IPL: The All-time best XI across the 11 seasons

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a massive tournament in the country’s domestic circuit where players from around the globe grace their presence. The retention ceremony and the auction recently came to a close where franchises strained every sinew for building a strong squad for the eleventh season of the league. The extravaganza has been a witness to several cricketers plying their trade over the ten editions. Some of the players have shown great loyalty as well, sticking and performing for the same side over and over again.

However, only a few of them managed to display consistency for a substantial length of time. They have been exemplary in their respective departments and have emerged as legendary figures in the history of the tournament. Most of these players have also made it big in terms of their international sides, something that we’ve seen and cherished over the years in international cricket for India and other nations as well.

In this post, we take you through some of the best players who have made it to the best XI in the IPL across all seasons.

1. David Warner

David Warner has been an eminent figure in the Indian Premier League. The Aussie batsman made his debut in 2009 for the Delhi Daredevils and played some wonderful knocks for the franchise. Thereafter, he played five seasons for them. In 2014 he was bagged by the Sunrisers Hyderabad and has been a vital cog in their lineup ever since.

The left-handed batsman has arguably been Hyderabad’s most consistent batsman. He was crowned as the skipper of the team in 2015. In the following year, he captained his side to glory by beating the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Final. The cricketer has been retained by the franchise ahead of the next season and is expected to replicate his form from the previous edition.

2. Chris Gayle

Christopher Henry Gayle’s brute force with the willow is an open secret. The hulking Jamaican has tormented the bowlers over the years with his ferocious display of stroke-play. He made his debut for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008 and has grown in stature ever since. After playing three seasons for the Knights, Gayle moved to the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011.

Almost immediately, he stamped his authority for the franchise and soon became an indispensable element of their setup. He has arguably been amongst the most feared batsmen in the shortest format. However, Gayle didn’t have much to cheer about in the last couple of seasons and subsequently, the Challengers released him. Nevertheless, the Kings XI Punjab bagged him at his base price in the auction at Bangalore.

3. Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina is highly rated among the cricket fraternity and rightly so, bearing in mind his stupendous potential to score runs in the T20 format. He has been a stalwart in the Indian Premier League and is currently the highest run-scorer after ten editions. Raina commenced his IPL career for the Chennai Super Kings and played eight straight seasons for the franchise.

However, following CSKs two-year ban from the league, he was bagged by the Gujarat Lions where he played a couple of seasons. He captained the side with authority and dished out some impressive performances for them. However, he was retained by the CSK franchise in the IPL retention ceremony and He scored 445 runs in IPL 2018.

4. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has carved a reputation for being one of the most dynamic batsmen in the world. He led the Indian Under-19 team to glory following which he was drafted in by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008. He has played ten straight seasons for the franchise and is the only player in the league who hasn’t been auctioned yet.

The Delhi-born cricketer became the first player in the history of the IPL to notch four centuries in one season in 2015. He also captained the team to the Final in the same year against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, however, couldn’t fetch the title for the team.

5. Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan is be regarded as one of the brutal hitters of the cricket ball in Indian cricket. He made his debut for India in the Final of the 2007 World T20 in South Africa, however, came to limelight in the Indian Premier League. He represented the Rajasthan Royals and hogged the headlines courtesy his abilities to clear the boundaries at will.

He also scored the then fastest century in the IPL against the Mumbai Indians in 2009. After three glorious seasons with the Royals, Yusuf moved to the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise in 2011. Thereafter he remained a Knight for seven years until most recently when he was released by the franchise. The Baroda all-rounder was subsequently bagged by the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He scored 260 runs in IPL 2018.

6. Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo has been among the most sought-after all-rounders, especially in the T20 format. The Trinidadian has plied his trade in several T20 leagues and has been a crucial element of whichever team he represented. The Windies cricketer made his debut in the Indian Premier League for the Mumbai Indians and has been one of the greatest all-rounders to have played in the event.

After playing for the Indians, he shifted to the Chennai Super Kings. However, following CSK’s two-year ban, he played a couple of seasons for the Gujarat Lions.

7. MS Dhoni (c & wk)

Mahendra Singh is arguably the most successful leader in the Indian Premier League. He has been a fulcrum for the franchise for the opening eight seasons. He captained the Chennai Super Kings to the last-four on every occasion and also won three championships for them. The wicket-keeper has also won two Champions League T20 title for the franchise.

Post CSK’s suspension, he became the skipper of the Rising Pune Supergiant for the ninth edition, however, had a dismal campaign as Pune finished among the bottom four teams. Thereafter, Steve Smith replaced him as the captain in the tenth season. After serving a two-year suspension, the Chennai franchise is back into the mix and Dhoni won the third title for his team.

8. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh has been an integral member of the Mumbai Indians team since the opening season of the Indian Premier League. The cricketer was grabbed by the franchise in the inaugural edition in 2008 and emerged as one of their most reliable bowlers in the domestic T20 tournament. The off-spinner is currently the third highest wicket-taker in the cash-rich T20 league.

The tweaker is also no mug with the willow and has played some useful hands lower down the order for the Mukesh Ambani-owned franchise. However, the Indians released him ahead of the retention ceremony and he subsequently entered the auction as a marquee player. The Punjab bowler, thereafter, was bagged by the Chennai Super Kings at INR 2 crores for the eleventh season of the IPL.

9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar started his career as a bowler with the prowess of seaming the leather. However, he has refurbished his skills and has emerged as a versatile bowler who could pick wickets during any stage of a game. He started his career in the Indian Premier League, representing the Pune Warriors, however, moved to the Sunrisers Hyderabad team in 2014.

Thereafter, the Uttar Pradesh bowler has been a stalwart in their bowling department over the four seasons. Meanwhile, he also bagged the Purple Cap in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Bhuvneshwar featured among a couple of players who were retained by the franchise in the IPL retention ceremony.

10. Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra has struggled to cement his position in the Indian team. However, the Haryana-born leggie has been one of the most successful bowlers in the Indian Premier League. The tweaker is currently the second highest wicket-taker in the event. He is also the only bowler in the league with three hat-tricks against the Deccan Chargers, Kings XI Punjab, and Pune Warriors respectively.

He played for the Delhi Daredevils in the previous edition of the IPL and was released by the franchise ahead of the retention ceremony. Nevertheless, he was bagged by the Daredevils for INR 4 crores in the auction. At 35 years of age, Mishra might be at the twilight of his career, however, he hasn’t run out of steam just yet.

11. Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga’s strength, surprisingly, lied in his predictability to bowl Yorkers. His vicious toe-crushers has pinned the best in the business. The fact that he is currently the highest wicket-taker in the Indian Premier league doesn’t spring a surprise. While he was the Purple Cap holder in 2011, he has also featured among the leading wicket-takers in the next few seasons.

He made his debut for the Mumbai Indians in 2009 and has been pivotal to several of their victories. Meanwhile, the bowler has had an erratic run in the last couple of years owing to inconsistencies and frequent injuries. He was released by the Mumbai Indians and subsequently, he entered the 2018 auction at a base price of INR 1 crore. However, he was overlooked by the franchises.