IPL 2021: Aakash Chopra picks his team of the tournament, leaves out Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma

Aakash Chopra has picked his IPL 2021 XI based on performances in the 29 matches played to date. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are a couple of prominent players who have failed to find a place in his team.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma came up with some decent performances in IPL 2021 but did not set the tournament on fire. Some of the other openers outshone them and thus got Chopra's vote ahead of the two Indian batting stalwarts.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra chose KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan as the two openers in his IPL 2021 XI.

"I have kept KL Rahul first. He played three big knocks, which includes two nineties and a 60-odd. All three of them came in a winning cause, so whenever he scored runs his team won. He played at a good strike rate as well. Along with him is Shikhar Dhawan and he has the Orange Cap on his head. The maturity with which he has started playing, this is the upgraded version of Shikhar Dhawan which we have seen from the last IPL," said Chopra.

The reputed commentator chose Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Faf du Plessis to come in at No.3 in his chosen XI of IPL 2021.

"I have kept Faf at No.3. He opened for his team but I have kept him at No.3. He has been consistent and played in a destructive fashion. CSK's revival wouldn't have happened without him," observed Chopra.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) duo of Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers took two of the three remaining overseas slots in Aakash Chopra's best team of IPL 2021.

"At No.4, I have kept Glenn Maxwell. He scored the difficult runs. His performance in the first five matches was outstanding. I have kept AB de Villiers at No.5. His innings in Ahmedabad was fantastic and the knock against KKR in Chennai was one of the finest you would see in the IPL," stated Chopra.

The former Kolkata Knight Riders KKR player picked Rishabh Pant as the wicket-keeper-batsman in his IPL 2021 XI.

"At No.6, I have kept Pant. I know it is too low down the order but you can promote him if a left-hander is required to be sent. I will get him to keep and not AB," added Chopra.

The likes of Jonny Bairstow, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and Moeen Ali failed to make Aakash Chopra's chosen team of IPL 2021, considering the restriction of only four foreigners allowed in the playing XI.

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Aakash Chopra's choice of all-rounders and bowlers in his IPL 2021 XI

Ravindra Jadeja starred with his all-round performances in IPL 2021 [P/C: iplt20.com]

Ravindra Jadeja deservedly got a place as the spin-bowling all-rounder in Aakash Chopra's IPL 2021 XI.

"At No.7, you can keep Jaddu. His bowling was very good and he batted amazingly well. He played in a bold fashion and run-outs while fielding, four catches in an innings. He knows everything, he has been absolutely brilliant," said Chopra.

All guns blazing !🔥#CSKvRCB #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/iQ4HPmecaI

— Chennai Super Kings - Mask P😷du Whistle P🥳du! (@ChennaiIPL) April 25, 2021

The 43-year-old picked Chris Morris as the seam-bowling all-rounder and the final overseas player in his IPL 2021 team.

"At No.8, I have got Chris Morris. He continuously did something or the other, either in batting or bowling. On the whole, he kept paying the EMIs of the 16.25 crores for which he was bought," added Chopra.

Aakash Chopra rounded off his preferred IPL 2021 XI by picking Rahul Chahar, Avesh Khan, and Harshal Patel as the three specialist bowlers.

"At No.9, 10 and 11, I have got all three Indians. One is Rahul Chahar, then Avesh Khan and finally Harshal Patel," signed off Chopra.

We were at the halfway stage of #IPL2021 and the tournament stands suspended. Yet, we found such incredible talent from all teams this season.#DC : Avesh Khan#CSK : Ruturaj Gaikwad#RCB : Harshal Patel#MI : Rahul Chahar#PBKS : Harpreet Brar#RR : Chetan Sakariya

— Rudraksh Kikani (@KikaniRudraksh) May 5, 2021

Aakash Chopra's IPL 2021 XI: KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Chris Morris, Rahul Chahar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel