As evident in the last season of the Indian Premier League, all-rounders play an essential role in a team’s success. The two finalist teams each had an incredible all-rounder in their lineup. Hardik Pandya was leading the Gujarat Titans, while Ravindra Jadeja quite literally won the title for the Chennai Super Kings. With just two weeks left before the IPL 2024 auction, let us look at the all-rounders who’ll be in demand in the auction.
| Player | Nation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Shardul Thakur | India | Bowling All-rounder |
| Shahrukh Khan | India | Batting All-rounder |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | Afghanistan | Batting All-rounder |
| Pat Cummins | Australia | Bowling All-rounder |
| David Willey | England | Bowling All-rounder |
| Kyle Jamieson | New Zealand | Bowling All-rounder |
| Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | Batting All-rounder |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka | Bowling All-rounder |
| Michael Bracewell | New Zealand | Batting All-rounder |
| Odean Smith | West Indies | Bowling All-rounder |
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All-rounders who could be in demand at the IPL 2024 Auction
Bowling all-rounders
Players like Shardul Thakur, Pat Cummins, David Willey, Kyle Jamieson, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Odean Smith fall into this category. Usually, these cricketers can make any XI on the basis of their bowling and have immense hitting ability to further strengthen their case.
Pat Cummins is a fine example of a bowling all-rounder. Having played in 6 editions of the tournament, he has taken 45 wickets in 42 matches. His batting in the IPL is perhaps the most surprising thing about the Australian skipper. The pace bowling all-rounder strikes the ball at 152.21 and has scored the 3rd fastest 50 in the IPL.
Batting all-rounders
The four remaining cricketers on the list, Michael Bracewell, Shahrukh Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Shakib Al Hasan fall into this category. Unlike bowling all-rounders, these players are not always as good as top-order batters. While Azmatullah and Shakib can make a team on the basis of their defensive and attacking abilities, Bracewell and Shahrukh can only work as lower-order batters.
Azmatullah Omarzai fits his category perfectly. He took the world by storm in the 2023 World Cup, scoring over 350 runs and picking up 7 wickets in 9 matches. The 23-year-old was his country’s second-highest run scorer at the tournament and their fifth-highest wicket-taker, ahead of the likes of Noor Ahmed and Fazalhaq Farooqi. His record in T20s isn’t too shabby either. In the 62 matches he’s played, he struck the ball at 129.51 with the bat and has 59 wickets.
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