AB de Villiers picks a star studded IPL all time XI, names MS Dhoni as captain

AB de Villiers’ has been part of the IPL ever since its 2008 inception where he represented Delhi Daredevils. During this time, he batted alongside the Nawab of Najafgarh, Virendra Sehwag. Mr. 360 picked Viru as his first opener, accompanied by Mumbai’s very own ‘Hitman’ – Rohit Sharma to partner him in his all-time IPL 11. The RCB stalwart, however left out his long time explosive teammate Chris Gayle, leaving this call up for much debate.

Batting at No.3 would be AB’s RCB skipper, Virat Kohli. Followed by this he picked himself at number 4, setting up what has historically produced the most mouthwatering middle order partnership since the creation of the IPL. Together, they have put on great numbers on the board, steering games out of the jaws of defeat, to ensure their franchise tastes success.

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Mr.360 then named Ben Stokes and captain cool – MS Dhoni to solidify the lower middle-order batting setup. While Dhoni has been one of the most successful captains in the history of the IPL, known for his calmness under pressure and finishing touches, Ben Stokes has over the years been proving his mettle as a game changer. Incidentally, Dhoni was further named as the skipper and the keeper of de Villiers’ IPL XI. Ravindra Jadeja and Rashid Khan completed the spin-setup for the IPL XI, providing some much needed stability and explosive potential for the tail-end.

To complete this dream 11, de Villiers named three speedsters in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, national teammate Kagiso Rabada, and Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah, who has been one of the greatest talents to come out of IPL, to become the world’s best bowler across more than one format solidifies a watertight bowling unit. AB de Villiers’ IPL XI has some real firepower in the batting side, well balanced with an explosive bowling unit which could prove to be too good for any other team.

AB de Villiers’  IPL XI: Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (c) (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kagiso Rabada, Jasprit Bumrah