With the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA a couple of months away, the 2024 Indian Premier League becomes doubly important as some aspects related to the Indian team’s final makeup need to be ironed out. TOI gives you a lowdown to what one can expect from the upcoming edition of the IPL.
1) Performance of the old guard
Earlier this year, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced that India will be led by Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup, ending months of speculation whether the mantle of leadership will lie on Rohit or Hardik Pandya. Since the last T20 World Cup in Australia, Rohit has played only 3 T20Is against Afghanistan. The first two of which he was dismissed for duck. In the final T20I in Bengaluru, Rohit hit an unbeaten 121 to shut his critics up. Rohit had a below-par T20 World Cup in 2022, scoring just 116 runs in 6 innings. His form and approach to batting in the upcoming IPL will be quite interesting.
Like Rohit, Virat Kohli has played minimal T20Is since the semifinal versus England in 2022. In fact, only two against Afghanistan. His returns in those two games were 29 (in Indore) and 0 (in Bangalore). There have been murmurs whether Kohli will be accommodated in that plane to West Indies and USA, and his critics have often questioned his ability to bat like a modern-age T20 batsman. His moderate strike-rate is repeatedly talked about. Selectors as well as fans would like to see whether Kohli brandishes a new avatar in 2024 IPL, or it’s the same old.
1/7:Top big-money buys for IPL 2024
Getty Images
2/7:Mitchell Starc's record deal
The Australian is the most expensive buy in IPL history after KKR shelled out Rs 24.75 crore on the fast bowler and handy lower-order slugger. Starc took 16 wickets in Australia's 50-over World Cup triumph, including three in the final against hosts India.PTI
3/7:Pat Cummins leads Sunrisers Hyderabad
Australia's World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins will lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in his first stint as an IPL captain after they paid Rs 20.50 crore for the 30-year-old fast bowler.Getty Images
4/7:Daryl Mitchell's World Cup feats
The batting all-rounder was bought by the 2023 IPL champions for Rs 14 crore, a month after starring for New Zealand at the World Cup. Mitchell, 32, rose to prominence by scoring two World Cup centuries against India -- in the group stage and in the semi-final.PTI
5/7:Rovman Powell's explosive batting
The hard-hitting West Indian was the first player to be sold in the auction in Dubai as Rajasthan Royals bid Rs 7.4 crore. Powell scores at a strike rate of more than 144 in the middle order but his previous IPL record is moderate, with only 257 runs in two seasons.AP
6/7:Gerald Coetzee's pace attack
Gerald Coetzee's tearaway speed saw him finish as South Africa's leading bowler at the World Cup in India with 20 wickets in eight matches. The displays led five-time champions Mumbai Indians to pay Rs 5 crore for him to partner Jasprit Bumrah in a formidable pace attack.Getty Images
7/7:Harshal Patel's IPL journey
An IPL regular since debuting for RCB in 2012, the medium-pace raised eyebrows when he was the subject of a bidding war at the auction, ending up as the most expensive Indian player at Rs 11.75 crore. The 33-year-old took 32 of his 111 career IPL wickets in an outstanding 2021 campaign.TNN2) The ‘keeper conundrum
At present, if the last couple of T20I series can be considered as an indicator, Jitesh Sharma is India’s preferred first-choice T20 wicketkeeper. The Vidarbha and Punjab Kings player has leapfrogged ahead of the likes of Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson due to varying reasons. Performance or lack of it and also disciplinary grounds. But the 2024 IPL will mark the return of the talismanic Rishabh Pant. If he shows the semblance of form he showed before his horrific accident in December 2022, Pant will walk into the Indian team. KL Rahul is another candidate. To bolster his case, Rahul will bat in the middle-order and keep this year for Lucknow Super Giants. Not to count out Dhruv Jurel, who impressed one and all during the Test series against England. But will he get to play in the first XI for Rajasthan Royals, that’s the big question.
3) The spinners in fray
Kuldeep Yadav has more or less cemented his place as India’s premier white-ball spinner. In fact, he has been performing in all formats. But his last IPL season was quite average. Kuldeep picked 10 wickets in 14 games. He will surely like to give a good account of himself in the 2024 IPL. Among other spinners, Ravindra Jadeja is also a certainty due to his allround skills. The ones whose IPL performance will be keenly watched will be Axar Patel, as Jadeja’s backup, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar and the veteran Yuzvendra Chahal. A good season for Chahal will open Team India’s doors once again.
4) Fast bowlers and their execution
With the BCCI confirming that Mohammed Shami will miss the IPL, the focus will now be on the others vying for a place in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. Jasprit Bumrah is a lock-in, but he hasn’t played a T20 in a long time. He missed the 2023 IPL after undergoing a surgery for stress fracture on his back. In a World Cup year, his IPL workload also needs to be regulated. It would be interesting to see how his body holds up to the long-drawn tournament. Left-armer Arshdeep Singh is also a certainty. He would like to improve on his death-bowling skills. Others on the selectors’ radar are Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep and Avesh Khan. Their execution will be of keen interest.
1/6:Players who are returning to their old team in IPL 2024
Agencies
2/6:Manish Pandey
<p>Manish Pandey, now with Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2024, returns to the team where he won the title nearly a decade ago. In between, he's had stints with SRH, LSG, and DC.<br /></p>Agencies
3/6:Shreyas Gopal
<p>Shreyas Gopal began his IPL journey with Mumbai Indians (MI). After missing some seasons, the leg-spinner is eager to make a strong comeback, having been picked by MI for Rs 20 lakh at the auction.<br /></p>Agencies
4/6:Mitchell Starc
<p>Mitchell Starc's IPL appearances have been sparse, with his last match dating back to 2015. Although picked by KKR for IPL 2018, he withdrew. However, he's now set to return to the same team that secured him for INR 24.75 crore.<br /></p>Agencies
5/6:Hardik Pandya
<p>Hardik Pandya is poised to lead Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024, following his captaincy success with Gujarat Titans, winning the inaugural 2022 season and finishing as runners-up in the previous one. His trade value stands at a hefty 15 crore.<br /></p>Agencies
6/6:Shardul Thakur
<p>Shardul Thakur switched teams after IPL 2021 when CSK released him before the mega auction. He then played for Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders before rejoining CSK for IPL 2024. He has been bought for 4 crore. <br /></p>Agencies5) Hardik as an allrounder and his backup options
The country’s premier fast bowling allrounder, Hardik Pandya has been declared fit for the IPL and will also lead the Mumbai Indians. His fitness-related struggles are now well-documented, but recently, Hardik himself said that he’ll bowl in the tournament. How he copes up with bowling, batting and the added responsibility of captaincy will be something to watch out for. But given his history of breakdowns, Hardik’s backup pace-bowling allrounders will be closely monitored. At present, Shivam Dube leads the pack with Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar also in the fray. Venkatesh Iyer is another name who’ll be kept a tab on by Ajit Agarkar & Co.
