However, Karun Nair played just three matches for Northamptonshire last season, but he was able to play innings of 78, 150, and 21 respectively. As per Northamptonshire head coach John Sadler, Karun Nair was the last target for his team.

Karun Nair to return for Northamptonshire in County Championships 2024

In a press release by Northamptonshire, John Sadler heaped praise for Karun Nair and stated that his calmness, temperament, and hunger to score runs last season was superb. Sadler further stated that the team was delighted to get him on board and he will prove to be a great asset for the team.

John Sadler said, “Not only did he score some incredible runs for us, his calmness, his temperament, and his hunger for more runs was superb, We are delighted to get him on board with us again and I’m sure he will be a super asset for us again this season.”

Karun Nair’s availability for the County Championships was not confirmed in the middle of December as he was expected to be picked by a team in the Indian Premier League 2024 auction. Nair is committed to playing the first seven matches for the Northamptonshire after being unsold in the IPL 2024 auction.

Karun Nair said after his second stint for Northamptonshire, “I’m thrilled to be returning to Northamptonshire for another stint of County Championship cricket. Our aim is to win games and get promoted and I’m excited to get stuck in with the bat and help the team secure victories. I would like to thank the coach and captain for believing in me and giving me this wonderful opportunity. I was really happy with my form last season and hopefully I can get going right away and put big runs on the board.”

Karun Nair will be replaced by his Indian teammate Prithvi Shaw, who agreed to return in the second half of the English summer. Shaw had a successful stint for Northants last year and missed the season due to his ACL injury.

Karun Nair has played a total of 6 Test matches for India and has scored 374 runs at an average of 62.33. However, of those, 303 have come in one match, which is Nair’s highest Test career score. Nair was supposed to be one of the permanent members of the Indian Test team, however, the batter was excluded from the team due to his poor form.

Karun Nair played his last Test match in the year 2017 against Australia in 2017. Due to the rising competition in the Indian cricket team, Nair was not able to find his place back in the Indian team and now is also out of the consideration of the selectors.

The post Karun Nair to join new team after going unsold at IPL 2024 auction appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Aakash Chopra feels that it was important for the Punjab-based franchise to buy a homegrown experienced bowler as most of their pace battery are filled with overseas pacers like Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, and Sam Curran. And perhaps that was the reason why Punjab Kings went all in for Harshal Patel.

The 33-year-old Gujarat-born cricketer has been a part of the IPL circuit for over a decade now and he brings in wealth of experience with him. Not just experience but a lot of variety and versatility in his bowling as well. Harshal knows Indian pitches just as well as the likes of Jasprit Bumrah or Mohammed Siraj.

Harshal Patel is also known for his efficiency in the death overs and he is capable of deceiving batters with his accurate line length and capability of pulling off cutters. He has experience playing more than 90 IPL matches and for all such reasons, Punjab Kings did not think twice before splashing over 10 crores and making him one of the most expensive local players in the IPL.

“They had an Indian fast bowler in the form of Arshdeep Singh but apart from him, all their fast bowlers were overseas, whether it was Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, or Sam Curran. So they needed a partner for Arshdeep who could provide some help in the death overs or with the new ball.” – Aakash Chopra said via his YouTube channel.

Another thing that Harshal Patel brings with him is decent batting skills that have seen him contribute with the bat from the lower order whenever teams require him to do so. He has an IPL career strike rate of nearly 130, which is a decent one given he comes to bat at number 9-10.

Aakash Chopra Believes Relying On Foreign Recruitments Was Not Right And Harshal Patel’s Arrival Will Help Them

At first, everyone was shocked to see Punjab Kings spend 11.75 crores on Harshal Patel who had an average season last year. Although there are no doubts about his wicket-taking prowess his 2023 season with the Royal Challengers Bangalore was a quiet one, picking up 14 wickets in 13 outings also with an expensive economy rate of almost 10.

But in his long IPL career, Harshal has shown that he is more than capable of staging a decent comeback after having a disappointing season and Aakash Chopra believes that Punjab Kings did the right thing by going after him in the auction.

“Although I like their overseas recruits – Rabada and Nathan Ellis, a lot, it’s not the right thing if you are forced to play both of them with Sam Curran. So they bought Harshal Patel for 11.75 crores. They were committed, they said they wanted this player at all costs.” – Aakash Chopra concluded. 

The 33-year-old right-arm medium pacer has had 2 separate stints with the RCB and has also spent 2 seasons with the Delhi Capitals, picking up 111 wickets in 91 IPL outings.

The post “It’s not right if you’re forced to play..”- Aakash Chopra on Punjab Kings buying Harshal Patel appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Rilee Rossouw returned to the IPL circuit last year for the first time since (2014 the year of his debut) in 2015 when he appeared for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He had played just 5 games across his first two seasons with RCB, scoring 53 runs before going on a lengthy hiatus.

When his name was brought up during the mini-player auctions for the 2023 season, Rossouw was bought for INR 4.60 crores, a decision that did not help the cause of Delhi Capitals at all. He performed very inconsistently across the season and did not show up when it mattered the most.

His presence in the Capitals’ middle-order was initially seen as a reliant and solid option to handle delicate situations but Rilee Rossouw often turned off the switch during crucial moments, especially when he was needed to do something big.

The Delhi Capitals batting line-up struggled throughout last season and Rossouw added more tension into the mix. He scored 209 runs in 9 matches last year, averaging 30 at a strike rate of less than 150. Owing to his poor performance, the 34-year-old was released by the Capitals ahead of the IPL 2024 auction and he had remained unsold when his name was first brought into the auction room.

However, when he was up for auction for the 2nd time, to everyone’s surprise, Punjab Kings landed the Rilee Rossouw for a deal worth 8 crores, which is double the amount Delhi Capitals paid for him last year. It created plenty of backlash for the Punjab-based outfit that finished 8th in IPL 2023.

“They let Rilee Rossouw go at the start but later broke the bank for him. A very interesting pick. He played an odd good knock last year, one was against them only actually. I remember it was a match against Delhi, Rilee Rossouw was batting and they gave the 20th over to Harpreet Brar.” – Aakash Chopra said. 

“How Will They Make A Place For Him?”, Aakash Chopra Asks Punjab Kings About The Role Of Rilee Rossouw

The Punjab Kings currently have 7 overseas players other than Rilee Rossouw and they include – Johnny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Nathan Ellis, Sikander Raza, and Kagiso Rabada. While Punjab needs to have Curran, Ellis, and Rabada on their side for the primary bowlers, the main question is who will make way for Rossouw?

Removing Bairstow up top will prevent them from getting to a good start and leaving out Raza and Livingstone might hurt their middle order. In that case, it becomes interesting to see where exactly Rilee Rossouw fits in, something Aakash Chopra too is keen to understand.

“Rilee Rossouw for eight crores – how will they make a place for him? Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Sam Curran – it will be difficult to make a place for him.” – Aakash Chopra concluded.

The post IPL 2024: Aakash Chopra Questions Punjab Kings’ Outrageous Decision To Buy Rilee Rossouw For 8 Crores appeared first on CricketAddictor.

In contrary, Sam Curran failed to live up to the expectations as well as the price tag for which he was bought in. The 2023 edition proved to be a semi-par season for him where his form fluctuated from hot to cold across the 14 matches he played even if some bothering to argue about the 2023 season being his best individually.

Sam Curran scored 276 runs at a strike rate of 136 with a half-century to his name. It was perhaps his best season with the bat since making his IPL debut back in 2019. However, with the ball Curran was not even close to being at his best, accounting for only 10 wickets with a worst ever economy rate of over 10 in his 4-year IPL career.  

His economy rate has been nearly around 8-9 before last season and he also conceded the most number of runs in a particular season – 489. Curran’s performance directly raised question marks over his dependency and Punjab Kings’ decision making on splashing such an amount for him without taking account of his form.

The only reason that Sam Curran became one of the most expensive entities in the IPL was because of his performance during England’s T20 World cup 2022 triumph in Australia where they defeated Pakistan in the final. Curran finished as the tournament’s 2nd highest wicket taker with with 15 wickets including a 5-wicket haul and was also adjudged as the player of the tournament.

But when he came to participate in the IPL, Curran was nowhere near the level he showed during the T20 WC and Aakash Chopra believes that he was trusted by the Punjab Kings because there were only 3 all-rounders in the auction for 2023 season.

“I was extremely surprised. Why did you retain Sam Curran? They have parked 18.50 crore rupees in one place. I won’t call him a non-performing asset but a very expensive asset for sure. He was sold for that amount because there were only three all-rounders in the small auction.” – Chopra said.

Aakash Chopra Blames Trevor Bayliss And Claims Sam Curran Was Lucky In T20 WC 2022

Aakash Chopra claimed that one of the reasons why Sam Curran had a terrific outing with the ball during the last T20 WC edition was because of the huge side boundaries in Australia. Chopra brought forward Curran’s poor performance since then in the IPL 2023 and the SAT20 and claimed that he hasn’t done anything significant in the last 1 and half year.

“If you see his performances in the last IPL, the SAT20 now or the last year, he hasn’t done anything special for the last 12-17 months. He has just played well in the 2022 T20 WC and that too because the side boundaries were very big in Australia.” – Chopra added.

Lastly, the 46-year-old blamed Punjab Kings’ English head coach Trevor Bayliss as the one to retain Sam Curran who could have been brought back to the team cheaper than his current price through RTM card if he was released in the auction held last December.

“He should have been released. There was a buyback option as well. You could have got him for half the price or even cheaper, but Punjab said they would keep him with them. Is that the Trevor Bayliss connection? I don’t know, I am just contemplating.” – Aakash Chopra concluded.

The post IPL 2024: Aakash Chopra Slams Punjab Kings For Retaining 18.50 Crore “Baggage” Sam Curran appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Mitchell Starc became the most expensive purchase in the history of IPL as he was bought for a whopping 24.75 crores by Kolkata Knight Riders. Meanwhile, Spencer Johnson was bought for 10 crores by Gujarat titans and Travis Head received 6.80 crores from Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Aussies completely dominated the IPL Auctions as they bagged a lot of riches. A total of 45.25 crore was spent on the pace duo of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc in the Auctions.

Former South African all-rounder Chris Morris has said that these huge bids also add some pressure on the player. Chris Morris was once the most expensive player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history when he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for 16.25 crores in 2021. He has hailed the record-breaking bid of Australian pacer Mitchell Starc by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the 2024 season, saying that it will add some pressure on him but the pacer will be able to justify it with his performances and experience.

“It is excellent. The bidding is out of our control. If you compare cricket with what other sports are paying, it is great that the best players in the world are being paid the highest. It is an excellent achievement but also brings additional pressure. But they (Cummins and Starc) can handle that pressure, that is why they were bought for so much money. They are performing really well right now and are red-hot,” said Morris to ANI.

Mitchell Starc Will Return To IPL After Nine Years

Mitchell Starc will make his return in India’s cash-rich T20 league after a long gap of nine years. He enlisted in the 2018 Auction and was bought by KKR for 9.8 crores but he sustained an injury which ruled him out of the tournament. Mitchell Starc is now back in the IPL and will play for Kolkata Knight Riders. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins also got a hefty sum and was purchased by Sunrisers Hyderabad for 20.50 crores.

Pat Cummins will join his teammate Travis Head in Hyderabad and can be a potential captain for them in the season. The top three expensive players in this auction were Mitchell Starc (24.75 cr), Pat Cummins (20.50 cr), and Daryl Mitchell (14 cr). Daryl Mitchell will play for Chennai Super Kings who also bought Rachin Ravindra for a meagre 1.80 crores.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 is expected to commence on March 22 and will conclude in the last week of May. The expensive players have a task ahead of them and they will look forward to justify their price tag in the IPL 2024. It will be an interesting season for all the cricket lovers.

The post IPL 2024: Big IPL Deals Bring Additional Pressure – Chris Morris Warns Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins appeared first on CricketAddictor.

His photo and name popped up on the TV when his family members were glued to the screen. Sumit Kumar had registered himself at a base price of Rs 20 lakhs and Delhi Capitals signed him for Rs 1 crore. His emotional mother called him to tell him about his first-ever IPL contract.

Hailing from Bokaro, Sumit Kumar honed his skills under the wings of the legendary MS Dhoni. He made his first-class debut for Jharkhand in 2015 before recently moving to Nagaland due to a lack of opportunities. So far, he has played 20 first-class, 26 List A and 21 T20 matches in his career.

Sumit Kumar’s delight turns into despair:

While Sumit Kumar and his family members were delighted after he bagged his maiden IPL contract, the happiness was short-lived. Soon after the auction, he was left shocked when he noticed Delhi Capitals’ Instagram post featuring another Sumit Kumar from Haryana.

“My mother was so happy. She was continuously praying for me. But how is this possible? I agree that the names can be the same but what about the photo that was flashed on the television screen? My photo was there, my name was there,” Sumit Kumar told TimesofIndia.com.

“I failed to console my mother. She was so emotional. She was so happy after seeing my name and photo on the television screen and then this shocking incident happened. Delhi Capitals are a big team. I didn’t expect them to play with a cricketer’s emotions. My family and I felt too bad about it.

“They put my photo on their Instagram handle as well. They searched for me. They tagged me as well. When I got the notification, I was 100 percent confident. But when they deleted it after a couple of hours, I was confused and shocked,” he added.

Speaking further, Sumit Kumar explained that the entire situation turned embarrassing for him and his family. After receiving congratulatory messages from all around, he had to explain the matter to the media and the neighbors.

“It was an embarrassing moment for me and my family. I got a lot of congratulatory messages. Friends and cricketers sent screenshots of the auction that had my photo. But it all turned into a big embarrassment. I can’t tell you how my family and I felt,” he said.

The post IPL 2024: Jharkhand’s Sumit Kumar And His Family Left Heartbroken After Delhi Capitals IPL Auction Goof-Up appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Since entering IPL in 2022, Lucknow have produced similar types of performances from the last 2 seasons. They entered the league with Gujarat Titans 2 years ago, making the Indian Premier League a 10-team affair, thus making the richest cricketing league even more exciting.

With Gujarat finishing on top of the IPL standings, they eventually went on to win the prestigious title in their maiden campaign by beating season 1 champions Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Lucknow Super Giants on the other hand finished 3rd in the points table, securing a play-off berth in their maiden attempt as well.

However, Lucknow Super Giants in their eliminator match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, lost by 14 runs at the Eden Gardens. Even though they were unable to replicate Gujarat Titans’ performance, the first season of LSG was a major success with KL Rahul as the captain.

In the 2nd season, amid turmoils, LSG yet again were able to finish the league phase in the 3rd spot with 17 points to their name. But history repeated itself and Lucknow lost in their Eliminator match this time against the Mumbai Indians by 81 runs.

The disappointment within the camp after the loss was evident and owner Sanjiv Goenka decided to process a major overhaul in the Lucknow Super Giants management. First, Gautam Gambhir stepped down as the Mentor before joining Kolkata Knight Riders and then Andy Flower was also replaced by former Australia head coach Justin Langer.

And earlier today, Vijay Dahiya also separated from the team after 2 years of service, meaning a new era is on the horizon for LSG.

All the best for your next chapter, @vijdahiya !?? pic.twitter.com/7RhyyOuXnD

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) January 1, 2024

Lucknow Super Giants Hoping To Reach IPL Finale With A New Management In Place

Ahead of the IPL 2024 Mini Auction, Lucknow Super Giants hired the services of former T20 World Cup-winning head coach with Australia, Justin Langer. The Aussie was roped in for his splendid time as head coach of the national team.

Langer had joined Australia right after Sandpaper Gate which tarnished the image of the team worldwide. After taking over, he helped the team come over from a turmoil situation, retaining the Ashes Series for the first time in 18 years.

Then in 2021, Australia won their maiden ICC T20 World Cup title in UAE before stepping down in 2022. It was Langer’s extensive work that laid the foundation for the Aussies’ ICC WTC 2023 triumph which was followed by a 6th Cricket World Cup triumph in India in November.

Lucknow Super Giants are yet to announce the entourage of Justin Langer but with new management, hopes of winning the IPL have also been renewed.

The post IPL 2024: After Gautam Gambhir, Vijay Dahiya Parts Ways With Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) appeared first on CricketAddictor.

SRH finished last in the IPL 2023 season, winning only four games out of 14 in the season ending the season with a wooden spoon. They did not release a plethora of players like other teams. Harry Brook who was bought for 13.25 crores last season was their only big ticket release. They bought Pat Cummins for 20.50 crores and Travis Head for 6.80 crores.

Aakash Chopra voiced his opinion saying that the Sunrisers Hyderabad had a good enough team to qualify for the playoffs in the IPL 2023. He said, “This is one team that is looking rock solid on paper. The team was good last year as well. If you saw on paper, they were an excellent team. They should have qualified for sure but were revolving around the bottom of the table.”

The cricketer-turned-commentator expects the IPL 2016 champions to be one of the title contenders in the upcoming edition. Aakash Chopra reasoned, “When the team was good last year, didn’t release too many players, and have strengthened the team even further, they should reach the top four. I won’t be surprised at all if they are seen close to the podium.”

Aakash Chopra Feels That Wanindu Hasaranga Was A Bargain Buy For Sunrisers Hyderabad

Apart from Pat Cummins and Travis Head, Sunrisers Hyderabad acquired Wanindu Hasaranga, Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh, and Jhathavedh Subramanyan at the 2024 IPL auction. They also traded Mayank Dagar to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) taking Shahbaz Ahmed in return from them ahead of the auctions.

Aakash Chopra reckons Wanindu Hasaranga was a great bargain buy for the Hyderabad-based franchise. He explained, “Their steal of the (auction) day was Wanindu Hasaranga because they got him at his base price of 1.50 crores, which wasn’t a chance at all. It became a very good buy because they had Mayank Markande, Washington Sundar and now they have Wanindu Hasaranga.”

The former India opener believes that SRH can play the Sri Lankan all-rounder as their fourth overseas player, with Pat Cummins, Travis Head, and Heinrich Klaasen being the other three. He elaborated, “If they want, they can leave Marco Jansen and Glenn Phillips out because they can play Abdul Samad there. So they can play Wanindu Hasaranga, Washington Sundar and Mayank Markande. That makes it three spinners and then Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik and Pat Cummins.”

Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Sunrisers Hyderabad can play around with their combination as they have an Indian-pace battery. Additionally, Shahbaz Ahmed and Wanindu Hasaranga’s acquisitions have added some extra turn in their spin-bowling department. The Indian Premier League 2024 is scheduled to commence during the third week of March and will conclude during the last week of May.

The post IPL 2024: Not MI Or CSK! Aakash Chopra Feels This Team Is Looking “Rock Solid On Paper” appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Hardik Pandya will replace Rohit Sharma as the captain of the Mumbai-based franchise in the upcoming IPL 2024. He is not completely fit as of now and will miss out on the T20I series against Afghanistan. He will not be playing any cricket till the start of the IPL and will be leading the Mumbai Indians for the first time in the Indian Premier League.

Hardik Pandya made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2015 and after playing seven seasons for the franchise he moved to Gujarat Titans who offered a captaincy stint to him. Hardik Pandya will now be back with his former team as a captain and he will try to carry on with the legacy that Rohit Sharma built by winning five IPL titles with them.

In a video that dates to December 19, the star all-rounder, who joined the Mumbai-based franchise last month from the Gujarat Titans in a deal that is speculated to be worth more than 100 crores was welcomed with horses, musical instruments, and more. The video of Hardik Pandya getting a royal reception was shared on X by a fan on December 27 and went viral on the internet immediately.

Watch- Hardik Pandya Gets Royal Reception In Jamnagar

मुबई इंडियंस के कप्तान रिलायंस इंडस्ट्रीज जामनगर पहुंचे।
उनका स्वागत घोड़े और बाजा से किया गया…..
(19 decemcer)@hardikpandya7#HardikPandya #MumbaiIndians #ViratKohli #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/SYRDMFcOeS

— Kirpal sinh (hardik) (@ChauhanKirpal11) December 27, 2023

Hardik Pandya made his IPL debut for the Mumbai Indians in 2015 after being signed for just Rs 10 lakh in the auction. He joined the Gujarat Titans for Rs 15 crores ahead of the IPL 2022 auctions after not being retained by the Mumbai-based Franchise. He led GT to an IPL title in his first season with the Ahmedabad-based franchise, and in 2023, under his leadership, Gujarat Titans finished as runners-up.

After a sudden trade from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians, Hardik was appointed as the new captain of the franchise on December 16. He replaced Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who led MI to five IPL titles as captain during his 11 years in charge. The decision to appoint Hardik Pandya by removing Rohit Sharma was heavily criticized by the fans and there was a huge unfollowing of the franchise’s social-media handle with fans even burning their jersey.

Mumbai Indians bought eight players in the IPL 2024 auctions which took place on December 19 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. They got South African pacer Gerald Coetzee for INR 5 crores and the Sri Lankan pace duo of Nuwan Thushara and Dilshan Madhushanka for INR 4.80 crores and 4.60 crores respectively. They also bought Mohammed Nabi in the second round of the auction and strengthened their spin-bowling attack.

The post IPL 2024: Watch: Hardik Pandya Receives Grand Reception In Gujarat After Being Announced Mumbai Indians’ Captain appeared first on CricketAddictor.

The 33-year-old pacer becoming a record signing for a record amount for KKR is creating headlines not just in India but in his homeland as well. During the ongoing Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan in Melbourne, a former Australian cricketer pulled out a hilarious prank on Mitchell Starc for securing the historic deal. After the first day’s play at the MCG got interrupted due to rain, the left-arm pacer joined former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting and former pacer Trent Copeland for a conversation.

During the chat, Copeland tried to pull Mitchell Starc’s leg. The former fast bowler, who played three Test matches for Australia in 2011, tried taking a jibe at Starc with a gesture of ‘coughing money’. He coughed a bit, bringing a currency note out of his hands and saying, “Sorry… Stitch up, mate.”

As the currency fell on the floor, Mitchell Starc picked the note back up and put it in Copeland’s pocket, saying, “You might need that, mate.” The video of this incident was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the broadcaster, and it went viral on the internet.

Watch- Mitchell Starc’s Epic Comeback After Former Cricketer Tries Pulling His Legs

.@copes9 tried to stitch Mitch Starc up after the recent IPL auction news, but Starc had the reverse card ready ? pic.twitter.com/ldQuVncHNi

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 26, 2023

Mitchell Starc is now the most expensive purchase in the history of the Indian Premier League. Apart from him, his fellow Australian teammates were also picked for big sums including Australia’s Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins and Australian pacer Spencer Johnson.

Apart from Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins also broke the 20 crore barrier as he was bought by the SunRisers Hyderabad for a massive 20.50 crore. Australian pacer Spencer Johnson got 10 crores by Gujarat Titans. This year has been really good for Australia as they won the ICC World Test Championship, retained the Ashes, and extended their record by winning the ODI World Cup for a sixth time.

Mitchell Starc was also picked up by the KKR in the 2018 IPL auctions but he missed out that year due to an injury and after that he did not put his name for the IPL for five years. He will be playing in the IPL after nine years and KKR will hope that he justifies his price tag and contributes towards the franchise’s success.

Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins became the two most expensive purchases in the history of IPL. The two World Cup winners raked in more than 45 crores together and now they will be playing in India’s most lucrative T20 League.

The post IPL 2024: Watch – Mitchell Starc’s Epic Comeback After Former Teammate Pulls His Leg Over Lucrative IPL Deal appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Sanju Samson will lead Rajasthan Royals, traded in Avesh Khan, and tarded away Devdutt Padikkal to the Lucknow Super Giants. The side played in the IPL 2022 final and missed out on qualifying for the playoffs in IPL 2023.

Since winning the IPL title in the inaugural IPL season, the Royals until 2022 did not make much in the league. However, in 2022, they came into reckoning once again, only to have another ordinary season in 2023.

Also Read: Pat Cummins Or Aiden Markram? AB de Villiers Predicts SRH Captain For IPL 2024

Rajasthan Royals, with their Indian spin twins Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin, have one of the best spin attacks in the league. Add to that the Aussie leg spinner Adam Zampa who is fresh from a title-winning Cricket World Cup season.

The Rajasthan Royals have a good core of domestic players with Avesh Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, and Prasidh Krishna to name a few. Trent Boult will lead the pace attack along with the two Indian seamers giving the side enough options. Navdeep Saini is also among the backups as well. In this article, we look at Rajasthan Royals playing 11 for IPL 2024.

Rajasthan Royals Playing 11 for IPL 2024

Jos Buttler

Buttler will open the batting for Rajasthan Royals. He scored 863 runs in IPL 2022 to take his team to the finals. He blew hot and cold in IPL 2023 scoring 392 runs with four fifty-plus scores in 14 games. He recently led England in the ICC World Cup 2023.

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the batting along with Buttler. The duo formed a formidable opening stand in the last couple of seasons. The southpaw scored 625 runs in 14 matches last season. The southpaw made his India debut across formats after a good IPL season earlier this year.

Sanju Samson (C/WK)

Sanju Samson will slot in at three for Rajasthan Royals. He will lead this Rajasthan Royals Playing 11 and bat in the top order. He scored 362 runs last season with just two fifty-plus scores. He does not get regular chances with the national team and needs to make the most of this year.

Shimron Hetmyer

The southpaw can slot in at four. He can play the attacking and the defensive style of cricket. He gets better the more he bats in IPL cricket. He has another chance to make an impact with the franchise.

Riyan Parag

Parag will slot in at five. The Assam cricketer was retained despite not scoring too much since he joined the side. He is a good fielder and a safe catcher as well. Rajasthan Royals also has used him with the ball.

Rovman Powell

Powell the big-hitter will slot in at six for Rajasthan Royals. The Royals roped him in for 7.40 crores after he was released by Delhi Capitals after just one season. Powell is the T20I skipper of the West Indies national cricket team.

Dhruv Jurel

Jurel, the young keeper-batter can slot in at seven. The UP batter played some attractive cameos for the Royals last season and can do the same job this year as well. He is a finisher in the making and hope to play crucial role in Rajasthan Royals Playing 11.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin will slot in at eight as a specialist spinner and someone who can handle the bat. His main job will be to take wickets in the middle overs for Rajasthan Royals along with his fellow Indian spinner Yuzi Chahal.

Trent Boult

Boult will lead the pace attack. He bowled his best for the Rajasthan Royals in IPl 2022 picking up 16 wickets in 16 matches. He has a knack of picking wickets inside the powerplay and will need to do the same job.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal will be the second mainstream spinner in the XI. He finished with 27 wickets in IP 2022 and then 21 again in IPL 2023. The leggie is IPL’s top wicket-taker and is inching closer to 200 wickets.

Prasidh Krishna

Krishna concludes the likely Rajasthan Royals XI for IPL 2024. He ended with 22 wickets in IPL 2022 and missed IPL 2023 with an injury. Still, the management backed and retained him ahead of IPL 2024.

Impact Sub: Avesh Khan

Avesh Khan might be used as the impact sub by RR in IPL 2024. He was traded in from LSG and has had a decent outing in Indian colors recently. Avesh Khan can clock close to 140 kph and thats why he will be the part of Rajasthan Royals Playing 11 this year.

As per author understanding this would be the Rajasthan Royals Playing 11 for IPL 2024.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: ‘Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc Both Incredible But…’ – Ab de Villiers On Pacers’ IPL Buy

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Mitchell Starc ignited a bidding war between the franchises during the auction. The intense bidding between the Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders surpassed previous records. The Kolkata-based franchise secured Starc for a staggering Rs 24.75 crore in the auction.

Gujarat Titans Could Have Gone Till 25 As Well – Aakash Chopra

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Gujarat Titans could have extended their bid to pursue Mitchell Starc. Chopra suggested they had the financial capacity to go even higher in their pursuit of Starc.

“You ran after Mitchell Starc for sure but stopped on the verge of acquiring him, and then eight crore rupees were left in your purse. You start wondering what was Gujarat’s strategy, that why they went till 24 crores and then pulled out even though money was still left in their kitty,” Chopra said.

“We thought that if Gujarat wanted someone, no one would be able to stop them because they had the most money and had to fill the least slots if we talk about the combination. The team was already ready. So if they went till 24 crores, they could have gone till 25 as well,” he added.

The Titans entered the auction with Rs 38.15 crore to acquire a maximum of eight players, including two foreigners. During the auction, they made significant investments in players such as Spencer Johnson, Shahrukh Khan, Umesh Yadav, and Robin Minz.

The IPL 2022 champions invested Rs 10 crore in acquiring Spencer Johnson to reinforce their overseas seam-bowling prowess. The 28-year-old Australian left-arm pacer has a track record of 17 wickets in 20 T20 matches and an impressive economy rate of 7.84.

Gujarat Titans Could Have Taken Gerald Coetzee – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra suggested that the Gujarat Titans could have considered acquiring Gerald Coetzee instead of Spencer Johnson. Chopra expressed uncertainty about how well Johnson would adapt to the IPL environment, presenting a mixed stance on the acquisition.

“They pulled out and said that they would go in some other direction. There they bought Spencer Johnson for 10 crores. It was almost clear that they needed a left-arm fast bowler. However, I have become a broken record – Gerald Coetzee was available at five crores, so you could have taken him,” Chopra further stated.

Also read: IPL 2024 Auction: ‘Hardik Pandya Is Not A Finished Product As Captain’ – Aakash Chopra

The post IPL 2024: ‘Why Gujarat Titans Went Till 24 Crores For Mitchell Starc’ – Aakash Chopra Questions appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Mumbai Indians (MI) made an extremely controversial decision to accommodate Hardik Pandya. It was pretty clear that a player of Hardik’s stature would only accept a deal that involved him being the captain as he was already leading a franchise and also won a title with them.

However, Mumbai Indians removed Rohit Sharma, a player who won all five titles for them just to fit Pandya in the squad. The move was 15 crore on paper for MI, but many were also surprised at how Gujarat Titans let go of a marquee player and the skipper that led them to their maiden IPL title in their very first season.

According to a report from Indian Express, the Gujarat Titans’ deal for Hardik Pandya with Mumbai Indians was basically a ‘gold mine’ for the Gujarat Titans. The report brings an interesting angle to the deal stating the speculated profits made by a franchise that paid 5625 crores to be a part of the Indian Premier League.

The report from Indian Express, states that the two franchises have different cultures and Goals. CVC Capital (Owners of Gujarat Titans) is an investment firm with 40 managing partners and is a global entity that looks at IPL as a gold mine to make profits. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians are owned by a business family and one of the richest families in the country. So naturally, other factors also affect their decision-making rather than just making profits.

Hardik Pandya’s Trade To Mumbai Indians From Gujarat Titans Explained

Hardik Pandya’s trade details (Indian Express): pic.twitter.com/MNiN5grdYC

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 24, 2023

Therefore, by selling Hardik Pandya to MI, they not only got 15 crores in their auction purse but also received a huge transfer fee from IPL which is speculated to be around 100 crores. Gujarat Titans made a huge profit by selling their best player and their first pick of IPL. Whereas, Mumbai Indians got their new skipper and the player who represented them for seven seasons since his debut.

Hardik Pandya’s announcement as the new skipper of the Mumbai-based franchise received a lot of backlash from fans and MI saw a decline in their followers on Instagram. They were the most followed IPL franchise on Instagram with 13.2 million followers which was reduced by around a million just a day after Rohit was removed as the skipper.

Hardik Pandya will be leading the Mumbai Indians for the first time in the Indian Premier League. He has captained the Indian team and the Gujarat Titans so he has a good amount of experience in leading a side. However, it is very unnatural to see a player who is currently the official captain of the Indian Team in all three formats be removed from his role in the IPL.

The post IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya’s Transfer To Mumbai Indians Got Gujarat Titans A Deal Worth 100 Crores? Shocking Details Revealed appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Mitchell Starc made history in the IPL 2024 auction by becoming the costliest player ever, securing a staggering Rs 24.75 crore deal with the Kolkata Knight Riders. Despite not having played in the IPL for years, Starc attracted bids from multiple franchises in the auction.

The 33-year-old shattered the previous record held by fellow Aussie pacer Pat Cummins, who was secured for ₹20.50 crore by the SunRisers Hyderabad just an hour earlier. The pacer will spearhead the bowling attack for the Kolkata-based franchise in the next season.

Red-Ball Cricket Is Still Top Of The Three For Me – Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc revealed that his decision to forgo T20 leagues in recent years was driven by his dedication to family time, especially to spend time with his wife Alyssa Healy during his busy international cricket schedule.

“I’ve always prioritised Test cricket and international cricket, and it’s hard enough juggling one schedule, let alone when there are two schedules [wife Alyssa’s career] in the relationship. I’ve always spent that time away from cricket with Alyssa or with family and recharging my body for being as fit and ready for Australian cricket. Red-ball cricket is still top of the tree for me, my body will probably let me know about Test cricket before I want it to,” Starc said, as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald.

I’ve Always Prioritised International Cricket – Mitchell Starc

Starc emphasized that participating in the IPL will contribute to his preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The Australian pacer acknowledged the financial allure of the league but reiterated his commitment to prioritizing international cricket.

“As I’ve said before, the money is certainly nice, and it is this year, but I’ve always prioritised international cricket and I think it has helped my game,” he said. “It’s a nice lead into the T20 World Cup next year with the IPL and quality of cricket that tournament presents,” Starc added.

The Boxing Day Test Is Special – Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc said that the Boxing Day Test is a special opportunity for him to perform well and contribute to winning the series. He highlighted the importance of the five or six Test matches before the start of the next IPL season.

“The auction has happened, but it’s not April, so I’ve got five or six Test matches to focus on. The Boxing Day Test is special, we follow, for the Sydney-based guys, with a home Test as well. For me, it’s another chance to play a Boxing Day Test, perform well and another chance to win a series,” Starc further stated.

