Last season, Gujarat Titans not only topped the IPL's regular season table but cleaned up the main individual awards with Shubman Gill the leading run-scorer and Most Valuable Player (MVP) while seamer Mohammed Shami took the gong for the most wickets.
Despite that, MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated the Titans in the final. At the other end of the table, Sunrisers Hyderabad were the worst of the 10 franchises. However, some big auction acquisitions and high-profile trades mean the IPL could have a completely different story in 2024.
Flashscore’s Pat Dempsey, Josh Donaldson and Tolga Akdeniz gave their predictions ahead of the upcoming season which begins on Friday, March 22nd.
Who will win the Orange Cap? (The leading run-scorer)
Pat: The batsmen that really stick out to me are Sunrisers' Heinrich Klaasen, who has been in crazy form for a long time, Mumbai Indians’ Suryakumar Yadav and Rajasthan Royals’ Yashasvi Jaiswal. Generally, players who reach the latter stages will make more runs by virtue of playing more matches. According to that logic, I would say Yadav or Jaiswal but let’s go with Jaiswal, he’s on fire!
Josh: After a horrific car accident that saw his life at risk, it’s heartwarming to see the swashbuckling Rishabh Pant set to return to the field as batter, wicket-keeper and captain of Dehli Capitals. He has not played any form of cricket for 14 months and has called his return “nothing short of a miracle,” but his care-free style of cricket is likely to return in full force. Being back on the pitch may already be the goal for Pant, but don’t sleep on this powerhouse at the top of the order during the IPL season.
Tolga: The last five winners have been openers, and I’d be shocked if the man with the Orange Cap at the end of the tournament isn’t an opener. My main contenders are former winners Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK) and Shubman Gill, as well as Yashasvi Jaiswal. Travis Head is also a fun shout, should he open the batting for Sunrisers, but I am going to go for Shubman Gill. The Titans should go far, and as the newly-appointed skipper, I fancy Gill to become the first man since Chris Gayle in 2012 to be the leading run-scorer in back-to-back seasons.
Who will win the Purple Cap? (The leading wicket-taker)
Pat: Gujarat had the top three wicket-takers last season and made the final on the back of their bowling strength. I think their talismanic spinner Rashid Khan could be amongst the leading wicket-takers again but my prediction for the Purple Cap winner is Mumbai’s Jasprit Bumrah. He’s back from injury and he’s hungry for success plus I think the Indians will go deeper than the Titans this time.
Josh: After a series against England that saw him produce spells that any wrist spinner would be proud of, it’s fair to say that Delhi's Kuldeep Yadav will be brimming with confidence ahead of the IPL. He has pedigree in this competition with 31 wickets in the last two seasons and with his best economy rate in the tournament last time out. It suggests he has the control and guile to produce again in 2024, so expect him to bamboozle more batters and be up there come May.
Tolga: Rashid Khan has always taken loads of wickets at the IPL, and barely concedes any runs, but the Afghan has never won the Purple Cap. So I’m going to go for him, purely because it surely has to happen at some point. He’s the best leg spinner in the world in this format, and similarly to my Gill shout, Gujarat will go deep.
Which player will be the biggest flop?
Pat: Defining ‘flop’ is the first question here but I suppose a good place to start is a player that costs a hell of a lot and then underperforms. Three big Aussies quicks - Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Spencer Johnson - all cost eye-watering money in the recent auction and I don't think any of them will fully justify their prices unfortunately. At least Cummins brings captaincy to Sunrisers so I will guess that Kolkata Knight Riders' mega-signing Starc will be the biggest flop of the lot.
Josh: Years ago, it was all about the left-arm seamer being the in-fashion player for T20 teams. That seems to have cooled recently and with that in mind, Marco Jansen could be the fall guy. He has impressed in national colours and in the SA20 this season, but on flatter pitches and with more competition for places, it could be a different situation. If he doesn’t perform early on, he could see a long stint carrying drinks for Sunrisers.
Tolga: Quinton de Kock of Lucknow Super Giants. Since his brilliant World Cup campaign for South Africa, he has really struggled in T20 cricket, performing really poorly at the BBL and SA20. The reason for it, I’m not entirely sure, but I can see him continuing his rut into this competition, where any struggling batsman will really get found out.
Who will be the emerging player of the tournament?
Pat: Jaiswal won the official award last year so I can’t go with him again, can I? Chennai spent big on the largely unknown Indian batter Sameer Rizvi and their recruitment record is pretty good so that caught my eye. I also like the look of Mumbai’s late-blooming recruit Nuwan Thushara, a 29-year-old Sri Lankan pace bowler in the mould of Lasith Malinga. But I have to go with 21-year-old Jake Fraser-McGurk, the blistering batter from Australia who Delhi have picked up as an injury replacement. Watch this guy, he’s a superstar in the making.
Josh: Traditionally the IPL has been the perfect breeding ground for Indian talent to make their mark on the competition and propel themselves into stardom. The Titans have a stacked lineup but the fact they went big on 28-year-old Shahrukh Khan suggests they expect a lot from this all-rounder. He has only played a handful of IPL games, but an Indian finisher is rare and he will be asked to play a team role akin to the likes of Suryakumar Yadav for the Titans. If he can perform like Yadav this season, it’s likely that more people will know his name soon enough.
Tolga: Abdul Samad has been in and out of Hyderabad's team over the last few years, but last season, he began to show some glimpses of his incredible power hitting down the order. At just 22 years old, he is a superb talent and he is likely to be a more regular fixture in the side this season. I’m excited to see him go, and I’m hoping for big things from him in this tournament.
Which player will be the MVP?
Pat: Hmm… I don’t want to just roll out my top batter or bowler pick again but I will. I am going to go with Bumrah for the MVP award. He will be up there in the wicket chart and he will be desperate to perform having missed last season through injury. I really think if Mumbai can get to the playoffs, he’s the kind of player that could have a tournament-defining impact.
Josh: Opening batters are the typical go-to for MVP picks as they tend to get the most time at the crease. With this in mind, it’s hard to look past Rachin Ravindra. The New Zealander was box-office during the ODI World Cup in India just a few months ago. Now, he has been picked up by CSK and with his strength against spin as well as pace, it’s likely he will flourish once again on the sub-continent.
Tolga: Really, I think it’s probably going to be either the leading run-getter or wicket-taker. So it’s a toss-up between Shubman Gill and Rashid Khan, for me. I’ll lean to the former because I think there’s more chance of Gill being the leading run-scorer than there is of Rashid being the leading wicket-taker.
Which team will get the wooden spoon?
Pat: I think of the teams that struggled last year - Sunrisers, Delhi, Kolkata and Punjab Kings - Sunrisers have made the most interesting changes so I will vote against them but I do think one of the other three will finish rock-bottom. I am going to say Punjab. They are still relying on fading stars such as Jonny Bairstow and Shikhar Dhawan and just haven’t added the required talent to make me think they will be any better this season than last.
Josh: Although I suggested Pant could be the leading run-scorer, it’s likely his Dehli team will have a sub-par IPL. They have lost Harry Brook on the eve of the tournament after the England powerhouse withdrew due to family reasons and this only heaps pressure on an ageing David Warner for runs. Kuldeep Yadav may pick up a lot of wickets but their overall bowling attack won’t strike too much fear into the hearts of their opponents in 2024.
Tolga: I don’t like the look of the Lucknow Super Giants. Question marks always persist over the strike rate of skipper KL Rahul, I’ve already spoken about Quinton De Kock, and I think Marcus Stoinis is probably past his best. They still have some quality like Nicholas Pooran and Deepak Hooda in the batting department, but I think there is enough frailty there to suggest they will struggle this season.
Which four teams will make the playoffs?
Pat: My bold tip of the season is that Gujarat won’t make the top four after finishing in the top spot two seasons in a row. The loss of former captain Hardik Pandya to Mumbai and Shami to injury will be too large to keep up with the best, I think. You can probably guess from what I’ve said above that I think Mumbai will make the playoffs and I will throw CSK into the mix, too. I think the other spots will go to two of Rajasthan, Sunrisers, Lucknow and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). I will tip Rajasthan with a Justin Langer-inspired Lucknow scraping in at fourth.
Josh: Let’s keep this short and sweet: Gujarat, CSK, Mumbai and RCB.
Tolga: I think Gujarat, Mumbai and Chennai will get the top three spots, and the final position is totally up for grabs. For no reason other than I like the team and there are some exciting batters like Aiden Markram, Head and Klaasen, I’m going for Sunrisers to squeeze through. Pat Cummins is set to captain in T20s for the first time ever too, and although his bowling record isn’t the greatest in this format, he does seem to have the Midas touch over the last 12 months with his captaincy. There’s a lot of intrigue around this side, but I am firmly in their camp.
Which team will win the competition and why?
Pat: I am going to go with Mumbai as the champions this year and the first franchise to reach six titles. As ever, I think the top half of the table, even the top six or seven, will be really close but with Pandya coming in as captain and Bumrah back from injury, I think Mumbai now have that extra edge needed that they lacked last season. Of the top four teams last year, Mumbai look to have both strengthened the most and simultaneously weakened the previously best team by getting Pandya back from Gujarat.
Josh: The leadership and intelligence of Dhoni, the power of Ravindra, the guile of Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja. You guessed it, Chennai are going back-to-back!
Tolga: Sunrisers! Captain Cummins to produce some more magic and really solidify himself as an all-time great skipper. You heard it here first!
