The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 edition is just days away and the tournament is attracting special attention this time as the T20 World Cup follows right after.
Several Indian youngsters spread out across all 10 teams will be looking to prove themselves in the league and stake a claim for a spot in India’s WC squad.
Some of the players, including Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul will also be getting the spotlight as they mark their return from injury layoffs. Let’s have a look at what to watch for in each team in the upcoming IPL edition which starts March 22.
Mumbai Indians: Will Hardik succeed as skipper?
Hardik Pandya will be the new Mumbai Indians skipper, replacing Rohit Sharma. Pandya has previously played for MI as an all-rounder for a long time before his two-year stint at Gujarat Titans. Notably, Hardik led Titans to the IPL title in their maiden season in 2022 and to the final in 2023. His appointment as MI skipper, however, has had mixed reactions from fans and former players alike. It will be interesting to see how Hardik takes Rohit’s legacy forward who made Mumbai a five-time champion in the tournament.
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Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni’s last season?
Ever since MS Dhoni retired from international cricket, speculation has been rife about when he’ll call time in IPL. While many expected 2023 to be his last season where he took CSK to their joint-most fifth IPL title, Dhoni is back for another season. The skipper last year had said that he’d like to finish his career at Chepauk in front of home fans in Chennai. It’ll definitely be a point of discussion this season as well with fans continuing to speculate whether Dhoni will keep playing or hang his boots for good.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Will there be an IPL-WPL double?
After RCB Women won the maiden title for the franchise in the recently concluded Women’s Premier League (WPL), the pressure will definitely be on the men’s side who are still looking for their maiden IPL trophy. RCB has been a side with some of the best players in the league but the team has always fallen short of winning the title. Even Virat Kohli, a name synonymous with the franchise, hasn’t been able to make RCB win despite being one of the best batters in the league and the world.
Kolkata Knight Riders – Gambhir to bring back luck?
KKR have brought back Gautam Gambhir as a mentor ahead of the season. Notably, it was under Gambhir’s captaincy that KKR won their two IPL titles – in 2012 and 2014. With Shreyas Iyer also coming back after missing the last season due to injury and Rinku Singh emerging as one of the best finishers, KKR look like a settled side this season. Gambhir also brought Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc to the side, bolstering their pace department to go with an already potent spin attack.
Delhi Capitals – Rishabh Pant is back!
The biggest story in this IPL season is Rishabh Pant making his return to competitive cricket since being involved in a horrific car crash in December 2022. After 14 months of rehab, Pant is back and the Capitals will be hoping for a change in fortune after finishing last season ninth in the 10-team event. Pant is also expected to lead the side, taking over the duties from David Warner who held the post last year. With Mitchell Marsh also available and in good form, DC are expected to do better this season.
Gujarat Titans – Real test this season?
The Titans will be playing under a new skipper – Shubman Gill, after Hardik Pandya switched sides. Gill will definitely be under the spotlight given that the Titans made it to IPL finals in back-to-back seasons under Pandya. Star India pacer Mohammed Shami, however, won’t be playing this season for GT, making the job difficult for Gill in his first season as captain. The season will prove how strong a side GT is when they play without their two biggest players.
SunRisers Hyderabad – Banking too much on Captain Cummins?
SRH have had some bad seasons in recent years, but this year they have brought in Pat Cummins – the man with a Midas touch. Cummins, as skipper, has led his country, Australia to the World Test Championship (WTC) title, ODI World Cup 2023 title and retained the Ashes 2023 as well. Going by his success, Cummins has been appointed SRH skipper for the 2024 season, so let’s see if Cummins changes SRH’s fortunes.
Rajasthan Royals – Will Royals be able to break title jinx?
Over the years, the Royals have been able to emerge as a strong trophy contender but have failed to realise their full potential. Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson would also like to play a bigger role instead of throwing his starts away to help the team become a winner this season. Royals, overall, do have a strong team comprising Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravi Ashwin, Jos Buttler, Trent Boult and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Lucknow Super Giants – KL Rahul’s form
KL Rahul’s form will have a huge impact on LSG’s season. Rahul is returning from an injury and will be eager to prove his form ahead of the T20 World Cup. Along with Rahul, LSG will be banking on youngsters like Ayush Badoni, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravi Bishnoi and Deepak Hooda among others to make an impact in IPL 2024.
Punjab Kings – Jitesh Sharma looks to cement India spot
In a team which looks the least strong on paper, Jitesh Sharma will have a chance to cement his place in the Indian squad with another decent season. Along with him, all eyes will also be on Arshdeep Singh and Rahul Chahar as they stake their claim for a spot in the T20 World Cup squad.
As of now, the league has released the schedule for the first 17 days from March 22 to April 7 when 21 games will be played. The rest of the schedule is expected to be out soon.