5 top bowlers to watch out for in men's Delhi Premier League 2024 ft. Harshit Rana
Delhi has its own T20 league now - the Delhi Premier League - and it starts on Saturday, August 17. Six teams will partake in the men's competition while four will comprise a short women's tournament under the same banner.
One of the most interesting bits about the tournament is all the matches (33 for men and seven for women) will be played at the same venue - the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Those many matches at one venue within a month or so is usually not a good idea in cricket - Delhi Capitals didn't even play at the same ground for the first quarter of IPL 2024 because it had hosted a few 2023 World Cup games.
What we can perhaps expect, then, is bowlers getting an extremely flat wicket at the start of the tournament - the kind of which we have now become used to seeing in the IPL - which slowly deteriorates to a pitch reminding of the old low and slow-turning Feroz Shah Kotla track.
Making use of these exciting conditions would be some brilliant bowlers from around Delhi. Below, is a list of five stars to watch out for:
#5 Kuldip Yadav
Rajasthan Royals left-arm pacer Kuldip Yadav will represent South Delhi Superstars in DPL 2024. Although an exciting bowler with the ability to swing the new ball and bounce out his opponents with sharp bumpers, he has got just three games so far in the IPL and would be desperate for more time in the middle.
With the mega auction approaching, this could be a big opportunity for him to impress at one of the toughest wickets for fast bowling in the country. He'll face quality batters like Rishabh Pant and Yash Dhull and getting their wickets will get him higher up on the lists of suitors at Royals and other franchises.
#4 Simarjeet Singh
Simarjeet Singh was seen as one of the finds of IPL 2024 with his ability to get extra bounce of consistent hard lengths. But for Delhi, it was no surprise as he has always done that -- now, it's all about doing it consistently and showing that he's a level above domestic cricket and belongs in an IPL playing 11 for the entire season.
He'll have a senior-ish role at the East Delhi Riders which would be perfect at this stage of his career. On the off chance Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are looking to move on from Deepak Chahar due to his injury troubles, they'd hope for Simarjeet to get into the top-five wicket-takers and bet on him for the coming years.
#3 Suyash Sharma
Like Rinku Singh, leg-spinner Suyash Sharma was extremely unlucky for not getting much game time with the IPL 2024 winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) because of just how good the rest of the players in the team performed. Like Rinku, he was also one of the silver linings for the franchise in previous seasons when nothing was going right.
Now, he'd also see this DPL season as an opportunity to prove to KKR that he's worth retaining and getting regular chances or show to other potential suitors that he's worth splurging a big fee for in the auction if he's released. Suyash turns the ball big and is very smart in using his subtle variations which would be the key in Delhi.
He was the highest wicket-taker for Delhi in the last Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy and would want to achieve something similar for the North Delhi Strikers.
#2 Ishant Sharma
Veteran pacer Ishant Sharma has been such a workhorse for Indian cricket that even though it has almost been three years since we last saw him in action for the country, it feels just like yesterday. To his credit, he has continued to shine in the limited appearances he has got - with the yorker against Andre Russell in IPL 2024 being the prime example.
Here, as he comes out to represent Purani Dilli 6, he'll have a point to prove against much younger players all around him. He'd look to lead the bowling attack with Rishabh Pant behind the wickets and will be under pressure to do most of the heavy lifting while also helping his teammates get better.
#1 Harshit Rana
Harshit Rana is going to be the headline act in the tournament for the North Delhi Strikers. The KKR pacer, one of the top-three bowlers in IPL 2024 in his first full season, has made giant strides and is seen as Delhi's new torchbearer in international cricket.
After his international debut against Sri Lanka in the recent ODI series, this tournament will give him the chance to show that the KKR performance was not a fluke - and he'll have to do that by winning a couple of matches on his own.
Apart from his variety of skills and pace, how he handles the new pressure of extra responsibility would be a big defining factor for his character - something the selectors would watch out for as well.