Ahead of the highly anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Harbhajan Singh picked the best combined all-time XI of Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The former Indian spinner played for both Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings and won four IPL titles in his glorious career.
The IPL 2025 season will begin with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) facing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 22 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The blockbuster ‘El Clasico’ clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will be played on Sunday, March 23, at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings Are The Most Successful IPL Teams
Mumbai Indians have been one of the most successful teams, winning five IPL titles. The team won its first championship in 2013 and continued its dominance over the next eight years. MI’s strong scouting system and team culture have kept them competitive, despite their last title win coming in 2020.
Chennai Super Kings also hold the record for the most IPL titles. They have faced Mumbai Indians in four IPL finals, the most for any matchup in the tournament’s history.
CSK, known for their consistency, missed the playoffs in 2024 for only the third time in their history. However, they have a track record of bouncing back, winning titles in 2021 and 2023 after previous playoff eliminations. Both teams will aim for a record-breaking sixth championship during the upcoming season.
Harbhajan Singh Picks Best Combined MI-CSK All-Time XI
In his all-time combined XI of the most successful IPL franchises, Harbhajan Singh named himself as the 12th player. Notably, he excluded CSK’s captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, and did not include cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. Singh also did not name a captain for this combined team during his interaction.
“It’s a very difficult task to make a combined team between CSK and Mumbai Indians,” Harbhajan told Star Sports.
Two of the most successful teams in IPL history MI & CSK and many big names!
Watch #HarbhajanSingh pick his all time XI!
Who will you pick in your all time XI team?✍#IPLonJioStar 👉 SEASON OPENER #KKRvRCB | SAT, 22nd March, 6:30 PM | LIVE on JioHotstar & Star Sports Network… pic.twitter.com/mAfZhOaEyJ
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 18, 2025
Harbhajan Singh Excludes Ravichandran Ashwin from Combined Playing XI
Harbhajan Singh named Rohit Sharma and Shane Watson as opening batters in the XI. However, Singh ignored players like Faf du Plessis, Michael Hussey, and Murali Vijay. The former Indian cricketer placed ‘Mr. IPL’ Suresh Raina at No. 3 and named India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4.
Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Dwayne Bravo, who are among the greatest T20 all-rounders of all time, are part of the line-up. MS Dhoni was picked as the wicketkeeper-batter. Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah, the greatest pacers in IPL history, were selected as the specialist pacers.
Harbhajan picked himself as the only specialist spinner in the combined XI, leaving out Ravichandran Ashwin, who is CSK’s third-highest wicket-taker in history.
Harbhajan Singh’s Combined MI-CSK All-Time XI:
Rohit Sharma, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, Harbhajan Singh
