Big Bash League legend Chris Lynn has announced his all-time T20 playing XI during the ongoing 2026 World Cup and his selection has sparked debate. In a conversation with CricTracker, the former Australian opener left out Indian stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, leaving many fans around the world by surprise.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are among the most consistent performers in T20 cricket. They are the second and third highest run scorers in overall T20Is. Kohli is the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history. He played a key role in the T20 World Cup 2024 victory and earned the Player of the Match award in 2024.
Chris Lynn announces all-time T20 XI, leaves out Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Chris Lynn picked Chris Gayle and David Warner as the opening pair in his all-time T20 XI. Gayle is the leading run-scorer in T20 cricket with 14,562 runs including 22 centuries in 463 matches. Warner, who was the Player of the Tournament in Australia’s T20 World Cup win in 2021, has scored 14,028 runs in 432 games.
At No. 3, Lynn chose former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, saying he shaped modern T20 cricket. He also recalled McCullum’s memorable innings in the first IPL match for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
For the middle order, Lynn went with AB de Villiers and Kieron Pollard. De Villiers scored over 9,000 runs in 340 matches at an average of 37.24 and a strike rate of 150.13. Pollard is the second highest run scorer in T20 with 14,482 runs and has also taken 333 wickets.
Lynn included MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo in his top seven. Dhoni led India to its first T20 World Cup title in 2007 and led Chennai Super Kings to five IPL trophies and 136 wins in 235 matches as captain. Bravo has taken 631 wickets in 582 T20 matches, which is the second most wickets in this format.
Chris Lynn has included Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Starc in his bowling attack.
Chris Lynn completed his all-time T20 XI with a strong bowling attack. He chose Mitchell Starc, Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga as his three fast bowlers. Starc has taken 217 wickets in 158 T20 matches. Starc’s left-arm angle troubles batsmen in both the new ball and death overs.
Malinga played an important role in Sri Lanka’s only T20 World Cup win in 2014. He ended his T20 career with 390 wickets in 295 matches. Malinga took 107 wickets in 84 T20Is, while Starc took 79 wickets in 65 matches before retiring from the format.
Bumrah has helped Mumbai Indians win five titles. He was also the player of the tournament, taking 15 wickets at an economy rate of 4.17 in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup win. In T20Is, Bumrah has 107 wickets in 87 matches.
Lynn chose Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan as the only spinner in the eleven. Rashid is the all-time T20 wicket-taker with 697 wickets in 516 matches and has also taken 188 wickets in T20Is.
Chris Lynn’s all time T20 playing 11
Chris Gayle, David Warner, Brendon McCullum, AB de Villiers, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, MS Dhoni, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Starc.
12th man: Shane Warne/Andrew Symonds
Also read: Quinton de Kock beats AB de Villiers to become South Africa’s best batsman in T20 World Cup
