IPL 2023: Suresh Raina snubs MS Dhoni as he picks his best playing XI of this season

Suresh Raina, renowned for his association with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and their four IPL title wins, revealed his best IPL 2023 XI during an interaction with JioCinema with host Aakash Chopra and experts Parthiv Patel and Zaheer Khan. Surprisingly, Raina did not name MS Dhoni, the iconic CSK captain, and his long-time friend, as the captain of his team. Instead, he picked Hardik Pandya as the skipper.

Raina also included Nicolas Pooran, known for his impressive performances for Lucknow Super Giants, as the wicketkeeper-batsman in his XI. Raina's team comprised Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill as the opening batsmen, with Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rinku Singh following suit. The bowling department featured Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Yuzvendra Chahal.

As for substitute players, Raina chose Mumbai Indians all-rounder Cameron Green, CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, Punjab Kings wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma, CSK pacer Matheesha Pathirana, and Lucknow Super Giants bowler Yash Thakur.

Interestingly, former India cricketer Parthiv Patel also excluded Dhoni from his selected team, while 2011 World Cup-winning pacer Zaheer Khan included the CSK veteran as the captain in his best XI for IPL 2023. 

Insiders Experts' Best XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Rinku Singh, Nicholas Pooran, Axar Patel, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Matheesha Pathirana

IPL 2023 Playoffs

Shifting the focus to the ongoing IPL season, CSK, led by Dhoni, secured a spot in the final by defeating Hardik's GT by 15 runs in Qualifier 1. Titans finished at the top of the table with 20 points from 14 games, while CSK claimed the second spot with 17 points from 14 games. In the other match, the Mumbai Indians defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 81 runs in the Eliminator, setting up a Qualifier 2 clash with GT.

Mumbai Indians are currently locking horns against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2023. The winner of this game will face CSK in the tournament final on May 28, Sunday. Both teams will look to win the match in order to set up a final against MS Dhoni-led CSK. The final will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat. 

Image: BCCI