 "R Ashwin said he was indebted to MS Dhoni, recalling the wicket of Chris Gayle he took in the IPL 2011 final. Sportzpics")
Ravichandran Ashwin underwent the difficult task of deciding his all-time playing XI for the Indian Premier League (IPL), with seven Indians making the cut.
As with all such lists and declarations, there were notable omissions. Superstars like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Gautam Gambhir were not included.
The off-spinner named four Mumbai Indians players in the lineup while including two from his former franchise Chennai Super Kings.
When it comes to the captaincy pick, Ashwin picked MS Dhoni over Rohit Sharma, despite the latter winning more IPL titles as a skipper.
At the top of the order, Ashwin picked the pair of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as the opening pair, with Suresh Raina coming in at the No. 3.
Rohit and Virat have been opening for their respective franchises, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru respectively, for a long time in the IPL and even opened the innings in T20Is for India during the T20 World Cup.
At No. 4, Ashwin picked ‘Mr. 360’ Suryakumar Yadav. No surprises for the wicket-keeper spot as MS Dhoni earned the nod in Ashwin’s team.
In the spin-bowling department, Ashwin picked the pair of Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan. The two provide firepower with the bat besides being crafty spinners.
Ashwin picked three seamers, with the legendary Lasith Malinga accompanying the Indian pair of Bhvuneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAshwin made the picks during a chat on the YouTube channel of former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth, Cheeky Cheeka.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s all-time IPL XI: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Suryakumar Yadav, Ab de Villiers, MS Dhoni (C/WK), Sunil Narine, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga