New Delhi: Former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was chosen as the captain of Indian Premier League's all-time greatest team, picked by the four greats of the game to celebrate the 16 years of world’s biggest and cash rich league, commenced in 2008.
The former cricketers including former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram, former Australian cricketers Matthew Hayden, Tom Moody and former South African pacer Dale Steyn were leading the panel in Star Sports 'IPL Incredible 16' show.
Australia's swashbuckling opener David Warner, who also has the most number for half-centuries in the IPL, and veteran India batter Virat Kohli, who has the most runs in the tournament, were picked as openers while former West Indian superstar Chris Gayle was chosen as the backup opener.
Former India batter Suresh Raina, who is renowned as 'Mr IPL', was the straight pick from all experts. However, there were different opinions on his batting position. Hayden, who has represented for Chennai Super Kings, picked him as number three batter, backed by Tom Moody, but Styen and Akram put him at number five.
The middle-order consisted of former South African skipper AB de Villiers, Suryakumar Yadav and Dhoni, while Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Kieron Pollard were the three all-rounders in the 15-member squad.
Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine and Yuzvendra Chahal formed the spin attack while Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah were the unanimous choice for the fast bowlers' slots.
In the realm of IPL cricket, few names shine as brightly as that of Dhoni. Widely regarded as one of the most successful captains in cricket history, his leadership prowess has garnered praise from peers and pundits alike. Speaking exclusively on the 'Star Sports Incredible 16 of IPL' show, Steyn echoed sentiments shared by many when he hailed Dhoni as the epitome of leadership excellence.
"It has to be MS Dhoni. He has won everything -- World Cup, IPL, ICC Champions Trophy," said Steyn. "He's a leader of men, and you've got a bunch of men here that are all at the highest level of their game, and they need someone who has been there and done that and can manage them extremely well on and off the field, so I will have to go with MS Dhoni," he added.
While Tom Moody emphasised on Dhoni's remarkable feat. "It has to be MS Dhoni for me, the reason being MS Dhoni has won the title with very good squads and average squads, and that tells me a lot about the captain and how he can lead a variety of talent in a squad to success,” he said.
"Rohit Sharma has been a brilliant captain for MI but MI have always had the best squads or up there with the best squads in the IPL since its inception," Moody, who has won the IPL trophy as coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016, said.
It wasn't just Dhoni's captaincy prowess that drew praise. Former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden delved deeper, stating that he has potential to be a coach as well. "It's an obvious choice, it's not a debate over here. It's going to be unanimous amongst the entire Indian community," added Hayden.
All-time great IPL squad:
MS Dhoni (captain), Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, David Warner, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah.
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