Greatest all-time IPL XI consisting of players who have never won the title
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most prestigious T20 franchise league in the world, and sees legendary players from all over the world participate every year.
However, winning the tournament is easier said than done. With all teams having stacked rosters, the IPL involves a lot of luck and good fortune. Moreover, many IPLs are won in the auction and not on the ground.
Greatest all-time XI of players who have never won the IPL
In the 12 seasons of the IPL, the likes of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) have never lifted the trophy. Needless to say, this all-time of XI of players to have never won the IPL crown is dominated by these three teams.
Honourable Mentions: Sanju Samson, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaun Marsh
Note: The usual rule of 4 foreigners per team has been followed.
Openers: Virender Sehwag, Chris Gayle
One of the most destructive opening combinations that can be created, Virender Sehwag and Chris Gayle can win matches single-handedly for this IPL XI.
In 104 games for KXIP and DC, the Nawab of Najafgarh scored 2,728 runs at a strike rate of 155.4. Sehwag also has two IPL hundreds to his name, but sadly only played for franchises that have never won the cash-rich league. The closest he came to winning the IPL in 2014, where his side lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final.
Chris Gayle has played for three teams - KKR, RCB and KXIP - and has scored 4,484 runs at an average of 41.13 and a strike rate of 151.02. The Universe Boss has reached the finals on two occasions with RCB (2011 and 2016), but suffered losses to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) respectively.
Middle Order: Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, KL Rahul (wk)
Three players who formed the backbone of the RCB side until very recently, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and KL Rahul form the middle order of this all-time IPL XI.
Indian captain Virat Kohli has been an absolute colossus in the IPL and is the leading run-scorer in the history of the competition with 5,412 runs. The one-club man has seen an IPL title elude him at RCB as just like Gayle, both his final appearances ended in defeats. He is the captain of this XI.
Kohli's friend and partner-in-crime AB de Villiers has also never lifted the IPL crown. After being released by DC, the South African has made the Chinnaswamy Stadium his home and is RCB's greatest overseas player of all time. With 4,395 runs in 154 games, he might even be the league's best-ever foreigner.
KL Rahul was recently announced as the KXIP captain for the 2020 IPL and RCB's non-retention might prove to become a massive mistake. The Karnataka batsman is only nearing 2,000 runs in the IPL, but has an average of 42.06 and a strike rate of 138.15. He also undertakes the wicket-keeper's role in this team.