Chris Gayle has always been one of the most entertaining names in the Indian Premier League, and now the West Indian legend has made headlines again.
In a recent chat, Gayle revealed his all-time IPL XI, but the big surprise was the exclusion of Rohit Sharma.
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The Mumbai Indians captain, who has lifted the trophy six times, did not find a place in Gayle’s star-studded list.
Who makes the opening pair in Gayle’s dream IPL XI?
Gayle decided to back himself as one of the openers. Alongside him, he picked his old Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate Virat Kohli.
The duo has played several iconic knocks in RCB colors, and Gayle believes they are the best choice to start an innings.
Kohli is the leading run-scorer in IPL history, while Gayle himself is known for the fastest hundred and the record 175-run storm in Bengaluru.
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The omission of Rohit Sharma raised many eyebrows. Rohit has over 6,500 IPL runs and six titles, including five as captain of Mumbai Indians. Despite this, Gayle chose other names ahead of him.
Interestingly, it wasn’t just Rohit. Gayle also left out Hardik Pandya, who won five trophies with MI and guided Gujarat Titans to their maiden title in 2022.
Which other players did Gayle include in his lineup?
For the middle order, Gayle picked Suresh Raina, known as Mr. IPL, at No. 3 and AB de Villiers at No. 4. KL Rahul was also given a spot as an extra batter.
From Chennai Super Kings, three stalwarts made it- MS Dhoni as captain and wicketkeeper, Ravindra Jadeja for his all-round skills and Dwayne Bravo as the seam-bowling all-rounder.
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In the bowling unit, Gayle chose Sunil Narine as the spinner, with Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar handling pace. This meant no room for Lasith Malinga, despite his legendary IPL record.
Chris Gayle’s all-time IPL XI
Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.