2024-03-22 16:20:21
New Delhi: There will be extra focus on some big names in the new season of cricket’s grand platform Indian Premier League (IPL) starting from today. His old records are unmatched, but this time he will start from zero. These are different stars who have to face the additional challenge of proving themselves afresh. Fans and experts will judge them on the basis of their every move, every move, every match, every innings. Who are these stars and what is the reason for being in focus?
Virat Kohli: Need ticket for T-20 World Cup
Run machine Virat Kohli, who has scored the most runs for India in four out of the last five T20 World Cups, will be playing the ticket for the upcoming T20 World Cup through IPL. This batsman, who has distanced himself from T20 International since the 2022 T20 World Cup, played any T20 International match in January this year and expressed his intention to play in the T20 World Cup. However, there is tough competition in team selection and this time the basis of selection will not be the previous figures but the current form. His batting in IPL will decide the direction of his T20 International cricket career. If Virat wants a ticket for the T-20 World Cup, then this IPL season too he will have to score runs as hard as usual. Virat scored 7263 runs in 237 matches for RCB.
MS Dhoni: Will this be the last season?
Mahi is 42 years old. He retired from international cricket about five years ago, but there has been no decrease in his fan following. There has been a lot of speculation about his retirement for the last few years. Every season in IPL it is speculated that this season will be his last season and after this he will not be seen as a player in IPL. This time also there is nothing different. It is believed that after this season he will retire from IPL as a cricketer. Although this is all speculation. Only Dhoni knows what goes on in Dhoni’s mind. Last season, under his captaincy, Dhoni once again won the team the title. This time he will not be the captain but his fans would like Thala’s charm to remain intact.
Pat Cummins: World-winning captain
This all-rounder, who led Australia to the ODI World Cup title, is associated with Sunrisers Hyderabad with the second highest bid of the season of Rs 20.50 crore. The last few seasons of Sunrisers Hyderabad have not been good. In such a situation, the franchise has entrusted the responsibility of captaincy to Cummins, because Cummins is a World Cup winning captain, so the franchise will hope that under his leadership, the franchise will also win the title. Cummins has been playing IPL and he is aware of the pressure of playing in this league. Performing with the additional burden of captaincy is a challenge and it remains to be seen how Cummins overcomes this challenge.
Hardik Pandya: Challenge will be to manage the team
This season, Mumbai Indians team is going to take the field with a big change. This season, Mumbai Indians will be led by Hardik Pandya, who was once a part of Mumbai Indians but then joined Gujarat Giants team as captain. For Hardik, who has made Gujarat the champion under his leadership, the captaincy of Mumbai can also prove to be a crown of thorns. All eyes will be on Rohit Sharma, who made the team champion five times, and how Hardik handles his team. It will be a big challenge for Hardik to maintain the normal atmosphere in the dressing room.
Rishabh Pant: How powerful will the shots be?
Rishabh Pant’s return to the field has made this new season of IPL even more special. Rishabh, who has achieved the status of a brand in Indian cricket, has been out of the field since a car accident in December 2022. Just a few days ago BCCI declared him fit to play in this IPL. He has definitely played some club matches during rehab but only time will tell how prepared he is for a tough tournament like IPL. If Rishabh’s bat works then it will be very good news for Indian cricket in terms of the upcoming T20 World Cup. On the other hand, due to suddenly entering a big and tough match, there will be a fear of rehab from the injury.
Ishan Kishan: Will set out to prove himself
Wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan, who was dropped from the central contract, will also be eagerly waiting for this season. Ishaan is busy preparing for the IPL after reportedly taking a break from the team following a dispute with the team management. During this time, he also ignored the instructions given by the board to play Ranji matches. Now this IPL there will be additional pressure on him to perform. Ishaan is a dangerous batsman in the T20 format and this season, he would like to knock strongly on the doors of Team India for the upcoming T20 World Cup with the help of his bat. If Ishaan’s bat does not work on this stage, then it will be very difficult for him to return to Team India.
Mitchell Starc: Big money will be a big pressure
After about eight years, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc decided to play in the IPL and the franchises welcomed him warmly. Kolkata Knight Riders signed him with a record bid of Rs 24.75 crore, which was the highest bid in IPL history. Now there will definitely be pressure on Starc to perform as per this record bid. 34-year-old Starc’s edge remains intact but it cannot be denied that with increasing age he is on the decline of his career. It will not be possible for him to do magic in just four overs in every match. If his magic doesn’t work then the franchise will not hesitate to release him once again before the mega auction next year.