Picking the best playing 11 of Week 1 of IPL 2024 ft. Heinrich Klaasen, Mustafizur Rahman
The first week of IPL 2024 is done and dusted. The tournament started with a blockbuster weekend, where all 10 teams were in action. Overall, nine matches took place in the last week, with home sides emerging victorious in all the games.
For the first time in IPL history, the home teams have secured a win in each of the opening nine matches of the season. Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are the top teams in the IPL 2024 points table after the first week. Both sides have earned four points from two matches, with the Super Kings holding a superior net run-rate.
On the other hand, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals are winless in the competition so far. All three teams will aim to open their accounts soon.
Speaking of the first week of IPL 2024, here's a playing 11 featuring the best performers from the nine matches played so far.
Openers - Virat Kohli and Rachin Ravindra
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's star Virat Kohli will open the batting for this team alongside Chennai Super Kings' new signing, Rachin Ravindra. Kohli won the Man of the Match award against the Punjab Kings for his 49-ball 77.
Meanwhile, Ravindra has provided explosive starts at the top of the order for CSK in IPL 2024 so far. The left-handed batter has aggregated 83 runs at an incredible strike rate of 237.14 in two innings.
Middle Order - Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Heinrich Klaasen, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran
Rajasthan Royals' skipper Sanju Samson led his team to two wins in the previous week. He played a captain's knock in the first match against the Lucknow Super Giants, remaining not out on 82. His teammate Riyan Parag has silenced his critics by scoring 127 runs in two innings of IPL 2024. He is currently the highest run-scorer among Indian batters.
Talking about top run-getters, Sunrisers Hyderabad's Heinrich Klaasen owns the Orange Cap after the first week. Klaasen has scored 143 runs at a strike rate of 226.98. He will have the support of southpaws Shivam Dube and Sam Curran in the finishers' department.
Playing for CSK, Dube has scored 85 runs, hitting six fours and as many sixes in two innings. Meanwhile, Sam Curran was the Player of the Match for the Punjab Kings in their season opener against the Delhi Capitals. The Englishman has 86 runs and one wicket to his name in this year's competition.
Bowlers - Harpreet Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mustafizur Rahman
Punjab Kings' Harpreet Brar will form the spin attack of this team alongside RR's Yuzvendra Chahal. Brar and Chahal have taken three wickets each in two IPL 2024 matches. Notably, Brar has maintained a miserly economy rate of less than four runs per over, while Chahal has an impressive average of 14.66.
The lead pacers of the playing XI will be Mumbai Indians' Jasprit Bumrah and CSK's Mustafizur Rahman. Although MI have been winless in the tournament, Bumrah's performances have been superb. He took a three-wicket haul in a losing cause against the Gujarat Titans on Sunday.
Rahman won the Player of the Match award in the IPL 2024 season opener. He took four wickets against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and followed it up with two more scalps against the Titans.