Australia currently lead the three-match series against Pakistan, securing a convincing 360-run victory in the first Test in Perth. The upcoming Boxing Day Test is scheduled to take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from December 26 to 30.

Also read: PAK vs AUS: “Surprised At The Lower Pace Of Pakistan Bowlers” – Mitchell Starc

The post IPL 2024 Auction: “Red-Ball Cricket Is Still…” – Mitchell Starc’s Huge Remark After Getting Lucrative IPL Deal appeared first on CricketAddictor.

There were speculations about the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) considering Suresh Raina as a replacement for Gautam Gambhir in the upcoming season. Gambhir recently concluded a two-year association with the Lucknow franchise in the world’s richest cricket league.

Gambhir served as the mentor for the Super Giants since its inception in 2022, guiding the team to consistent playoff appearances in IPL 2022 and 2023. However, the former Indian opening batter joined the KKR support staff as a mentor before the IPL 2024 mini-auction.

Suresh Rains Shares Cryptic Post On Social Media

A user on the X (Twitter) platform posted a rumor about Suresh Raina joining the Lucknow franchise as a mentor, stating it as the “homecoming of UP Boy.” In response, journalist Abhishek Tripathi dismissed the information as “absolutely fake news” in a tweet.

The tweet read, “Suresh Raina is set to be announced as the Mentor of Lucknow Supergiants for IPL 2024. The homecoming of UP Boy.”

The journalist tweeted, “Nihayat farzi khabar (Absolutely fake news).”

Suresh Raina added fuel to the rumors with a cryptic post about his potential role with the Super Giants. Raina responded to Abhishek Tripathi’s dismissal of the news, questioning the journalist’s confidence by stating, “Your news can’t be right all the time?”

Why ? Your news can’t be rite all the time ?

— Suresh Raina?? (@ImRaina) December 23, 2023

Suresh Raina Announced His Retirement From IPL In September 2022

Suresh Raina, widely recognized as Mr. IPL, consistently delivered for the Chennai Super Kings since the inaugural season of the tournament. The left-handed batter played a pivotal role in the Chennai-based franchise’s four trophy-winning campaigns throughout his career.

However, Raina’s batting performance declined after 2019. He holds the record for the highest run scorer for the Chennai franchise, amassing 4687 runs in 176 matches. The southpaw crafted 33 half-centuries and one century, with his highest score being an unbeaten 100 runs.

The 37-year-old missed the IPL 2020 season, and his subsequent performance in the following season was disappointing. He managed to score only 160 runs in 12 outings in the IPL 2021. Despite winning the season, Suresh Raina was not retained by the MS Dhoni-led side.

Suresh Raina made an unexpected announcement about his retirement from the IPL in September 2022. This decision rendered him eligible to participate in overseas leagues. He took part in the leagues such as the Road Safety World Series and Legends League Cricket, Abu Dhabi T10 and US Masters T10 tournaments.

LSG Full Squad: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Krunal Pandya, Yudhvir Singh, Prerak Mankad, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, K. Gowtham, Shivam Mavi, Arshin Kulkarni, M. Siddharth, Ashton Turner, David Willey, Mohd. Arshad Khan.

Also read: IPL 2024: Watch – ‘Unhone Mujhe Phone Kiya…’ – Suresh Raina’s Interesting Revelation About MS Dhoni’s Marriage Invitation

The post IPL 2024: Is Suresh Raina Set To Make A Comeback To The Indian Premier League? Former Cricketer Drops Massive Hint appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Mitchell Starc made headlines by becoming the most expensive player in the history of the IPL auction. KKR acquired the left-arm pacer for a whopping total of Rs 24.75 crore, despite having a purse of Rs 32.70 crore. They spent Rs 6.6 crore to purchase nine other players.

The franchise made a significant investment of Rs 9.40 crore to sign Starc for the 2018 season. However, he was unable to participate in the season due to a right leg injury, impacting the team’s strategy. English speedster Tom Curran replaced him in the KKR squad.

It Might Be A Little Heartburn – Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted the Kolkata Knight Riders’ strong desire for the Australian pacer, Mitchell Starc, despite not playing them in the 2018 edition of the tournament.

“Kolkata ran after Mitchell Starc. I felt it might be a little heartburn because they had kept him earlier and he didn’t come and they were at a loss,” Chopra said.

“Kolkata was the team that got hurt when Mitchell Starc said he wouldn’t come because they had built their strategy around the four overseas players and one of them didn’t come.”

“However, now they have spent 24.75 crores on him. They had close to 32 crore rupees, but to give 25 out of 32 to one player – it was incredible. It shows how much they wanted Mitchell Starc,” he added.

Mitchell Starc’s last appearance in the tournament was in 2015, representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The fast bowler played for the Bangalore franchise in two seasons, picking up 34 wickets from 27 matches at an impressive economy rate of 7.17.

They Had Only Two Indian Fast Bowlers – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra noted that the Knight Riders missed the opportunity to acquire Dilshan Madushanka due to the significant investment in Mitchell Starc. He highlighted the limited fast bowlers in the squad before the auction.

“To be fair, they had only two Indian fast bowlers, Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana, before the auction. Andre Russell – his bowling has been 50-50. So they needed a bowler but a 25-crore bowler – wow. “The loss after taking a 25-crore bowler is that Gautam (Gambhir) likes Madushanka a lot, but they couldn’t get him,” he further stated.

Trying Him As A Backup For Andre Russell – Aakash Chopra

The former Indian opener suggested that two-time IPL champions acquired Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Sherfane Rutherford as backups for Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, respectively.

“As they had released all fast bowlers, they bought Chetan Sakariya and Gus Atkinson. Then they bought Mujeeb Ur Rahman. I think he is a backup for Sunil Narine.”

“They were going for Rovman Powell earlier, but since they couldn’t get him, they picked Sherfane Rutherford later. They are trying him as a backup for Russell,” Chopra concluded.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman emerged as the team’s second-most expensive acquisition at the auction, with a price tag of Rs 2 crore. Sherfane Rutherford was the only other player to surpass the one crore mark for the franchise, securing a deal worth Rs 1.50 crore.

Also read: IPL 2024 Auction: ‘Hardik Pandya Is Not A Finished Product As Captain’ – Aakash Chopra

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Harshal Patel was the purple cap holder for RCB in 2021 when he picked up 32 wickets in 15 games for them. He famously got the name of ‘Purple Patel’ by former India opener Aakash Chopra. Harshal also took 19 wickets in 15 games for RCB in the 2022 season. He was out of touch in IPL 2023 and as a result, RCB released him ahead of the 2024 auction.

Recently, Aakash Chopra revealed that RCB did not make any proper communication to Harshal Patel about the decision to release him. Harshal thought that the franchise might show a little bit of faith as he had a good two seasons with them before a mediocre 2023. Harshal was bought for a massive 11.75 crores by Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024 auctions.

“They released Wanindu Hasraranga, Josh Hazlewood and Harshal Patel. Harshal Patel connected with us on JioCinema and he said ‘I was thinking that I did not have a good season but before that, I had two very good seasons so I was hoping that maybe they would show a little more faith but no.’ Harshal told that there was no communication regarding the decision of not retaining him,” Aakash said.

Watch- Aakash Chopra Talking About Zero Communication In RCB

“Loyalty is Royalty”
Ft. Royal challengers Bangalore for you pic.twitter.com/ieVBWjsisG

— ???? (@legendmsd_07) December 23, 2023

Before Harshal Patel, a few more players were disappointed by RCB’s no communication nature. Yuzvendra Chahal, who is their highest wicket-taker till now was released by the franchise ahead of the 2022 season. He was purchased for INR 6.5 crores by Rajasthan Royals in the 2022 mega auctions. Yuzvendra Chahal was also not informed about the decision of him being released by the franchise.

Apart from Chahal, Chris Gayle was another player who accepted that he wanted to play for RCB further when the franchise released him ahead of the IPL 2018 mega auctions. Gayle went unsold in the first round of the 2018 auctions but was later picked up by Punjab Kings (Then Kings XI Punjab) for INR 1 crore. He was expecting Bangalore to bid for him but he was left disappointed.

Royal Challengers Bangalore has never won an IPL trophy and one of the reasons might be not trusting in their players. They released Shane Watson who was later picked up by Chennai Super Kings, CSK promoted him as an opener and as a result, Watson scored a century in the finals of IPL 2018 to make them champions. RCB never tried him as an opener and was using him as a lower middle-order prospect.

Royal Challengers Bangalore is left without a proper spin-bowling prospect ahead of the IPL 2024. They released Wanindu Hasaranga and now the most experienced spinner in the lineup is Karn Sharma who has played a Test match, a T20I, and two ODIs for India.

The post “Harshal Patel Said, ‘There Was No Communication'”- Aakash Chopra Slams RCB For Poor Man Management appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Sakariya was among the 10 players that KKR bought during the Mini player auction for IPL 2024. He had set a base price of 50 Lakhs for himself and no other franchise showed interest in him other than the 2-time IPL champions. KKR did not face any opposition from other teams and acquired the player at his base price, which many believe was a major bargain.

Chetan Sakariya will be taking part in his 4th IPL campaign and KKR is going to be his 3rd franchise. He made his IPL debut in 2021 with the Rajasthan Royals who had bought him for 1.2 Crores during the player auction for 2021. Then next year during the Mega auction for IPL 2022, Sakariya found a new home in Delhi Capitals and also saw a major rise in his price with DC buying him for a sum of 4.20 Crores.

He would spend 2 seasons with DC before being released for the 2023 auction. When he will join the KKR camp which will most probably start from early March, Sakariya will find Gautam Gambhir as the mentor and Australian pacer Mitchell Starc as the leader of KKR’s bowling department.

Chetan Sakariya finds this as a perfect opportunity to refine and improve his bowling and also sees KKR as the best place to learn and grow furthermore. He is most excited to learn from the reigning world champion Mitchell Starc who will be returning to play in the IPL after a gap of 8 years with his last edition being the 2015 season with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“It’s a great opportunity to share the dressing room with a wicket-taker like Mitchell Starc, who has performed so well for Australia and has picked heaps of wickets in World Cups. I am looking forward to trying to learn as much as possible from him on his thought process and ask him how he picks so many wickets.” – said Chetan Sakariya.

“I’m Ready For The Challenge At Eden Gardens”, Chetan Sakariya Expresses Confidence Ahead Of IPL 2024

The 25-year-old knows very well how hard it is for a bowler to bowl at the Eden Gardens, which is considered as a paradise for Batters. But Chetan Sakariya also believes that if a bowler stays persistent with a correct line-length and bowls in the right areas then Bowlers will definitely reap the rewards.

“It’s a ground where as a batter you get value for you shots and as a bowler, you will reap rewards if you hit the right areas and lengths. So it’s pretty much an even playing field. I have the experience of playing at the Eden Gardens when it has been a batting paradise as well as when there has been a green pitch. So I believe I am ready for the challenge.”

His numbers in the IPL suggests that Sakariya is yet to experience his best season ever and is quite far from reaching his peak. Although he did impress a lot of us during his debut IPL season with Rajasthan Royals, picking 14 wickets in equal amount of matches with an economy rate of just over 8.

However, in the following 2 seasons with Delhi Capitals he did not play many matches to prove his worth or showcase what he has. In 2022, Chetan Sakariya played 3 matches and took 3 wickets and in 2023 too he played just thrice and took 2 wickets.

This season he will be hoping to get more game time to realize his potential and with Starc and Gambhir guiding him, we could be set to see Sakariya’s most prolific IPL season ever.

The post IPL 2024: “Will Ask Mitchell Starc, How You Pick So Many Wickets?”- Chetan Sakariya appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Yash Dayal was released by Gujarat Titans ahead of the IPL 2024 auction and was picked by the three-time finalists Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB bought Yash Dayal for INR 5.00 crore and will aim to add strength to the team’s pace attack.

Bowling has been one of the real concerns for the Royal Challengers Bangalore over the years in the Indian Premier League, and they have tried to strengthen it by adding Alzarri Joseph, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson along with Yash Dayal to their squad.

Andy Flower praises Yash Dayal

RCB head coach Andy Flower, who has been handed over the coaching duties by replacing Sanjay Bangar, believed that Yash Dayal has a great ability to swing the ball and also has a high potential of bowling well at the death.

While speaking to Jio Cinema, Andy Flower said, “As far as Yash Dayal is concerned, we saw some of his potential last year, certainly with the new ball for swing and wicket-taking potential. I know he had a hard time at the death occasionally, but we believe he has got high potential and we are looking for great things from him.”

RCB has had the best squad, players, coaching staff and also one of the best fan bases, however, the IPL trophy has still stayed away from the ‘Men in Red and Black’.

The team has batsmen such as skipper Fad du Plessis, Virat Kohli, and Glenn Maxwell, who are currently the best in today’s era and can change the mood of the match on their day. However, the franchise has not been able to lift the trophy.

The bowling has been a loophole that has always left the Royal Challengers Bangalore down and has become the reason behind the team losing matches in the tournament. There have also been instances where the team has not been able to defend over 200 runs totals and lost the match.

Mohammed Siraj has been one of the names who has shined for the team in the bowling department and has also provided the team early breakthrough. Siraj will once again lead the RCB pace attack in IPL 2024 and have the responsibility of providing early breakthroughs.

With the likes of Alzarri Joseph and Lockie Ferguson, RCB will have the weapon of express pace, which can trouble the batsman. However, the team lacks in the spin department as no big name is available in the squad.

Shahbaz Ahmed might be the team’s premier spinner and will have the onus to provide the team with wickets in the middle overs.

The post IPL 2024 Auction: “He Had Hard Time At Death, But…” – Andy Flower On Yash Dayal’s Acquisition appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni will be taking the field in the IPL 2024. This potentially might be his last season in the league, considering his age and also the other factors. It was speculated that 2023 will be his last season but he confirmed that he will be playing next year. 

MS Dhoni has been an incredible player as well as the skipper in the league. He has guided Chennai Super Kings to the 5 titles in the league and is the joint most successful captain in the league with Rohit Sharma, who has also won 5 titles. 

MS Dhoni recently underwent knee surgery and is working hard to get fit for the IPL 2024. It probably will be the one final dance for him in the league but considering his fitness, who knows that he might play a few more seasons. 

CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said that he has no clue till when MS Dhoni will play in the league. He revealed that the batter is putting hard yards and will be back in the nets after 10 days. Speaking during an event, he explained (as quoted by Indian Express): 

“That I do not know. See, as far as the captain is concerned, he will answer you directly. He does not tell us what he is going to do. He is doing well now. He has started his rehab. He started working in the gym. And, probably in another 10 days, he’ll start working in the nets also.” 

Kasi Viswanathan further revealed that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are planning to have a camp in the first week of March. He added that they will be organizing a camp in Chennai. He explained: 

“We are planning for a camp somewhere by the first week of March. The IPL season is likely to start by 22nd of March. So, we will have our first camp by the first week in Chennai.” 

IPL 2024: I would say we pretty much got all of our targets – Kasi Viswanathan on their auction 

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) no doubt had a terrific outing in the IPL 2024 auction. They brought the Kiwi duo of Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra along with Mustafizur Rahman as well. They silently chipped in at the event and ticked almost every box. 

Kasi Viswanathan said that they got all the targeted players in the auction and revealed the thought process behind picking Daryl Mitchell and Mustafizur Rahman. He added: 

“I would say we pretty much got all of our targets. We were planning for Daryl Mitchell. We thought Mustafizur Rahman would be a good bet at our Chepauk wicket, with the side boundary. These were our thoughts but we were not sure whether we would be able get them. Luckily, it turned out to be a good auction for us this time.” 

Apart from the foreign Superstars, CSK also bid for Sameer Rizvi and brought him for the whopping price of INR 8.4 crore. Talking about signing, Kasi Viswanathan said that they got the youngster as a replacement for Ambati Rayudu in the team. He elaborated: 

“Sameer Rizvi was a targeted player for many of the franchises. We were probably a bit lucky in getting Rizvi. Basically, if you look at it, we are trying to get a replacement for Ambati Rayudu. According to us, we didn’t have enough players with that kind of experience to bid for any of them. So, we thought it was better to go in for a youngster who has the promise. I’m not saying this just because we have picked him, but he is going to be the next best.” 

Chennai Super Kings also brought the likes of Shardul and Avanish Rao Aravelly apart from the above-mentioned names. They surely would be a force to reckon with in the next IPL.

The post IPL 2024 Auction: ‘MS Dhoni Will Answer…’ – Kasi Viswanathan’s Huge Remark On CSK Skipper’s Future appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Thakur went to Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022 and 2023. CSK has had a major role in shaping Shardul’s career and giving him a place in the Indian cricket team.

Shardul Thakur recently opened up on his journey with the Chennai Super Kings in an interaction with Ravichandran Ashwin and stated that CSK is someone who has always bid for him and also like him as a player. Thakur further added that the CSK management trusts his ability and has always backed him.

