Ricky Ponting has MS Dhoni as captain in his best IPL XI

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has chosen his best XI out of the all ten seasons of the IPL so far. The XI consists of four foreign players, a rule applicable in the IPL since 2008, along with seven Indians. Interestingly, Ponting chose MS Dhoni as the captain of the side.

Ponting went in with two all-time great T20 openers in Chris Gayle and fellow countryman David Warner. Both left-handers have had terrific success in the IPL over the years and will be a dynamic opening combination. Warner ranks number one in the list of highest runs made in the IPL by a foreign player followed by Chris Gayle.

“It was a very tough team to pick because I could only get the four overseas guys in there,” he said and added,”So there were a few notable names that have missed out on selection. Things got pretty difficult but I’ve tried to put the best possible team together that I’ve ever seen in IPL history.”

Speaking of the dynamic duo of Gayle and Warner, Ponting dreaded bowling to them in tandem.

“I’ve gone for two extremely dynamic opening batsmen and I wouldn’t like to be an opening bowler bowling to these two together.”

Both are ranked No. 5 and 7 respectively in the list of most runs getter which is led by Suresh Raina closely followed by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, all making the cut in the XI.

With the presence of Kohli, Rohit, and Raina in the XI, the middle order looks very compact and reliable. Dhoni will be at No. 6, who will also lead the side. Dhoni has been the most successful captain in the history of IPL winning two titles and innumerable playoffs.

“MS Dhoni is at No.6 and he’ll also be the captain of my side. He brings huge experience and whenever he’s at the crease … you’re always a chance of winning the game. I’ve seen him do it off his own bat on several occasions so I’ll go with him as skipper, with the gloves and batting at No.6.”

Dwayne Bravo could not take part in IPL 2017 due to an injury but he makes it to this XI as the sole all-rounder. The West Indian has had terrific success as a bowler especially at the death and is handy late down the order as a batsman. Indians Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra are the two spinners, who have been brilliant with their variations in the six-week tournament over the years.

“I’ve gone for a bit of a shock here and have put Amit Mishra on the side. He’s got an outstanding IPL record, he’s got great variations and he’s a wicket-taker because he’s not scared to throw the ball up. He turns the ball enough both ways and he’s been a great performer for a long, long time.”

With 152 wickets in the IPL, which is the highest ever, Lastih Malinga was an ostensible choice in this all-time XI. He will partner Ashish Nehra with the new ball.

“A left-arm option is always nice so Ashish Nehra is the other quick I’ve gone for. He’s been around a long time, offers great consistency, the ability to swing the new ball just enough and his ability to nail what he needs to nail at the right times under pressure is probably what sets him aside from most others.”

Ponting has chosen his XI very wisely and has preferred experience over glitz and glamour. ‘Punter’ as he is famously known as, has punted on proven and consistent performances in the IPL.

Ponting’s all-time IPL XI:

Chris Gayle, David Warner, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Lasith Malinga and Ashish Nehra.