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What's the story?
Former Indian cricketer and popular commentator Aakash Chopra has picked his all-time IPL XI. This team includes four foreigners and seven Indians.
In case you didn't know...
Unless you are living under a rock, you would know that 12th season of the Indian Premier League is set to start on 23rd March. All the eight teams are gearing up for the challenge, while the fans are going down the memory lane to recall great IPL matches and players.
The heart of the matter
Akash Chopra picked his team solely on the basis of stats in the first 11 seasons of the biggest cricket league in the world. The popular cricket analyst chose players from only six franchises. He picked three players each from Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings who are the most successful teams in the history of the competition.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have never won the IPL but Akash Chopra picked two RCB players in all-time XI. Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders also registered their presence in the XI as Chopra picked one player each from these teams.
Akash Chopra picked MS Dhoni as the captain of the team, instead of current Indian captain Virat Kohli. The choice of captain makes sense as MS Dhoni has lifted the IPL trophy three times as the captain. The team represents three countries as they have seven Indians, 3 Windies, and one South African.
The exclusion of Lasith Malinga was surprising but Akash Chopra decided to pick two Indian pacers and use overseas slots for other positions. The popular commentator explained that he has been impressed with both Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
"When IPL had started I never looked like Indian fast bowlers are going to come to the fore. But Bumrah and Bhuvi have changed that perception." Akash Chopra was quoted by Times Now
Aakash Chopra's all-time IPL XI: Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Harbhajan Singh Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah.
What's next?
All the eight teams are gearing up for the season 12 of IPL. Expect new stars to emerge and give the old guard a run for their money.
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