Shardul Thakur and his love for the Chennai Super Kings

Shardul Thakur said, “Yellows are someone who would always bid for me, they like me as a player and they trust in my abilities. Also, when I played for them from 2018 till 2021, they invested a lot in me in a sense and gave a lot of games in the Indian Premier League.

“There were few games where there were lots of ups and downs for me but they backed me till the very last game of the tournament. One of the finals we lost, I didn’t have a great final, but despite of that next two years, they backed me and in 2021 I was fortunate enough to experience the championship with them.”

“My name is on the honor board of the Chennai Super Kings as I was the highest wicket-taker in that season and also in 2018 when we won in both championships. I have a feeling that I might repeat it this year.”

"Yellows are someone who know my abilities and despite anything and everything, they have always backed me as an Individual..

Even after losing 2019 Finals, they trusted me and we went on to win the 2021 championship… They are more than a family"???pic.twitter.com/DAAd1kqX6v

— Hustler (@HustlerCSK) December 23, 2023

MS Dhoni has been a major reason behind the development of Shardul Thakur as he started to play under his captaincy while playing for the Rising Pune Supergiants and also in CSK from 2018 to 2021.

Shardul Thakur has a lot of variations and has a brilliant ability to take wickets in the crucial moments of the match. Shardul, who is known by the name of ‘Lord Thakur’ is known for his batting ability and for some lusty blows that he can hit by coming down the order.

With the likes of Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, and Tushar Deshpande in the CSK bowling lineup, the addition of Shardul Thakur will once again strengthen their bowling attack. Thakur will have the responsibility to bowl the crucial death overs and once again repeat the 2018 and 2021 heroics with the team.

The IPL 2024 might also be the last edition of MS Dhoni as a player and captain and he would like to finish his cash-rich league career with yet another title for the ‘Men in Yellow’.

The post IPL 2024 Auction: “CSK Like Me” – Shardul Thakur Aims To Help MS Dhoni-led Side With 6th Title appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Pat Cummins, the second-most expensive signing of the IPL 2024 auction, was acquired by SunRisers Hyderabad for a massive Rs 20.5 crore. Cummins is recognized as a reliable bowler and a capable batter despite not being a guaranteed starter in Australia’s T20I XI.

Mitchell Starc was secured by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for RS 24.75 crore. Starc is versatile enough to bowl in all phases of the innings. Despite not featuring in the IPL for years and facing challenges in T20Is, the pacer became the most expensive player in IPL history.

Pat Cummins And Mitchell Starc Won’t Change – Alex Carey

In a video shared by cricket.com.au on X (formerly known as Twitter), Alex Carey recounted a recent encounter with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc after their successful auction. Carey acknowledged them as among the best in the world at this level.

“We caught up with them about 15 minutes ago, and they both had their pants down around the ankles; their pockets were full. Those guys won’t change. They’re playing cricket; they’re loving. Good on them. Well, I think standing behind the stumps to them the best in the world at this level,” Carey said.

"Their pockets were full!" ??

Alex Carey couldn't help but have a little dig at his teammates who struck it rich at the IPL auction #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/TDEPWWzBYp

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 23, 2023

Let My Son Pick Up The Ball Rather Than The Bat – Alex Carey

Alex Carey acknowledged the remarkable performances of Tavis Head and Spencer Johnson. The left-handed batter humorously mentioned considering letting his son, Louie, focus on bowling instead of batting, inspired by the success of pacers in the IPL auction.

“Travis as well is pretty amazing. (His) last couple of months. And Spencer Johnson’s the other one. It’s amazing for a guy who I’ve seen, find it pretty tough to get on the park for a number of years (and) to come out and show his skill around the world, and now, I guess get rewarded. But I might let Louie (Alex’s son) pick up the ball rather than the bat and start bowling at me,” he added.

Spencer Johnson emerged as a surprise package in the IPL auction by securing a lucrative deal worth Rs 10 crore. The 28-year-old has played 20 T20 games, claiming 17 wickets at an average of 30.23 and an economy rate of 7.84, with a best bowling performance of 3/1.

Australia Announce 13-Member Squad For Second Test

Australia recently announced their 13-player squad for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan. Lance Morris has been excluded from the squad as he is set to participate in the BBL 2023-24. The team might maintain the same winning combination in the next game.

Australia squad for the second Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

Also read: “I Was Surprised” – Alex Carey Reflects On His Snub From Playing XI In World Cup 2023

The post PAK vs AUS: “They Had Their Pants Down…” – Alex Carey’s Witty Comment On IPL 2024’s Top Earners appeared first on CricketAddictor.

In a conversation with the Times of India, Ravi Bopara emphasized the challenge for Hardik Pandya in stepping into Rohit Sharma’s leadership role. Bopara highlighted the need for Hardik to excel in both batting and bowling while leading a team of star players.

“Rohit Sharma has made the MI side. That is the champion side. Now, Hardik will be leading that champion side. They have star players and game-changers. Hardik will be working with the best players. Apart from captaining the side, it will be important for Hardik to bat and bowl well. I hope he has a good tournament with both bat and ball and helps MI succeed and win the tournament. I wish him all the luck,” Bopara said.

The newly appointed MI captain is facing the possibility of missing IPL 2024 due to a knee injury. Reports suggest strong indications that the all-rounder may not be fully recovered from the injury, raising doubts about his availability for the upcoming IPL season.

Hardik Pandya, with 92 matches under his belt for MI, showcased his dual prowess, scoring 1476 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 153.91. Additionally, he was impactful with the ball, securing 42 wickets at an average of 31.26 and an economy rate of 9.06.

Hardik Pandya Showed His Desire To Go Back There – Ashish Nehra

Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra recently revealed that Hardik Pandya expressed his desire to return to the Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024. Nehra mentioned that it wasn’t a huge surprise, as Hardik had played for the Mumbai Indians for several years.

“Hardik Pandya going back to that team has not caused a huge surprise. He played for that team for so many years, he showed his desire to go back there,” Nehra said.

“Our management’s nature is such that, we think if a player wants to go there, right. He should be happy and that’s why he has gone there again. Replacing someone like Hardik is difficult, but we tried our best,” he continued.

Hardik Pandya has been sidelined since the 2023 World Cup league match against Bangladesh, where he twisted his ankle while attempting to stop a ball in his follow-through. Pandya scored an unbeaten 11 and took five wickets at an average of 22.60 in the tournament.

Also read: After Hardik Pandya’s Move To Mumbai Indians, KL Rahul To Return To RCB? Indian Star Drops Bombshell

The post IPL 2024: “Rohit Sharma Has Made Mumbai Indians..”- Ravi Bopara appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Under Markram’s Captaincy, the Sunrisers never got going as they won only 4 and shockingly lost 10 league matches. As a result, they finished at the bottom of the points table and missed out on the play-off berths for the 3rd season in a row.

Their performance sparked a lot of controversy with Brian Lara getting replaced by Daniel Vettori as the head coach earlier this year in August. Vettori also serves as the assistant and spin bowling coach of the Australian national team and so has worked very closely with Pat Cummins.

He was definitely one of the primary reasons why the Sunrisers Hyderabad went aggressively after the World Cup-winning captain. SRH won the bidding war for Cummins with their bid of 20.50 Crores making him the most expensive IPL player momentarily before the Kolkata Knight Riders splashed 24.75 Crores on Cummins’ countryman Mitchell Starc.

Other than Pat Cummins, SRH acquired the World Cup 2023 Final Centurion Travis Head for 6.8 Crores, Wanindu Hasaranga for 1.5 Crores, Jaydev Unadkat for 1.60 Crores and local uncapped players Akash Singh and Jhathavedh Subramanyan for 20 Lakhs each.

On paper, Hyderabad has a very strong and evenly balanced side that could challenge for their 2nd IPL title. But the biggest dilemma for them would be to pick the Captain to lead them next season. While some are saying Cummins should be handed over the captaincy, others have expressed that they must stick with Aiden Markram.

“Either A Local Captain Or Pat Cummins”, Ravi Bopara Snubs Markram From Captaincy Conversation

When the former England All-Rounder, Ravi Bopara who himself has played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad was asked about the SRH captaincy matter, he said that he would like to see a Local Indian player leading the side but given the fact that Pat Cummins led Australia to a 6th World Cup title, the 30-year-old will be a good option.

Interestingly, he did not even mention the name of Aiden Markram who is still technically SRH’s captain as no formal announcement has been made regarding leadership changes.

He (Cummins) is an Australian captain and more than that he has guided Australia to the World Cup title recently. I am sure SRH will stick to Cummins to lead the side. However, for me, it is better to stick to a local captain because he understands the side and his team well. But because Cummins is coming after guiding Australia to the World Cup victory, he is also a good option.” – said Bopara. 

There is no guarantee whether Markram will retain his captaincy or not and even if he does, the question that will arise is why Kavya Maran and co. splashed 20 Crores on Cummins, for his Captaincy skills or bowling skills?

SRH Full squad for IPL 2024: Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram (c), Marco Jansen, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Sanvir Singh, Heinrich Klaasen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Agarwal, T. Natarajan, Anmolpreet Singh, Mayank Markande, Upendra Singh Yadav, Umran Malik, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Travis Head, Wanindu Hasaranga, Pat Cummins, Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh, Jhathavedh Subramanyan.

The post Pat Cummins Or Aiden Markram? Former England Player Predicts SRH Captain In IPL 2024 appeared first on CricketAddictor.

RCB were engaged in a tense bidding war with Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings, and Mumbai Indians for the 30-year-old pacer. The franchises looked pretty determined to grab hold of Cummins who has previously represented teams like Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders.

CSK and MI withdrew their interest after anticipating that it would take a lot of money to sign Pat Cummins. In the end, it was RCB and SRH who were in that tug-of-war with the 2016 Champions’ final bid of 20.50 Crores proved to be the bid that forced Bangalore to quit the pursuit as they only had 23 Crores remaining in their purse.

They instead went on to buy Alzarri Joseph for an unbelievable 11 Crores and also splashed 5 Crores on Yash Dayal. While many believe that losing Cummins was not a good thing to happen, Aakash Chopra thinks that it was a blessing in disguise.

In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Chopra made a funny remark by saying that he was wishing for RCB to back out from the deal as Pat Cummins couldn’t have bowled from both ends had he been sold for that price to the 2009, and 2011 and 2016 Finalists.

“They (RCB) had totally made up their mind that they wanted Pat Cummins at any cost and they kept going after him, kept lifting the paddle. It went till 20 crores and I folded my hands and said – ‘think a little’. If you had got Pat Cummins for 20 crores and you had 23.25 crores, would Pat Cummins have bowled from both ends?” Aakash Chopra said. 

“Pat Cummins Would Have Made Them Weaker”, Aakash Chopra Gives His Honest Opinion

Furthermore, Aakash Chopra claimed that even if RCB had successfully bought Pat Cummins, it would have made their side even more weak than it is right now. He reasoned the fact that Cummins would have gone for plenty in a batting-friendly flat track Bangalore’s M. Chinnaswamy stadium and asked RCB to send Christmas and New Year wishes to SRH for saving them.

“If they had bought Pat Cummins, if SRH had pulled out at that stage, and they would have got him for 20 crores, their team would have become extremely weak. When you released so many players and if you had picked Pat Cummins on a small Chinnaswamy ground with a flat pitch, you would have been hit a lot.”

The 40-year-old Indian pundit also expressed his confusion regarding RCB’s decision to not even try for either of Gerald Coetzee and Mitchell Starc who were bought by Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively.

“Send Merry Christmas and Happy New Year cards to Hyderabad because they saved you. They just went all out and you got saved. It was very interesting that they wanted Pat Cummins but didn’t bid for Gerald Coetzee and Mitchell Starc.” – Chopra concluded. 

Meanwhile, RCB are indeed receiving a lot of backlash on social media for their picks during the IPL 2024 auction and it will be interesting to see the combination they use when the Indian Premier League returns next year.

The post IPL 2024 Auction: Aakash Chopra Explains How RCB Got Lucky After Missing Out On Pat Cummins appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Chetan Sakariya was amongst the unlucky names that were released by Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. The left-arm pacer didn’t have the kind of season he would’ve wanted and hence was released by the team.

Chetan Sakariya didn’t get many opportunities for the team last season due to other bowling options in the team. The left-arm pacer played just two games in the IPL 2023 and picked three wickets. He, however, failed to stop runs and was expensive as he had an economy of 11.3.

The economy no doubt would’ve been better had he got more opportunities but with the the likes of Ishant Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, and Khaleel Ahmed in the squad, he couldn’t get a consistent run. It’s fair to say that with plenty of Indian pacers in the team, him getting released was on the cards.

Chetan Sakariya admitted that Delhi Capitals made the right decision to release him because he didn’t perform well for the team. He accepted that he was last in the pecking order and also didn’t do justice to his price tag. Speaking to Sportskeeda, he explained:

“I wasn’t shocked but I was a bit disappointed. But from the team’s perspective, they made the right decision. I wasn’t able to perform at the level that was expected from me. Maybe I didn’t do justice to my price tag. They already have several Indian options in Ishant (Sharma) Bhai, Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Bhai. After I didn’t hit the ground running, I naturally went back in the pecking order.”

Chetan Sakariya revealed that during his stint with Delhi Capitals, he learned a lot from Mustafizur Rahman. He said that he was left amazed by the the way Bangladesh pacer thinks about the game. He elaborated:

“I used to speak a lot with Mustafizur Bhai and he used to guide me a lot about how to plan each delivery and how to make full use of the field placements. It just mesmerized me as to just how much a bowler can think about adjusting the field and helped me in my game. I hope I get to learn a lot from Mitchell Starc tol and add a lot more to my armoury.”

IPL 2024: I just wanted to go to a team where I would get game time – Chetan Sakariya on getting picked by KKR

After being released by Delhi Capitals, Chetan Sakariya found a new team as he was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2024 auction. The left-arm pacer was brought by the franchise for the INR ₹50 lakhs. It would be a great opportunity for him as he will be sharing the dressing room with fellow left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc.

Chetan Sakariya said that during the auction he had only one wish that whoever picked him gives him consistent opportunities to play. He added that money doesn’t matter to him as he wants game time. He explained:

“When the auction was going on, I just had one wish in my mind that I would want to get picked where I would get maximum opportunities to play. Of course I will have to perform well that’s always a given. I just wanted gametime felt there were only two teams who were looking to fill their slots in the bowling department and KKR was one of them. The money didn’t matter, I just wanted to go to a team where I would get gametime.”

Chetan Sakariya has played 19 games in the IPL, playing for Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals. He has picked 20 wickets in the league so far at an economy of just over 8. He has been out of action for a while due to injury and would be hoping to make a strong comeback in IPL.

The post IPL 2024 Auction: “They Made Right Decision” – Chetan Sakariya’s Blunt Take On Delhi Capitals Releasing Him  appeared first on CricketAddictor.

The South Indian outfit spent over 15 crores on bowling reinforcements after releasing the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Harshal Patel before the 2024 IPL auction. However, the bowlers they purchased during the mini-auction are not up to the mark and they might have also paid much more than they should have on those additions.

While Bangalore’s batting unit remains their key strength, the major concern for them is the lack of impactful spinners. To be precise, RCB spent 20.40 Crores in buying the likes of Alzarri Joseph (11.50 Crores), Yash Dayal (5 Crores), Tom Curran (1.5 Crores), Lockie Ferguson (2 Crores), Swapnil Singh and Saurav Chauhan for 20 Lakhs each which Aakash Chopra thinks is not justified.

Most of the bowlers they bought are not as good as the price in which they were acquired except for Lockie Ferguson who arrived at his base price. The Kiwi pacer is the only one to have a decent IPL record otherwise most of them either hold a mediocre record or are yet to prove themselves.

Starting from Alzarri Joseph who was bought for nearly 12 crores only has 20 wickets in 19 IPL matches. Yash Dayal who went for 5 crores has an experience of playing only 14 matches across the last 2 seasons, picking up 13 wickets with an overall economy rate of over 10. Last year, he was dropped entirely from the Gujarat Titans after Rinku Singh smacked 5 sixes in a row which led to Gujarat losing against KKR from a winning situation.

Tom Curran doesn’t have a good record either, picking 13 wickets in 13 matches. Amongst them, Lockie Ferguson is the only one to have a decent record of 38 wickets in 37 wickets and has experience of winning an IPL title as well. Swapnil Singh and Saurav Chauhan are the only 2 spinners that were bought in the auction but are they as good as Hasaranga or Chahal for that matter? The answer is no.

“Bowling Might Still Be A Little 50-50 And Spin Looks Quite Ordinary”, Aakash Chopra Questions RCB’s Auction Strategy

Aakash Chopra spoke bluntly about the decision-making of RCB’s think tank and claimed that there is more than one loophole in their bowling line-up.

“They can do it this year (qualify for play-offs) if the openers do well again and Cameron Green’s bat fires. So things can actually work out but bowling might still be a little 50-50 and spin looks quite ordinary.” – said Aakash Chopra. 

The 46-year-old openly questioned the purchase of Alzarri Joseph and said that it wasn’t the right decision according to his science and math.

“You needed Alzarri Joseph and that too for more than 11 crores. No disrespect, I am taking nothing away from Alzarri Joseph but 11 crores, it wasn’t right according to my math and science.” – Chopra added. 

Lastly, Aakash Chopra also said that RCB did overspend on Yash Dayal who played just 5 matches last year, and stated that they could have instead gone for Shardul Thakur or Umesh Yadav, 2 names that are proven names in the IPL.

“Lockie is a great buy. Then they bought Yash Dayal by spending a huge amount. Umesh Yadav, who has played here earlier, was also an option. Shardul Thakur was also an option, he went for four crores, but they spent a lot of money to acquire Yash.” – Aakash Chopra concluded. 

The post IPL 2024: “No Disrespect But..”- Aakash Chopra Slams RCB appeared first on CricketAddictor.

The problem with Punjab Kings over the years has been not getting the best out of the players they have added to their side. They have a galaxy of overseas superstars who have performed well for other franchises but have failed to do so with The Kings.

Punjab Kings last made an IPL final in 2014 which was incidentally their only final appearance in the league. Since then they have made it to the final. They roped in Sanjay Bangar ahead of IPL 2024 back into their fold as the team’s Head Of Cricket Development. He was present at the auction and was seemingly happy with their purchases.

While they have backups for almost every department, they do not have a backup for Shikhar Dhawan. Dhawan will lead the side this year as well and will have tremendous pressure on him to be consistent at the top.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: Sam Curran Is Overpaid – AB de Villiers’ ‘Controversial’ Remark On PBKS Star

The remaining experienced players in the squad will also need to take ownership. PBKS have a good mix of experienced overseas players and it will be interesting to see who gets to play in the playing XI.

Punjab Kings Playing 11 for IPL 2024

Shikhar Dhawan (C)

Dhawan will open the batting for the Punjab Kings. He is amongst the top scorers in the IPL and has already scored more than 800 runs for the franchise in the last two seasons. He scored 373 runs last season. He is no longer a part of the Indian team across formats.

Jonny Bairstow (WK)

Bairstow will open the batting alongside Dhawan. He has not had a good run so far in the IPL with the Punjab Kings. He will look to improve his numbers for the franchise in this IPL season. He scored 253 runs last season for the Kings.

Prabhsimran Singh

The keeper-batter can slot in at three. He opened the batting and played at three in a few games last season for the Kings. He is a big hitter and can score quick runs for the side. Singh scored 358 runs last season including a century.

Liam Livingstone

Liam Livingstone can bat at four. He is another hard-hitter of the ball and can use his all-round ability with the ball to the fullest. He was recently a part of the World Cup squad for England. Livingstone will need to have a big season with the bat.

Jitesh Sharma

Jitesh can bat at five. He showed good finishing skills for the franchise last season that helped him make a return to the Indian T20I side where he impressed one and all. He needs to cement his place in that role for the side.

Sam Curran

Sam Curran was retained despite not playing at his best last season. He was paid 18.50 crores by the franchise in IPL 2023. The franchise has invested their faith in him and he needs to deliver for them this season.

Rishi Dhawan

Rishi Dhawan, the Himachal cricketer can bat at seven. He has played for many seasons in the IPL but has failed to cement his place. However, this time, he fits the bill at six.

Harshal Patel

Harshal can slot in at eight as the specialist Indian seamer in the XI. He was released by the franchise after not having a good season with the ball in IPL 2023 allowing the Kings to snap him up for 11.75 rores. He was the Purple Cap winner of IPL 2021 for RCB.

Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep will partner with Harshal Patel as the second Indian specialist seamer. He has played for the Kings right from the start of his IPL career in 2019. He has picked 57 wickets from 51 matches for PBKS.

Kagiso Rabada

Raabada will lead the Punjab Kings’ pace attack. He joined the side in IPL 2022 and has picked 30 wickets in the last two seasons. The SA pacer played just six games last season picking seven wickets.

Rahul Chahar

Chahar will be the specialist spinner in the XI. He was not at his best for Punjab in the last two seasons picking up 22 wickets in 25 matches across the last two seasons.

Impact Sub- Harpreet Brar

Harpreet Brar the left-arm spinner can be used as the impact sub. He has the distinction of dismissing Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, and Glenn Maxwell in the same match and can be a quality addition to the bowling attack.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: “Bowling Looks Better…” – Irfan Pathan Hails Mumbai Indians’ Auction Strategy

The post Punjab Kings Playing 11 for IPL 2024 appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Another important but was Shreyas Gopal who was picked up for 2 crores. He will be a good backup for Piyush Chawla. Despite having a good time at the auction table, the debate for Mumbai Indians was about the trade of Hardik Pandya and eventually, him being named as the captain of the franchise given his recent injury-prone history.

Also Read: BBL 2023-24: RCB’s New Acquisition Tom Curran Faces Four-Match Suspension After Intimidating Umpire

Cricket experts are still unable to wrap their heads around his move by Mumbai Indians. Rohit Sharma, who has won five IPL titles as captain and has been the key to the success of many of these Indian players will now have to play second fiddle.

Historically, MI is one of the two most successful and storied IPL franchises with five IPL titles. Hardik Pandya as captain will have to handle the Indian talent in the side and also figure out who among the overseas players to join the squad for the perfect XI.

Mumbai Indians Playing 11 for IPL 2024

Rohit Sharma

Rohit will continue to open the batting for Mumbai Indians. He scored over 500 runs with his ultra-aggressive batting approach in the World Cup. He would like to bat with the same template. The Hitman was removed as the skipper of the franchise upon Hardik Pandya’s arrival.

Ishan Kishan (WK)

Ishan Kishan will open the batting with Rohit. He has been the first-choice keeper and all of his success with the bat has come at the top-order. It will be interesting to see how he bats this season. Kishan was part of India’s World Cup squad.

Suryakumar Yadav

SKY will bat at three. He reacted with a broken heart emoji after Hardik Pandya was named as the new MI captain. He tasted success recently as India’s T20I captain. Surya will definitely be one of the batters to watch out for.

Tilak Varma

Tilak will bat at four. He has now played two seasons for MI scoring 790 runs in the last two seasons. His consistency with the bat led to his ODI and T20I debut. He will bat in the middle-order.

Hardik Pandya (C)

Pandya will slot in at five. He was traded from GT to MI after a couple of successful seasons. He won the title with Gujarat Titans on their debut season. How Pandya leads this Mumbai India franchise will be an interesting observation.

Tim David

The Australian hard-hitter Tim David will slot in at six. He was seen as Kieron Pollarsd’s replacement when he joined the side. He is seen as a T20I specialist across T20 leagues.

Gerald Coetzee

Coetzee can bat at seven. He comes into this IPL with the reputation of being a classy upcoming pacer and someone who can tonk the ball down the order. He picked 20 wickets in the IPL and ended up picking his maiden IPL gig with Mumbai.

Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah is well and truly the leader of this Mumbai Indians attack. He had a good World Cup where he picked 20 wickets. He will pair up with the likes of Coetzee and Madushanka to form a terrific pace trio.

Dilshan Madushanka

Madushanka will be the third seamer in this MI lineup. He also had a good World Cup ending with 21 wickets the third-highest among all the pacers. He bowled particularly well against India. These three pacers can certainly be the future for Mumbai.

Akash Madhwal

Madhwal will be the fourth pacer in this pace attack. He can add more depth to this pace attack with his raw pace. He impressed one and all with his 14 wickets from 8 games including two four-wicket hauls.

Piyush Chawla

Impact Sub: Nehal Wadhera

The Southpaw played most of his matches as the impact sub for Mumbai Indians./ This year as well, he is expected to play as a specialist with the bat.. He showed his big-hitting prowess scoring at 145.18.

Also Read: Gujarat Titans Buy Spencer Johnson For 10 Crores In IPL Auction 2024, Pacer Says, ‘I Would Prefer Test Cricket’

The post Mumbai Indians Playing 11 for IPL 2024 appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Shubman Gill will lead the franchise with Hardik Pandia parting ways with the franchise earlier this season. The franchise named the youngster the captain of the franchise with a sense of pride and honor. Gill had a fabulous year as an international cricketer in 2023. It will be interesting to see how he leads this franchise.

GT did well to retain the core that helped them win the championship. The likes of Gill, Dabid Miller, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, and Mohit Sharma now become the core of the side.

They have made some good additions in the form of Umesh Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Robin Minz, Sushant Mishra, and Kartik Tyagi. The management was keen to add some exciting Indian names from domestic cricket. Only time will tell how they bring out the best from the talented players.

Also Read:  IPL 2024 Auction: Sam Curran Is Overpaid – AB de Villiers’ ‘Controversial’ Remark On PBKS Star

GT added Spencer Johnson at 20 crores and Shahrukh Khan at 7.40 crores which were their two most expensive buys at the auction. Given they have a compact side and plenty of backups, in this article, we try and predict their best XI.

Gujarat Titans Playing 11 for IPL 2024

Shubman Gill (C)

Gill will open the batting. He won the Orange Cap last season scoring 890 runs in 17 matches. He had a memorable 2023 and would like to start 2024 on a good note. He also seen as a potential future skipper of the Indian cricket team.

Wriddhiman Saha (WK)

Saha has been their designated opener over the last couple of seasons. He has been giving the Titans quick starts almost regularly and his role will remain the same. The veteran keeper has been playing the IPL ever since its inception.

Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson will slot in at three. He was added by the franchise last season but missed out with a knee injury. The Kiwi skipper will become a central figure in the batting lineup. He led SRH previously in the IPL. Williamson made his international return in the World Cup.

Vijay Shankar

Shankar will bat at four. He really made his presence felt at that number in IPL 2023 scoring 301 runs at a strike rate of 160.11. He would like to make an impact this season in a bid to make an India comeback.

David Miller

David Miller will slot in at five. The experienced batter has played a lot of IPL cricket and has a good idea about almost all the pitches. He can adapt his game accordingly as well. Miller is the designated finisher in the side.

Shahrukh Khan

Shahrukh Khan will bat at six. GT roped him in for 7.40 crores looking to add more muscle to their batting lineup. The Tamil Nadu cricketer did not have a good last season scoring just 156 runs in 14 games at an average of 22.29. He would like to make up for it this season.

Rahul Tewatia

Tewatia will slot in at seven. He also played some lovely cameos with the bat for GT in 2022 when they won the championship. His role too will be as a finisher in the batting lineup.

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan will bat at eight. He is a handly batter down the order and one of GT’s main strike bowlers. Rashid picked up 27 wickets last season and overall has 46 wickets for the Titans.

Mohammed Shami

Shami will lead the pace attack. He has been in supreme form this year taking 23 wickets in the World Cup after finishing with 28 wickets in IPL 2023. The pacer’s rise has been a story of this year.

Mohit Sharma

Mohit Sharma will be the second Indian pacer in this lineup. He ended as the second-highest wicket-taker with 27 wickets from 14 matches. He was used mostly in the death overs and will be a death specialist this season as well.

Spencer Johnson

Johnson was roped in by Gujarat Titans for 10 crores. The left-arm pacer made his ODI and T20I debut earlier this year and made his debut across T2-0 leagues all over the World Cup. The Titans decided to bid for him trusting on his talent which will be displayed throughout the season.

Impact Sub: Noor Ahmed

Noor Ahmed will be the impact sub. He was used in that role by Gujarat Titans last season. The Afghan leggie finished with 16 wickets from 13 games most of which came as an impact sub.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: ‘Not An IPL-Winning Batting Line-Up’ – AB de Villiers On Gautam Gambhir-Mentored KKR

The post Gujarat Titans Playing 11 for IPL 2024 appeared first on CricketAddictor.

SRH finished last in the IPL 2023 points table and were keen on adding quality players to their side looking to overhaul their XI. They now have a good mix of international players and are spoilt for choices in choosing their strongest XI.

They have added Pat Cummins and the SRH coach Daniel Vettori who is also the Assistant coach of the Australian cricket team hinted at making Cummins the leader of the franchise. It was Aiden Markram who led the side in the previous season and Cummins being a World Cup-winning skipper and the newest addition to the side has the backing of Daniel Vettori to possibly lead the side.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: ‘Not An IPL-Winning Batting Line-Up’ – AB de Villiers On Gautam Gambhir-Mentored KKR

SRH finished last in IPL 2023 and thus was keen on adding a few renowned names in cricket hence the addition of Cummins and Wanidu Hasaranga who is a straight swap for Adil Rashid whom they released. In this article, we predict SRH’s strongest possible XI ahead of IPL 2024.

SRH Playing 11 for IPL 2024

Travis Head

Head will open the batting for SRH. He played for RCB in IPL 2016 and 2017 and is making a comeback into the IPL after six long years. The Southpaw had a good 2023 playing some match-winning knocks for Australia.

Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek will open the batting. He had a good season in IPL 2022 scoring 426 runs in 14 league games. In IPL 2023 he scored 226 runs in 11 matches and was shuffled up and down the order.

Rahul Tripathi

Tripathi will slot in at three. He was released by KKR in IPL 2022 and was picked up by SRH. He has scored over 600 runs for the franchise since joining them in 2022. He has been a big plus for the side.

Aiden Markram

Markram will slot in at four. He led the side in IPL 2022 when they finished 10th on the table. He also leads the Sunrisers franchise in SA20. It will be interesting to see if he leads the side this season as well.

Heinrich Klaasen (WK)

Abdul Samad

Samad can slot in at six. The Jammu cricketer was retained ahead of IPL 2024 as the franchise trusted his big-hitting skills. He played a few cameos last season but should make the most of this season.

Washington Sundar

Sundar can bat at seven as the specialist spinner. he is a handy batter lower down the order as well and someone who can bowl inside the powerplay as well. The offie has not played much for India in the last year.

Pat Cummins

Cummins can bat at eight. He is likely to lead the side as well. The Australian skipper has had a memorable year as captain 2023 and SRH might just back his leadership skills looking for their second IPL title.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

T Natarajan

Natarajan might be picked ahead of Umran Malik because of his left-arm attribute as a pacer and his ability to bowl pinpoint yorkers. Nattu picked up 10 wickets from 12 games last season.

Mayank Markande

Markande concludes with the strongest possible XI for SRH. He impressed in the last season taking 12 wickets from 10 matches. He made his T20I debut for India back in the 2018-19 season.

Impact Sub-Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal might be used as the impact sub. He led the franchise a few times last season as well but did not have a good year with the bat. Using him as an impact sub might help him express himself with the bat. Agarwal is out of out of the national team as well.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: Sam Curran Is Overpaid – AB de Villiers’ ‘Controversial’ Remark On PBKS Star

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As per reports, Rishabh Pant is likely to return to lead the side for Delhi Capitals. There are further reports that he might play as a specialist batter. However, nothing has been confirmed on that front. There are also question marks over Anrich Nortje’s fitness. He has been out of international cricket for a long time now and has missed the last IPL season as well.

DC have thus picked backups and Jhye Richardson is Nortje’s backup in that respect. Ome among Hope or Stubbs can also play in the XI as the specialist keeper-batsman allowing Pant to play as a specialist batter.

Their bowling too is well sorted with Ishant Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Lungi Nigidi, and Khaleel Ahmed as specialist pacers. Kuldeep Yadav is the specialist spinner along with another option Lalit Yadav.

Also Read: Pat Cummins Or Aiden Markram? AB de Villiers Predicts SRH Captain For IPL 2024

In this article, we predict Delhi Capitals’ best XI heading into the IPL 024 season. Having added enough backups they have plenty of options to choose from. DC finished ninth last season and will look for a better performance this season.

Delhi Capitals’ Playing 11 for IPL 2024

Prithvi Shaw

Shaw will open the batting for Delhi Capitals. He did not have a good season scoring just 106 runs from 8 matches last season at an average of 13.25. He has a chance to get over 2000 IPL runs this season.

David Warner

Warner will open the batting for DC. In Pant’s absence. Warner led the side in the last season and scored runs with the bat as well. He will continue to be Delhi’s biggest hope with the bat. The southpaw recently scored 535 runs in the World Cup campaign.

Mitchell Marsh

Marsh will bat at three. He played only nine matches scoring 168 runs. He recently won the World Cup with Australia scoring nearly 500 runs for the team. The all-rounder would like to replicate his World Cup form.

Rishabh Pant (C/WK)

Pant will lead the side and if fit will also keep wickets. His keeping wickets allows DC to play an extra overseas bowler or an extra Indian bowler in the lineup. Pant has missed international cricket since the start of 2023.

Harry Brook

Harry Brook might bat at five. DC added him for just 4 crores and the England batter has shown good form heading into the IPL auction. Brook was released by SRH after just one bad season. Brook scored 190 runs in 11 matches last season.

Lalit Yadav / Yash Dhull

Lalit Yadav can bat at six. He is another all-rounder in the lineup. He is a good batter down the order and provides Delhi with the sixth bowling option. In case they want a batter, they can play Yas Dhull as well.

Axar Patel

Axar will bat at seven as the third all-rounder potentially in the lineup. Axar missed the World Cup but has played and has been a part of the Indian team both at home and away.

Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav will play as the specialist spinner. He has been a different bowler since joining the Capitals from KKR. He has increased his speed and has added more variations to his bowling as well.

Anrich Nortje / Jhye Richardson

If completely fit Anrich Nortje walks into the playing XI without a doubt. He suspected a stress fracture before the World Cup and has been out of international cricket ever since. However, with still a lot of time left before the start of IPL 2-024, he has time to regain his fitness.

Ishant Sharma

Ishant will be one of the two Indian pacers in the lineup. Ishant too has not played any international cricket since the last IPL. However, he has a wealth of experience of bowling in IPL and the management backs his experience.

Mukesh Kumar

Mukesh Kumar concludes the likely DC lineup for IPL 2024. He picked up seven wickets in 10 matches last season with Delhi Capitals. The pacer is a death-over specialist. His performance with D helped him also make his international debut across formats in 2023.

Impact Sub: Khaleel Ahmed

Khaleel Ahmed can be used as the impact sub by the franchise. He has been playing for Delhi Capitals since the last two seasons and has bowled well for the franchise picking up 25 wickets in 19 games.

Also Read: Simon Doull Believes Gujarat Titans Will Suffer Without Hardik Pandya In IPL 2024

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The franchise led by KL Rahul made it to the playoffs in IPL 2022 and IPL 2023 and will look to go the distance this season. This time around there is no Gautam Gambhir as the mentor of the franchise. Justin Langer has replaced him as the head coach ahead of this season.

Lucknow retained the likes of Quinton de Kock, Mark Wood, Kyle Mayers, and Marcus Stoinis, the four foreigners who played a majority of the games last season.

Apart from them, their Indian core of Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, and Ayush Badoni also played a key role in helping the team to make the last four.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: “Bowling Looks Better…” – Irfan Pathan Hails Mumbai Indians’ Auction Strategy

LSG added Shivam Mavi and David Willey to add more pace and swing to their pace attack after they traded Avesh Khan in exchange for Devdutt Padikkal to RR. In this article, we look at LSG’s strongest playing XI heading into the IPL 2024 auction.

Lucknow Super Giants Playing 11 for IPL 2024

Devdutt Padikkal

Padikkal will open the batting for LSG. With KL Rahul likely to bat in the middle order for Lucknow in IPL 2024, the Super Giants did the wise thing by trading a good Indian opener.

Quinton de Kock (WK)

De Kock will open the batting along with Padikkal. Having retired from ODI cricket, he is focused on making it big in T20I cricket and also in T20 leagues. Dekcok scored 508 runs for LSG in IPL 2022.

Deepak Hooda

Hooda will slot in at three. He batted at that number for LSG in the last two seasons and is expected to do the same this season as well. After scoring 451 runs in IPL 2022, Hooda scored just 84 runs in 12 games last season.

KL Rahul (C/WK)

Rahul will bat in a four. He will lead the side and also bat in the middle order as opposed to opening the innings after he started batting in the middle order for India as well. This was a big call by the management.

Nicholas Pooran

Pooran will slot in at five He is the explosive middle-order batter Lucknow can boast off. He scored 358 runs last season for LSG with two fifties at a strike rate of 172.95. He is inching closer to 1500 IPL runs.

Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis will bat at six. He is the specialist all-rounder in the batting order. He has big-hitting power and can also bowl a few useful overs. Stoinis should play regularly in the XI.

Krunal Pandya

Krunal will play at seven. He is another all-rounder in the lineup. Krunal like Stoinis can be aggressive lower down the order and bow a couple of overs. The elder Pandya is no longer getting chances with the national team.

Shivam Mavi

Shivam Mavi will be one of the Indian pacers in the XI. He was added to the side for 6.40 crores in the XI. Mavi was released by Gujarat Titans after just one season allowing LSG to add him up.

Mohsin Khan

Mohsin will be the second Indian pacer in the lineup. He too has impressed one and all with his stint at LSG so far. He picked 14 wickets in his first season while just three in his second season.

Mark Wood

Wood is the overseas specialist pacer in the XI. He has been injury-prone in recent times and has not played consistently in the XI. He picked 11 wickets in four matches before getting ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Ravi Bishnoi

Bishnoi will be the specialist spinner in the playing XI. In the last two seasons, he has been a regular feature in the LSG playing XI ahead of Amit Mishra. Bishnoi was recently the number-one ranked T20I bowler.

Impact Sub: Ayush Badoni

Ayush Badoni can be the super sub for LSG. He was used in the same role by the franchise in the last season. He is used as a floater in the batting order.

Also Read: BBL 2023-24: Watch – Shocking Video Footage Reveals Why Tom Curran Was Banned In BBL

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Bowling continues to be the talking point for RCB who released Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Josh Hazlewood the trio that took most of the wickets in the last two seasons. Mohammed Siraj is the only Indian pacer of reputation.

While their top five looks sorted with Dinesh Karthik as the specialist keeper at seven, the rest of the slots are open for debate and likely to be filled by the players who fit the bill.

Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2024: India vs Pakistan Match Date And Venue Finalised- Report

The lack of spinners continues to be a major concern for RCB who by far as per experts had the worst auction among all the teams. Despite having over 23 crores in their purse they failed to buy a good Indian or overseas spinner for that matter.

RCB Playing 11 for IPL 2024

Faf du Plessis (C)

Faf will open the batting for RCB. He ended as the second-highest run-scorer in IPL 2023 having scored 730 runs in 14 matches. Faf will need to have another good season with the bat as he is one of their top-order batters.

Virat Kohli

Kohli will open the batting for RCB. He will head into IPL 2023 with some prime form having broken all sorts of batting records. Kohli top-scored in the World Cup and also scored his 50th ODI ton in the tournament.

Rajat Patidar

Patidar will slot in at three. He missed IPL 2023 with injury concerns and scored 333 runs at an average of 55.50 in IPL 2022. He recently made his India debut as well.

Glenn Maxwell

Maxwell will bat at four. He has been a revelation since joining RCB. He scored 513 runs in IPL 2021, the last time when RCB made it to the playoffs. Maxwell will also be one of the two specialist spinners.

Cameron Green

Cameron Green is the specialist all-rounder in this RCB XI. He was earlier traded from Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. RCB sees his promising future with the franchise. Green was part of Australia’s World Cup-winning squad

Suyash Prabhudessai

Prabhudessai can slot in at six. He is a brilliant fielder as he displayed his skills last season and can tonk the ball down the order. He needs to make the most of his opportunities.

Dinesh Karthik (WK)

Karthik will slot in at seven and play as the specialist finisher in the side. He last played international cricket in the T20 World Cup 2022 and played last in IPL 2023. He has a career strike rate of 132.71.

Karn Sharma

Karn Sharma is the specialist leg spinner in the XI. He has played for a host of teams including MI, CSK, SRH, and now RCB. He took 10 wickets in seven matches last season.

Lockie Ferguson

Ferguson can straightaway come into the XI as one of the three specialist pacers. He played in GT in IPL 2022 and with KKR in IPL 2023 but could not do much. RCB is his fourth IPL team.

Alzarri Joseph

Joseph was bagged by RCB for 11. 50 crores Joseph played for the Titans in IPL 2022 and 2023 and could not make much of an impact. Joseph’s pace might just help him at the Chinnaswamy wicket.

Reece Topley

Topley concludes RCB’s likely strongest playing XI for IPL 2024. The England pacer missed the second half of IPL 2023 with a finger injury and missed the second half of the World Cup as well.

Impact Sub: Yash Dayal

Yash Dayal can be used as the impact sib. The southpaw played his maiden IPL season with Gujarat Titans and was released after just one season. RCB roped him in for 5 crores. Dayal is remembered for being hit for five consecutive sixes by Rinku Singh in IPL 2023.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: “It’s A Shame…” – AB de Villiers Slams DC For Releasing Phil Salt

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CSK are the defending champions of the IPL having won the title last season. They added Daryl Mitchell as a possible replacement for Ambati Rayudu and also added the likes of Rachin Ravindra and rebought Shardul Thakur to their team.

CSK as always have been very sure they wanted to buy at the auction and have looked to fill the gaps. They have added Mustafizur Rahman as a backup for Mathessha Pathirana and in Avanish Rao Aravelly they have a backup for MS Dhoni if needed.

MS Dhoni will lead the Chennai Super Kings for a possible last season in the IPL. The CSK skipper had knee surgery after the IPL 2023 final and has had time to recover ahead of the next season which might be his last. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan was very happy with the new acquisitions in the post-match interaction after the IPL. In this article, we take a look at Chennai Super Kings’ best possible playing XI ahead of the IPL 2024 season.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: Watch – MS Dhoni’s Heartwarming Reply To Fans ‘Support RCB In Winning Trophy’ Request

CSK Playing 11 for IPL 2024

Ruturaj Gaikwad

Gaikwad will open the batting for CSK. He has been a consistent run-scorer for the franchise since IPL 2021. He scored 590 runs in IPL 2022 with four fifty-plus scores. The right-hander is touted as the next CSK skipper after MS Dhoni.

Devon Conway

Conway will open the batting alongside Gaikwad. Together they have been a formidable opening pair at the top of the order. Conway scored 672 runs last season ending as the second-highest run-getter.

Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane was a revelation with CSK last season. He played a few impactful games for the franchise last season and reinvented his T20 game. CSK was able to extract the best from him. The Indian batter did not find a place in the Indian Test side anymore.

Moeen Ali / Daryl Mitchell

One among Mitchell or Moeen Ali can bat at four. The selection will be dependent on the playing conditions the opposition and the team combination. Mitchell was roped in for 14 crores by CSK.

Shivam Dube

Shivam Dube will slot in at five as the power-hitter. The southpaw also played his best for CSK last season scoring 418 runs in 16 matches with three fifty-plus scores striking at over 150. Dube was named in the Australia T20I series but did not get to play any games.

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja will slot in at six. He hit the winning runs for CSK last season and is a seasoned campaigner in the IPL. He has been equally good with bat and ball for the franchise and a bankable player. Jadeja was recently a part of the Indian side that played the World Cup final.

MS Dhoni (C/WK)

Dhoni will slot in at seven. He also played cameos with the bat throughout the last season. However, it was his captaincy that attracted the attention of everyone else and it will be the same this season. How he channels his players to be at their best will be key.

Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur will bat at eight. He was added by CSK at 4 crores. He could not play at his best either for Delhi Capitals and KKR. For CSK, he has played 55 wickets across four seasons. Thakur also played some key cameos with the bat for CSK.

Deepak Chahar

Chahar will bat at nine and lead the CSK bowling attack. He has not played much international cricket for India since the last IPL season and also missed out on playing in the World Cup.

Maheesh Theekshana

Theekshana will be one of the specialist spinners. He has opened the attack for CSK on many occasions and is seen as a powerplay bowler. The SL spinner was not amongst the wickets last season.

Matheesha Pathirana

Pathirama will lead the attack along with Chahar. He picked up 20 wickets for CSK last season but has not played much international cricket throughout the year. CSK bought The Fizz as Pathirana’s backup if needed.

Impact Sub- Tushar Deshpande

Deshpande the Indian pacer will be the impact sub for CSK. He was used much in the same role last season as well. The pacer picked up 21 wickets in 16 matches last season.

Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2024: England, Australia Placed In Same Group In T20 WC – Reports

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KKR needed some raw pace and the two overseas quicks can certainly add that in plenty. Manish Pandey who was a part of the IPL 2014 title-winning squad is back in the squad once again. He might not have played a lot of international cricket but KKR has backed his domestic and IPL experience to deliver for them in the middle-order.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: “It’s Great Justification For…” – Alyssa Healy On Mitchell Starc’s 24.75 Crores Acquisition

They also have picked up good backs ups for certain players. KS Bharat the Indian wicketkeeper is a straight backup for Rahmanullah Gurbaz while the West Indian big-hitter Sherfane Rutherford is Andre Russell’s backup.

The addition of these new players will make the KKR playing XI look a bit different than what it was last year. Shreyas Iyer will return to lead the side and Nitish Rana will be his deputy. His return was earlier confirmed by the KKR management.

In this article, we take a look at KKR’s best possible playing XI for IPL 2024 where they will be gunning for their third IPL title with Gautam Gambhir back as the mentor of the side. Notably, KKR finished seventh on the points table last season.

KKR Playing 11 For IPL 2024

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK)

Gurbaz will open the batting for KKR. He was their first-choice keeper and opener for the franchise. He scored 227 runs in his debut season with KKR and will be expected to score a lot more this season. The management will also expect him to be consistent this season.

Venkatesh Iyer

Iyer will open the batting. He also scored nearly 400 runs last season including a century against Mumbai Indians. He has played his best for KKR as an opener and once again will open the batting. Whether KKR uses his bowling potential will be an interesting observation.

Shreyas Iyer (C)

Shreyas Iyer will be back to lead the franchise after missing out on IPL 2023 due to a shoulder injury. He will pair up with Gambhir as the duo will chalk out plans for a title-winning season. Iyer is fresh off a good World Cup campaign scoring over 500 runs. He will look to have a good season with the bat. How he leads the side will be an interesting observation.

Nitish Rana

Rana will be Shreyas Iyer’s deputy this season and will bat at four. He scored 413 runs from 14 games after having a slow start to the season. He led the team better in the second half than in the first half. Iyer’s return will allow him to free up and possibly play more attackingly.

Rinku will slot in at five. He was KKR’s top scorer with 474 runs last season. His good run in the IPL helped him make his T20I and ODI debut later in the year. He must back up his previous season with another good one. There will be a lot of expectations from him this season.

Andre Russell

Russell will bat at six. He plays attacking cricket right from the start. He was not in the best of his touch last season. He is an experienced player and will be expected to play with a lot more responsibility. Russell needs to have a good season with bat and ball to help KKR win the title.

Sunil Narine

Narine will slot in at seven and will be one of the specialist spinners in the side. He picked up 16 wickets in IPL 2021 and then his graph in the next two seasons went downwards. He has just picked 20 wickets in the last two seasons.

Mitchell Starc

KKR’s newest acquisition Mitchell Starc can bat at eight. He can hit big shots however he will be more needed with the ball. KKR needed an out-and-out pacer after releasing their pace battery and Starc was their answer. He needs to have a good season after the huge paycheck paid to him.

Harshit Rana

The Delhi pacer was retained by the KKR management. He will be one of the two Indian pacers in the lineup. He picked up five wickets last season but it was his pace that impressed one and all. He needs to have a defining season this time.

Chetan Sakariya

The left-arm pacer can be the second Indian seamer in the XI. KKR roped him in for his base price of 50 lakhs. There were some question marks on his bowling action heading into the IPL auction. Sakariya has played in 19 IPL games and has also featured in one ODI and two T20Is for India. BCCI stated that the 25-year-old pacer has been reported but is not banned from bowling

Varun Chakravarthy

Varun is likely to conclude the KKR’s strongest playing XI for IPL 2024. He was KKR’s most successful bowler picking up 20 wickets from 14 games last season. He will have a massive role to play this season as well.

Impact Sub – Suyash Sharma

The leggie was used as the impact sub by KKR almost throughout last season. He is expected to be used as an impact sub this year as well. He picked up 10 wickets from 11 games last season.

Also Read: KKR Full Squad, Team List, Players List After IPL 2024 Auction

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Alongside Nuwan Thushara, Mumbai Indians also bought Dilshan Madushanka for 4.60 crores and South African rising speedster Gerald Coetzee for 5 crores. The three-man pace attack is considered to be the next-gen of Mumbai Indians alongside Jasprit Bumrah.

Speaking after the IPL 2024 auction, the Mumbai Indians head coach spoke about the pace attack that the management has been successful in getting. He said that MI got the likes of Coetzee and Madushanka at a relatively cheaper price than expected.

“We were surprised that we got both of them at a very cheap price. We are really happy with the two international picks we have gotten so far,” said Boucher.

He further spoke about Dilshan Madushanka’s acquisition and said that they bagged him based on his recent performances. He picked up 21 wickets in the World Cup and was Sri Lanka’s highest wicket-taker in the competition.

Nuwan Thushara’s Selection Was Based On His Recent Performances: Mark Boucher

“We made the decision to go for him because he is a young, up and coming superstar. He is a three phase bowler. He swings the new ball nicely and has good change ups at the death. The selection is purely on the basis of what he has been doing of late and I’m sure he’ll add a lot of value to our team” he said.

He then spoke about the thought behind the acquisition of Nuwan Thushara. He said that with his unorthodox action, he is the X-factor for the team.

” Nuwan Thushara came into the equation in the last month or two. I was actually at the T10 competition that was played in Abu Dhabi. I saw him there he was bowling well, he picked up a lot of wickets and was not getting hit at the death as well. Polly was actually playing in that competition as well so he actually got to face him.” he added further.

Boucher also eluded to the fact that Lasith Malinga has worked with him before and watched him bowl from close quarters. Malinga will be back to Mumbai Indians as the new fast bowling coach.

