Former Indian cricketer, Mohammad Kaif has named his all-time Indian Premier League (IPL) XI and the line-up comprises a lot of prominent players. Interestingly, he went with as many as six overseas cricketers in the team while former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni was unsurprisingly named the captain. Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma were picked as openers while Virat Kohli has been placed at number three.
Explaining his XI, Mohammad Kaif asserted Gayle has always been a game-changer and his IPL record is nothing but phenomenal. While he hailed Rohit for taking Mumbai Indians to win 5 IPL titles, the veteran called Kohli a run machine and an inspiration to many. Coming to the middle-order, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, and MS Dhoni have been picked and the trio have played numerous destructive knocks in the gala competition.
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During a recent chat with Sportskeeda, Mohammad Kaif said, “Gayle is a very dangerous IPL batter. Whenever he has done well, he has been a game-changer and has scored a lot of runs. Rohit Sharma has been playing for many years and has won five trophies as captain. An excellent short-format player. Virat Kohli is King Kohli. Has scored plenty of runs in the IPL.”
He further added, “He (MS Dhoni) laid the foundation of T20 cricket in India by leading the country to victory in the 2007 World Cup. He has lifted four IPL titles as well. He is a big player in T20 and a mature captain.”
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As far as the all-rounders are concerned, Mohammad Kaif went on to include Andre Russell for his destructive batting and Rashid Khan for his ability to deliver economical spells. Sunil Narine, Jasprit Bumrah, and Lasith Malinga join forces in the bowling department and complete the XI.
Mohammad Kaif’s all-time IPL XI: Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Andre Russell, Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga
Here are some fans’ reactions:
Warner should be in
— ᏚнᥲɪLᴇsʜ sʜᴀʀᴍᴀ 🏏 (@Shaileshh_07) April 28, 2022
Even though they have 6 foreigners, each represents a different nation except russ and sunil, but the rest 5 are from the same country. Each country has its own superstar and we Indians have 5 of those in the list
— Surendra (@Sure_pad23) April 28, 2022
6 foreigners in eleven…
Seriously?@MohammadKaif pic.twitter.com/iwiH247mvm— Uneeb🇮🇳 (@khan_68578) April 28, 2022
Warner with 3 orange caps and bhuvi with 2 purple orange are crying from corner😭
— Mandy (@ManideepMandy6) April 28, 2022
Quite brave to go with Russell instead of Pollard. Also Dhawan instead of Rohit ? If looking for an Indian opener
— Pushkar Kumar (@Pushays) April 28, 2022
Sunil Narine…😂😂😂
— Sai_Raj_Since 1998𓃵 (@IamSaiRajj) April 28, 2022
