Who, what, where and everything else you need to know about IPL 2024

Ashish Pant19-Mar-2024

When does IPL 2024 begin and when is the final?

March 22 with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai. The BCCI has only released the schedule for the first 21 matches till April 7. The schedule for the rest of the tournament will be released later. The final of IPL 2024 is expected to be held on May 26. Here is the schedule.

Any changes in the number of games held this season? What are the timings like?

The tournament like last year will have 70 league matches, with teams playing 14 matches each. The top four sides make it through to the playoffs, which will have a Qualifier 1, an Eliminator followed by Qualifier 2 and the final. The first game will start at 8.00pm IST due to the preceding opening ceremony. Otherwise, on days with only one game, play will commence at 7.30pm IST. On double-header days, matches will be played at 3.30pm IST and 7.30pm IST respectively.Related

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Who are the captains? Any changes from last season?

The biggest change in captaincy this year is Hardik Pandya moving back to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans replacing five-time IPL winning captain Rohit Sharma at the helm. With Hardik gone, Shubman Gill will lead Titans. Rishabh Pant, who resumes competitive cricket for the first time since the car accident in December 2002, will take back the Capitals captaincy reigns from David Warner who led last season. Sunrisers Hyderabad also have a new captain in Pat Cummins who replaces Aiden Markram. For KKR, Shreyas Iyer is back having missed IPL 2023 due to injury. He takes over the captaincy duties from Nitish Rana, who has been named vice-captain.

MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli are also around, yes?

Very much so. Dhoni is back with CSK, and he sprung a surprise by handing over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad a day before the start of the tournament. Kohli, who had taken a break from the recently concluded five-match Test series against England is also back for RCB.And where will the matches be played? Any new venues? The home venues for most of the teams remain unchanged.CSK – Chennai
RCB – Bengaluru
KKR – Kolkata
Mumbai – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Titans – Ahmedabad
Sunrisers – Uppal, Hyderabad
Lucknow Super Giants – Lucknow
Punjab Kings have, however, moved to a new stadium. They will play a chunk of their home games in Mullanpur with the venue set to make its IPL debut. They will also play two home games in Dharamsala. Delhi Capitals will meanwhile play their first two home games in Visakhapatnam before moving back to the venue in Delhi for the rest of the season.

Let’s go back to the auction: how did that go? Were there any major buys?

There were some record-shattering bids at the auctions. Sunrisers splurged INR 20.5 crore for Cummins as he became the most expensive buy ever at an IPL auction. That record was short-lived though with KKR minutes later pouching Mitchell Starc for INR 24.75 crore. Daryl Mitchell went to CSK for INR 14 crore, who also got Rachin Ravindra (INR 1.8 crore) and Sameer Rizvi (INR 8.4 crore). Punjab procured the services of Harshal Patel for INR 11.75 crore, while RCB paid INR 11.5 crore for Alzarri Joseph. Here’s what happened at the auction.Are there any new rules in place this season?This season will allow bowlers to deliver two bouncers in an over in a bid to create a more even contest between bat and ball. The Impact Player rule, which came into effect last year will remain in place. In addition, the IPL is set to introduce the Smart Replay System this season for quicker and more accurate reviews.Who are the big names missing this season?A host of English names. There is no Ben Stokes, Joe Root or Jofra Archer. England batter Jason Roy withdrew from the IPL ahead of the season and so did Harry Brook. Mark Wood also pulled out of his deal with LSG. There will be no Mohammed Shami also as he recovers from an ankle injury. Steven Smith and Josh Hazlewood went unsold in the auction. Here’s a list of unavailable players this season.What happened in the IPL 2023 final?CSK claimed their fifth IPL trophy beating Titans in a pulsating final that went into a third day because of rain and thunderstorms. With CSK needing 10 to win off the final two balls, Ravindra Jadeja hit a six and four to bring the house down in Ahmedabad and take his side to glory. Relive the final here.

This was one of those knocks when an individual transcended the context of the scorecard

Karthik Krishnaswamy04-Apr-20241:55

How good was Rishabh Pant’s innings?

