IPL 2020: MS Dhoni And AB de Villiers Fail To Find Place In Brad Hogg’s ‘Best XI Of IPL 13’

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has picked his best XI of IPL 2020 and has left out big names including MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers considering their age. 40-year-old Chris Gayle was another notable name left out by Hogg. The IPL begins this Saturday, which has led to the analysts picking their best 11 who will shine in this year’s tournament.

The Indian Premier League will be played in the UAE this season, where pitches are slow and dry. The change in venue was commanded because of the increasing cases of Covid-19 in India. The matches in IPL 2020 will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.

“They are a little bit long in the tooth”: Bradd Hogg 

Former KKR spinner Brad Hogg has justified the exclusion of Dhoni, de Villiers, and Gayle from his team by stating they are a little bit old. However, he said they could prove him wrong by performing and be in his final XI at the end of the IPL.

“I haven’t got MS Dhoni or AB de Villiers or Chris Gayle in there. They are a little bit long in the tooth. Little bit old. But they can turn things around and be in my final XI at the end of the tournament,” Brad Hogg said in his YouTube vlog.

Hogg chose New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson as the captain of his best XI and praised him for his good brains.

“Good head on his shoulders and great ambassador for the game”, Brad Hogg said on appointing Williamson as captain of his best XI

Bradd Hogg’s best XI for IPL 2020

The 49-year-old chose MI skipper Rohit Sharma and SRH skipper David Warner as the openers for his team. The number 3 spot was given by him to RCB skipper Virat Kohli and the number 4 spot to NZ skipper Kane Williamson who was also appointed as his captain. The wicket-keeping responsibility along with the number 5 batting spot was given to DC youngster Rishabh Pant.

The all-rounders in his team were KKR‘s Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and CSK’s Ravindra Jadeja. He picked up all three Indian bowlers namely Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Jasprit Bumrah as specialist bowlers.

He mentioned Indian young guns Shubhman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, and Kuldeep Yadav are likely to shine in this IPL according to him.

“The other players that I would like to lift and kick some of these older players out are youngsters like Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Kuldeep Yadav. I think they have got a lot to offer in this year’s IPL,” Brad Hogg said in the video.

The IPL 2020 will begin from September 19 till November 10, a total 53-day campaign will see all the eight teams play in UAE. The venue this time is UAE and matches will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.