KL Rahul: The vice-captain of the 2022 team, Rahul hasn’t had a glorious run in IPL 2024. He was involved in a battle with Sanju Samson to make it as the second keeper-batter after Rishabh Pant. Rahul’s strike-rate is a concern while Samson’s role as a finisher and an anchor tilted the scales in his favour. Despite enjoying the confidence of the think-tank, Rahul missed out since Samson has raised his game by several notches in this edition of the IPL. Rahul’s also prone to injuries and has failed to make the limited chances count.

Rinku Singh: The Kolkata Knight Riders finisher will probably be the one India will miss the most this time. His temperament and propensity to never treat any situation as lost always sets him apart. Perhaps a string of good scores in IPL 2024 would have forced him into the squad but to be fair to him, Rinku, in the team reserves, hasn’t got enough chances to show his strokeplay. He failed on Monday against Delhi Capitals but came in to bat late against Punjab Kings when he should have been promoted ahead of Shreyas Iyer.

Shubman Gill: His poor run of scores in this IPL has reflected on the Gujarat Titans’ performance. The opener had amassed over 900 runs in IPL 2023 but struggled with his footwork and big-hitting ways. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s century against Mumbai Indians put Gill under pressure. With Virat Kohli too throwing his hat in the ring as an opener, there was only another opener the selectors could pick. Gill, however, has been kept in
the reserves and will travel with the squad as a back-up option.

Ruturaj Gaikwad: The CSK captain also faced stiff competition from both Jaiswal and Gill. He had begun IPL 2024 on a sedate note but stepped on the accelerator as the tournament progressed. He has 447 runs in nine matches and is placed second in the top-scorers list after Kohli. But with the think-tank preferring Jaiswal because of his skills and higher strike-rate, Gaikwad fell out of favour.

Ravi Bishnoi: More than turn, the leg spinner relies on the slide because of his angle and trajectory. He has been delivering consistently in the IPL and also during his limited chances in T20Is. He had been the Man of the Series during the home series against Australia in December. But with the Indian team management preferring Axar Patel because of his batting skills and Yuzvendra Chahal forcing his way in with solid performances, the Lucknow Super Giants wrist spinner couldn’t make the grade.