AB de Villiers misses out on ESPNcricinfo's all-time IPL XI
Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine and Lasith Malinga make up the overseas roster, while MS Dhoni captains the side

ESPNcricinfo Ltd
The no-restrictions XI, featuring seven overseas players
Chris Gayle
David Warner
Virat Kohli
Suresh Raina
AB de Villiers
Shane Watson
MS Dhoni
Dwayne Bravo
Sunil Narine
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Lasith Malinga
Our all-time XI is a reflection of how some of the best sides in the tournament have lined up - six batsmen, one allrounder, and four specialist bowlers. Some of these batsmen have had success rolling their arm over in the past, and while there was temptation to extend the batting order with an extra man, the final XI has five proven bowlers who will rarely fail as a collective, in any conditions.
Our list of 31 nominees featured 14 overseas players, from which our panel had to choose four, keeping in mind the balance of the side. There were clear trends, starting with a split down the middle while picking the openers. There was, by all accounts and logic, only place for one overseas opener, and Gayle received one more vote than David Warner.
MS Dhoni was the overwhelming favourite to lead the side. Apart from being statistically the most successful captain over nine seasons, he has led most of the players who make up this squad in his role as India's captain over the best part of the past decade. It is a decision that is hard to argue with, considering his trophy cabinet and prolonged success as the leader of one of the most consistent sides in the IPL.
Record-holders of all manner make up the rest of the XI: the three highest run-getters in the IPL - Raina, Kohli and Rohit - the batsman with the most runs during the tournament's knockout phases - Raina - three of its five most successful captains - Dhoni, Rohit, Kohli - and the format's most prolific run machine at the top of the order - Gayle.