The history of cricket is replete with talk of what batters do with their feet. Footwork. What about waist-work, though? What about knee-work?Rishabh Pant often plays shots that make you mull over these kinds of questions, and he played one on Wednesday night too, against Venkatesh Iyer. It came off a ball that was full, pitching just outside leg stump, delivered at barely over medium pace. It was, quite frankly, a hit-me ball, but which other batter could have hit it in quite the way Pant did?First, the footwork, or the lack thereof. Pant’s feet did not move. At all.Then the other stuff, the way he folded himself at the waist and the knees to get low to the ground. Then the magic of hands and wrists. And then a seeming lack of interest in where the ball would end up, for Pant did not deign to follow the ball with his eyes. He knew it was travelling. There was no need to check. You can imagine Osman Samiuddin, whose essay on the no-look six went up on this website two days before this game, watching this shot and wondering if he could have waited another week to send in his final draft.Related

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This is what Pant does. Without moving his feet, but using his body in ways that coaching manuals haven’t even paused to consider.And if you watched it, you may have paid extra attention to what those knees were doing. Those Rishabh Pant knees, with all those reconstructed ligaments. This shot looked like evidence that he was using them like only he can.It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that this was all that mattered, to anyone watching this match at this moment, no matter what their allegiance. It didn’t matter that this shot came at a time when Delhi Capitals had close to zero chance of overhauling a ludicrous Kolkata Knight Riders total. It didn’t even matter that Pant was wearing a Capitals jersey and was playing an IPL game.Rishabh Pant was batting, and that was enough.More waist- and knee-work than footwork in this Rishabh Pant no-look six•BCCIThis was one of those times when an individual transcends the context of the scorecard. Pant had been keeping wickets when MS Dhoni was that individual four days previously. It didn’t matter then that Chennai Super Kings were mathematically out of the game. It didn’t matter that Capitals fed Dhoni a number of hit-me balls. It didn’t matter, because Dhoni was batting, and he was belting those balls in uniquely Dhoni ways.The experience of watching Pant this season has been similar, but it’s been surrounded by broader questions, and he had ticked off a series of boxes while going from 18 off 13 to 28 off 26 and 51 off 32.On Wednesday, he made 55 off 25 and ticked another set of boxes. If he had been rusty at the start of the season, understandably so, he looked at his most fluent here. He flicked the first ball he faced, from Mitchell Starc, for the most effortless of sixes, and swiped Andre Russell for another leg-side six off his fourth ball at the crease. He did that recognisably Pant thing of hitting sixes from uncomfortable positions, like when he hooked Russell beyond the square-leg boundary while entirely cramped for room, and he gave the opposition captain one hell of a headache with his ability to access the area behind square on the leg side, repeatedly, off all kinds of lines and lengths.There was a period when he seemed to limp a little, but that discomfort didn’t seem to have a noticeable effect on his batting or his running. And each time you saw him limp and wondered about his knees, he played a shot that involved some of that vintage Pant knee-flexing.Watching all this made you think, inevitably, of World Cups and big Test-match tours. And perhaps he’ll need to tick a few more boxes before we get to those questions. But here’s the thing. If Rishabh Pant is doing Rishabh Pant things on a cricket field, it’s going to be extremely difficult to keep him out of any team he’s eligible to be part of, in any format.

Thousands crammed into the parade route along Marine Drive and in Wankhede Stadium as fans got to see a World Cup again

S Sudarshanan05-Jul-20242:11

Scenes from India’s victorious homecoming

Rohit Sharma held the mic and the near-full Wankhede Stadium erupted in cheers. It was perhaps the much-awaited moment of the day. He started to speak but they wouldn’t allow him to. He tried again. Nah, not happening.The cricket faithful in Mumbai waited for what felt like eternity. Those from far off suburbs had thronged Marine Drive from as early as morning. Fans were to be allowed free entry into the Wankhede only from 4pm on first-come-first-serve basis, but the long queues made them throw the gates open more than half an hour before that. The heavens opened up just as they rushed in to grab their spots, leaving pairs of footwear strewn behind.Related

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But none of that mattered at around 8:55pm. Not their parched throats. Not the lack of water or food. Nor the couple of brief spells of showers in the evening. Their energy levels when the victorious Indian squad made their way down the steps of the dressing room were just as high – if not higher than – as what they were when they had made their way in.The traffic on Marine Drive had come to a standstill since the afternoon, thanks to the hordes of people that thronged it despite it being a working day. Rohan and Savtya, both in their early 20s and clad in India’s 2023 World Cup jersey and 2016 T20 jersey respectively, had left their homes in Karjat – about 75kms to the south-east of Mumbai – at around noon. They were drenched in sweat and barely had their vocal cords intact when they boarded a train back home close to midnight. Through the five-hour wait, those at the venue grooved to popular numbers, interspersed with chants of ” (Mumbai’s king, Rohit Sharma)”, “India, India!”, “Sachiiinnn, Sachin!” The evening seemed endless, but not if you were among the 30,000-plus at the venue.

A heroes' homecoming for India's champions #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/BHh3reDj1G

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 4, 2024

The open-top bus parade from Nariman Point to Wankhede began only after 7:30pm, a delay of over two and a half hours. The 1.5km journey, took close to 90 minutes with players soaking themselves every bit in the adulation from their fans. Rohit perhaps knew this feeling. He was part of the bus parade in 2007, when India had won the inaugural T20 World Cup. He alluded to the desperation of the fans for a world title being a bit more than the players.Hardik Pandya was jeered in almost every game at the venue in IPL 2024, when he captained Mumbai Indians for the first time. But first when Hardik held the trophy aloft after the players entered the turf, and then when Rohit mentioned the last over of the Bridgetown game bowled by Hardik, the decibel levels were second to none. Hardik had, after all, played a telling role in the T20 World Cup 2024 – 144 runs at a strike rate of 151.57 and 11 wickets at an average of 17.36.Virat Kohli, who was part of the 2011 World Cup win at this venue, broke into a dance in front of the MCA Pavilion when the group there played the famous Nashik Dhol. He had company in local boy Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel and pulled Rohit in, before the other players joined. It was an evening he wouldn’t forget in a hurry, he later said. The crowd broke into a thunderous applause as soon as he praised Jasprit Bumrah for turning the tide against South Africa.Grand homecoming: Rohit Sharma, trophy in hand, soaks in the atmosphere of the open-top bus parade•AFP/Getty ImagesIndia’s win in the T20 World Cup ended a wait of 11, 13 or 17 years, depending on whether their last ICC title – the Champions Trophy in 2013, their last World Cup win in 2011 or their previous World T20 title – is the starting point. It is a long span. They came within touching distance last year in the ODI World Cup, finishing runners-up. That only made the players, and fans no less, hungrier. Which reflected in the ceremony and celebration held five days after they won the final.Hurricane Beryl delayed India’s departure from Barbados, and they landed in New Delhi in the wee hours of Thursday after a 16-hour non-stop charter flight – AIC24WC (Air India Champions 24 World Cup). There they were greeted by enthusiastic fans despite heavy security, after which they met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for breakfast. Their flight to Mumbai for the victory parade and the felicitation was delayed by close to two hours. And then heavy traffic meant they had to take a detour to get to Nariman Point.None of it diminished their spirits. Much like the Mumbaikars’, who braved rain and traffic to be there for their stars. Mumbai Police had to issue warnings of overcrowding. Announcements were made at Churchgate station in the evening, asking people to refrain from heading towards Marine Drive or Wankhede Stadium. On a weekday evening, Mumbai left no stone unturned to show their affection towards the world champions.”I am going to miss this… what I saw in the streets tonight,” Rahul Dravid, India’s head coach, said, his voice cracking because of a sore throat. Mumbai’s gathering was perhaps just the right balm. On their first day in India as two-time T20 world champions, Rohit and co. couldn’t have asked for more.

Former captain hails team-mate as one of the great bowlers, but says the future starts now

Matt Roller16-May-2024There is spiced lamb, beef rump and sparkling rosé on the ‘endless lunch’ menu as Andrew Strauss sits down in the hospitality tent at the exclusive Hurlingham Club in west London. But, he admits, after a damaging blow to his self-esteem, he is feeling “pretty sour”.Strauss is playing padel – a squash/tennis hybrid – alongside a professional player but has just been beaten 6-4 in the semi-finals of the pro-celebrity challenge at the inaugural Alfred Dunhill Padel Classic. As, indeed, in the other half of the draw, has another man whose competitive spirit is unlikely to be doused by retirement: James Anderson.Related

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For Strauss, this was an opportunity to catch up with Anderson after he confirmed that he will retire from international cricket after England’s first Test of the summer: “It was just to congratulate him and have a chat about what his plans are moving forward. Rightly, he’s going to take stock and he wants to get through this game well, and finish on a real high.”I really hope he gets the send-off he deserves at Lord’s. People have been talking about this moment for years – in a way, we got lured into thinking it was never going to come. It’s been an extraordinary career with extraordinary resilience and will to keep going. Playing sport at the highest level is not an easy thing, and bowling’s even harder. He’s one of great bowlers of all time.”Anderson was an integral part of the England team that Strauss led to No. 1 in the ICC’s rankings: he was the leading wicket-taker in the 2010-11 Ashes, their most recent win in Australia, and took 21 in four Tests against India the following summer. “He was just utterly dependable,” Strauss recalls.”He was one of those bowlers that you knew what you were going to get, every time. He had a great competitive fire and instinct, and extraordinary skill. Any captain would love to have him in their team. The other thing is that he kept fit: he never – or at least, very rarely – got injured. It’s quite depressing to think that he made his England debut before I did. I’ve been retired for 12 years now!”But when he returned to the job on an interim basis in early 2022, in the wake of a 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia, his call to leave Anderson and Broad at home while England toured the Caribbean blindsided both players. “It’s always that balance between focusing on what’s good about a team and thinking about improving areas to be competitive down the line,” Strauss reflects.”Coming in in an interim capacity, you talk to people about what was wrong with that set-up. No-one ever had any doubts that Broad and Anderson would come back and play at home; playing away from home, they’ve definitely shown that there was a lot more life in them. You’ve got to give them both huge credit for that.”But the principle is the same as it is now: England had been particularly poor away from home, so the focus was always on trying to find bowlers that could perform in overseas conditions. The skills required away from home are slightly different to the skills you need at home – fast bowlers, reverse-swing bowlers, good spinners, all the stuff that our game doesn’t naturally produce – so we need to get game-time into people who’ve got potential.”England used six seamers in that series, of whom only Mark Wood is a certain starter – fitness permitting – when they next play overseas, in Pakistan this winter. Chris Woakes led the attack but has not played away from home since, while Craig Overton, Matt Fisher and Saqib Mahmood have battled injuries and Ollie Robinson’s career is at a crossroads.

It’s quite depressing to think that he made his England debut before I did. I’ve been retired for 12 years now!Strauss on Anderson’s longevity

There is a wide cast of potential successors which also includes Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Matt Potts, Olly Stone and Sam Cook. But Key has admitted that he and the rest of England’s selection panel will have to take “punts” as to who has the attributes required to perform at international level: he does not believe that the County Championship in its current guise closely replicates Test cricket.The Professional Cricketers’ Association is pushing for a revamped schedule following a player survey which revealed frustration and concern about the volume of cricket. For Strauss, whose recommendations were rejected by the counties after he led an extensive “high-performance review” into English cricket, it is a story which feels all too familiar.”It’s just pointless to have that conversation,” he says. “There was an opportunity last year and the game chose not to take it. No-one is going to touch it with a bargepole anytime soon. You reap what you sow. It is the counties’ choice as to what they do, but I do hope that they listen to their players going forward. Sometimes, I feel like there’s more focus on the members than the players.”Strauss, as Executive Chair of TTB Sport, is part of the team behind the Alfred Dunhill Padel Classic•Alfred Dunhill Padel ClassicStrauss’ principal recommendations were to cut the number of Championship fixtures each county plays from 14 to 10; to play 50-over cricket at the start of the English summer; and to play four-day friendlies alongside the Hundred in August. Key suggested recently that it was a mistake to frame the review solely around ‘high performance’ but Strauss disagrees.”We’d just lost an Ashes series, and all the conversation was: how do we make sure that we have a structure that produces genuine high performance? That was the remit. When you’re looking through that lens, you have to say, how closely does domestic cricket match the needs that are required in international cricket?”The answer is, it doesn’t – especially when you’re playing most of your games in April, May and September. None of those issues have been resolved.” Strauss is happy that other recommendations – such as the Kookaburra ball trial – have been implemented, but predicts: “This conversation is just going to go on and on. Everything is a trade-off.”A common criticism of Strauss’ review was that it barely mentioned the Hundred and its mid-summer window. “But that wasn’t part of our remit,” he insists. “Personally, I feel like we have to invest in the Hundred, and make it the second-biggest short-form tournament in the world. That’s the way the game is going. I actually think the Hundred is a solution to a lot of the problems in the game.”But these are no longer Strauss’ problems. These days, he can devote as much time to padel as cricket, through his role as executive chair of TTB Sport Capital, a marketing, investment and advisory group which is running the Hurlingham Club event to raise funds for the charity Laureus Sport for Good.His only active involvement in cricket is as a member of Rajasthan Royals’ advisory board and he is enjoying the opportunity to be “on the outside” of English cricket after a lifetime involved in the game. “There’s a perspective you gain from being outside the bubble,” he says.”When you’re in it, everything feels so important. You feel like the whole world has a strong opinion on everything you do. But then you realise that, actually, it’s only a small little bubble and that the world goes on. I’m still passionately supporting England whenever they play – but having that perspective is good.”

Leading run-getter for his side in the last Ranji Trophy season, Juyal says leadership does not put him under any pressure

Nikhil Sharma11-Oct-2024It is common in India for two doctor parents to expect their children to take up the same profession, but this was not the case with Aryan Juyal, whose parents supported him in his cricketing journey.The 22-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, who played the 2018 Under-19 World Cup and recently played for India C in the Duleep Trophy, now has more responsibility after being appointed captain of Uttar Pradesh for this Ranji Trophy season.”I am fully prepared for this challenge,” Juyal told ESPNcricinfo. “Last season, too, I captained the team in a match against Kerala, where we won. Leading the team does not put any extra pressure on me.”Related

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Juyal started playing cricket in his hometown Haldwani when he was still in school. During that time, while playing a match in Dehradun, he caught the attention of the Abhimanyu Academy coach, Ravindra Negi. On Negi’s advice, Juyal’s father took his son to the academy.”I could have become a doctor, but my parents helped me become a cricketer,” Juyal said. “They never put any kind of pressure on me. I used to practise at home by putting a ball in a sock, which helped me a lot in estimating the speed of the ball.”At the age of 11, Juyal was playing in the Under-14 and Under-16 sides for Uttar Pradesh. Two years later, he moved to Moradabad where his maternal grandparents live. From there, he started going to Delhi five days a week where he started practising at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Cricket Club under the guidance of coach Sanjay Bhardwaj.Juyal said working with Rahul Dravid, who was then India Under-19 coach, helped him a lot. “I learned a lot of things from Rahul Dravid sir, how patience and aggression can impact a match. My approach to hitting the ball has changed a lot since the World Cup. I have matured a lot now, I know what to do in difficult situations.”Aryan Juyal during his 76 against Mumbai in Ranji Trophy 2023-24•UPCABefore IPL 2022, he was picked by Mumbai Indians for a base price of INR 20 lac. Just when all seemed to be going well, Juyal suffered a knee injury while playing for Central Zone against East Zone in the Deodhar Trophy last year. Due to this, he could not play in the first season of the UP T20 League. For the same reason, he could not put his name in the IPL 2023 auction.”That injury was very painful because you don’t want to get injured before the season starts,” Juyal said. “You want to play cricket continuously and remain in the eyes of the selectors, but it was good that I was able to make a comeback in the Ranji Trophy and was also the captain in the first match.”It was an impressive return for Juyal. With 577 runs in seven matches, he was the highest run-getter for Uttar Pradesh. In ten innings, he scored two hundreds and two fifties, with a best of 201. He carried that form into the 2024 UP T20 League as well. Playing for Gorakhpur Lions, he scored 104 off 54 balls against Noida Super Kings.”I had confidence right from the beginning of that innings,” Juyal said. “I got the opportunity to come to the crease in the fourth over after Abhishek Goswami was out. Dhruv Jurel was at the other end; he supported me well. Both of us took advantage of every opportunity, which put pressure on the bowlers.”After just three matches in the tournament – in which he scored one century and two fifties – Juyal was picked for the Duleep Trophy. When Juyal was asked what he expects in the upcoming IPL auction, he said, “It was good that the scouts were present on the field [during his hundred in the UP T20 League]. I have done my job, now it depends on them what they think.”

Abhishek Sharma failing to make the most of his opportunities was perhaps the only thing that didn’t go to plan for India against Bangladesh

Hemant Brar13-Oct-20244:28

Takeaways: Samson and Hardik fly, but Abhishek misses out

Abhishek’s missed opportunityWhen Abhishek Sharma was picked as the only regular opener in the squad, it was clear he was going to play all three matches. It gave him an opportunity to strengthen his case as India’s back-up opener when Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal return. He did show great intent but failed to last more than 11 balls in any of the games – though, to be fair to him, he was run out for no fault of his in the first T20I in Gwalior. With ball, he sent down three overs and took one wicket for 18 runs.Related

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Samson shows his strengthAfter two successive ducks in Sri Lanka, it seemed like Sanju Samson was going to fall behind, again. Opening the innings against Bangladesh, he looked good in the first T20I before holing out for 29 off 19 balls. Finally, in the third T20I, he showed why he has so many backers – in a masterclass in effortless hitting, he scored the second-fastest T20I hundred for India. It may not make him India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in a full-strength squad, but he shouldn’t have to worry about his place in the squad when the team tours South Africa next month for four T20Is.India’s fearless approachAt the start of the series, Suryakumar Yadav had said he wanted his players to be selfless. And the players followed their captain’s order to a T. Samson’s innings in the first T20I was one such case. Given India were chasing only 128, he could have taken his time after a quick start but he was dismissed attempting a six. The second T20I in Delhi gave an even bigger example of that approach. Even after being reduced to 41 for 3 in the sixth over, they kept their foot on the pedal and eventually got 221 for 9. When everything went as per the plan in the third T20I, they posted 297 for 6, the second-highest total in the format.2:39

Ten Doeschate: ‘We don’t give opportunities; the guys earn them’

India, a team of allroundersAnother significant feature of India’s playing XIs in the series was the presence of a plethora of allrounders. Till recently, India struggled to find players who could chip in with both bat and ball. But that is no longer the case. Without compromising on the batting depth, Suryakumar had at least seven bowling options in every match. Hardik Pandya showed he could still finish with bat and bowl at a lively pace. Nitish Kumar Reddy emerged as Hardik’s worthy understudy, scoring 74 off 34 balls and taking two wickets in only his second T20I. Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar also gave good accounts of themselves in the limited chances they got.Varun’s successful comebackWith multiple allrounders in their XI now, India do not necessarily need a like-for-like replacement for Ravindra Jadeja. In this series, they went with Varun Chakravarthy as their lead spinner (who can’t really bat) and he did not disappoint. Making a comeback after three years, Varun started with a three-for in the first T20I before picking up 2 for 19 in the second. He capped it with an economical 4-0-23-0 in the last game. He will face stiff competition when Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are available but he has done no harm to his chances.1:53

‘Always good to have competition within the team’ – Varun Chakravarthy

Mayank leaves his markWhen Mayank Yadav was picked after a long injury layoff, everyone wanted to see if he was the same 155kph bowler who took the cricket world by storm at IPL 2024. Making his T20I debut in Gwalior, he started with a maiden and bowled 18 of his 24 deliveries above 140kph. Twelve of those were in excess of 145kph. Even though his top speed in the series was 150.3kph, he was largely accurate and played all three games without any fitness concerns. He has also worked on his slower ball and used it regularly.Mayank and Reddy’s debuts, though, might not be great news for Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad, their respective IPL teams. Now they cannot keep them for INR 4 crore, the retention fee for uncapped players. Kolkata Knight Riders were lucky in that sense as Harshit Rana had a viral infection before the third T20I and remains uncapped.

Each team will have to make at least two picks during the draft and allocate their pre-signed player to a round

Andrew McGlashan30-Aug-20240:53

Josh Inglis: Would love to have Laurie Evans back at Scorchers

Adelaide StrikersPre-draft signing Ollie Pope
Retention rights Adam Hose, Jamie Overton, David Payne
Draft picks 5, 11, 20, 29Current squad
James Bazley, Jordan Buckingham, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Chris Lynn, Lloyd Pope, Ollie Pope, Alex Ross, D’Arcy Short, Matt Short, Henry Thornton, Jake WeatheraldWhat might they want in the draft?
It will be interesting to see the approach of new coach Tim Paine. Rashid Khan has not nominated this season after missing the previous one due to injury. Jamie Overton had a huge impact last year but there are concerns over his lack of bowling due to injury. “He hasn’t been bowling much at all, with some back stress fractures,” captain Matt Short said. “And then the possibility of England T20s or some other international stuff at the end of the summer, so he’s touch and go.” Short also stressed he and Paine are keen for overseas signings to be available for finals. Last season they had David Payne and a left-arm quick would add to a well-balanced attack. England left-armer Reece Topley currently has full availability.Related

