Kevin Pietersen All Time XI: No Rohit Sharma, No Hardik Pandya (Image Credits:X)
Naming an all-time XI in the Indian Premier League is never straightforward, given the depth of talent the tournament has seen over the years. This was evident when former Kevin Pietersen, alongside Jos Buttler, picked his all-time IPL XI on the For the Love of Cricket podcast.
Pietersen’s IPL XI: Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Andre Russell, Ravindra Jadeja, Sunil Narine, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah
Pietersen’s lineup featured a host of legends but also came with some notable omissions. His chosen XI included Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli as openers, followed by AB de Villiers, Suresh Raina, and MS Dhoni, who was also named captain and wicketkeeper. The all-rounder slots were filled by Andre Russell, Ravindra Jadeja, and Sunil Narine, while the bowling attack featured Yuzvendra Chahal, Lasith Malinga, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Interestingly, Pietersen did not stick to the IPL’s four-overseas-player rule, selecting five international players. His choices also meant leaving out several high-profile names such as Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya, despite their success with the Mumbai Indians.
At the same time, talking about opening batsmen, Pietersen clearly favoured Gayle and Kohli over others such as Warner or Sharma – his choice of the Royal Challengers Bangalore players stands out. It seems hard to ignore how much weight he placed on Dhoni, calling him a non-negotiable pick due to his influence and leadership in the league.
Among all-rounders, he selected Russell and Narine, stating Narine would fit into any IPL squad. He added Jadeja to bring balance to the team, probably the most practical addition. One of his more surprising picks was Chahal instead of Rashid Khan – this choice stands out, in particular, since RCB let go of Chahal, which he called the worst decision in IPL history.
For pace bowlers, Pietersen had no doubts: Bumrah and Malinga are two of the top T20 pacers in the game. Separately, he confirmed he won’t join the Delhi Capitals coaching staff this season because he doesn’t have enough time.
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