Ranking the fast-bowling units of all IPL 2024 teams
The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) is only a week away and the franchises have kickstarted their preparations in a bid to shake off any rustiness and brace themselves for the unforgiving and relentless high-octane action.
Although the subcontinent conditions imply spin bowling to be the major forte in the league, the pacers also have an equally crucial role. Spin bowling's influence has dominated the way with which the shortest format is operated in the middle overs, but it is fast bowling that holds the aces when it comes to bowling with the new ball or controlling the run flow in the death overs.
Almost the majority of the world's fast bowling talent will be congregated in the subcontinent as they use the platform to prepare for the 2024 T20 World Cup as well. Usual absentees like Mitchell Starc will also grace their presence in the league, which speaks volumes.
On that note, let us rank the fast-bowling units of all IPL 2024 teams.
#10 Gujarat Titans
The 2022 champions have been hit with a huge blow ahead of the 2024 season as their spearhead Mohammed Shami will miss the entire campaign due to an ankle injury. Unfortunately in GT's case, their pace attack lives and dies with Shami and there just isn't enough strength among the backup options to present themselves as a threat.
In terms of local options they have youngster Kartik Tyagi, who has been more or less absent from the league over the last couple of seasons. Furthermore, there is no assurance over how the veteran duo of Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma will perform at this stage of their careers.
Overseas options like Josh Little, Spencer Johnson and Azmatullah Omarzai round up the pace bowling unit. Although they do have their perks, they do not outweigh the perils. The lack of experience at the highest stage is quite glaring, and Shubman Gill will have to almost entirely rely on his spinners in his maiden season as captain.
#9 Kolkata Knight Riders
It's a shame that the two-time winners do not have a well-rounded seam attack to unleash at Eden Gardens, one of the few venues in India where pacers can have a say in the formative stages of the innings.
KKR have placed all of their hope on Mitchell Starc, but the truth is that the potent left-arm seamer can bowl only four overs in a contest, and not all of them will be with a brand new ball against new batters. KKR have suffered in the past due to an inferior pace attack, and it could be the case this time too because Starc's support contingent do not boast prowess.
They have the Indian trio of Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora and Chetan Sakariya, who have been good only in glimpses over the last couple of editions. They recently announced Dushmanta Chameera as a replacement for Gus Atkinson, but given the Sri Lankan player's injury history, it might not be a safe bet.
#8 Lucknow Super Giants
Mark Wood's withdrawal from the competition impacts LSG's bowling strength considerably. His replacement Shamar Joseph recently made headlines with his red-ball exploits, but there is no telling as to how he will fare in such a high-quality white-ball league.
LSG have bowlers suited to their sluggish conditions in the form of Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur and Marcus Stoinis. But even after the addition of David Willey to the team, it lacks a X-Factor and arguably a certified bowling spearhead or a strike bowler so to speak.
LSG roped in Shivam Mavi at the auction, with both parties in desperate need of each other to flourish.
#7 Chennai Super Kings
The defending champions do not boast a threatening pace bowling unit, and it might not concern them one bit considering the style with which they play. The biggest concern for the side is Matheesha Pathirana's injury, which might force them to field Mustafizur Rahman as the principal death bowler.
The combination of Tushar Deshpande and Deepak Chahar worked well for the team in the previous season, and the return of Shardul Thakur makes things interesting as well. The franchise could also use Daryl Mitchell and Shivam Dube's gentle pace in home conditions at the Chepauk.
The return of Mukesh Choudhary should make things interesting as well, while Simarjeet Singh is also a decent backup option.
#6 Royal Challengers Bangalore
The franchise made the bold decision to reshape their entire bowling attack barring Mohammed Siraj, leading to the releases of Josh Hazlewood and Harshal Patel among others. The three-time finalists did not have the best of auctions, getting hold of only Alzarri Joseph, Tom Curran and Lockie Ferguson at steep prices.
