No Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni as former PBKS all-rounder picks his all-time T20 XI

Former Punjab Kings (PBKS) all-rounder Sikandar Raza made a couple of noticeable exclusions in picking his all-time T20 XI. The Zimbabwean legend did not find a place for the legendary Indian duo of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.

The former has scored 13,543 runs in his illustrious T20 career with an average of almost 42. Kohli also recently won the 2024 T20 World Cup with India and clinched his maiden IPL title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) this year. Meanwhile, Dhoni is among the most successful captains in the T20 format, having led India to the title in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2027 and captaining the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to all five IPL titles.

Coming to Raza's all-time T20 XI, Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma were picked as the two openers, with the latter also named the captain. Gayle is the all-time leader in T20 runs with 14,562 runs, while Rohit captained the Mumbai Indians (MI) to five IPL titles and Team India to 2024 T20 World Cup glory.

Raza went with Nicholas Pooran at No. 3, while also appointing him as the wicketkeeper for his side. The South African duo of AB de Villiers and Heinrich Klaasen followed at 4 and 5 in the Zimbabwean's lineup.

Raza went for Kieron Pollard and Ravindra Jadeja as his two all-rounders at 6 and 7 in the batting order.

Only Indian features in Sikandar Raza's all-time T20 bowling lineup

Sikandar Raza picked Jasprit Bumrah as the lone Indian bowler in his all-time T20 attack. The ace pacer was the Player of the Tournament in India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph and has played a pivotal role in MI's five IPL titles.

Raza also picked two left-arm pacers in Shaheen Afridi and Mitchell Starc to complete his pace-bowling attack. The Zimbabwean went for Rashid Khan as the bowling all-rounder at No. 8 to complete his all-time T20 XI.

Rashid is the all-time leading wicket-taker in T20s with 678 scalps in 497 games. Meanwhile, Afridi has 326 T20 wickets to his name, while Starc is sitting on 207 wickets in T20s.

Sikandar Raza's all-time T20 XI:

Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma (C), Nicholas Pooran (WK), AB de Villiers, Henrich Klaseen, Kieron Pollard, Ravindra Jadeja, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Afridi, Mitchell Starc

About the author

Venkatesh has been writing cricket news, listicle and feature articles for Sportskeeda for over a year. He loves cricket because of the diversity of the playing fields and its unparalleled nuances, which no other sport presents. He also enjoys the analytical and quantitative side of the sport, which originates from his MBA degree and 10 years of experience in the IT industry in companies like Infosys, Atos and TCS.

Venkatesh ensures proper research from reliable sources and social media trends to gather information, and adds his own dash of creativity to create insightful content.

He started watching cricket in the late 1990s, having been impressed with South Africa and New Zealand’s gentleman-like attitude. Domestically, he supports the Chennai Super Kings for their ability to bring the best out of their players owing to a friendly and conducive team environment.

He admires three cricketers the most – Brian Lara for his batting style, AB de Villiers for changing the paradigm of batting and MS Dhoni for his unique cerebral approach to field placings and batting. Along with cricket, Venkatesh also enjoys watching and playing tennis and basketball. In his free time, he finds pleasure in singing and watching movies and web series.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran