IPL 2020 | Brad Hogg names his pre-IPL XI; leaves out AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni

In a rather bizarre take from Brad Hogg in picking his own pre-IPL XI, the former Australian unorthodox spinner dropped the likes of AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni from the team. Interestingly, MS Dhoni in the 15 innings last season top-scored for the CSK franchise, scoring 416 runs at an average of 83.20, while on the other hand, AB de Villiers was much ahead of the CSK counterpart, with 442 runs in just 13 innings, at an average of 44.20. 

Despite the staggering numbers, the Australian did not pick either of them in the setup. However, he did pick up Orange cap winner, David Warner, as his opener alongside Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma. Another big name that missed out from the list was Chris Gayle, who scored 490 runs last season. At No.3, the former KKR bowler picked up Virat Kohli as Kane Williamson was slotted in at No.4 alongside being the skipper of the star-studded team. 

“At No.4, the captain of this team Kane Williamson. He has got a good head on his shoulders, great ambassador for the game and he has got a good strike-rate in the middle overs of a 140. If the team is on the back foot with a couple of early wickets, he is the man with the composure to get the momentum back in the batting stake. At No. 5 is Rishabh Pant. I like the way he puts his team first. If he needs to find the boundary from ball one, he will find it for you. He backs his ability and he will be the keeper as well,” he said in his YouTube video. 

Rishabh Pant was named as the keeper, with Andre Russell and Ravindra Jadeja taking up the all-rounders spot in the XI alongside KKR’s Sunil Narine. RCB’s Yuzvendra Chahal, SRH’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar and MI’s Jasprit Bumrah rounded up the bowling attack. 

“First up, David Warner from Sunrisers Hyderabad. Consistent performer, gets his team off to great starts and gets his runs at good click. Opening the batting with Warner is Rohit Sharma. He is a dynamite in IPL cricket. Best opening batsman in white-ball cricket around the world. You got to have him in this list. 

“Now, I haven’t got MS Dhoni, or AB de Villiers, or Chris Gayle in there. They are a little bit long in the tooth, a little bit old. But, they can turn things around, and be my final XI at the end of the tournament when I go back and revisit this vlog,” Hogg concluded.

Brad Hogg’s ‘pre-IPL 2020 XI’: David Warner, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson (C), Rishabh Pant, Andre Russell, Ravindra Jadeja, Sunil Narine, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah.