IPL 2024 squad analysis: Chaos at Mumbai, Gujarat weakened, question mark over Dhoni

01.03.2024 - 12:51 thenationalnews.com

The Indian Premier League is back, so that means everything else in the world of cricket will come to a stop. Such is the might of the T20 league that everything else revolves around it, be it the international calendar, player contracts or national commitments.

Australia's all-format champion Mitchell Starc and his captain Pat Cummins recently landed the biggest contracts in history, underscoring the financial pull the tournament wields.

But there is more to the tournament. Make it in the IPL, and you are almost guaranteed to be fast-tracked into international duty.

And this time, the spotlight will shine even brighter on the best players as the T20 World Cup starts just a week after the IPL ends.

IPL Kolkata Knight Riders Chennai Super Kings Royal Challengers Bangalore Pat Cummins Mitchell Starc Daryl Mitchell Devon Conway Australia India county Kings county Mitchell

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins said they are looking forward to an "aggressive" start in the upcoming season. While speaking in a video shared on the official social media handle of the Hyderabad-based franchise, Cummins said that 20-over formats are hard. He showered praise on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and said that they have a "good team".

SRH SWOT Analysis, IPL 2024: Can Pat Cummins Change SunRisers Hyderabad's Fortunes In 2024?

Widely regarded as one of the toughest T20 competitions in the world, only a few teams have managed to win the coveted Indian Premier League (IPL) title since its inception in 2008. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are one such team having won their prestigious title in 2016 under the leadership of David Warner. SRH were runner-ups two years after their 2016 success in 2018, and made it to the playoffs in 2013, 2017, 2019 and 2020 as well. But they haven't advanced beyond the league stage in the past three years, and finished at the bottom of the standings in 2021 and 2023.

SWOT Analysis IPL 2024: Can CSK Defend Title And Become League's Most Successful Franchise?

Chennai Super Kings (CSK), one of the most successful franchises in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), will be gearing up for another season under their captain cool M.S. Dhoni. Last year, the Men in Yellow defeated the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans by five wickets to grab their fifth IPL title, equalling Mumbai Indians' record for the most league triumphs. CSK under Dhoni's leadership have played 10 IPL finals in the 16 editions so far and won the title on five occasions - 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023.

"Always A Bit Of A Circus": IPL's Costliest Rs 24.75 Crore Buy Mitchell Starc Sums Up 'Best T20 League'

Australia pacer Mitchell Starc is all set to make his Indian Premier League (IPL) comeback after an eight-year hiatus from the tournament. During the IPL 2024, Starc became the most expensive player in the history of the players auction after KKR spent a mind-boggling Rs 24.75 crores to get. The bidding war for Starc was, however, started by Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals but both the teams backed off when the price for the lanky pacer was inching close to the Rs 10 crore mark.

"T20 World Cup Just 5 Days After IPL Final": R Ashwin Sums Up India's Cricket Schedule Chaos

It's been almost four months since India lost the World Cup final to Australia on home soil, but the bad memories of the defeat continue to haunt the players and the fans. India marched to the final as the only unbeaten side in the tournament, only to go down at the expense of Australia in the final hurdle. The defeat extended India's ICC trophy drought, with their last success at world stage dating back to 2013 when they won the Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni's leadership. The year 2023 saw India lose two ICC finals, both to Australia. Last year in June, India also lost to the Pat Cummins-led side in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Mitchell Santner, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra Join Chennai Super Kings Camp IPL 2024

Ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, the New Zealand cricketers Mitchell Santner, Daryl Mitchell, and Rachin Ravindra joined the five-time winner Chennai Super Kings (CSK) training camp. The official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the Chennai-based franchise shared the picture of the Kiwi trio joining the squad. Santner made his debut in the 2019 season, and following that the bowling allrounder picked up 13 wickets at an economy rate of 6.88. Meanwhile, he scored 56 runs while batting in 8 innings.