[Exclusive] Mohit Sharma picks his all-time IPL XI

Mohit Sharma, a veteran Indian pacer, has revealed his all-time Indian Premier League (IPL) XI, which includes batting greats, all-rounders and match-winning bowlers. In an exclusive interview with CricTracker, Mohit chose his fantasy XI.

He started with the legendary combination of Sachin Tendulkar and Chris Gayle as openers. He followed up with three match-winners in his middle order: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Suresh Raina. His obvious choice for a wicketkeeper-captain was MS Dhoni, with whom Mohit had already played in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings and India. In his XI, he selected renowned West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell, who just declared his retirement from the game’s shortest format.

Mohit’s all-time XI’s bowling attack comprises Afghan leg-spinner, Rashid Khan, and the fast-bowling trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Zaheer Khan. Notably, he also picked Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga as his 12th man.

Mohit Sharma’s all-time IPL XI

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

Meanwhile, Mohit Sharma burst onto the scene during the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy season when he finished as the fifth-highest wicket-taker. His performances earned him an IPL debut with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2013, where, under MS Dhoni’s leadership, he quickly became one of the most reliable Powerplay bowlers. In his debut IPL season, Mohit claimed 20 wickets in 15 matches, followed by a Purple Cap-winning 2014 season with 23 wickets in 16 games.

In 2013, he was handed his debut international cap in the ODI series against Zimbabwe. In his debut game, he produced a match-winning spell of 2 for 26. Notably, his T20I debut came in the following year against Australia. The right-arm pacer was a regular member in India’s white-ball team from 2013 to 2015. During the same period, he was picked in the 2014 T20 World Cup and 2015 ODI World Cup squads. The Haryana-born has picked 37 wickets across 34 international games.

Over the years, he has regularly featured in the IPL, playing for CSK, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Gujarat Titans, and enjoyed a comeback in IPL 2023 with 27 wickets, the second-highest that season. Mohit, in 120 IPL matches, has bagged 134 wickets so far.