Rajat Patidar, the man who just led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to back-to-back IPL titles, dropped a bombshell with his all-time IPL XI, completely leaving out five-time championship-winning former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma. It’s a move that has the entire league buzzing, and honestly, you have to wonder what Patidar was thinking.
Patidar’s Shocking Lineup and Who Got the Nod
Alright, so Patidar stirred up a massive debate, and it all comes down to his choice of an all-time IPL XI that shockingly ignores one of the league’s absolute legends. He picked two RCB greats, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, to open the batting. Gayle’s numbers are just insane, racking up 4,489 runs across 122 innings as an opener, with six centuries and 28 half-centuries. Kohli’s record is even more ridiculous, hitting 5,684 runs from 144 innings opening, featuring nine hundreds and 44 fifties. You can’t argue with those picks!
From there, Patidar slotted Mumbai Indians star Suryakumar Yadav at number three, followed by Suresh Raina and AB de Villiers at four and five. Hardik Pandya took the number six spot, and veteran gloveman MS Dhoni rounded out the top order at seven. For bowling, he went with Dale Steyn and Jasprit Bumrah as his two main pacers, backed up by Yuzvendra Chahal and Sunil Narine handling the spin duties. It’s a stacked team, no doubt, but the big question remains: where’s Rohit?
A Captain’s Bold Call: Is Patidar Really Justified?
Here’s the kicker: Patidar knows a thing or two about winning. He just led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their second IPL title by beating Gujarat Titans in the 2026 final. Before that, they snagged their maiden IPL championship in 2025 against Punjab Kings. With those back-to-back triumphs, Patidar joined an elite club: he’s only the third captain in IPL history to win consecutive titles, right alongside MS Dhoni and, yeah, you guessed it, Rohit Sharma himself!
So, for Patidar to leave out a guy who’s not only a five-time champion but also a fellow member of that exclusive back-to-back winners’ club is just wild. Rohit’s five titles, his consistent excellence as an opener, and his captaincy that totally transformed Mumbai Indians into the league’s most successful franchise make his absence super hard to justify based purely on cricketing merit. Sure, these personal all-time XIs are always subjective, shaped by rivalries and admiration, but this one’s going to raise eyebrows for a long, long time. Everyone’s got an opinion on this, and honestly, the debate is just getting started.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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