IPL 2022: 3 players from India's 2011 World Cup-winning team who are playing in the tournament right now

The 2011 World Cup-winning Indian team will always have a special place in the hearts of Indian cricket fans. Playing the World Cup final at home, the Men in Blue trounced neighbors Sri Lanka to capture their second ODI World Cup title.

MS Dhoni and Co. ended a 28-year long wait by lifting the trophy at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 11 years ago, the same city is playing host to the biggest carnival in T20 league cricket right now as IPL 2022 is taking place in Mumbai and Pune.

Most of the 2011 World Cup heroes have called time on their careers now. However, the following names from that squad are still playing in IPL 2022.

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#1 MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings

MS Dhoni scored a half-century in his first match this season (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com).

MS Dhoni is the only name on this list who has retired from international cricket. While Dhoni decided to end his international career in 2020, he has been playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

After leading CSK to their fourth championship last year in the UAE, Dhoni stepped down from captaincy ahead of IPL 2022. He handed over the team's reins to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

Dhoni plays for Chennai as a wicket-keeper batter in the playing XI. He has kicked off his IPL 2022 season with two impressive performances.

The former Indian captain scored a half-century against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium last week. Earlier this week, he scored 16 runs off just six balls against Lucknow Super Giants.

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#2 Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli was one of the youngsters present in the Indian squad that won the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Kohli came out to bat in a pressure situation when India lost their experienced openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar early.

The right-handed batter played a patient knock of 35 runs and set a platform for MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir to guide the Indian team home.

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#3 Ravichandran Ashwin, Rajasthan Royals

Ravichandran Ashwin was not a regular member of the Indian playing XI during the 2011 World Cup. However, he played a match-winning role for the team in the limited opportunities he received. Ashwin took four wickets in two matches for India, with two of them coming against Australia in the quarter-finals.

The right-arm off-spinner from Tamil Nadu was the most economical bowler for India at the mega-event after Harbhajan Singh. Ashwin still represents India actively in all three formats of international cricket.

In IPL 2022, the off-spinner is a part of the Rajasthan Royals squad. It will be interesting to see if Ashwin can help the Jaipur-based franchise win their second title in IPL 2022.