IPL 2024 Preview: One more glimpse of MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant’s return among many fascinating things to watch out for

Alright, the IPL is here, and the air is filled with excitement. There will be colors, lights, dance, music, and an outstanding display of T20 skills over the next two months. India will celebrate Holi soon, but it would not be wrong to say that the IPL is also a grand festival that is celebrated non-stop for over 60 days. It is going to be summer in India, but the fans won’t mind thronging to the stadiums in huge numbers and screaming their lungs out, cheering for their favorite team and player.

MS Dhoni, one more time

Like any other fan or enthusiast of IPL, I am also looking forward to some interesting things that are taking place this season. One of them is MS Dhoni still playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the age of 42. This speaks of their leader’s fitness levels and dedication towards both cricket and the franchise. Dhoni’s utmost commitment is a big reason why CSK is such a consistently good side in IPL. His relationship with head coach Stephen Fleming and the support staff also needs to be underlined as it has played a major role in bringing CSK to the top.
I read it in a piece somewhere that CSK’s philosophy is to keep things simple and create an environment where everyone has a sense of belonging. All of this sounds simple and easy but to deliver the results, to walk the talk, it needs exceptional leadership skills, particularly from Dhoni and Fleming.
CSK are looking quite good on paper, to be honest. They have got a couple of injury concerns with Devon Conway getting injured. They are likely to replace him up at the top with another Kiwi in the form of Rachin Ravindra. Let’s see how this young man goes in the yellow jersey, playing for the first time under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.

The Australian dominance

I really wanted to talk about how Aussies have become the hot favorites in this IPL. They have been on a roll since last year, winning the World Test Championship, the ODI World Cup 2023, and winning many series at home. The fact that there are 17 Aussies playing in this IPL underlines my point of how strong they have been in the recent past that they cannot be ignored. Not to forget, two Aussies in Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, going as high as Rs 20.5 and Rs 24.75 crores, speaks volumes of their skills and form. It will be interesting to see how they go and what difference they make.

Is signal ‘Green’ finally for RCB this year?

Another thing that stood out for me was the Cameron Green trade RCB from Mumbai Indians. How interesting is this. This is another interesting move from RCB to strengthen their squad ahead of an IPL season. But what fascinates me is despite putting out a good team, year after year, they have not won a title. Green’s inclusion is a good move, but they really need to fire as a unit this year to deliver the goods. Of course, they need a bit of luck going their way as well. But
with RCB women winning the WPL trophy in just their second season, there will be more pressure on the boys to lift the silverware.

A new captain for MI while DC gets their original skipper back

Hardik Pandya leads MI. For the first time in many years, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be playing purely as batters. But Dhoni still leads CSK. Life has come a full circle for the two modern-day greats but Dhoni still remains the boss of CSK. Hardik’s appointment as MI captain did create a stir outside but in a highly professional setup like MI, such noise might make a little difference. It will be fascinating to see how MI play under a new captain. This is a crucial season for them, in that regard.
At the same time, an old leader returns to his den in the form of Rishabh Pant, who has attained full fitness ahead of IPL 2024 and will keep wickets, captain the team, and hit sixes with the bat, doing so many jobs after coming back from a horrific car accident that could have turned fatal. It is great to see Pant back and we all hope he has a great IPL.
I am eager to see how Justin Langer does as a coach at Lucknow Super Giants. He has proven record of winning a T20 World Cup with the Australian team and an IPL trophy would look great on his CV too. Not to forget, LSG have had two good seasons and just need an extra push to cross the line. They have a whole new management and back-room staff and let’s see how Langer and skipper KL Rahul lead this team.
Exciting time for KKR as they welcome Starc into their team. I cannot wait to see Aussie pacer return to the league after a long gap. Shreyas Iyer looks fit and will lead the team again. They did not have the full-strength squad last year and with Gautam Gambhir back as mentor, KKR fans have started believing again.
Count out Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad at your own peril. SRH, especially, have got in some really special T20 players. Travis Head could open, Cummins will lead. They have a strong group of domestic players. But it is Cummins’ captaincy that can make the difference. I believe, if not this year, SRH under Cummins can win an IPL trophy in the seasons to come.
Gujarat Titans have a new leader too. A young Shubman Gill, who had an excellent series vs England at home, would be quite eager to lead GT. Punjab Kings have not been at their best for many years but they too have rejigged their side a little and have some very good players, like Jonny Bairstow, back in the mix. Shikhar Dhawan does not play for India anymore and would be hungry for runs and wins. Watch out for the kings from Punjab.