Rahul NareshHere’s our list of the top five Indian batters to look forward to in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Do note that this list does not include players who have spent several years playing in the tournament, such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul.
Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar was unfortunate to miss out the 2023 IPL season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) due to injury, having impressed the season before. His name was doing the rounds following an incredible 112-run knock he scored against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2022 Eliminator.
The 30-year-old right-handed batter also managed to break into the Test setup for India’s five-match series against England in 2024. Although he failed to make a mark, RCB fans will be hoping for Patidar to come good once the IPL season comes around. So far, he’s played 12 matches in the franchise tournament, scoring 404 runs with an impressive strike rate of 144.29.
The batter from Madhya Pradesh will likely feature in the #3 spot for the Royal Challengers, with Virat Kohli and former South Africa international Faf du Plessis set to occupy the opening spots.
Tilak Varma
Tilak Varma has impressed over the last two seasons for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and seems to have become an integral component of their lower-middle order. The left-hander finished as the second-highest run-getter for the MI in the 2022 season, which was one to forget for Rohit Sharma and Co.
Varma followed his IPL 2022 performances up with yet another impressive campaign in 2023 and now boasts a strike rate of 144.53 in the IPL. He even earned an India call-up for the West Indies series in 2023.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal is set to become a mainstay in Indian cricket across all formats for years to come. The 22-year-old left-handed opener represents the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and enjoyed a stellar 2023 IPL season, where he partnered Jos Buttler at the top of the order and scored 625 runs with a strike rate of 160.
Since IPL 2023, Jaiswal has earned a Test call-up for India and also represented the country in the shortest version of the game. Most recently, he partnered Rohit Sharma to open the batting in the five-match Test series against England.
Overall, Jaiswal has appeared in 17 T20Is, scoring 502 runs at a strike rate of 161.94.
Shubman Gill
While speaking about Indian batters, it’s hard not to mention Shubman Gill. Although he has nailed down a spot in the national team in ODI and Test cricket, Gill is just 24 years old and can reach even greater heights.
So far in his IPL career, the right-handed Gujarat Titans (GT) opener has scored 2,790 runs with a strike rate of 134.07 in 91 matches. He’s also notched up three IPL hundreds, his highest score being 129.
For India, Gill has played 14 T20Is, scoring 335 runs with a strike rate of 147.58. A good IPL season this year will be extremely important for Gill, who will be looking to carry that form into the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
Rinku Singh
The final player on this list is the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) finisher Rinku Singh. The 26-year-old left-handed batter’s impressive IPL performances last year earned him a call-up to the Indian national team.
So far, Singh has played 31 matches in the IPL, scoring 725 runs at a strike rate of 142.16. After a stellar 2023 IPL season, he was given his T20I debut against Ireland in August 2023.
In 15 T20Is for India, Singh has scored 356 runs with a strike rate of 176.24. Although he has selectors thinking about his guaranteed spot in the Indian XI, he needs at least a couple more good IPL seasons to tie down that finisher spot in the national set-up.
