A Strong XI Of Current Cricketers Who Are Fans Of Manchester United

Manchester United is one of the most popular football clubs across the planet. The Old Trafford-based club enjoys an enormous fanbase, the part of which are many celebrities from different fields. The kind of football that the club used to play in the past and the history involved with the team is one of the main reasons for this following. In this article, we take a look at a strong balanced playing XI of cricketers who are fans of Manchester United.

Football is a game that is dear to cricketers. Most of them use the game as part of the preparatory drills. Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Mahela Jayawardene were some of the popular retired cricketers who are fans of the club. There are quite a few active players who also follow the historic club. Here, we constitute a playing XI out of such players.

Openers: Chris Gayle and KL Rahul

Chris Gayle and KL Rahul will form the opening pair of this playing XI of cricketers who are fans of Manchester United. The Jamaican superstar is one of the many celebs from the Caribbean Islands who support the club. Others such as Usain Bolt also follow the club closely. Gayle has also got himself pictured at the iconic entrance to the Old Trafford Stadium. KL Rahul, who is an avid football fan, has mentioned many times that he is a fan of Manchester United. However, recently, the player was seen sporting the jersey of Borussia Dortmund. We are not sure if he has shifted his loyalties.

Middle-Order: Suresh Raina, Sam Billings, Eoin Morgan, and MS Dhoni (C&WK)

The middle-order of this XI will feature some talented batsmen. Suresh Raina has proclaimed in the past that he is a fan of Manchester United. Sam Billings has been vocal about his support for the club. He also revealed that when he was in CSK, he used to watch United games with MS Dhoni. Although Eoin Morgan was born in Ireland, his football loyalties lie with an English club. He supports the red half of Manchester and has also visited the stadium for a few games. MS Dhoni is probably the most high-profile fan of United. He has even held the jersey of the club at the Theatre of Dreams.

All-Rounders: Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Brathwaite will be the all-rounder in this XI of cricketers who are fans of Manchester United. In a couple of interviews, the West Indian all-rounder has said that he is a boyhood United fan. A couple of years ago, he also visited the Old Trafford Stadium. The club's official website also carries images of when this had happened.

Bowlers: R Ashwin, Jofra Archer, Duanne Olivier, and Yuzvendra Chahal

R Ashwin has mentioned his support for United, but when in 2018, he compared the club's air-tragedy to that of CSK's IPL comeback, a few fans of the club trolled him. Jofra Archer is a good friend of Marcus Rashford and supports the club. Duanne Olivier and Yuzvendra Chahal will complete the bowling line-up of this team.