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Draft picks 6, 14, 19, 30Current squad
Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Spencer Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Colin Munro, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Will Prestwidge, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Callum VidlerWhat might they want in the draft?
After the loss of Josh Brown to Renegades they will probably need to bolster the top order, particularly as they will only see Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne for a handful of matches after the India series. Paul Walter became a cult figure last season and would fit the bill again for a middle-order pace-bowling allrounder to supplement a strong and well-balanced attack. He has full availability, too.Reece Topley is currently down as having full availability and as a left-armer could be sought after•Getty ImagesHobart HurricanesPre-draft signing Chris Jordan
Retention rights Corey Anderson, Sam Hain
Draft picks 4, 12, 21, 28Current squad
Iain Carlisle, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Paddy Dooley, Nathan Ellis, Peter Hatzoglou, Caleb Jewell, Chris Jordan, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Matthew Wade, Charlie Wakim, Mac WrightWhat might they want in the draft?
Corey Anderson and Sam Hain were underwhelming last season so Hurricanes will likely look elsewhere. High performance general manger Salliann Beams has previously said a top-order batter and another allrounder are their targets. Adding to the spin-bowling group may be another option after Paddy Dooley and Peter Hatzoglou struggled last year.Melbourne RenegadesPre-draft signing Tim Seifert
Retention rights Joe Clarke, Jordan Cox, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Draft picks 2, 10, 23, 26Current squad
Josh Brown, Harry Dixon, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Nathan Lyon, Fergus O’Neill, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Tim Seifert, Will Sutherland, Jon Wells, Adam ZampaWhat might they want in the draft?
Renegades have confirmed that pre-signed Tim Seifert won’t be a platinum pick so they will likely be taking a big name in the draft. Conditions at Marvel Stadium can be a challenge and another high-quality spinner could be a fit to work alongside Adam Zampa given Nathan Lyon’s limited availability. Retention option Mujeeb Ur Rahman only has a small window this season. In terms of quicks, Topley has a previous association with the club and would provide a point of difference. Genuine pace is another element the current squad is light on.Lockie Ferguson would bring high pace for the period he is available•ICC via Getty ImagesMelbourne StarsPre-draft signing Tom Curran
Retention rights Dan Lawrence, Imad Wasim, Liam Dawson, Olly Stone, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf
Draft picks 1, 9, 24, 25Current squad
Scott Boland, Hilton Cartwright, Tom Curran, Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Glenn Maxwell, Hamish McKenzie, Joel Paris, Tom Rogers, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Beau WebsterWhat might they want in the draft?
The length of Stars’ retention list suggests things did not go as planned last season. In their show, coach Peter Moores speaks about the importance of full availability to bring some consistency to the team. He also talks about needing “aggression through the middle overs, certainly against spin…and trying to keep the balance of left-right handers.” They are another side probably lacking high ball speed among their current crop of quicks. Death and surge bowling numbers were highlighted as problem areas which they will hope Curran helps solves. It also feels like they also need a senior specialist spinner – they have twice tried the impossible of taking Rashid Khan off Strikers.Perth ScorchersPre-draft signing Finn Allen
Retention rights Zak Crawley, Stephen Eskinazi, Laurie Evans, Tymal Mills
Draft picks 7, 15, 18, 31Current squadAshton Agar, Finn Allen, Jason Behrendorff, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Sam Fanning, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Mitchell Marsh, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton TurnerWhat might they want in the draft?
A very settled squad, now supplemented by the power of Finn Allen. A number of Scorchers players have talked up Laurie Evans after the huge impact he had last season and there may be value in bringing him back despite his ILT20 deal. Ashton Agar is currently the one frontline spinner so another option there could be valuable for away trips, although Ashton Turner and Cooper Connolly can both offer spin.Will a team be interested in Shadab Khan?•Getty ImagesSydney SixersPre-draft signing Akeal Hosein
Retention rights Izharulhaq Naveed, Rehan Ahmed, James Vince
Draft picks 8, 16, 17, 32Current squad
Sean Abbott, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, Akeal Hosein, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Todd Murphy, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, Steven SmithWhat might they want in the draft?
Sixers have changed their approach this season, pre-signing Akeal Hosein to fill the shoes of Steve O’Keefe. They put a lot of stock behind continuity in their squad, so retaining James Vince would come as little surprise even though he would leave before the end of the season. A young spinner has also previously been on their radar – Izharulhaq Naveed played nine games in 2022-23 then replaced Rehan Ahmed last season although did not feature – so that could be an option again, particularly as Hosein is only available for the first seven matches.Sydney ThunderPre-draft signing Sam Billings
Retention rights Alex Hales, Zaman Khan, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Draft picks 3, 13, 22, 27Current squad
Wes Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings, Ollie Davies, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Liam Hatcher, Sam Konstas, Nic Maddinson. Nathan McAndrew, William Salzmann, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David WarnerWhat might they want in the draft?
It feels like Thunder have recruited strongly by bringing in Sam Billings, Nic Maddinson and Wes Agar and will have David Warner throughout. Another fast bowler would appear a decent fit, perhaps a death specialist after they had Zaman Khan last season. In a video produced by Thunder, Trent Copeland and the coaching staff are seen discussing the importance of an extra left hander for the middle order. “I would say we went in a batter light every game last year,” Copeland said. “So I think the best finisher or allrounder in the draft would certainly be around the top of the list.” It remains to be seen if Daniel Sams will be fit for the start of the season. The club would have been keen on Andre Russell but he hasn’t nominated.

With the domestic season not starting till September 5, a few India players have made their way to England. Here’s how they have done so far

Shashank Kishore05-Aug-2024

Prithvi Shaw – Northamptonshire

Shaw last played for India in 2021, and has been set back by injuries, loss of form, and disciplinary issues. On the comeback road following a modest IPL 2024, where he managed just a solitary half-century in eight innings, Shaw is back in the UK playing for Northamptonshire as part of a deal he struck with the county last August after being out with a knee injury.Related

• Venkatesh Iyer joins Lancashire for maiden county stint

• Prithvi Shaw agrees Northamptonshire return for 2024

Shaw’s run of form until that point had been scintillating – 429 runs in four innings, including a record-breaking 153-ball 244 against Somerset, the second-highest List A score in England. He seems to have taken off from where he left off in the one-day competition. After scores of 9 and 40 in his first two outings, Shaw has now recorded 76, 97 and 72 – all at a strike rate of over 120 – in his last three innings. The most recent knock, a 59-ball 72, set up a thumping 130-run win for his side over Worcestershire. Prior to the List A appearances, Shaw also featured in two championship games.Shaw’s county assignments will have him miss Mumbai’s pre-season tournaments, starting with the Buchi Babu Trophy in Chennai. He had also missed the side’s conditioning camp in Bengaluru late last month. Sarfaraz Khan will lead Mumbai in Chennai, where they will miss several first-choice players, including Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube.Ajinkya Rahane will be pushing for an India Test recall•PTI

Ajinkya Rahane – Leicestershire

Rahane last played a Test during India’s 2023 tour of the Caribbean and isn’t part of the selectors’ plans – he’s not part of the annual retainers’ list released by the BCCI. But with a busy Test season coming up, which includes a tour of Australia, where he led India to a historic triumph three years ago, he will have an incentive to keep knocking on the doors.He led Mumbai to their 42nd Ranji Trophy title earlier this year, but his own contributions were modest – 214 runs in 13 innings at an average of 17.83 with just two half-centuries. He followed that up with a poor IPL, where he managed just 242 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 123.46.So far, Rahane has struck two match-winning half-centuries for Leicestershire in the one-day competition. Batting at No. 4, he built on twin-half-century stands to make a 60-ball 71 in Leicestershire’s 369 for 6 in his first outing in the last week of July. His most recent innings on Sunday was a 57-ball 68 in Leicestershire’s 363 for 7 against Sussex.Venkatesh Iyer had a stellar time at the IPL 2024 for KKR•AFP/Getty Images

Venkatesh Iyer – Lancashire

Iyer was in the middle of his honeymoon in the UK when he received a call from Lancashire for a month-long stint prior to the start of India’s domestic season. Iyer made a quick dash back home to sort out his paperwork – he needed to get a sports visa – before returning to England. He has made scores of 15 and 4 in his two outings so far in the One-Day Cup. Prior to the county stint, Iyer played several critical knocks for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during their run to the IPL 2024 title. Most notably, he struck match-winning half-centuries in both the first qualifier and the final.Iyer hasn’t featured for India since the home T20Is against Sri Lanka in February 2022 but remains on the fringes as a top-order batter who can bowl seam-ups. He went through the entire 2022-23 season without bowling after breaking his ankle when he fell down the stairs of his team hotel during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but has since recovered following extensive rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy and hopes to push for a national recall during India’s home season that begins with the Duleep Trophy next month.

Also, specialists back in fashion, a player younger than the league itself, and Yuvraj’s decade-old record finally broken. Here are all the key stats, trivia and trends from this year’s auction

Sampath Bandarupalli26-Nov-20247:45

Did KKR overspend for Venkatesh Iyer?

The ‘Indian’ Premier League

Overseas players earning big at IPL player auctions was a trend in the past decade, but this time, it wasn’t so. The top five buys at the 2025 IPL player auction were Indians, bought for INR 18-plus crore. Only twice before were the three most expensive players at an IPL auction Indians: in 2011 and 2022. In 2011, Indians occupied the top seven places.Before this auction, the highest-paid Indian cricketer at an IPL auction was Yuvraj Singh, who earned INR 16 crore from Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2015. It was the highest price paid for any player at an IPL auction until then, but was surpassed six times in the next nine years leading up to this auction, every time by an overseas player. Only twice in that nine-year period did an Indian fetch the highest price of the IPL auction – in 2019 (Jaydev Unadkat and Varun Chakaravarthy, INR 8.40 crore) and 2022 (Ishan Kishan, INR 15.25 crore).