The IPL 2024 will see a host of established and upcoming stars putting on a show. With the carrot of a T20 World Cup spot dangling, the season assumes more importance for everyone. Here we take a look at one overseas star each from the 10 franchises to watch out for.
Rachin Ravindra (Chennai Super Kings)
The New Zealand allrounder is arguably the most improved cricketer of the past few months. From a record-breaking run with the bat at the 2023 ODI World Cup in India to a successful return to the Test setup, the young Ravindra has been making all the right noises. Recently, he showed his versatility by belting a quick 35-ball 68 against Australia in a T20I. No wonder CSK splashed Rs 1.8 crore for him at the auction. With Devon Conway set to miss a significant portion of the IPL 2024, CSK have a fine specimen in Ravindra to fill in the vacant spot.
Tristan Stubbs (Delhi Capitals)
In Stubbs, DC have an all-dimensional player at their hand. Known for his ability to play big shots, Stubbs is also a wicketkeeper and bowls off-spin too. He has 1478 runs from 66 T20 innings at a superb strike rate of 150.25. Earlier this year during the SA20, he finished as the leading run-getter of Sunrisers Eastern Cape as they successfully defended the title. Stubbs represented Mumbai Indians in the past two seasons but was used in just four matches. The 23-year-old will be hoping for a longer run this season to prove what he can do.
Spencer Johnson (Gujarat Titans)
Gujarat Titans splashed a jaw-dropping Rs 10 crore to secure the signature of Australian Spencer Johnson at the auction last December. Johnson became an IPL millionaire just 11 months after having played his first-ever T20 game. Before making his T20 debut, the left-arm pacer was working as a landscaper. Some extraordinary rise. He finished the Big Bash League 2023-24 with 19 wickets from 11 games – the second most in the season. For Australia, the 28-year-old has six wickets from five T20Is. Will Johnson replicate his BBL heroics in IPL? GT will certainly hope so.
Follow all the action from IPL 2024, including the IPL 2024 Schedule and IPL 2024 Points Table. Also, check Players vying for IPL 2024 Orange Cap and IPL 2024 Purple Cap
Mitchell Starc (Kolkata Knight Riders)
It’s almost unbelievable that one of the finest fast bowlers of this era has played just two IPL seasons. The IPL 2024 will be the first time in nine years that Starc will be appearing in the competition. Prioritising Tests and injuries have limited his participation but the left-arm quick is now ready to make a splash with KKR almost making an earnest request by splurging a record-breaking sum of Rs 24.75 crore to bring him back to their fold. The 34-year-old has 34 wickets from 27 IPL games.
Shamar Joseph (Lucknow Super Giants)
The 24-year-old Shamar has played just two T20s and has yet to pick up a wicket. But thanks to his remarkable Test debut for West Indies in Australia, the young fast bowler has landed himself an IPL gig. With England pulling out Mark Wood from IPL 2024 to manage his workload, LSG turned to West Indies’ new pace sensation who dismissed superstar Steve Smith with his first delivery of his international career. He played a starring role in West Indies beating Australia in the Brisbane Test, pocketing player-of-the-match and player-of-the-series awards. Shamar though picked up a toe injury which prevented him from playing any role for the Dubai Capitals in ILT20 and Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL.
Gerald Coetzee (Mumbai Indians)
Coetzee is another fast bowler who left his mark in 2023. The highly rated South African showed his wares to the world at the biggest stage – the ODI World Cup – with a record show. In eight matches, the pacer took 20 wickets to set a new South African record for the most scalps in a single edition of the ODI showpiece. Sporting a bandana, the 23-year-old can bowl consistently in the 140kphs and can hit the ball a fair distance making him a quality all-round option.
Sam Curran (Punjab Kings)
At the IPL mini-auction in December 2022, PBKS made Curran the then-most expensive player in the competition’s history by purchasing him for an astronomical Rs 18.50 crore. Why? Because less than a month before the auction, Curran had produced a player-of-the-tournament award-winning performance to fire England to their second-ever T20 World Cup title win in Australia. However, the allrounder had a below-par season for PBKS though scoring 276 runs and taking 10 wickets in 14 games. With another T20 World Cup approaching, Curran will be itching to justify the price tag especially when PBKS decided to retain him despite his low return last year.
Rovman Powell (Rajasthan Royals)
The West Indies T20I captain was released by DC after playing just three matches last season. He though was the first player to be sold at the IPL 2024 auction when RR bought him for Rs 7.4 crore indicating the franchise rates him highly despite his limited role for the DC. At the PSL, he mostly batted in the middle and lower middle-order for Peshawar Zalmi and finished as their third-highest run-getter with a best of 46. His strike rate though was an impressive 150. The 30-year-old brings a rich experience of 209 T20s along with his all-round skills.
Cameron Green (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Green entered his maiden IPL season last year as the second-most expensive player in its history. He justified the price tag and hype with 452 runs from 16 matches at a strike rate of 160.28 including an unbeaten century. He though played a limited role with the ball and took six wickets. Despite that show, Green would feel slighted at being traded to RCB with MI using the money to fund their purchase of Hardik Pandya. There will be an extra motivation to prove to his old franchise what they have lost.
Travis Head (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Two biggest trophies on offer in international cricket in 2023. Both were won by Australia. Head played the starring role in both the title clashes – the finals of the ICC World Test Championship and ODI World Cup. Head scored a game-changing century in each of those matches and took a player-of-the-match award in both. His ability to score at a quick strike rate irrespective of the format made him a big draw at the IPL auction last December. SRH bought him for Rs 6.80 crore. Head has previously represented RCB for two seasons and was also part of the Delhi Daredevils (now DC) squad. The previous three seasons have been quite poor for SRH who finished with the wooden spoon last year. They will be praying Head’s arrival will not only add to their batting firepower but also get them the run of the green.
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