5 all-rounders to watch out for in MLC 2024 ft. Glenn Maxwell
The second edition of Major League Cricket (MLC 2024) will start on Friday, July 5. Defending champions MI New York will be in action when they take on Seattle Orcas in the first match. As the tournament enters its second year, it promises to be far better since it will be played on the heels of the T20 World Cup.
All six teams in MLC 2024 have some of the biggest names in world cricket. The squads are fairly balanced and there are plenty of IPL franchises involved. Considering the potential of players, this season could well be a defining one for MLC, as it could become one of the premier T20 leagues in the world.
Here we take a look at 5 all-rounders to watch out for in MLC 2024
#5 Mitchell Santner - Texas Super Kings
One of the most promising all-rounders in the world, Mitchell Santner has been a potent force for New Zealand in limited-overs cricket. He is quite a useful all-rounder for any side and now, is one of the most experienced players in the world.
He has experience of playing all across the world and has been part of the Chennai Super Kings for several years. On good batting pitches in Texas, Santner will be key to success for TSK in MLC. The side will be led by Faf du Plessis and the key players in the squad include Aiden Markram and Dwayne Bravo.
Santner has 199 wickets in 196 matches and has scored 2213 runs. He will provide a lot of balance to the side.
#4 Rachin Ravindra - Washington Freedom
After a stellar 2023 ODI World Cup, Rachin Ravindra was picked up by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for INR 1.8 crore. He was not expected to start, but Devon Conway's injury allowed Ravindra to open the innings. He started his IPL journey with a bang, with a quickfire 37 off 15 balls against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and backed it up with a 20-ball 46 against the Gujarat Titans.
He will now be expected to open the innings for Washington Freedom and considering the pitch conditions in the USA, his bowling will also come in handy. Ravindra is a free-flowing batter and his performances will be closely followed by even IPL franchises.
#3 Andre Russell - Los Angeles Knight Riders
Andre Russell was the star of the show for LAKR last season, even as the rest of the team floundered around him. He was at his devastating best with a strike rate close to 160 and had an excellent average of 68, with two fifties.
He has been in roaring form this year and perhaps has had the best returns. His batting average this year is around 43 and he has been scoring his runs with an astounding strike rate of 203.2 in 28 innings. He comes after a title-winning triumph for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and will be a key player for LAKR in MLC.
#2 Sunil Narine - Los Angeles Knight Riders
Sunil Narine was exceptional in the 2024 IPL and was the highest-impact player of the tournament. He piled up 488 runs at an impressive strike rate of 180.7 and picked up 17 wickets at an exceptional economy rate of 6.7. This economy rate was only second after Jasprit Bumrah.
On slightly sluggish pitches in America, there will be a lot of expectations of his bowling in MLC. However, he could also be used as an opening batter where he found all his success for the Kolkata Knight Riders. In the IPL, he showed great progress with the bat — even against short-pitched deliveries — and seems to have expanded his game against the spinners as well.
#1 Glenn Maxwell - Washington Freedom
Glenn Maxwell was in roaring form before IPL 2024, as he entered the tournament with 552 runs in 17 T20s since November 2023, at an average of 42.46 and with an astonishing strike rate of 185.85. This also included two centuries.
However, his performance in IPL 2024 was mediocre by all means. In the 10 matches he played, Maxwell could only score 52 runs at an average of 5.78. He played a couple of good innings in the T20 World Cup, but Australia were knocked out at the Super 8 stage. He will be a key figure for Washington Freedom in the upcoming MLC, both with the bat and ball.