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Rohit Sharma (Source: X)
The excitement for the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is growing day by day as one of the biggest spectacles in cricket is not far from the kick-off. A mini-auction was held on December 19 and all ten franchisees bolstered their teams for the two-month action. IPL 2024 is expected to start on March 22 and as usual, fans are eagerly waiting for the visual treat from their favourite teams and superstars.
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Former cricketers and pundits have already come forward with their predictions and opinions on which team and which player will fare well in the upcoming season. Meanwhile, on the occasion of the first-ever IPL auction completing 16 years, Star Sports on its X (formerly known as Twitter) handle released the incredible all-time XI of the cash-rich league.
The leading sports broadcaster revealed a 15-man 'GOAT' squad and a coach, picked by more than 25 cricket experts from around the world. “The first ever IPL auction is completing 16 years, and more than 25 cricket experts from across the world have voted to reveal their 1️5 ALL-TIME INCREDIBLE IPL Players and 1 Incredible Coach,” Star Sports captioned the post.
The squad features some of the stalwarts of the game. MS Dhoni (C), Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rashid Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lasith Malinga, and Jasprit Bumrah were included in the XI.
Rohit Sharma sneaks into Impact Players' list
Meanwhile, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo were named as Impact Subs. The current head coach of five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Stephen Fleming, will guide the team.
It is worth noting Rohit, who has won six IPL trophies - both as a player and captain, failed to find a spot in the XI. The veteran opener was not in many experts’ picks for the all-time greatest XI and rather managed to sneak into the Impact Players' list. Rohit has won five titles with Mumbai Indians (MI) as a captain and one trophy as a player with Deccan Chargers (DC) in 2009.
The 36-year-old is no longer at the helm of the Mumbai-based franchise as Hardik Pandya has been appointed to lead the team in IPL 2024. MI are one of the most successful teams in the history of the league and Rohit is the primary reason behind that tag. The right-hander has scored over 6200 runs in his 243 IPL matches, including a century.