The Indian Premier League (IPL) has played a crucial role in Indian cricket since its inception 17 years back. The league has often been regarded as the stepping stone for domestic talents, including uncapped overseas players as well, and has offered a platform for out-of-favour players to force their way back into the national team. Moreover, Indian selectors have rewarded IPL performances over the last decade or so, including selections into the Test team.
However, it is important to clarify for the readers here, that IPL never solely played a role in selections with past performances in domestic seasons and in international cricket given equal preferences in making decisions. And it certainly will be the same when BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar will reportedly meet India captain Rohit Sharma on Sunday to roughly chalk out India’s final 15 for the T20 World Cup tournament before the former sits down with the remainder of the selection committee in Mumbai to announce the list.
But, what if the selectors were to pick the T20 World Cup squad only based on IPL 2024 performances? Well, if it does happen, the likes of Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and even Suryakumar Yadav will miss out on being part of the 15-member squad. So, let’s take a look at which players make the cut after 44 matches (LSG vs RR being last) in IPL 2024…
Openers: Abhishek Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan
Despite the plethora of options available for the spot, which even includes Orange Cap holder Kohli, Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek picks himself following an explosive campaign in IPL 2024 so far, where he has clobbered 288 runs in eight innings at a phenomenal strike rate of 218.18. He has in fact been the most aggressive Indian batter in the powerplay this season, scoring at 12.38 runs per over while requiring less than three balls to score a boundary.
The next best openers have been the Mumbai Indians pair – Rohit and Ishan – who have registered identical powerplay numbers. They have both scored at a tick over 10 runs per over against the shiny white and smashed a boundary every 3.2 deliveries. Overall, Rohit has scored 311 runs in nine matches so far at a strike rate of 160, while Ishan amassed 212 runs in as many matches at a strike rate of 165.62.