Shakib Al Hasan overlooks Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers in his all-time IPL XI, names MS Dhoni as captain

Shakib Al Hasan, who was an integral part of Kolkata Knight Riders’ title-winning campaigns in 2012 and 2014, picked his all-time IPL XI during an interaction with Sportskeeda.

Quite remarkably, Shakib named just three overseas players in his all-time best line-up of the tournament, which has had a significant number of international stars over the years. Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers were the most notable absentees, as were Andre Russell, Shane Watson, Rashid Khan and Sunil Narine.

The list comprised three IPL winning captains in Rohit Sharma, David Warner and MS Dhoni, with Dhoni being named as the leader. Surprisingly, KL Rahul has been slotted to bat at the No.6 position, in a line-up that has Rohit, Warner, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina as the top four.

The 34-year-old opted for a pace-heavy attack, comprising Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, with Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja filling the all-rounders’ slots.

Eight of the 11 players have won an IPL title at least once, with Kohli, Rahul and Stokes being the exceptions.

The KKR all-rounder is currently gearing up for the second leg of the IPL 2021 in UAE, beginning Sunday, September 19. The Knight Riders will face Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 20 in Abu Dhabi.

Shakib Al Hasan’s all-time IPL XI: Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (captain and wk), KL Rahul, Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar