Kolkata Knight Riders‘ star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan selected his all-time IPL XI ahead of the second phase of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League. Interestingly, the Bangladeshi star did not exercise the right to have four overseas cricketers in his IPL playing XI. Shakib picked only three overseas cricketers, leaving out some of the high-profile names like AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Sunil Narine.
AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle are among the top names on the leaderboard of the ‘Most Sixes By a Batsman’ in IPL history. Meanwhile, Sunil Narine has transformed from a bowler to an all-rounder who can change the match in a matter of minutes. Narine played an instrumental role in the two championship wins of Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012 and 2014.
Which players made it to the all-time IPL XI of Shakib Al Hasan?
In an interaction with Sportskeeda, Shakib Al Hasan picked his all-time IPL XI, with the two openers of the team being Rohit Sharma and David Warner. Rohit is the most successful captain in the IPL when it comes to championship wins, but Shakib did not assign the team’s reins to him. The next four names in the team were Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and KL Rahul.
All four Indian cricketers have made an impact with their batting performances in the tournament. Dhoni, Kohli and Rahul are captains of CSK, RCB and PBKS right now. Shakib decided to name Dhoni as captain of his team. The next name was all-rounder Ben Stokes and the Indian all-rounder in the team was Ravindra Jadeja.
Three fast bowlers complete the playing XI
Shakib Al Hasan selected three pacers in his all-time IPL XI. The three names are Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The first two have represented only Mumbai Indians in their IPL career, while Kumar is a 2-time IPL Purple Cap winner. Here is his all-time IPL XI:
Shakib Al Hasan’s all-time IPL XI: Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (Captain and Wicket-keeper), KL Rahul, Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
