Because of the Indian Premier League (IPL), cricket fans across the globe get the chance to see most of the talents in one nation for a few months. Since the inception of the league, there are many legendary cricketers who had graced the tournaments. With all of them in mind, selecting a team of all time is very, very tough for anyone. But what Jitesh Sharma said, cricket fans find it very hard to accept.
RCB wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma has surprised everyone by excluding Virat Kohli from his all-time IPL XI. This decision comes as Jitesh prepares to play his second season for RCB in IPL 2026. Jitesh joined RCB in 2025, the same year the team won the IPL title after an 18-year wait. Virat Kohli played a key role in the team’s victory by scoring 657 runs that season.
No place for Virat Kohli in Sharma’s all time IPL XI
Sharma joined RCB for INR 11 crore in the mega auction. This move proved to be very beneficial for RCB. He played a key role in the team’s first IPL victory. Jitesh was primarily used as a finisher. In the title-winning campaign, he scored 261 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 176.35. His impressive performance earned him a place in the Indian team, although he was unable to retain his place due to the return of Ishan Kishan to the team for the T20 World Cup 2026.
Jitesh chose MS Dhoni as captain of his all-time IPL XI. In an interview with CricTracker, Jitesh chose Rohit Sharma and Adam Gilchrist as openers. Both players were part of the Deccan Chargers team that won the IPL title in South Africa in 2009. He placed current Indian T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav at number three. In the bowling department, Varun Chakravarthy was selected as a specialist spinner. He has performed consistently well since joining the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2020. The fast bowling attack includes Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Hazlewood.
Jitesh Sharma’s all-time IPL XI:
Rohit Sharma, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (c), Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood.
