Rahul NareshHere’s our list of the top five overseas batters to look forward to in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
David Miller
There aren’t too many batters as explosive as this South Africa international. Currently on the books of the Gujarat Titans (GT), Miller began his IPL journey back in 2012. He has since established himself as one of the best finishers in the business.
Given that the left-handed batter endured a sightly average season last year, it will be crucial for him to step up this time round and take his team to the next level. Miller notched up 259 runs in IPL 2023 with a strike rate of 145.51, although his best knock saw him score only 46 runs.
Overall, Miller has played 121 matches in the IPL, scoring 2,714 runs with a strike rate of 138.40. He’s also scored an IPL hundred in this tournament, which is impressive given his finisher role.
Travis Head
Travis Head’s stock in white-ball cricket went up quite a bit after his World Cup final-winning performance in 2023. The ODI World Cup final saw Head bag a century as he helped Australia clinch the trophy against India. The left-hander was soon picked up by the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL auction for ?6.80 crore.
Head hasn’t been around the IPL for quite some time now, having failed to leave a mark while representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) back in 2016 and 2017. The opening batter, who can also bowl a bit of off-spin, has played 10 IPL matches, scoring just 81 runs in total.
However, one can safely say that his stint with the SunRisers will be more successful, given Head’s stature today.
Heinrich Klassen
With the number of in-form foreign talent they have at their disposal, the SRH will be an interesting watch this year. One player you would expect to play nearly every game for them is Heinrich Klassen.
Last season, Klassen was quite brilliant in a struggling SRH side that finished rock bottom of the league standings. He scored 448 runs in 12 matches with a strike rate of 177.08—his best-ever IPL season to date.
With the likes of Travis Head and Aiden Markram alongside Klassen, the SRH management will be hoping to go deep into the tournament at least, if not all the way.
Jos Buttler
Few T20 batters in the world are better than Jos Buttler right now. That said, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) opening batter did not enjoy the best of times last season and will certainly look to turn his fortunes around this year as he partners Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the RR order.
Last season, Buttler managed to score 392 runs with an average of 28, striking at 139.01. Jaiswal’s 625-run campaign mostly took the spotlight away from Buttler’s mediocrity, though. If both of them come to the party this time around, the Royals will prove to be a tough opposition to beat.
Faf du Plessis
The third South African batter on this list and the final one to watch is the RCB skipper, Faf du Plessis. The right-handed opening batter will likely partner Virat Kohli at the top of the order, looking to maximise the Powerplay field restrictions.
With the likes of Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, and Rajat Patidar to follow him and Kohli, expect Du Plessis to play with a sense of freedom. He enjoyed a stellar 2023 season, scoring 730 runs with a strike rate of 153.68. This included eight half centuries and a highest score of 84.
Du Plessis is a veteran of the tournament, having spent several years with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as well. He’s now looking to help the RCB win their first-ever IPL trophy.
