With the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) soon approaching, it’s about time to have some of that desi cricketing flavor brewing on social media. Bangladesh and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Shakib al Hasan sure seems to be doing his part to build up to the pre-season hype of the IPL 14 side B. Over on a recent interaction, the former Bangladesh captain revealed the make-up of his all-time IPL team.
Shakib’s arsenal of players is an interesting one for a multitude of reasons. For one thing, Shakib willfully restricted himself to 3-overseas players instead of the 4-foreigner quota that is officially allotted. Just goes to show how much faith he has towards the pedigree of local Indian performers.
Shakib Al Hasan goes with an 8:3 Indian-overseas player combination
Rohit Sharma and David Warner feature as the openers of choice in Shakib’s well-rounded squad. And if the explosiveness of these two dynamic batsmen wasn’t enough, he has got Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina- two of the biggest names from the IPL- in the middle order. KL Rahul gets a batting demotion to number five in this team, which isn’t really a problem since Rahul has showcased his versatility in batting on quite a few occasions.
The team’s lower-middle order has no shortage of star-power either. IPL legend MS Dhoni leads and keeps wicket for this team, batting at his preferred five-down position. He has got the cushion of two mercurial all-rounders- Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja on either side of him. Finally, rounding off the team’s bowling attack are three of the most prominent bowlers in the tournament’s history- Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Lasith Malinga. Here’s the lineup of Shakib’s all-time IPL XI.
Shakib Al Hasan’s all-time IPL XI: Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, KL Rahul, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (captain and wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah
Big overseas names absent from al Hasan’s all-time IPL XI
Like we said earlier, the team has quite a few interesting selections and omissions. For starters, none of Shakib’s current or former KKR teammates make it to the side. Also, with Ravindra Jadeja playing as the sole specialist spinner, the squad does appear to be a bit thin on spin-bowling options.
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But fans were quick to point out the absence of two incredibly prominent IPL stars from the side. AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle haven’t yet got to share dressing rooms with Shakib in the IPL. But it puzzled a lot many people on social media that Shakib eschewed these legendary IPL performers from his team in order to accommodate an extra Indian player. Perhaps in the future, Shakib would consider dropping an Indian batter and play a quality spinner like Rashid Khan, Imran Tahir, or, better yet, his own KKR teammate, Sunil Narine in the team.