in 2022 as well. In those 14 seasons, he won four IPL trophies and two Champions League T20 titles.
The four bowlers of the team selected by Shoaib Akhtar were former Mumbai Indians captain Harbhajan Singh, current Gujarat Titans leg-spinner Rashid Khan, former Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Brett Lee and current Rajasthan Royals fast-bowling coach Lasith Malinga, who was the leading wicket-taker in the IPL during his playing days for Mumbai Indians.
All-time IPL XI of Shoaib Akhtar
Here’s the full XI picked by Akhtar in interaction with Sportskeeda:
Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, MS Dhoni (c and wk), Harbhajan Singh, Rashid Khan, Brett Lee, and Lasith Malinga.
