Andre Russell, Virat Kohli and Mustafizur Rahman are all included in the first team of the week for IPL 2024. Every XI can contain a maximum of four overseas players besides having no more than three players from a single franchise. Like last year, there is also an Impact Player to be chosen every week in addition to the starting XI
Photos: TT Archives
Virat Kohli (RCB): Two months after he last played a competitive game, Kohli returned with a stop-start innings of 21 against CSK, which saw him face just six deliveries in the powerplay. But the ring rust, if any, was firmly done away with against PBKS, with Kohli’s 77 off 49 providing the foundation for a challenging chase in Bengaluru. Intent on proving that he still has a part to play in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, this season could well be another humongous one for the man who now has 100 fifty-plus scores in T20 cricket
Abhishek Sharma (SRH): As an Impact Player against KKR, Sharma bludgeoned his way to 32 off 19, giving SRH a flying start. But that was just the trailer in comparison to what he did four days later in Hyderabad, combining with Travis Head to take MI apart. The 23-year-old scored a breathtaking 63, featuring three fours and seven towering maximums. After Head had set the record for the fastest 50 by an SRH batter (18 balls), Sharma improved upon it in a few overs’ time, reaching his half-century in just 16 balls
Sanju Samson (RR): Nobody starts an IPL season better than Samson. The only captain out of the 10 franchises to make our XI this week, Samson batted like a dream against LSG, having walked into the crease at the end of the second over, with his team at 13 for one. Virtually carrying his bat through the innings, he mustered 82 off 52, with nine boundaries, backing it up with smart bowling changes to give RR a 20-run win. Unfortunately for Samson, he fell cheaply in the next game against DC, scoring only 15
Heinrich Klaasen (SRH): Is there anybody striking the white ball better than Klaasen right now? The South African six-hitting machine has sent the ball flying into the stands no less than 15 times in just two games. Currently the Orange Cup holder with 143 runs, Klassen almost pulled off a miraculous chase for SRH against KKR at the Eden Gardens, before following up his 63 off 29 with an unbeaten 80 off 34 against MI. It was Klaasen’s fireworks that took SRH from a commanding position in Hyderabad to a mammoth score of 277, the highest-ever team total in the IPL
Riyan Parag (RR): After scoring a quickfire 43 off 29 against LSG, Parag pulled off a one-man rescue act against DC on Thursday in Jaipur. At 36 for three, RR were in a spot of bother, but Parag did not fall prey to rashness and weathered the DC storm before letting loose. His 84 not out off 45, graced with seven fours and six sixes, was rich reward for the faith the RR management has shown in him over the years
Andre Russell (KKR): If there was any doubt as to whether Russell still has it in him to dominate bowlers in the IPL, those concerns were laid to rest on Saturday evening, as Russell tore into SRH. Coming into bat with KKR struggling at 119 for 6, with six overs to go, Russell set Eden alight, smashing 64 off just 25 balls, with seven sixes to boot. With ball in hand, Russell’s two overs proved expensive, but they also yielded the crucial wickets of Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad
Dinesh Karthik (RCB): After a dismal IPL last year, Karthik, who still harbours hopes for a spot at the T20 World Cup, is back with a bang. Entering the fray with RCB reeling at 78 for five against CSK, DK held his nerve, saving his enterprising shots for the very end in his 26-ball 38. Then, against PBKS, with RCB making heavy weather of the chase, DK brought out his finishing guns yet again, hitting three fours and two sixes off just 10 balls to guide RCB to victory
Harshit Rana (KKR): While the likes of Mitchell Starc and Varun Chakaravarthy went for over 50 runs as Klaasen broke loose at Eden, Rana emerged as the last-over hero for KKR. With 13 runs to defend in the final six balls against SRH, the 22-year-old quick took the wickets of Klaasen and Shahbaz Ahmed, who were both sending the ball flying. Conceding only 33 runs in four overs with three scalps to his name, Rana helped KKR start the season with a pulsating win
Jasprit Bumrah (MI): While MI have begun in familiar style under a new captain, losing both of their opening games, Bumrah has performed at his brilliant best. Despite the MI bowling conceding 445 runs in two matches, Bumrah has only been hit for 50 runs in the same period. After not being given the new ball against GT, Bumrah still managed to pick up three wickets, going for just 14 in his four overs. He was considerably less effective against SRH, but still went at only nine runs per over in a game where the average run rate was above 13
Mustafizur Rahman (CSK): Rahman’s stock had nosedived in recent years, but “The Fizz” was superb against RCB, picking up four wickets for just 29 runs, including a smart slower bouncer to get rid of Kohli. Were it not for Rahman, RCB may have run away with the game thanks to the belligerence of Faf du Plessis. Against GT, Rahman was less spectacular, but almost as important, completing his quota of four overs with two for 30
Harpreet Brar (PBKS): Arguably the standout player for PBKS in the opening week, the 28-year-old left-arm spinner bowled three overs for just 13 runs against DC. Just two days later, he helped PBKS come back into the game, with the dismissals of RCB’s Rajat Patidar and Glenn Maxwell, both of whom were cleaned up by Brar’s astute accuracy
Impact Player: Rachin Ravindra (CSK): This man has taken to Indian pitches like fish to water. With Devon Conway missing due to injury, Ravindra has already amassed 83 runs at the top, striking at a marvellous 237 after two games. With five catches to his name, Ravindra is also making a difference in the field. And given the spin-friendly conditions in Chennai, it is only a matter of time before the 24-year-old starts rolling his arm over
