[Exclusive] Mohit Sharma names all-time IPL XI

Legendary Indian pacer Mohit Sharma has unveiled his all-time Indian Premier League (IPL) starting lineup, which is full of all-rounders, match-winning bowlers, and batting greats. Mohit revealed his ideal starting lineup in an exclusive interview with CricTracker.

He started by selecting Chris Gayle and Sachin Tendulkar, a great duo, as his openers. He then added three game-winning players to his middle order: Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, and Virat Kohli. Mohit Sharma has played in the IPL for India and the Chennai Super Kings under MS Dhoni, who was his natural pick for a wicketkeeper-captain. He selected West Indies ace all-rounder Andre Russell, who recently declared his retirement from the game’s shortest format, in his starting lineup.

Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan and fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Zaheer Khan make up Mohit Sharma all-time XI bowling attack. Interestingly, he also selected Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka as his 12th man.

The IPL XI of all time for Mohit Sharma

Andre Russell, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Lasith Malinga (12th man), Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (C), and Sachin Tendulkar

In the meantime, Mohit Sharma made his debut as the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the 2012–13 Ranji Trophy season. He made his IPL debut in 2013 with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) thanks to his performances, and under MS Dhoni’s guidance, he soon established himself as one of the most dependable Powerplay bowlers. Mohit took 20 wickets in 15 games during his first IPL season. He then went on to win the Purple Cap in 2014 with 23 wickets in 16 games.

In the ODI series against Zimbabwe in 2013, he received his first international cap. He recorded a match-winning spell of 2 for 26 in his first game. Notably, he made his T20I debut against Australia the following year. From 2013 to 2015, the right-arm pacer was a consistent member of India’s white-ball squad. He was selected for the 2014 T20 World Cup and 2015 ODI World Cup teams during that time. Throughout 34 international matches, the Haryana native has claimed 37 wickets.

He has played for CSK, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Gujarat Titans in the IPL on a regular basis over the years. In 2023, he made a strong return with 27 wickets, which was the second-highest total of the season. Mohit has taken 134 wickets in 120 IPL games thus far.