“Mali has worked with him before as well. It was the right pick for all of us we were all very happy. Mahela has been around him as well so it was the right pick for all of us. He gives us some great variation and we have seen that in the IPL, if you have got something different you become a bit of an X-factor player and he will be our X-factor player” Boucher concluded saying.

Mumbai Indians IPL 2024 Squad: Hardik Pandya (Traded), Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Cameron Green, Dewald Brevis, Ishan Kishan, Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, N. Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Piyush Chawla, Rohit Sharma, Romario Shepherd (Taded), Shams Mulani, Surya Kumar Yadav, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madhushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dheer, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma.

Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav Ruled Out Of International Cricket Due To Ankle Injury Till February: Reports

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SKY led India to a T20I series win against Australia first and then against South Africa. He was a part of the Indian World Cup squad but could not make any impactful performances. However, he was back to his best in T20I cricket with match-winning performances against Australia and South Africa. The injury means that Surya is likely to miss the India vs Afghanistan T20I series at home starting on January 11.

The Indian Express further reported that SKY had twisted his ankle while fielding during the third T20I in Johannesburg. The scans revealed a tear and if the fitness routine is properly followed he should be fit by the first week of February.

Suryakumar Yadav Will Take Time To Recover: BCCI Official

The BCCI officials further confirmed SKY’s injury thereby stating that the star batter will be out of cricketing action as of now and will need time to recover.

“He will take some time to recover. He will have to report to the National Cricket Academy later to do his rehabilitation. He is surely going to miss the Afghanistan series,” a source in the Indian board informed.

Suryakumar Yadav was handed over the captaincy in the absence of Hardik Pandya who is also out of the game nursing his ankle injury. He suffered an ankle injury in the World Cup game against Bangladesh and has been out of cricket ever since. Pandya might also miss the Afghanistan series as he is in his recovery process.

Also Read: IND vs SA: Glad Sanju Samson Was Able To Grab His Chances Here- KL Rahul

The BCCI might need to find a new skipper with Rishabh Pant also likely to make a comeback during the IPL. Regular skipper Rohit Shama has not played T20I cricket since the T20 World Cup alongside Virat Kohli.

SKY recently scored his fourth T20I ton in the third T20I against South Africa. He scored 100 off 56 balls to power India to 201/7 in 20 overs. The Proteas were bowled out for a paltry 95 as India won the match by 106 runs to level the series. Surya was awarded the Man of the Match for his match-winning knock.

“I am good. I am walking, so good. Always a good feeling. When it comes in a winning cause, it makes me happier” said SKY as he gave an update on his injury after the match.

“We wanted to play some fearless brand of cricket. The idea was to bat first, put some runs on the board and defend. The boys work day in and day out. Happy that they showed some character. He(Kuldeep) is never happy. He is always hungry. It is a nice self-gift on his birthday. I mean it is important to know your game. I just go out there and enjoy myself. The balance is important” he added further.

The Indian batter was rested for the ODI series against South Africa that India won 2-1 as well. It was KL Rahul who led India in the series with the senior players rested.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: “Travis Head Wasn’t Of Any Use To CSK”- Aakash Chopra

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CSK added six players to their squad during the IPL 2024 auction. They roped in Daryl Mitchell at 14 crores and bought back Shardul Thakur for 4 crores. Chennai added Mustafizur Rahman and Rachin Ravindra for 2 crores and 1.8 crores respectively. 

CSK CSO Kasi Viswanathan was very happy with the new acquisitions after the auction. He spoke about the return of Shardul while speaking about the rest of the players as well.

Speaking about MS Dhoni, he had his left knee operated on after IPL 2023. CSK CEO said that he played the entire season with an injured knee. He will be back leading the franchise for one final time possibly. Speaking at a recent event, MS Dhoni addressed a fan’s question about his plans after IPL 2024. He said that he wants to spend more time with the army once he retires from the IPL. 

Want To Spend Some Time With The Army: MS Dhoni

“I have never thought about it. I am still playing cricket. IPL I am still playing. It will be very interesting to see what I end up doing after cricket. I think for sure, I want to spend a bit more time with the Army because last few years I have not been able to do that,” said Dhoni.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: Sam Curran Is Overpaid – AB de Villiers’ ‘Controversial’ Remark On PBKS Star

CSK tried with Ravindra Jadeja as the captain of CSK at the start of IL 2022. The move badly backfired as MS Dhoni was reappointed as the Chennai Super Kings skipper during the second half of the season. CSK finished ninth on the table followed by Mumbai Indians who finished tenth. Dhoni then came back as the captain in 2023 and won his fifth IPL title with the franchise. 

MS Dhoni is closing in on 5000 runs for CSK. He has scored 4508 runs in 220 matches for CSK. He has a chance to get past 5000 runs for the franchise if he bats up the order. He batted at number seven and sometimes even at 8 in the last season and played a few crucial cameos. 

Both Stephen Fleming and Kasi Viswanathan were asked about MS Dhoni’s future in the recently concluded IPL season. Fleming said that the franchise has been seeking MS Dhoni’s successor since the last decade. 

“We’ve had succession plans for MS for about 10 years. It is going to be a talking point., but he is as engaged and as enthusiastic as I have seen him for a while. While that passion is there for the team and franchise, we’ll roll on” said Stephen Fleming.

When asked about MS Dhoni’s future in IPL, the CSK CEO said that MSD has not spoken to the franchise on the same as yet. 

“Dhoni will make the decision himself. He hasn’t informed us yet, and it’s up to him. So far, he hasn’t given us any hints either,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said on JioCinema.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: “Travis Head Wasn’t Of Any Use To CSK”- Aakash Chopra

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Travis Head had a base price of Rs. 2 crore in the IPL 2024 auction. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings were the two teams that went after the Australian opener. In the end, SRH sealed the left-handed batter for Rs. 6.80 crore.

Travis Head was expected to fetch a big amount in the IPL 2024 auction after his stunning knock in the ICC World Cup 2023 final against India. The left-handed batsman shattered a century in the final to drive the Aussies to victory by 6 wickets in the match.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: “Mitchell Starc Was A Preferred Player ..”- KKR CEO Reveals Reason For Going All In For The Australian Pacer

Travis Head Wasn’t Of Any Use To CSK: Aakash Chopra

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said he was surprised to see Chennai Super Kings going after Travis Head in the IPL 2024 auction. According to Aakash Chopra, CSK opted to go after Travis Head to find Moeen Ali’s replacement. However, the Aussie opener is not a like-for-like replacement for Moeen Ali.

“This team was going towards Travis Head. We were slightly surprised. They might have been trying to keep him as Moeen Ali’s replacement. If you ask me personally, he wasn’t of any use. He couldn’t have been a like-for-like replacement for Moeen Ali. 

“Devon Conway opens, and Travis Head also opens. Travis Head wouldn’t have scored runs as soon as you would have sent him in the middle order. So it’s good you didn’t get him. Hyderabad took him and they (CSK) got Rachin Ravindra in place of him for just 1.80 crores,” Chopra further added.

Chennai Super Kings have a powerful set of openers in the form of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad. In the 2023 season, both of them showcased stunning batting performances to provide a powerful start to the team across many games.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: ‘Not An IPL-Winning Batting Line-Up’ – AB de Villiers On Gautam Gambhir-Mentored KKR

Shardul Thakur In Four Crores Is An Absolute Deal: Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra also feels that CSK made a superb deal by picking Shardul Thakur for Rs. 4 crores. Chopra also feels that Thakur was the only Indian pacer who didn’t go expensive.

“As I said about Mumbai, Chennai also I think got lucky. Shardul Thakur in four crores is an absolute steal. In my opinion, people should have saved 10-14 crores for the Lord, which Harshal Patel eventually got. Only three or four capped Indian fast bowlers were available.

One was Umesh Yadav, who went for 5.80 crores, and then Harshal Patel went expensive. Even Shivam Mavi went expensive but Shardul Thakur didn’t.

He is not a part of India’s T20I scheme of things, but when 10.75 crore rupees were given by Delhi and then he shifted from there last year, it means the player has value.”, the former India opener further said.

Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: Sam Curran Is Overpaid – AB de Villiers’ ‘Controversial’ Remark On PBKS Star

Notably, Shardul Thakur was part of CSK setup for many seasons before IPL 2022 mega-auction, when Delhi Capitals picked him for Rs. 10 crore. In the 2023 season, DC traded Thakur to Kolkata Knight Riders. Ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, KKR released Thakur from the squad.

The post IPL 2024 Auction: “Travis Head Wasn’t Of Any Use To CSK”- Aakash Chopra appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Australian skipper Pat Cummins was bought for a massive Rs20.50 crores by Sunrisers Hyderabad breaking the barrier of 20 crores. However, Mitchell Starc whose name came not long after Cummins stole the show in the IPL Auction. Starc was raked in by Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping 24.75 crores. Mysore reckons that the unsuccessful bids by KKR before Mitchell Starc helped them pull this off.

“Obviously he (Strac) was a preferred player from a skill set standpoint. Initially, we were not successful in some of the bids. Maybe that worked in our favor because we did end up having money to do this. So we’re just thankful that we were able to have him on our side,” Mysore said.

On being asked about spending such a huge amount on one player, Venky Mysore said that it is a matter of perspective. He revealed that every team has to spend nearly 100 crores and they have the choice to themselves as to how they want to slice it. Ultimately, every team spends the same amount of money. He also says that Starc is a fabulous player.

KKR And GT Entered An Intense Bidding War For Mitchell Starc

“It shows the value of the player and the skill set he (Starc) possesses. He’s a fabulous player. Now it seems like wow, Rs 24.75. I was telling someone that the salary cap of a team when IPL started in 2008 was Rs 20 crore. So things have changed. When the auction is over, all the 10 teams are going to walk out having spent 100 crores and each team decides to slice it differently,” he said.

“So what you’ve paid to somebody … is a matter of perspective. Ultimately, we’re all spending the same amount of money. When you plan your team, from a retention standpoint, with the auction far away, you’ve no idea of who are the players being released from other teams, trades happening, and all that. So it’s a very dynamic environment.”

Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans got into an intense bidding war for Mitchell Starc which resulted in the former acquiring the services of Australia’s premier left-arm pacer. Gujarat Titans bought Spencer Johnson later for Rs 10 crore to make up for losing Starc. Johnson is also an Australian left-arm quick who can swing the ball early on and stands tall at 6 ft 4 in.

Kolkata Knight Riders finished seventh on the points table in IPL 2023. However, the team was fairly young and inexperienced but still, they performed very well in some of the matches. They will hope for a better season this time as Shreyas Iyer is back as their skipper after missing out on the 2023 season due to an injury. Also, players like Mitchell Starc, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Jason Roy will enhance the squad.

The post IPL 2024 Auction: “Mitchell Starc Was A Preferred Player ..”- KKR CEO Reveals Reason For Going All In For The Australian Pacer appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Kolkata Knight Riders hogged the headlines recently when they spent 24.75 crores to buy Mitchell Starc in the IPL. They spent more than half of their purse to acquire the services for the Australian pacer so that they could strengthen their bowling line-up for the upcoming edition of the league. 

The presence of Mitchell Starc no doubt will bolster their bowling lineup. But one of the things that will be concerning is their batting lineup. They brought Manish Pandey, Sherfane Rutherford, and keeper-batter KS Bharat in the auction but these players aren’t the sort of match winners that would’ve wanted. 

KKR have the likes of skipper Shreyas Iyer, Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Nitish Rana, and others. They would be hoping that these batters bring out their best and help the team win the third title. The franchise, notably, since the last few seasons has been below par. 

AB de Villiers admitted that KKR have good batters in the ranks but it isn’t an IPL-winning batting lineup. He said that their top four won’t be one of the top four batting line-ups at this year’s IPL. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, he explained: 

“I think their bowling attack is fantastic. The issue lies in the batting department. They don’t have bad batters, but I don’t think that’s an IPL-winning batting line-up. Shreyas Iyer is a wonderful batter. He delights me up the order there. Rinku Singh is a good finisher. 

“The batting line-up doesn’t look bad, but I don’t think it’s one of the top four batting line-ups at this year’s IPL. That’s what I think KKR is lacking at this year’s IPL.” 

IPL 2024: CSK is the street-smart team of the IPL – AB de Villiers 

AB de Villiers apart from Kolkata Knight Riders analysed Chennai Super Kings squad as well. The MS Dhoni-led side silently picked quite a few impact players in the auction. They brought in the likes of Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, and others. 

AB de Villiers hailed the Chennai Super Kings as street smart team of the IPL. He pointed out that Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra were much needed for the team in the tournament. He also added that the buying Shardul Thakur was one of the biggest steals in the tournament. He explained: 

“CSK is the street smart team of the IPL and they have been that forever. I think Daryl Mitchell was very much needed and Rachin Ravindra in that middle order. Both New Zealanders have had very good World Cups, scoring hundreds. Shardul Thakur, he is a fantastic cricket player in all formats. One of the biggest steals in this year’s IPL.” 

Chennai Super Kings brought Daryl Mitchell for INR 14 crore. He along with Rachin Ravindra will be crucial for the team in the tournament. Both batters were in fine form during the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2023 and helped the team reach the semi-final.

The post IPL 2024 Auction: ‘Not An IPL-Winning Batting Line-Up’ – AB de Villiers On Gautam Gambhir-Mentored KKR appeared first on CricketAddictor.

England all-rounder Sam Curran has been one of the hot picks in the last few auctions. Whenever he has entered the event, he has earned big bucks. But it is fair to say that his performances haven’t justified his price tag as he has been quite expensive with the ball and also hasn’t batted well as was expected of him. 

Sam Curran ahead of the IPL 2023 was acquired by the Punjab Kings for the hefty amount of INR 18.5 crore, which at that time was the costliest player. The all-rounder, however, didn’t have a great season and was also trolled a lot for the kind of performances that he put in the league. 

In the 14 matches that he played last season, Sam Curran picked just 10 wickets and was expensive as well. The all-rounder couldn’t set the stage on fire with the bat as he managed just 276 runs. But despite that, he was retained by the franchise for the upcoming edition. 

During a Q&A session on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers was asked if PBKS should’ve released Sam Curran ahead of the IPL 2024. Replying to that, he highlighted the all-rounder’s below-par performances in the last few seasons. 

AB de Villiers admitted that although Sam Curran can turn around things, he’s overpaid in the IPL. He said that it would’ve been a good move had PBKS released him as it would’ve expanded the fund for them. He explained: 

“I don’t like to be controversial. But, in my opinion, he’s been overpaid for quite a few years now. He’s not a bad player; I like him. He’s had a fantastic World Cup, but that’s quite a few years back. I don’t think he’s had a very good IPL recently. Also, for England, he hasn’t played exceptionally well 

“He can turn things around like most world-class players can. Nothing against Sam Curran. I still think he’s a wonderful player. I just think he’s been overpaid for a few years. Maybe it would have been a good move for them to let him go to open up some funds to buy different players.” 

Overall, Sam Curran has played 46 matches in his IPL. He has picked 42 wickets at an average of 35.33 and an economy rate of 9.52. Apart from that he also has scored 613 runs at a strike rate of 143.22. 

IPL 2024: I don’t think that’s being overpaid – AB de Villiers on Harshal Patel 

Punjab Kings had a decent outing in the IPL 2024 auction. They brought some game changers in the team with Indian pacer Harshal Patel being the costliest for them. They brought the fast bowler for INR 11.75 crore. 

AB de Villiers shared his verdict on the same and said that Harshal Patel is a nifty pick for Punjab Kings and isn’t overpaid. De Villiers hailed him as a fantastic player and also pointed out that he can contribute with the ball. He explained: 

“Harshal going for a pretty nifty ₹11.75 crore. I don’t think that’s being overpaid. He’s a fantastic player. He is a wonderful T20 cricketer. He can also hit the cricket ball. The slower ball that he bowls bamboozles a lot of batters.” 

Apart from Harshal Patel, Punjab Kings brought Chris Woakes, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajann, Prince Choudhary, and Rilee Rossouw.

The post IPL 2024 Auction: Sam Curran Is Overpaid – AB de Villiers’ ‘Controversial’ Remark On PBKS Star appeared first on CricketAddictor.

The Mumbai-based franchise acquired Dilshan Madhunshanka for just 4.60 crores. Madhushanka is a left-arm pacer from Sri Lanka and was the third-highest wicket-taker in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Madhushanka got 21 wickets in just nine games in the World Cup including a five-wicket haul against India. He was right ahead of his MI teammates Jasprit Bumrah (20 wickets) and Gerald Coetzee (20 wickets) in the list of highest wicket-takers in the World Cup 2023.

Irfan Pathan and Mohammad Kaif praised Mumbai Indians for their acquisitions in the IPL 2024 auction. They derived a playing XI out of the full squad of 25 members and the team actually looked very strong with a power-packed batting and hit the deck bowling unit.

