CSK captain MS Dhoni was chosen to lead the all-time greatest IPL team, selected by a panel of experts including legends like Wasim Akram, Dale Steyn, Matthew Hayden, and Tom Moody, along with 70 journalists.
The top order featured David Warner, Virat Kohli, and Chris Gayle, with Kohli being the highest run-scorer in IPL history and Warner ranking third overall and first among overseas batters with 6,397 runs.
The middle-order batsmen included Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, Suryakumar Yadav, and MS Dhoni. Raina and De Villiers rank fifth and sixth in all-time IPL runs, boasting strike rates of 136.73 and 151.68, respectively.
Dhoni, the seventh-highest run-scorer with over 5,000 runs, holds the record for the most victories as captain with 133 wins, including five titles as CSK skipper.
The all-rounder positions were filled by Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kieron Pollard, while the bowling attack featured Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Chahal is the leading wicket-taker in IPL with 187 scalps, and Malinga and Bumrah have played crucial roles in most of Mumbai Indians’ five titles.
IPL’s greatest-ever squad:
MS Dhoni (c), Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, David Warner, Suryakumar Yadav, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lasith Malinga, and Jasprit Bumrah.
“MS Dhoni has won the title with really good teams and just okay teams”- Tom Moody
The ex-Australian all-rounder defended choosing MS Dhoni as captain of the IPL’s all-time team, citing Dhoni’s ability to secure titles even with less stellar squads. Despite both Dhoni and Rohit Sharma having five titles each for CSK and MI, Dhoni has more match wins and a higher winning percentage.
While making the selection on Star Sports, Moody mentioned:
“It has to be MS Dhoni for me, the reason being MS Dhoni has won the title with very good squads and average squads, and that tells me a lot about the captain and how he can lead a variety of talent in a squad to success.”
“Rohit Sharma has been a brilliant captain for MI but MI have always had the best squads or up there with the best squads in the IPL since its inception.”
Former CSK teammate and Australian cricket legend Matthew Hayden went a step further, stating:
“It’s an obvious choice, it’s not a debate over here. It’s going to be unanimous amongst the entire Indian community. Of course, Rohit Sharma, the Hitman, is such an incredible leader as well, so it’s a tough choice, but I’m going to be bold and I’m going to pick Dhoni as a Captain and Coach as well.”
“He started in 2008, Shane Warne was captain and coach, and he took the franchise, the double R’s, to a title that year, and I just feel that MS Dhoni can also be a coach.”
MS Dhoni is set to participate in the 17th edition of the IPL, expected to kick off in late March. Meanwhile, despite being appointed to lead the Indian side at the T20 World Cup in June, Rohit Sharma has been replaced as the Mumbai Indians skipper by Hardik Pandya.
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