Nikhil Chopra picks his all-time combined MI-CSK XI

Since its inception, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a huge success due to the presence of experienced T20 players, which has helped to develop a competitive environment. The Mumbai Indians (MI), with five titles to their name, have given many cricketers to the Indian team, whereas the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have helped the international players to improve their craft, and have also been producing fine talents for the last few editions. In the latest interaction, the former Indian cricketer Nikhil Chopra has chosen his all-time combined MI-CSK XI.

Chopra thinks Sachin Tendulkar will be his first-choice pick across all the formats by hailing ‘Master Blaster’ for his consistent performances for more than two decades. He then chose Shane Watson and Rohit Sharma for their contributions to CSK and MI respectively.

Then Chopra chose Suresh Raina, Michael Hussey, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni, and Ravindra Jadeja in the batting department, with Dhoni as the leader of the team. In the bowling unit, he picked up the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravichandran Ashwin (12th man).

“For me, Master Blaster [Sachin Tendulkar] across all the formats and era is best. Then Watson and Rohit, due to their contributions to help their respective teams to win the matches,” said Chopra on Sky247.net presents ‘Not Just Cricket’ Show on CricTracker.

Nikhil Chopra picks Harbhajan Singh as the backup player for his all-time combined MI-CSK XI

Chopra thinks the former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh can perfectly fill the boots of Jadeja and Ashwin due to his variations and usefulness with the bat. Further, he chose Kieron Pollard to come as a replacement for any injured player, as he has sealed many games for MI. In the end, Chopra reckoned that both MI and CSK have been able to retain their core players in each season, which is one of the reasons for their success in the IPL.

“I think Harbhajan Singh can come in place of Jadeja or Ashwin, due to his variations, which is unbelievable as a bowler. I have seen him from up-close and feel he is one of the finest across all formats. If there is an injury concern, Kieron Pollard may come into my side due to his proven performances to win the games for MI. Over these years, both the franchises have not changed their core team, which is one of the reasons for their success,” added Chopra.

Nikhil Chopra’s all-time CSK-MI combined XI: Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Watson, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Michael Hussey, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravichandran Ashwin (12th man)