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The Indian Premier League is undoubtedly the most watched T20 cricket league in the world right now. Unlike other T20 leagues around the globe, the IPL gets a separate window during the Indian summer in the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the foreign players to be available for the majority of the tournament.
This ensures that the top T20 players from around the world make themselves available for the glitzy auction that traditionally initiates the mega event.
Players from all around the globe have graced this tournament over the last 12 years. Over the past few years, players from associate cricket countries like Nepal and Afghanistan have also been able to make it to the IPL thanks to their excellent performances in other T20 leagues.
On that note, we present to you an all-time IPL XI that has been constructed by selecting one top player each from eleven different countries-
Countries considered are India, Australia, New Zealand, England South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Netherlands.
Also see – IPL 2020 time table
Note: This is not a team built by selecting the best player from each country as that would make it difficult to build a balanced team. The team was built by first selecting the most obvious choices from certain countries with lesser competition and then fitting the rest of the vacant positions with the best choices from the remaining countries. Thus, this is not necessarily a team built by selecting the best player from each country.
#1 Afghanistan: Rashid Khan
Afghanistan's rockstar Rashid Khan was an easy selection in this team. Though Mohammad Nabi was the first Afghan cricketer to get into the IPL, Khan has elevated Afghan cricket to a different level and has developed into a devastating spinner in limited-overs cricket.
He was snapped up by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2017 and the then 18-year old immediately repaid the faith shown in him by the team management by picking up 17 wickets in 14 games. He followed it up with 17 and 21 wickets in the subsequent seasons.
The young leggie was the first person his captains would turn to in search of a wicket or to stem the flow of runs. Rashid's quick arm action, the pace at which he would bowl at and his wicket-to-wicket delivery made him an extremely difficult bowler for oppositions to line up and target.
He also adds value as he in an athletic fielder and also contributed handy runs with the bat lower down the order. In 46 matches, he has picked up 55 wickets at a miserly economy rate of 6.55
The 21-year old plays with his heart on his sleeve and has a long career ahead of him and could develop into one of the finest bowlers in IPL history. His knack of clearing the fence and his great athleticism on the field are added bounses.
He'll slot in as our spinner and bat at number 8 in this team.
#2 Bangladesh: Shakib al Hasan
Shakib al Hasan is Bangladesh's longest serving player in the IPL and is also arguably one of the finest all-rounders to have played all formats of the game. His value as a T20 player for his side is immense as he bats in the middle order and can bowl 4 overs of tidy left-arm spin. He's a player for all conditions and has been Bangladesh's go-to man over the past decade.
Shakib started his IPL career in 2011 with Kolkata Knight Riders whom he served with distinction till 2017. He was a key member in both of KKR's title-winning seasons, forming a formidable spin trio along with Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla. He then moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018 where he continued to excel with both bat and ball.
Shakib has taken 59 wickets in 63 IPL matches at an economy of 7.46 and has scored 746 runs at an average of 21.31. Shakib will finish his career as one of the finest all rounders to have graced the game.
He will be the all-rounder who will bat at number 6 in this team.
#3 Pakistan: Sohail Tanvir
Pakistan players appeared in the IPL only in the first edition in 2008 and haven't been considered since due to political differences between the two countries. The first IPL was when the likes of Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar, Kamran Akmal and Younis Khan, among others, appeared for different teams. But it was Sohail Tanvir who was one of the stars of the season and the best Pakistani player by far.
Playing for the unfancied underdogs Rajasthan Royals, Tanvir grew to become the leader of the bowling attack en route to their title triumph. The left-arm seamer was devastating at times and was a key ingredient in the Royals team and his figures of 6/14 against Chennai Super Kings remained the best in IPL for 11 years till it was broken by Alzarri Joseph last year.
Tanvir ended up with the Purple Cap in the first edition with 22 wickets in just 11 games at an incredible average of 12.09 and an economy of 6.46.
Tanvir will be one of the fast bowlers and will bat at 9 in this team.
#4 Netherlands: Dirk Nannes
Three players from Netherlands have appeared in the IPL in the past viz. Ryan ten Doeschate, Roelof van der Merwe and Dirk Nannes. ten Doeschate is considered as Holland's greatest cricketer and Nannes played for the Dutch side in the 2009 World T20 before switching allegiance to Australia in the 2010 World T20. We've picked Nannes as the Dutch representative in this team as the batting spots are filled up by the major Test-playing nations and also because Nannes had a bigger impact in his first season with Delhi Daredevils in 2009, when he was a Dutch player.
