What The IPL 2024 Squads Look Like

• Chennai Super Kings
• Delhi Capitals
• Gujarat Titans
• Kolkata Knight Riders
• Lucknow Super Giants
• Mumbai Indians
• Punjab Kings
• Rajasthan Royals
• Royal Challengers Bangalore
• Sunrisers Hyderabad

This year’s edition will continue to feature ten teams with a league stage followed by a knockout eliminator stage. Last year, the IPL became the second-richest sporting league in the world, after the NFL, with a budget of over $8.4 billion.

This year, defending champions Chennai Super Kings will bid to become the only team in the IPL with a record six titles. CSK clinched their record-equalling fifth title in the 2023 edition with a victory over the Gujarat Titans to become joint top holders with their longtime rivals, the Mumbai Indians. The 2024 IPL could also mark the last outing for CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, fondly called ‘Thala’ (boss) by the fans.

A huge auction in December 2023 saw ruthless bids and big money spending as it shuffled the squads of the ten participating teams considerably. As the high-stakes encounters are about to get underway, let us look at the IPL squads for all the teams. 

Reigning champions Chennai Super Kings lifted the trophy in 2023, primarily relying on their strong batting lineup. CSK retained most of their players but did splurge INR 30.40 crore on six new players, including a new young wicketkeeper, Avinash Raval. The team has managed to retain a strong batting lineup for the upcoming edition as well, with Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad still a part of the squad.

Captain Dhoni, who has led the side since the beginning of the IPL, will once again be at the helm and is arguably the squad’s biggest strength with his game sense and captaincy skills. Though the team’s bowling lineup pales in comparison to their batting lineup, they have strong spinners like Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali leading the bowling attack and fast bowler Deepar Chahar, who has gotten a few editions under his belt with the team.

Rachin Ravindra, purchased at the auction, will add depth to the middle order and the options in the bowling lineup as a young all-rounder. With Devon Conway out with a thumb injury for the first half of the tournament, Ravindra has a great chance to cement his place in the playing XI.

The Delhi Capitals' strength has always been their batting lineup, and this year’s squad is no different. The Delhi franchise spent INR 19.05 crore and added nine new players to their squad. However, after the recent auction, lower-order batting seems to be a concern for them. Their top order boasts experienced hitters like Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, and veteran David Warner, which should balance out the lack of batting options in the lower order.

Captain and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant returns to the squad after missing the 2023 edition due to a horrific car accident and is adept at handling the middle order for his team. The Delhi Capitals boast a fantastic pace attack on the bowling side. They have roped in Khaleel Ahmed, whose left-arm pace will add variety, whereas international stars Anrich Nortje, Jhye Richardson, and Lungi Ngidi are fierce pacers with experience on their side.

Kuldeep Yadav’s spin bowling will add more variety to their bowling attack and will be key in securing crucial wickets, especially on pitches where the ball turns.

The Gujarat Titans bought a total of eight players, including two overseas players, in the December auction, spending a total of INR 30.30 crore. The 2023 finalists will be without their previous captain, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who will lead the Mumbai Indians in this year’s edition. He has been replaced by India’s new batting hero, Shubhman Gill, who will also spearhead the Titan’s batting attack.

Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai has been roped in as a replacement all-rounder for Pandya. The Titans also reinforced their strong batting lineup by picking up middle-order batsman Shahrukh Khan. They also added a younger pacer, Kartik Tyagi, and an experienced one, Umesh Yadav, to their bowling lineup.

Australian left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson is the latest addition to the Titans’ lineup, along with Afghanistan’s bowling sensation Rashid Khan, who will reinforce their bowling attack. The biggest drawback for the Gujarat squad this season will be their lack of a top Indian opener and wicketkeeper for their playing XI. Instead, Wriddhiman Saha will retain the keeper’s gloves. 

KKR spent a total of INR 31.35 crore, adding ten new players to their squad for this year’s tournament. They broke the record for the highest bid with their INR 24.75 crore bid for Australian pacer Mitchell Starc. Other additions, such as Manish Pandey, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Sherfane Rutherford, will count as smart buys for the Kolkata side.

Captain Shreyas Iyer returns to the side after missing the 2023 tournament due to a back injury. His return will act as a confidence booster for the side, as they performed poorly under Rana’s leadership in the previous season. The Knight Riders boast a strong batting lineup with multiple finishers, including Jason Roy, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, and Rinku Singh.

The team also boasts one of the best spin attacks in the tournament, having added Afghan youngster Mujeeb Ur Rahman to the notable spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. In pace, Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, and Tim Southee were already strong options, and now Kolkata have added Aussie speedster Mitchell Starc to the mix. 

The Lucknow outfit did not splurge in the December auction for the 2024 IPL season, spending just INR 12.20 crore to secure the services of six new players. Since their debut in the Indian Premier League in 2022, LSG have made it to the eliminator both times and will bid to go further in the tournament this season.

Lucknow have fortified their bowling attack for the upcoming tournament, as five of their six buys are bowlers. India’s Shivam Mavi, England fast bowler David Wiley, and Aussie offspinner Ashton Turner were the notable names added to the LSG outfit, as well as three uncapped players. The Super Giants already have a strong batting lineup that consists of notable international-capped players such as KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, and Kyle Mayers, as well as Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni.

Marcus Stoinis is another power hitter who is known for his finishing skills in the final overs of the innings. However, despite the addition of new bowlers to their squad, Lucknow still lacks top quality in their pace attack. Only Mark Wood has delivered exceptional numbers so far. This will mean that youngsters Mohsin Khan and Yash Thakur will have to step up to deliver for their team. 

The Mumbai Indians, joint-record champions of the IPL alongside the Chennai Super Kings, have consistently been one of the strongest sides in IPL history. The Ambani-owned team have added eight players to their squad at a cost of INR 16.70 crore at the auction. The biggest addition to the team is captain Hardik Pandya, who somewhat unceremoniously replaced Mumbai’s long-term captain Rohit Sharma.

However, Pandya has proven his captaincy skills, leading the Gujarat Titans to back-to-back finals in the only two editions of the IPL they have played. Mumbai added three notable pacers in the auction by picking up South African youngster Gerald Coetzee and Sri Lankans Dilshan Madushanka and Nuwan Thushara. Among the older bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah will return to action after missing the last season with an injury.

Captain Pandya is also handy with the ball, whereas Jason Behrendorff is another quality pacer. MI also boasts a solid and aggressive batting lineup capable of taking quality bowlers to the cleaners. Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Tim David are renowned big hitters, and their experience will come in handy in high-pressure situations. Despite the strong squad, MI lacks quality in the spin department, with Piyush Chawla being the only proven wicket-taking spinner on the side.

Punjab Kings had a forgettable run in the 2023 IPL season, finishing eighth in the table with just 12 points from 18 matches. They have spent INR 24.95 crore on eight new players to make a fresh attempt this season. Harshal Patel, Chris Woakes, and Rilee Rossouw were the costliest players purchased by PBKS; however, they could have done better in buying backup players, as they picked up five uncapped players at the auction.

Harshal Patel, the 2021 Purple Cap winner, is the costliest but the best addition to the Punjab pace attack this season. The team boasts an amazing batting lineup with noteworthy and experienced hitters such as Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Rossouw, Sikandar Raza, and Sam Curran. They also have talented finishers like Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone.

On the bowling side, Punjab boasts a strong pace attack. After the auction, PBKS have the best pace attack of all the IPL teams on paper. This year, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, and Sam Curran are joined by Harshal Patel. Chris Woakes is also a capable bowler who adds depth to the bowling attack. 

The Royals added just five new players to their squad in this year’s auction, spending INR 14.30 crore in the process. Rovman Powell and Shubham Dube will strengthen their batting lineup, whereas pacer Nandre Burger will add variety to the bowling attack. The Rajasthan Royals shocked the cricketing world back in 2008 by lifting the inaugural IPL trophy. Since then, they have only reached the final once in 2022 and will look to repeat the feat this year.

The team comprises a fantastic batting lineup with batsmen like Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Last season, Jaiswal was the fifth-highest run scorer in the tournament. Captain Sanju Samson, the number three batsman, will add runs on the board by complimenting the two openers. On the bowling side, RR boasts a sensational spin attack led by Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and veteran Ravichandran Ashwin.

They will be supported by Australian Adam Zampa, who also has immense international experience. The RR squad only lacks in the all-rounder department. After parting with West Indian Jason Holder before the 2024 auction, the Royals now have only Ashwin as an all-rounder. However, their strength in the batting and bowling departments will hopefully make up for the lack of all-rounders.

RCB added six new players for INR 20.40 crore, nabbing pacers like Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, and Lockie Ferguson. The Royal Challengers Bangalore have always been known for their explosive batting lineup. This season, too, the squad contains power hitters up to batting number six on the lineup. Led by power hitter Faf Du Plessis, the Banglore side is one of the most popular teams in the IPL.

However, they have failed to win the trophy even once till now and had a poor season last year, which resulted in some big names like Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, and Wanindu Hasaranga exiting the club. Their batting lineup remains the biggest strength for RCB, with notable hitters like Virat Kohli, du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell on the list.

They have now added finisher Cameron Green from the Mumbai Indians to the lineup as well. Rajit Patidar is another great addition who can cause trouble for many bowlers. Bowling seems to be a weakness for the team, as Joseph, Dayal, and Lockie Ferguson are all new team members.

The Sunrisers shelled out INR 30.80 crores to add six players in the auction, which included four capped players, the most noteworthy being Australian ICC World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins. With a reputation for being a strong bowling side, restricting opponents to smaller targets, SRH now boasts a pace trio of Indian veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar, supported by Pat Cummins and Umran Malik.

They also fortified their batting lineup with the addition of Travis Head, who could be handed the opening responsibility alongside Mayank Agarwal. South African batsmen Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen, known for their aggressive batting styles, make up the middle order for the Hyderabad side.

New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips is also known to give the opposition bowlers some trouble with his ferocious hitting and can also contribute with the ball when required. In the IPL 2024 edition, Markam has been replaced as the SRH captain by the latest acquisition, Cummins, whose experience will do wonders for the side.