“It feels like they have done a good job because as I can see in the Playing XI- Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Tim David. The batting is incredible now keep Nabi as you get a spinner alongside Piyush Chawla and then Jasprit Bumrah. If you want to play Coetzee, you can. Akash Madhwal can get a spot and then add Dilshan Madhushanka. So now the bowling looks better this year. They have a green light in terms of the Auction they had,” said Irfan Pathan on Star Sports.

Watch- Irfan Pathan And Mohammad Kaif Giving A Green Light To Mumbai Indians For A Terrific Auction

Mumbai = all bases covered! ?@IrfanPathan & @MohammadKaif give this Mumbai squad a ? light with a wonderful auction where they beefed up their bowling to complement their power-packed batting!#IPLOnStar #IPL2024Auction pic.twitter.com/jg6PZ65PpO

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 21, 2023

Mumbai Indians have announced Hardik Pandya as the new skipper for their 2024 season. While Rohit Sharma is still in the squad, it has left a lot of fans enraged as Rohit Sharma did not leave the captaincy on his terms. Whether there was a discussion with Rohit before giving the captaincy to Pandya is still not clear. Hardik Pandya was traded in from Gujarat Titans ahead of the auction and was announced as the skipper.

According to reports Gujarat Titans approached Mumbai Indians for acquiring Rohit Sharma but apparently, the trade was rejected by MI. The fans do not like the fact that Rohit Sharma was abruptly removed from captaincy and someone who left the franchise in 2022 for a captaincy stint rejoins as the captain of Mumbai Indians.

However, Mumbai Indians had a good run in the auctions and have created a really strong team ahead of the start of the IPL. As far as Rohit Sharma is concerned, the trade window is still open and if any team is interested in Rohit Sharma, they can offer a trade deal to Mumbai Indians for the Indian skipper.

The post IPL 2024 Auction: “Bowling Looks Better…” – Irfan Pathan Hails Mumbai Indians’ Auction Strategy appeared first on CricketAddictor.

For him the choice is easy. When asked about who should lead SRH in IPL 2024, De Villiers backed his former South Africa teammate Aiden Markram to continue as captain despite Hyderabad breaking the bank for 2023 Australian World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins. The Orange Army head coached by Daniel Vettori relentlessly chased the Aussie right-arm pacer and splashed 20.50 Crores for the player, making him the most expensive player ever before Kolkata Knight Riders paid 24.75 Crores for Mitchell Starc.

Now as soon as SRH bought Cummins, debates unfurled over who should be the leading the pack next season and who should be trusted to guide the star-studded team towards their 2nd IPL trophy. Other than Cummins, SRH bought World Cup 2023 Final’s centurion Travis Head for 6.80 Crores, Sri Lankan All-Rounder Wanindu Hasaranga for 1.5 Crores, left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat for 1.60 Crores, Akash Singh and Jhathavedh Subramanyan for 20 Lakhs respectively.

On paper, SRH have a very strong side at its disposal filled with several talented players. With their core unit intact, SRH will just have to figure out the right combinations by integrating the recently bought players into the side. Last season, Sunrisers Hyderabad finished at the bottom of the points table under Markram’s captaincy, winning 4 matches and losing 10.

They will look to change the scenario this year and with their acquisitions, they may finish in the Top 4 for the first time since 2020.

“I Will Still Go With Aiden Markram As Captain”, Says Ab De Villiers

On the captaincy debate, Ab De Villiers has made it clear that Aiden Markram will do well as the captain of SRH this season. De Villiers believes that his former teammate has what it takes to become a true leader and with the type of squad Markram will have under him, SRH could be going all the way to the play-offs.

“I will still go with Aiden Markram as captain. I’ve played with this guy before. He’s got a very, very good leadership brain on his head. I think he’ll do better this season, and that’s it. And as well. And it has got a very good squad to work with.” – said De Villiers.

He also shared his opinion about the Sunrisers facing a problem for having such a star-studded squad, stating that Hyderabad has a very balanced squad. “I don’t think the eight overseas players that you’re talking about being big stars is a problem. I think they have a very, very good squad, very well-balanced. I think they’re gonna make the knockouts this year. I want my calls to go all the way and be there at the back end of the IPL.” – De Villiers concluded. 

SRH Full squad for IPL 2024: Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram (c), Marco Jansen, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Sanvir Singh, Heinrich Klaasen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Agarwal, T. Natarajan, Anmolpreet Singh, Mayank Markande, Upendra Singh Yadav, Umran Malik, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Travis Head, Wanindu Hasaranga, Pat Cummins, Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh, Jhathavedh Subramanyan.

The post Pat Cummins Or Aiden Markram? AB de Villiers Predicts SRH Captain For IPL 2024 appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins made headlines as the two most expensive buys in the history of the IPL auction. On December 19, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) acquired them for record-breaking sums of Rs 24.75 crore and Rs 20.50 crore, respectively.

I Couldn’t Agree More – AB de Villiers

During a recent Q&A session on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers commended the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings for making strategic and intelligent choices in the auction.

“I couldn’t agree more. Some very smart buys. Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and other teams that do well in the IPL do well in the auction as well. They make smart buys and not emotional buys. Cummins and Starc, both incredible players, but really, for that price?

“It just shows you the demand. There was demand for fast bowlers in this year’s auction and when the demand goes up, the price goes up,” de Villiers said.

KKR and SRH made substantial investments of over Rs 20 crore each to secure one player. In contrast, MI managed to acquire Gerald Coetzee (Rs 5 crore), Dilshan Madushanka (Rs 4.5 crore), and Nuwan Thushara (Rs 4.8 crore) for a combined total of under Rs 15 crore.

Two Very Good Buys For Their Price – AB de Villiers

De Villiers highlighted the acquisitions of Nuwan Thushara, Dilshan Madushanka, and Gerald Coetzee as fantastic choices. He also commended the signings of Mohammad Nabi and Shreyas Gopal, considering them valuable additions for their respective prices.

“Nuwan Thushara and Dilshan Madushanka – two fantastic players. Also, Mohammad Nabi and Shreyas Gopal two very good buys for their price. They can offer you a lot. I think they did pretty well. All the young bowlers will feed off Jasprit Bumrah. I absolutely love the look of Coetzee, Madushanka and Thushara only for ₹15 crore,” Villiers further added.

The Mumbai Indians enter the auction with a purse of Rs 17.75 crore, the third lowest among all teams. They acquired eight players for a total of Rs 16.70 crore, with Coetzee being their costliest pick. They secured Mohammad Nabi for Rs 1.5 crore and Shreyas Gopal for Rs 20 lakh.

Gerald Coetzee Impressed Me A Lot – AB de Villiers

The former South African skipper reminisced about facing Gerald Coetzee in a match several years ago, praising the young bowler for his impressive pace on the field. De Villiers described Coetzee’s acquisition as a steal compared to some other players in the auction.

“I faced this guy about 6-7 years ago. I think he was 18 or 19 years old and he impressed me a lot. He had a lot of steam, a lot of presence. He was in my face in that game. He is going to the mighty Mumbai Indians only for ₹5 crore. That’s a lot of money, but if you compare it to some other players, this was a steal,” Villiers stated.

Also read: IPL Auction 2024: IPL Gets Bigger, Better, And Stronger Every Year- AB de Villiers

The post IPL 2024 Auction: ‘Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc Both Incredible But…’ – Ab de Villiers On Pacers’ IPL Buy appeared first on CricketAddictor.

Spencer Johnson was on the radar of Gujarat Titans after they missed out on acquiring Mitchell Starc who went on to become the most expensive purchase in the history of IPL  getting 24.75 crores from KKR. Johnson impressed everyone with his performance in this year’s ‘The Hundred’ competition where he represented The Oval Invincibles. In a match against Manchester Originals in ‘The Hundred’ he bowled 19 dot balls out of 20 giving just one run and taking three wickets.

While commentating in the BBL, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting revealed that Spencer Johnson thanked him and said he owes him a couple of beers for increasing his price in the Auction. Spencer Johnson had a base price of INR 50 lacs and Gujarat Titans were on the way to acquire him for just 80 lacs when Delhi Capitals entered the bidding war and then left when Gujarat was finally ready to pay 10 crores for him.

Ricky Ponting said while commentating, “He actually came up to me pre-game and said ‘Thanks mate for last night, thanks for keep pushing me up’. He actually said ‘I think I owe a couple of beers’ and at some stage, I’ll take him up on that but I’m actually not that surprised. There are not a lot of guys like him you know. Guys at 6 foot 4, can bowl over 140 ks an hour, and he’s left-arm can swing the ball and he has actually done well in the T20 competitions.”

Watch- Ricky Ponting Praising Spencer Johnson After His 10 Cr Deal With Gujarat Titans

Spencer Johnson told Ricky Ponting he owes him a couple of beers for all the bids at the IPL auction ? pic.twitter.com/WOCqwwXDTE

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 21, 2023

Gujarat Titans got Spencer Johnson for 10 crores making him the sixth-most expensive purchase in this year’s Auction. Spencer Johnson will be pairing alongside the likes of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, and Joshua Little to form a formidable pace attack for the Ahmedabad-based franchise. The Titans also got Azmatullah Omarzai for just INR 50 lacs. Omarzai is an all-rounder from Afghanistan who impressed everyone in the World Cup 2023.

Spencer Johnson made his ODI debut for Australia against India at the Holkar stadium in Indore. He went wicketless in his debut ODI. He has a good record in T20 leagues and can be a valuable asset to the Gujarat Titans. They were lacking a left-arm pacer and they have now got Spencer Johnson who can swing the ball upfront and generates a lot of pace early on.

Gujarat Titans were the champions in the 2022 edition of the IPL. They finished as runners-up in 2023 where they were defeated by Chennai Super Kings in the finals in a rain-affected match in Ahmedabad.

The post Did Ricky Ponting Deliberately Inflate Spencer Johnson’s Price In IPL Auction 2024 Before Gujarat Titans Bought Him? Former Australian Captain Responds appeared first on CricketAddictor.

While AB de Villiers retired from the Indian Premier League in the year 2021, he played ten years of his IPL career for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. De Villiers now is seen giving expert advice and doing cricket analysis on his YouTube channel and is often witnessed in the commentary box.

However, apart from playing for RCB, De Villiers played the initial matches of his IPL career for the Delhi Daredevils, which is now Delhi Capitals. Analysing DC’s IPL 2024 squad, the former South African batsman stated that they probably missed out on not buying Phil Salt.

AB de Villiers said that Phil Salt was with DC in the last season but he didn’t perform as per the expectations. However, De Villiers has watched him perform extremely well for the Pretoria Capitals in SA20, and stated that it was an absolute shame, not to see Salt in the Indian Premier League.

AB de Villiers believes Delhi Capitals have missed out on not signing Phil Salt

AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel, “The planning for the IPL auction has been done months in advance. I do agree in a way. Phil Salt, I absolutely love watching him play. He is one of hot favorites in the SA20 tournament. I saw Salt score a lot of runs for the Pretoria Capitals.”

“Yes, maybe they have missed out by not buying him or failing to retain him for the Delhi Capitals. He didn’t play much last year and maybe he disappointed some of the management. But, he’s a fantastic player and it’s a shame not to see him there.”

Delhi Capitals have changed their playing style ever since they changed their name. Capitals have performed extremely well in the last few editions of the Indian Premier League and also made it to the finals in the 2020 edition.

With Rishabh Pant returning to the side, the Delhi Capitals have once again strengthened their squad and have all the resources to win their maiden Indian Premier League title.

Delhi Capitals were able to rope in big names such as Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs, Jhye Richardson, and Shai Hope, who can prove to be essential for the team in IPL 2024. The team also has young stars such as Yash Dhull, and Kumar Kushagra, who can come in with handy contributions and also become the reason for the team’s success.

However, the team will be hoping for Prithvi Shaw to return back to form and once again give the team a blazing opening start along with David Warner.

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The incident occurred during the warm-up at the North Tasmania Cricket Association Ground in Launceston on December 11. Curran attempted a practice run-up on the pitch, leading to the fourth umpire’s intervention and subsequent charging of him with a Level 3 offense.

After the incident, match referee Bob Perry charged the England bowler under Article 2.17 of the code of conduct for “intimidation or attempted intimidation of an umpire, match referee, or medical personnel whether by language or conduct (including gestures) during a match.”

The Umpire Stepped To His Right To Avoid Collision – CA

According to Cricket Australia (CA), Tom Curran was warned by the fourth umpire, stationed to oversee the proceedings, to refrain from running on the pitch. However, the bowling all-rounder ran straight at him, prompting the umpire to step aside to avoid a collision.

“The umpire took position next to the stumps, blocking Curran from approaching the pitch and gestured to Curran to move away from the pitch,” the statement read.

“Curran was seen in the footage gesturing to the umpire to move away from the pitch. Curran then attempted to perform a practice run-up and run at pace straight towards the umpire who stood in the bowling crease facing Curran. The umpire stepped to his right to avoid the risk of collision.”

Tom Curran emerged as the standout bowler for the Sydney Sixers against the Hobart Hurricanes, securing three wickets for just 19 runs within his four overs. The Sixers secured a comfortable six-wicket victory in their second match of the ongoing tournament.

Tom Curran Didn’t Intimidate A Match Official – Sydney Sixers’ Head

Tom Curran attempted to appeal the decision after being charged by the match referee. Sydney Sixers’ head Rachael Haynes defended the player, emphasizing that Curran did not intentionally intimidate the match official.

“Tom and the club maintain that Tom did not knowingly or intentionally intimidate a match official, and on legal advice, we will exercise our right to appeal the decision. We will support Tom during this period and look forward to him returning to the field,” Haynes said.

Tom Curran Set To Join Deser Vipers For The ILT20

The ban would be a setback for the Sydney Sixers, who initially expected to have Curran for nine matches after retaining him in the BBL Draft. Curran is scheduled to join the Desert Vipers in the UAE for the ILT20 competition following his stint with the Sixers.

If the ban is upheld, the 28-year-old fast bowler will be absent for the upcoming four BBL 13 matches against the Adelaide Strikers on December 22, the Melbourne Stars on December 26, the Sydney Thunder on December 30, and the Brisbane Heat on January 1.

Curran was acquired by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction in Dubai on December 19. The pacer was acquired by the Bangaluru-based franchise for his base price of Rs 1.50 crore in the accelerated round.

Also read: Watch: Ricky Ponting In Splits As Tom Curran Gets Frightened By Flames Near Boundary

The post BBL 2023-24: RCB’s New Acquisition Tom Curran Faces Four-Match Suspension After Intimidating Umpire appeared first on CricketAddictor.

SunRisers Hyderabad entered the mini-auction with a purse of Rs 34 crore. The franchise spent the majority of its budget on Pat Cummins, acquiring him for a whopping Rs 20.5 crore. They purchased a total of six players in the auction, including three overseas players.

Does Aiden Markram Play Every Game Now? – Simon Doull

In a conversation with Star Sports, Simon Doull highlighted the challenge of including Pat Cummins in the team. Doull speculated on whether Aiden Markram would play every game and if Cummins might take over the franchise’s leadership.

“Maybe they are looking for a captain. We have joked a little bit about it. Does (Aiden) Markram play every game now? They haven’t announced their skipper. Does Pat Cummins take over that franchise? Does he come in and play a lot more instead of a (Marco) Jansen next year for them?” Simon Doull told Star Sports.

“That’s going to be the question mark. Now that you have paid all this money, you have got to get him into that team. Where does he start and whose place does he take? They have got a lot of high-quality overseas talent,” he added.

SRH secured the services of Australian opener Travis Head for Rs 6.8 crore. They signed Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga for his base price of Rs 1.5 crore. They also acquired Jaydev Unadkat for Rs 1.6 crore and added Akash Singh (Rs 20 lakh) and Jhathavedh Subramanyan (Rs 20 lakh) to their roster.

SunRisers Have Had An Outstanding Auction – Tom Moody

Tom Moody noted that SunRisers Hyderabad had an outstanding auction, offering them numerous options and match-winners. However, he emphasized the challenge they face in determining their best combination and effectively communicating it.

“I think SunRisers have had an outstanding auction. They have covered every single base. The biggest challenge they are going to face is what is their best combination and trying to create a pathway to that best XI but also to communicate that, which is not going to be easy,” Moddy said.

“They have got a lot of options there. They have got a lot of match-winners. The one thing we don’t know is who is going to captain this side. One thing we do know is that I heard Muttiah Muralitharan during the auction that they were thrilled to get Travis Head because they wanted him as an opener.”

“That tells me one of Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal and Rahul Tripathi is missing out because you can’t obviously have Head up there amongst all those others. It’s going to be very interesting to see how they find their best combination, both from an overseas and domestic perspective.”

SRH has eight overseas players in their squad, including Aiden Markram, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Glenn Phillips, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Travis Head, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Pat Cummins. However, there will be a challenge in selecting the lineup due to the IPL rule allowing only four foreigners in the playing XI.

Also read: IND vs SA: ‘Sanju Samson Frustrates His Fans And Critics…’- Simon Doull Criticizes The Indian Batter For His Inconsistency

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