Venkatesh Iyer picks his all-time T20 playing XI ahead of IPL 2026 auction; leaves out Virat Kohli

India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has revealed his all-time T20 XI ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, scheduled for December 16 in Abu Dhabi. Speaking to CricTracker, the 30-year-old named former India opener Virender Sehwag and the current No. 1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma as his opening pair.

The left-hander placed South African great AB de Villiers at No. 3, followed by Suresh Raina at No. 4. He included two pace-bowling all-rounders in Ben Stokes and Hardik Pandya, while selecting MS Dhoni as the captain and wicketkeeper at No. 7.

For the bowling attack, Venkatesh picked Rashid Khan and Sunil Narine as his two spinners, with Jasprit Bumrah and Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga leading the pace department. He also named former Australian opener Matthew Hayden as his Impact Player.

Venkatesh Iyer’s all-time T20 playing XI: Virender Sehwag, Abhishek Sharma, AB de Villiers, Suresh Raina, Ben Stokes, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, and Matthew Hayden (12th man, Impact Player).

---

Venkatesh Iyer names two Indians in his all-time top five all-rounders

In the same interaction, Venkatesh Iyer also revealed his all-time top five all-rounders. He began with Jacques Kallis, widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history. The South African legend scored 25,422 runs in 513 matches across formats at an average of 49.45, registering 149 fifties and 62 centuries, along with 572 wickets and seven five-wicket hauls.

He also included current England Test captain Ben Stokes in his list. Additionally, Venkatesh picked his former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) teammate Andre Russell, with whom he won the IPL title in 2024.

The 30-year-old completed his list by naming two Indian stars, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, as part of his all-time top five all-rounders.

Venkatesh's all-time top five all-rounders: Ben Stokes, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Andre Russell, Jacques Kallis.