The left-arm pacer picked up 15 wickets in 13 games and 7 in 9 games in his two seasons with Delhi Daredevils before moving to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011 where he failed to replicate the same success. He moved to Chennai Super Kings in 2013 but struggled to impose himself in the eleven. He ended his IPL career with a respectable tally of 28 wickets in 29 games at an economy rate of 7.29.
Nannes will be one of the pacers of this side and will be the number 11.
#5 Sri Lanka: Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga is, without a doubt, the best Sri Lankan player to have played the IPL. Malinga, who made his first appearance in 2009, became a legend at Mumbai Indians during his 11-year stint with the team.
Malinga is the finest fast bowler this tournament has witnessed. The Sri Lankan is excellent both at the start and more so at the death, with his deadly yorkers and deceptive slower balls. He has remained the go-to bowler for MI throughout and, towards the end of his career, even began to mentor the fast bowling group of the team, which can be evidenced by Jasprit Bumrah's remarkable rise.
Malinga always had the task of bowling the most difficult and vital overs for MI and his death bowling has pulled MI out of jail on numerous occasions.
Malinga also won the Purple Cap in 2011 as he ended up with 28 wickets in 16 matches. He has picked up over 15 wickets in 8 of the 9 seasons he has played. He currently leads the tally for most wickets in IPL with 170 wickets in just 122 games at a fantastic economy rate of 7.14.
As his fitness standards began to drop post-2017, he moved on to become MI's bowling coach but remarkably came back to wear the blue jersey again on the field in 2018. Though he had a mixed tournament as he was not at his best, he came up trumps at the crucial point as he got a wicket off the last ball in the final with 2 runs to win to secure his team Mumbai a historic fourth title win.
Lasith Malinga will be one of the three pacers along with Nannes and Tanvir and will slot in at 10.
#6 New Zealand: Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum wrote his name into IPL folklore with a blistering innings of 158* in the first match of the inaugural edition of IPL. Baz, wearing Kolkata Knight Riders colours, lit up the Chinnaswamy Stadium and gave the tournament a spectacular start. He has since played for Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Lions, and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
McCullum was a part of the IPL-winning team of KKR in 2012 and then moved to CSK in 2014 where he had his two most productive seasons. He was a part of a formidable batting and fielding line-up in CSK and ended up with over 400 runs on both those seasons.
The Kiwi wicketkeeper-batsman moved to Gujarat Lions when CSK were banned and scored over 300 runs in both seasons before moving to RCB in 2018. He failed to replicate his best form at RCB and ended up making the eleven in just 6 of their matches.
McCullum ended up his IPL career with 2880 runs from 109 matches at an average of 27.69 and an imposing strike rate of 131.74. Most importantly he was universally loved and admired by fans around the world for his sportsman spirit and ended his career as the Best Kiwi player to appear in the IPL.
McCullum will open the batting in this team.
#7 South Africa: AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers is probably one of the most loved foreign cricketers in India and that could be validated by the chants of 'AB AB' that is heard in different stadiums of India when the South African bats. He's also, undoubtedly, the best South African player in the IPL.
AB began his IPL career at Delhi Daredevils, for whom he played from 2008 to 2010. One of the many blunders committed by DD over the years was not retaining this man and their loss was RCB's gain.
After moving to RCB, he formed a part of a formidable batting line-up with Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, and put on many memorable partnerships with the latter.
Mr. 360 has also won numerous matches on his own when the game seemed almost dead and his battles with his countryman Dale Steyn will live long in the memory.
De Villliers has scored 4395 runs in 154 matches at an average of almost 40 and a destructive strike rate of 151.23. He has also scored 3 hundreds and 33 fifties. The only thing that has gone against him is that he hasn't won an IPL trophy yet despite making it to the final twice.
He'll bat at number 4 in this team.
#8 England: Jos Buttler (wk)
England players' involvement in the initial editions of the IPL was restricted until things changed in 2015 post-England's early exit from the World Cup which prompted a change in mindset.
Two of England's best limited-overs players post the World Cup debacle are Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler and those are the two players who are under consideration for this team. Jos Buttler just edges Stokes due to his impressive contributions for Rajasthan Royals, while Ben Stokes has failed to live up to the hype for the same team.
Jos Buttler is England's most destructive batsman and also one of the game's most considering his extraordinary strike rate of almost 120 despite having scored almost 4000 ODI runs. The Englishman was first picked by Mumbai Indians in 2016 and after two average seasons, he switched to Rajasthan Royals in 2018, where he was one of the key players in their surprise entry into the playoffs. He scored 548 runs in just 13 games at a strike rate of over 150 and he replicated that in the next season with almost 350 runs at a similar strike rate.
In 45 matches, Buttler has scored 1386 runs at an average of 35.53 and a strike rate of 150.81. He is expected to dominate the IPL over the next 5 years plus.
