Adam Gilchrist unveils his all-time IPL XI; MS Dhoni to lead, Virat Kohli snubbed

Published - 17 May 2025, 03:27 PM | Updated - 17 May 2025, 03:29 PM

Adam Gilchrist, MS Dhoni. Image Credit: X

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Legendary Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist has named his all-time IPL XI, but with one twist, selecting only those players who have lifted the trophy during their careers. Adam Gilchrist has unveiled his “winners-only” dream team on Cricbuzz recently.

Not surprisingly, the Australian legends’ dream IPL XI is faced with icons from Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the two most successful franchises in the league’s history. Both MI and CSK have won five IPL titles since the inception of the tournament.

Adam Gilchrist named his All-Time IPL XI

Gilchrist has picked the Chennai Super Kings captain, MS Dhoni, as the man to lead his all-time IPL XI, paying tribute to his charismatic captaincy and success as a leader in the IPL. Notably, CSK won all five titles under MS Dhoni’s captaincy.

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With MS Dhoni at the helm, it was obvious that his trusted teammates Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja also made the cut to Gilchrist’s dream team.

From the Mumbai Indians camp, the former Australian wicketkeeper-batter has picked the five-time IPL-winning captain Rohit Sharma, hard-hitting all-rounder Kieron Pollard, explosive batter Suryakumar Yadav, former lethal pace superhead Lasith Malinga, and ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah in his team.

David Warner makes the cut in Adam Gilchrist's ultimate XI

The cricket pundit further went on to select Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) mystery spinner and power-hitter Sunil Narine. The West Indies star is a two-time IPL champion with KKR, and he is known for turning games around single-handedly in the world’s biggest T20 league.

Adding more firepower to the top order is explosive Australian opener David Warner, who led Sunrisers Hyderabad to their maiden IPL title in 2016. David Warner was one of the most consistent run-scorers in India’s T20 league. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the swing king and two-time Purple Cap winner, completed Adam’s all-time IPL XI.

However, Gilchrist has surprisingly ignored Virat Kohli despite the Indian batting icon being the all-time leading run scorer in IPL history. Kohli has 8509 runs to his name in 255 innings so far in the league. However, the RCB icon is yet to lift the IPL trophy, forcing the Aussie legend to ignore him.

Virat Kohli ignored in Adam Gilchrist's star-studded IPL XI

Overall, the Australian legend has picked seven Indian players, one each from Sri Lanka and Australia, and two players from the West Indies in his all-time IPL XI. Gilchrist’s pace attack will be led by Lasith Malinga, with Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar completing the lineup.

He has not picked any specialist spinner, placing his trust in Sunil Narine and Ravindra Jadeja’s spin threat to trouble the world beaters. He has three all-rounders in Kieron Pollard, Narine, and Jadeja. While Rohit Sharma and David Warner will open Gilchrist’s all-time IPL XI, Suresh Raina will handle the crucial No. 3 position.

Suryakumar Yadav and Pollard will take care of the middle order, while captain and iconic wicketkeeper-batter Dhoni will provide the finishing touch to Gilchrist’s ultimate side.

Here’s Adam Gilchrist’s all-time IPL XI:

MS Dhoni (C), Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Suresh Raina, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasit Malinga, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.