New Delhi: The 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will once again be the place where some of the biggest names in men’s cricket will be showcasing their skills to enthrall fans.
This time, the tournament will see some of its biggest names return to the competition after missing out on the last season.
Here are the players to watch out for from both Indian and overseas contingent.
Rishabh Pant: When the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter survived a life-threatening car accident in December 2022, people were concerned about his well-being and more so about whether he would return to playing.
In his nearly 14 months away from the game, Pant had his right knee ligaments reconstructed, stitches and grafting done for his skin-related injuries, underwent rigorous rehabilitation, aqua therapy and a tailor-made strengthening plus flexibility programme at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to now be on the verge of making a remarkable comeback to cricket.
Shreyas Iyer: The right-handed batter missed IPL 2023 due to a lower back issue which needed surgical intervention in the United Kingdom. Iyer now comes into this season as Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain, but has had a couple of bad months.
Iyer had a stellar run-making time in 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup in India, but couldn’t hold on to his place in T20I and Test teams, and didn’t get a BCCI central contract too due to non-participation in domestic competitions.
Pat Cummins: Australia’s Test and ODI captain opted out of IPL 2023 focus on international cricket commitments. It was a move which paid off for Cummins as he won the World Test Championship, retained the Ashes and took home the Men’s ODI World Cup title.
Rachin Ravindra: The left-handed batter, who also bowls quick left-arm spin, shone at the Men’s ODI World Cup in India, finishing as the competition’s fourth leading run-scorer with 578 runs at an average of 64.
Kumar Kushagra: Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans fought for the services of the explosive wicketkeeper-batter, but the former withdrew during the IPL 2024 auction. Delhi Capitals jumped in and eventually staved off the challenge from Titans’ to acquire Kushagra for a life-changing Rs 7.2 crore.
