IPL 2019: The all-time XI of players who will play this season

#6 MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

4016 runs in 158 innings; Average: 40.16; Strike-Rate: 138.19; 50/100: 20/0; 4s/6s: 275/186

94 wins and 64 losses in 159 matches as captain.

116 dismissals as wicket-keeper

There are no prizes for guessing that the ''thala" will be the captain of this side. Under him, Chennai Super Kings played nine seasons in which they won three titles, entered the finals seven times and made it to the playoffs in all the nine seasons.

Rohit Sharma could have been another contender, but Dhoni's record speaks for itself. He has won 94 games as a captain. Only Gautam Gambhir comes close with 74 wins. He has the abilty to hold his team together and back his players.

For some reason, youngsters turn into match-winners under his wings. Those who play under him remain in awe of Dhoni. Even as a batsman, he manages to be the seventh-highest run-scorer in IPL history, though he has batted in the lower order all his life. This tells you about the consistency with which he has finished matches for CSK.

His average 40.16 is the best by an Indian in IPL (minimum 500 runs). He has also struck 186 sixes, most by an Indian and second-most overall. He has affected 116 dismissals behind the stumps, second most after Dinesh Kartik's 124. However, he leads the chart as far as the number of stumpings is concerned with 33 stumpings.

Dhoni, who holds the record for most runs by a captain, is the primary reason why CSK enjoys so much support all over the country.

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#7 Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo

136 wickets in 118 innings; Average: 23.90; Economy: 8.40; Strike-Rate: 17.06; 4w/5w: 2/0

1379 runs in 92 innings; Average: 23.77; Strike-Rate: 128.39; 50/100: 5/0; 4s/6s: 108/57

Dwayne Bravowill be the all-rounder in this side. He pips Shane Watsonto it owing to his ability to bowl magnificently at the death. He is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the history of IPL. He won the Purple Cap in 2013, bagging 32 wickets.

He holds the record of most wickets by a bowler in a single season of IPL. His economy of 8.4 is commendable given that he bowls almost all his overs in the second half of the innings.

He has scored almost 1,400 runs at a strike-rate of just below 130, which is more than handy for a lower order batsman. In fact, on several occasions, he has played a key role in the steadying the ship of the innings when the wickets fall early.

If you add his exceptional batting and bowling skills to his gun fielding skills, he becomes quite a package. After an average 2018 season with the ball, he will be keen to make a strong comeback in the 2019 season.