He'll slot in as the wicketkeeper-batsman at number 5 in this team.
#9 Australia: Shane Watson
Australia has a history of producing remarkable cricketers and many of those have appeared in the IPL. However, the two players that stand out the most are David Warner and Shane Watson and choosing between the two is extremely difficult.
David Warner is the third-highest run-scorer in IPL history despite not playing 2 IPLs. He has scored 500+ runs in the last 5 editions he has played in and even has three Orange Caps to his name. The season he didn't win the Orange Cap he finished second behind Kohli despite scoring 848 runs, but he led his side to the IPL trophy. He has 4706 runs in just 126 games at an astonishing average of 43.17 and a strike rate of 142.39.
Shane Watson has been one of the best all-rounders to have played the IPL. He's one player who almost always steps up on the big occasion.
He began his IPL sojourn at Rajasthan Royals in 2008 and was named the Player of the Tournament for his tally of 472 runs and 17 wickets in 15 games during their victorious journey. He was once again named Player of the Tournament in 2013 for his tally of 543 runs and 13 wickets.
He moved to Chennai Super Kings in 2018 after a failed stint at Royal Challengers Bangalore and he scored two centuries during CSK's triumphant return back to the IPL. The Queenslander was named the Player of the Final for his brutal century in a tense run chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He almost pulled off a repeat of his heroics the next season in 2019 when he almost helped CSK over the line in the final against Mumbai Indians. A big match player if there ever was one.
Watto has scored 3575 runs in 134 matches with 4 100s at an average of 31.08 and a strike rate of almost 140. With the ball, he has 92 wickets to his name at an economy less than 8. When he was fully fit, he definitely was a highly valued player.
He'll open the batting in this team.
#10 India: Rohit Sharma (C)
With this being an Indian Premier League, the biggest decision would have been with respect to choosing the best Indian player for this team. It was a toss-up between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma along with Suresh Raina and the simple fact that Kohli hasn't won the IPL yet whereas Rohit Sharma leads the tally with 5 to his name, along with a remarkable 4 as captain, ensures that India's vice-captain gets the nod ahead of his captain in this team.
Sharma began his IPL journey with Deccan Chargers and was the only bright spot in a terrible campaign for the Hyderabadi side. He continued his good form during DC's triumphant 2009 with over 350 runs to his name and also earned the Emerging Player of the Year award. After 3 years at DC, Sharma moved to his hometown team Mumbai Indians, where he has established himself as one of the most decorated players in the tournament's history.
Sharma was named as the captain post-Sachin's retirement and the captain stepped up by leading his side to 4 IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019. He was the Player of the Final in 2015 when he scored a quickfire 50 that clinched them the victory over rivals Chennai Super Kings. He has remained a big run-getter for his team and has batted in numerous positions according to his team's needs. He is currently the second-highest run- scorer in IPL history, behind none other than Kohli.
The Mumbaikar has 4898 runs in 188 games at an average of 31.60 and a strike rate of 130.82.
He will bat at number three as well as lead the team.
#11 West Indies: Andre Russell
One of the most difficult tasks of selecting the best player from a country was for West Indies due to the top-notch performances of some of their star players over the years. Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, and Andre Russell have all been one of the most valuable players for their respective teams over the years.
Each of them makes a strong case to be in this side and hence naming the best player from this lot is extremely difficult. With two spinners and two openers already in this team, Gayle and Narine were left out of consideration. With the team needing a finisher, the toss up was between Pollard and Russell and the choice ended up being Russell.
The all-rounder from West Indies was first signed by Delhi Daredevils in 2012 but he had two poor campaigns that ensured that he wasn't retained. He was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 and they've gone on to reap the best of the West Indian. In 5 years at the franchise, Russell has twice been named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament in 2015 and 2019. He scored 510 runs at a strike rate of over 200 and also picked up 11 wickets last year to land the MVP award.
He has scored 1400 runs in 64 matches at an impressive average of 33.33 and a mind-boggling strike rate of 186.41. He's also a very useful bowler who can bowl the important overs of the innings for his side and has also picked up 55 wickets. The biggest factor going in his favour is he absolutely decimates bowling attacks when he comes into the crease with his ridiculous power. He has single-handedly won numerous games for KKR when the game appeared dead. He's definitely one of the most valuable players in this format of the game.
He will bat at No.7 and will chip in with a few overs.
Final XI
- Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)
- Shane Watson (Australia)
- Rohit Sharma (India)
- AB de Villiers (South Africa)
- Jos Buttler (England)
- Shakib al Hasan (Bangladesh)
- Andre Russell (West Indies)
- Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
- Sohail Tanvir (Pakistan)
- Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
- Dirk Nannes (Netherlands)
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