Kevin Pietersen names 7 Indian stars in his all-time IPL XI; no place for five-time winner Rohit Sharma

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen recently shared his all-time IPL XI from the past 18 seasons of the Indian Premier League. The team picked by Pietersen is creating a lot of discussion on social media because former India captain Rohit Sharma failed to find a spot in the playing XI. However, Pietersen included seven Indian stars in his lineup.

Pietersen was taking part in a fun selection challenge with England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler on YouTube channels For The Love of Cricket and The Switch. When it came to selecting the openers, Buttler gave him four options - Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, David Warner and Rohit Sharma. Pietersen decided to go with Gayle and Kohli as his opening pair.

For the middle order, Pietersen had to pick three players from a list that included AB de Villiers, Suresh Raina, KL Rahul, Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant, Yuvraj Singh and Kieron Pollard. Pietersen quickly picked Raina and De Villiers. When it came to the captain and wicketkeeper role, Pietersen made a clear decision. He chose MS Dhoni and called it a “non-negotiable” pick.

No Hardik and Rashid in Pietersen’s IPL XI

In the all-rounders category, Pietersen had to choose two players from Hardik Pandya, Sunil Narine, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell. He first picked Russell and then spoke highly about Narine and Jadeja, saying both players are good enough to be in any IPL team. In the end, Narine and Jadeja were included along with Russell in the XI.

For the spinner’s slot, Pietersen had to pick one name from Rashid Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal. He immediately chose Chahal and even said that letting Chahal leave Royal Challengers Bengaluru was one of the worst decisions in IPL history.

More from First Cricket

Do the richest owners actually win more titles? IPL’s relationship with wealth explained IPL's bittersweet Australian flavour: What explains fascination with Kangaroos despite commitment concerns

Pietersen was finally asked to select two fast bowlers to complete the team. As soon as Buttler mentioned Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga, Pietersen said he did not need to hear any more names and picked them straight away.

Kevin Pietersen’s all-time IPL XI:

Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Sunil Narine, Ravindra Jadeja, Andre Russell, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga.