Aakash Chopra through a subjective lens has unveiled his ensemble from the latest IPL 2024 edition. His picks for the batting lineup were meticulously curated emphasizing the slots each player occupied during the season. Adhering strictly to the rule of permitting up to four overseas cricketers in the starting eleven.
The Kolkata Knight Riders triumphed over the SunRisers Hyderabad with a resounding eightwicket victory in the final showdown in Chennai on Sunday May 26 to secure their third IPL title. Noteworthy performances saw Virat Kohli claim the Orange Cap as the highest runscorer and Harshal Patel bag the Purple Cap for being the top wicket-taker.
In a video published on his YouTube page, Chopra selected Sunil Narine and Virat Kohli ahead of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head as his two openers.
“There is no doubt about one person being in this team, that’s Sunil Narine. In batting, he scored runs, which includes a century. Consistency’s name became Sunil Narine in the first half of the tournament and he has bowled strongly as well. I think Sunil Narine will be there in all teams.”
“His partner will be India’s Virat Kohli. Firstly, he is the Orange Cap winner, and secondly, how well he has played. You can check the strike rate, runs, century, quality, intent, passion or aggression – it was Kohli’s Virat season this year.”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra picked the Rajasthan Royals’ Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag to bat at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.
“I have given the No. 3 spot to Sanju Samson. He was batting at No. 3 and scored a lot of runs. One of his most consistent seasons which you discuss about and praise. Sanju Samson is also my team’s keeper. He has given match-winning performances as well.”
“At No. 4, I have given a place to his teammate Riyan Parag. Suryakumar Yadav’s name also came to my mind here but I am going with Riyan. He has given match-winning performances and has played extremely well as an uncapped Indian. It was his breakthrough season.”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra rounded up his top six by selecting Shivam Dube and Nicholas Pooran.
“I am keeping Shivam Dube at No. 5. There were discussions about whether he should be kept, whether Venkatesh Iyer or Nitish Reddy’s name can come here. I am going with Shivam Dube because he has batted at a different level. Till the time he wasn’t selected for India, he was destroying the opposition.”
“After that, I have Nicholas Pooran. It could have been Pooran or Heinrich Klaasen but I have gone towards Pooran because firstly, I get a left-hander. His batting has been incredible, that is true for Heinrich Klaasen as well but I am still going with Nicholas Pooran.”
Aakash Chopra
Pooran scored 499 runs with a strike rate of 178.21 in 14 innings in the IPL 2024. This season, Klaasen hit 15 times and scored 479 runs with a somewhat lower strike rate of 171.07.
Aakash Chopra’s Picks of Seam-Bowling All-Rounder and Bowlers in His IPL 2024 Team
Aakash Chopra selected Andre Russell as a seam-bowling all-rounder and Pat Cummins as captain for this possible XI.
“Andre Russell is in my side. He is my third overseas player. He started hitting sixes from the start and thrashed Hyderabad in the first match. After that, he scored important runs and even bowled and fielded very well this time. I don’t remember when we had seen such a fit Andre Russell last time.”
“Now comes the captain of the tournament. Although Shreyas Iyer lifted the trophy for sure and his captaincy was also very good, I am going with Pat Cummins. I liked Pat Cummins’ captaincy a lot. I will put my hand up and say that I didn’t have 100% confidence but he did very well. Pat Cummins is the captain of my team.”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra selected Harshit Rana and Jasprit Bumrah as the two specialist Indian seamers for his starting XI.
“Harshit Rana is in my team – the best uncapped Indian fast bowler. Whoever was responsible for banning him should also see others’ celebrations and I feel you were wronged. You were trolled wrongly as well. It wasn’t a no-ball when Virat Kohli got out to your ball. Important matches, important performances – he has been very good.”
“It’s obvious Boom Boom has to be there because the best fast bowler in this league was not anybody else but Jasprit Bumrah. He had an economy of 6.5 for the entire season where people were going for 10 or 11. We clap for anyone who goes at 9 or 9.5, and this guy picked up wickets and had an economy of 6.5.”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra chose Varun Chakaravarthy to accompany his KKR teammate Sunil Narine in spin bowling.
“Last but not the least, Varun Chakaravarthy is a part of my team because he picked up wickets and was extremely accurate. He bowled in difficult phases and trapped different batters with different strategies. There might have been an odd match where he was hit a lot, or else he has been very good.”
Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra has chose Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, and Abhishek Sharma as his four backups.