Hardik Pandya chooses his all-time IPL XI; names Dhoni as captain

India’s ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya recently announced the news of his fatherhood via Instagram. The cricketer was also seen in a free-wheeling conversation with Harsha Bhogle for a Cricbuzz video series. While discussing his career thus far, he also ventured in naming his all-time IPL XI. Surprisingly, the Mumbai Indians’ all-rounder did not nominate his current captain to lead the side.

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Pandya made his Indian Premier League debut in the 2015 edition for the Mumbai Indians. He was spotted by MI coach John Wright in a domestic cricket match. His impressive performances also saw him make his ODI debut for India in the following year. At this point, MS Dhoni was captaining the Indian team while Rohit Sharma led the Mumbai Indians.

Sharma does feature in Pandya’s IPL XI as an opener, however, he is not the skipper. West Indian legend Chris Gayle will partner Sharma at the top. Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Suresh Raina shall bat in the middle order. Pandya chose Dhoni as his captain and wicketkeeper.

The all-rounder pushed himself at the seventh spot. Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan will be the two spinners in Pandya’s XI, both are capable of hitting big shots as well. Pandya capped off his side with a pair of lethal fast bowlers from MI – Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga.

Here’s the complete team – Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Hardik Pandya, Sunil Narine, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga.