Kevin Pietersen picks his dream playing XI ahead of IPL 2026; leaves out Rohit Sharma and India’s World Cup winner 

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen recently revealed his dream Indian Premier League (IPL) playing XI. He selected his preferred players out of the options given by English wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler.

Pietersen picked the opening combination of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli at the top of the order. The duo had a memorable run as openers for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the past, sharing nine century partnerships.

The ex-cricketer went with AB de Villiers and Suresh Raina as his No. 3 and No. 4. They got the nod over KL Rahul, Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant, and Yuvraj Singh.

He chose Raina over Yuvraj, a two-time World Cup winner for India. Both de Villiers (5162 runs) and Raina (5528 runs) have fantastic records in the competition, with the latter also earning the moniker, ‘Mr IPL’.

Pietersen named five-time IPL-winning captain MS Dhoni as the wicketkeeper and skipper of his dream lineup. His playing XI featured three all-rounders. He overlooked Hardik Pandya and Dwayne Bravo in favor of Ravindra Jadeja, Sunil Narine, and Andre Russell.

The 45-year-old’s bowling attack consisted of ace leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga. Pietersen picked the XI in a video posted on the ‘For The Love Of Cricket’ YouTube channel. The lineup featured five overseas players, one more than the maximum number allowed.

Kevin Pietersen’s dream IPL XI: Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Andre Russell, Ravindra Jadeja, Sunil Narine, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lasith Malinga, and Jasprit Bumrah

Kevin Pietersen explains KL Rahul’s absence from his dream IPL playing XI

Kevin Pietersen decided not to pick KL Rahul in the middle order of his dream team. He emphasized that the Indian batter was more suited to the opening position.

Pietersen, who mentored Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2025, revealed that he fought hard to get Rahul to open the batting for the team. He said in the same video:

“We fought so hard to get him to the top of the order last season. He did, and got a hundred that next game. I was like, ‘Maybe you should listen.'”

Pietersen stepped down from his mentorship role with DC ahead of the upcoming IPL 2026. The season is set to kick off on March 28.