Being a proponent of perhaps the most integral aspect of T20 cricket – the element of surprise – the Indian Premier League (IPL) has not always adhered to fame and recognition whilst producing showstoppers, with Sunil Narine of 2012 and Harshal Patel of 2021 standing as testaments.
Now that the 2024 season is drawing nearer, provision for the creation of new trump cards is on the horizon. Let us delve into the possible X-factors from every team:
1. Chennai Super Kings – Daryl Mitchell
Daryl Mitchell’s career may have taken a while to reach its zenith, but that it has, is certain. Signed for only Rs 75 lakh by Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022, he was presented with merely a couple of opportunities. But at 32, he was among the standout performers in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Mitchell scored 552 runs in that competition, including a century against India in the semi-final, which might have ended up in a losing cause on that night, but earned him a Rs 14 crore contract a month later.
Expected to bridge the gap between Chennai Super Kings’ top-order and finishers, Mitchell – with a T20I strike rate of 138.61 – and now with experience of batting on Indian tracks, could prove to be the latest lethal ammunition in Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s arsenal.
2. Delhi Capitals – Mitchell Marsh
At the time Delhi found it fit to spend Rs 6.50 crore on Mitchell Marsh, in the IPL 2022 auction, not many were ready to justify the decision. The sceptics’ arguments were corroborated by his performance in the last season, where he could only score 128 runs at an average of 14.22.
This season, albeit, could feature a better, more daring version of the ‘Bison.’ Currently leading the Australian side in T20I cricket, Marsh has scored 343 runs in T20Is since 2023 – more importantly, at a strike rate of 168.97.
Like Daryl Mitchell, his (sur)namesake too had a rewarding World Cup campaign, scoring 441 runs for the champions. Marsh has scored 346 runs in his last eight T20Is, and should he be successful in translating his international form into the IPL, Delhi Capitals might have a chance of turning their fortunes around.
3. Gujarat Titans – Spencer Johnson
Despite having a substantial budget of Rs 38.15 crore for the auction and the need for an overseas pacer following the release of Alzarri Joseph, the Gujarat Titans' decision to abstain from the bidding wars for the most sought-after foreign quicks – Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins – raised eyebrows.
Albeit, they did spend heavily, on a comparatively lesser-known name – Spencer Johnson. Signed for Rs 10 crore, Johnson might have represented Australia in the international circuit on only ten occasions, but he is among the more consistent figures in Australia’s domestic circuit.
In the last edition of the Big Bash League, the left-arm quick emerged as the second-highest wicket-taker with 19 wickets, playing a crucial role in his team Brisbane Heat’s march to the title. With a four-fer, he was also adjudged to be the player of the match in the final.
4. Kolkata Knight Riders – Phil Salt
The perplexing sight of Phil Salt going unsold at the auction, despite amassing 218 runs in the previous season, might only make sense to the teams involved. However, with fellow Englishman Jason Roy withdrawing his participation, he will be seen donning the Kolkata Knight Riders jersey in IPL 2024.
Salt’s T20I strike rate since 2023 is 169.10. Moreover, he has form on his side, having scored 331 runs in December’s five-match T20I series against West Indies, which happens to be the highest tally accumulated by a batter in a bilateral T20I affair. With the team requiring a wicketkeeper who can bat in the top order, Salt and KKR could be a hand-in-glove scenario.
5. Lucknow Super Giants – Devdutt Padikkal
Despite spending Rs 7.75 crore on a then 21-year-old, Rajasthan Royals did not face any scrutiny, for Devdutt Padikkal’s first two IPL seasons for Royal Challengers Bangalore – 884 runs in 29 matches – all but warranted a battle among bidders.
But already boasting an exemplary opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler, neither could Rajasthan provide Padikkal with the opening slot, nor could the southpaw cement his place in any other position.
Now traded to Lucknow Super Giants, Padikkal is expected to open the innings with either Kyle Mayers or Quinton de Kock. He has been on a prolific run-scoring spree recently, having scored a half-century on his Test debut, which came on the back of a century for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy.
6. Mumbai Indians – Gerald Coetzee
With both Cummins and Starc fetching prices exceeding Rs 20 crore at the auction, Mumbai Indians have every reason to feel fortunate for securing the services of Gerald Coetzee at a cut-throat price of Rs 5 crore, particularly in light of his impressive World Cup performances.
Coetzee, known for his pace and accuracy, scalped 19 wickets in cricket’s grandest stage – the most by a South African bowler in a single edition of the tournament. Albeit he has played only four T20Is for the Proteas, his T20 average is merely 19.05.
7. Punjab Kings – Harshal Patel
After the astonishment of 2021, where he scalped 32 wickets, and subsequently, the purple cap, Harshal Patel struggled to remain a member of the elite bowlers’ assemblage. Following two consecutive seasons of less than 20 wickets, Patel was eventually released by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
But domestic performances ensured remained a sought-after player at the auction, with Punjab Kings emerging victorious with a Rs 11.75 crore bid. A member of the title-winning Haryana team, Patel scalped 19 wickets in last year’s Vijay Hazare trophy, picking up a three-fer in the final, which was held only three days prior to the auction.
8. Rajasthan Royals – Rovman Powell
Had Rovman Powell not been the first player to be auctioned for the 2024 season, have potentially secured a deal even more lucrative than the Rs 7.40 crore paid by the Rajasthan Royals, given his outstanding performances in international cricket.
Leading the West Indies team in the game’s shortest format, Powell is their leading T20I run-scorer since 2023 – with 422 runs at a strike rate of 172.24. Only a month ago, he struck a 36-ball 63 against Australia in Adelaide.
9. Royal Challengers Bangalore – Alzarri Joseph
In his 19-match IPL career, Alzarri Joseph has blown hot and cold. He has scalped 20 wickets, which includes a six-fer on debut, but he has also conceded 9.19 runs per over.
Judging solely by his IPL statistics, Royal Challengers Bangalore's investment of Rs 11.50 crore in the Antiguan quick might not qualify as a rational investment.
Away from IPL, however, he has done well in T20I cricket. Joseph is West Indies’ leading wicket-taker in T20Is since last year, with 19 scalps, which includes a fifer against South Africa in Johannesburg.
10. Sunrisers Hyderabad – Travis Head
The irony is not lost when considering that Travis Head virtually sealed a high-paying IPL deal the moment he played a match-winning innings of 137 in the World Cup final against India. Sunrisers Hyderabad, in fact, had fortune smiling down on them when they signed Head for only Rs 6.80 crore, with not many teams having vacancies for overseas batters.
His form has fluctuated since the 19 November high, as it did when he represented RCB in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. However, boasting a T20I strike rate of 147.08 and with fellow Australian Pat Cummins leading the team, an in-form Head could do an otherwise capricious Sunrisers Hyderabad a world of good.
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