While the overseas duo of Joseph and Ferguson were part of the title winning GT side in 2022, they have a reputation of being inconsistent and erratic while the same goes for Curran. Furthermore, RCB do not boast huge names when it comes to local candidates. Vijaykumar Vyshak had his moments in the 2023 season while Yash Dayal needs a series confidence booster after his stint at GT came to a screeching halt.
RCB also have Akash Deep and Cameron Green in their pace bowling attack, leaving Faf du Plessis a lot in terms of quantity, but unfortunately not much in terms of quality.
#5 Rajasthan Royals
The inaugural champions will have to make do without Prasidh Krishna for the second year in a row, and the overall strength of their pace bowling unit will depend on their replacement player.
Trent Boult will have to shoulder a lot of responsibility across both ends of the innings, while the likes of Avesh Khan and the experienced Sandeep Sharma will be hoping to play their role to perfection.
Sandeep Sharma is usually a reliable bowler, and was relatively proficient for the franchise last time around as well in Prasidh Krishna's absence. If the side needs pace, they can call upon Kuldeep Sen, who had a breakthrough campaign in 2022.
Their X-Factor comes in the form of Nandre Burger. The left-arm South African pacer has impressed one and all with his recent exploits and he can be a useful addition in the playing XI if RR can create two overseas slots for the bowling department alone.
#4 Delhi Capitals
DC do not boast a plethora of options in terms of pace bowling, but the limited options they have are tried and tested. The returning Anrich Nortje will lead the bowling attack, and he will have the much-improved Mukesh Kumar by his side.
Mukesh Kumar made his IPL debut in 2023 with a reputation of being a red-ball specialist. However, the right-arm pacer has shown his white-ball credentials over the course of the last 12 months for the franchise and the national team. His consistent performances, albeit focused on run restriction rather than wicket taking, might even earn him a place in Team India's squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Ishant Sharma has proven to be a valuable asset even in the twilight days of his career, and he could continue to be the same as he has years of experience bowling at the inscrutable Arun Jaitley Stadium. Other options like Khaleel Ahmed, Mitchell Marsh, Rasikh Dar and others round up the pace bowling unit quite well.
It is to be noted that Jhye Richardson will miss the first half of the season, while Lungi Ngidi has been ruled out entirely. DC could name a bowler as a replacement for Harry Brook, especially since they roped in Jake Fraser-McGurk to replace Ngidi in the squad.
#3 Punjab Kings
The 2014 IPL finalists have a formidable, versatile, and well-rounded pace attack on paper. The trio of Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, and Sam Curran can bowl at any phase of the innings, and the franchise have bolstered the unit further by roping in Harshal Patel and Chris Wokes as well.
Even the backup options for the squad make for interesting viewing as it includes the likes of Vidwath Kaverappa, Nathan Ellis, and Rishi Dhawan.
#2 Sunrisers Hyderabad
The only thing holding back SRH from claiming the top spot is Pat Cummins' shaky T20 numbers. However, since the pacer has proven the cricketing world wrong across several fronts in recent times, it is not a wise choice to bet against the World Cup-winning skipper.
Newly appointed bowling coach James Franklin has a huge task of getting the most out of this talented pace bowling bunch. If the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, and T Natarajan bowl at the peak of their prowess, SRH are covered at each phase of the innings.
They also have solid left-arm options in Fazalhaq Farooqi, Akash Singh, the experienced Jaydev Unadkat and the in-form Marco Jansen.
#1 Mumbai Indians
The defending champions had a troublesome 2023 campaign without the services of Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer. With the Wankhede Stadium arguably being one of the very few venues in the IPL where the conditions aid the pacers more than the spinners, the establishment of a new-look pace attack was imperative for MI.
The five-time winners nailed their strategy at the IPL 2024 mini-auction. acquiring some talented overseas pacers like Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka and Nuwan Thushara at bargain prices. They also have Jason Behrendorff and Akash Madhwal available along with the returning Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.
