Top 5 underrated knocks of IPL 2024 ft. Virat Kohli and Riyan Parag
The 2024 IPL season will be remembered for the evolution of T20 batsmanship and the innumerable batting records broken by teams and individuals. While the final between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) was an anticlimax in that regard, with the latter scoring a paltry 113 in the first innings, the number was often the score after 10 overs.
IPL 2024 had the usual suspects like Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad leading the way in the run-scoring charts, while players like Riyan Parag and Travis Head enjoyed their breakthrough season.
The best knocks in such a high-scoring IPL season are aplenty and stuck in our memory; yet like always, several other performances by batters went under the radar. On that note, let us look at the five most underrated knocks of IPL 2024.
Top 5 underrated knocks of IPL 2024
#1 Heinrich Klaasen - 50 off 34 vs RR (Qualifier 2)
Renowned for his breathtaking finishes, SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) wicket-keeper batter Heinrich Klaasen showed the mature side of his game in Qualifier 2 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
On a tacky and two-paced Chennai wicket, Klaasen walked into bat with SRH in trouble at 57/3 after five overs. With RR boasting two world-class spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, the 32-year-old had to resurrect the innings.
Displaying a tremendous sense of composure, Klaasen mixed caution with aggression by running ones and twos at will, while smashing timely sixes. He struck four maximums, three off Chahal, and ran hard between the wickets to finish on a well-paced 50 off 34.
His knock propelled SRH to a match-winning 175/9 in 20 overs, resulting in a 36-run victory. Further evidence of how difficult the track was came from SRH's rarely-used spinners Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma, who ran through the RR batting lineup in the second innings.
Klaasen finished his IPL 2024 campaign with an impressive 479 runs at an average of almost 40 and a strike rate of 171.07 in 16 games.
#2 Virat Kohli - 47 off 29 vs CSK
For someone who finished the IPL 2024 season with a century and five half-centuries, how valuable can a 47 be? Ask Virat Kohli what his best performance of the tournament was and he would probably mention the 29-ball vigil against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a win-or-go-home encounter.
In what turned out to be the game of the IPL, RCB and CSK went back and forth in the deciding clash for the fourth playoff spot. Batting first, RCB was off to the races at 31/0 in three overs, with Kohli on 19 from nine deliveries when rain intervened.
Once the play resumed, the Chinnaswamy wicket turned into a Day 5 square turner, with the spinners getting exaggerated spin. Yet, Kohli used all his experience and skill to weather the storm of the high-class CSK spin trio of Maheesh Theekshana, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mitchell Santner.
The champion batter also struck timely boundaries to keep the momentum up before the rain interrupted, and finished with a brilliant 47 off 29 deliveries. Kohli's knock proved pivotal as RCB capitalized in the second half of the innings when the pitch got easier and amassed 218/5 in 20 overs.
They restricted CSK to 191 in their response and clinched a playoff spot that looked improbable at the season's halfway mark. Kohli finished as the Orange Cap winner with 741 runs at an average of almost 62 and a strike rate of 154.69 in 15 games.
#3 Riyan Parag - 84* off 45 vs DC
IPL 2024 was undoubtedly the coming out party for 22-year-old Riyan Parag, as he finished with 573 runs at an average of over 52 in 16 games.
However, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) needed that one innings early in the season to prove his arrival among the big boys of the IPL. After scoring an impressive 43 off 29 in RR's season opener, Parag unleashed his full potential in their next game against the Delhi Capitals (DC).
With RR in dire straits at 36/3, the youngster thrilled the Jaipur fans with a sensational 45-ball 84. The way Parag shifted gears was a sight to behold as 59 (39 balls) turned into 84 in a matter of six deliveries.
The fact that Parag was the lone half-centurion in the entire game puts his display into perspective, as RR won by 12 runs to start the season with back-to-back victories.
#4 Shashank Singh - 61* off 29 vs GT
For all the brilliant top-order batting from several batters, IPL 2024 went through a period of Shashank Singh pulling off incredible rearguard actions for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) that had fans on the edge of their seats.
The 32-year-old announced himself in PBKS' fourth game of the season against the Gujarat Titans (GT). Chasing 200 for victory, PBKS suffered their customary collapse to be reduced to 70/4 in the ninth over when Shashank walked into the middle.
The right-handed batter showed no mercy on the GT bowlers, smashing an unbeaten 61 off 29 deliveries. With 50 needed off 27, Shashank combined with the other new-found gem Ashutosh Sharma to add 43 off the next 22 deliveries.
Finally, a boundary at five off three, followed by a leg bye, sealed the deal as Shashank helped PBKS pull off a miraculous win by three wickets.
# 5 Andre Russell - 64* off 25 vs SRH
After their utter domination of IPL 2024 culminated with a third title, it is hard to remember KKR reeling when Andre Russell saved them in their season opener.
Coming off back-to-back disappointing seasons, KKR desperately needed a winning start to IPL 2024. However, they were reduced to 119/6 against SRH, much to the disappointment of the packed Eden Gardens crowd.
Yet, Russell was a man on a mission, bludgeoning his way to a brutal 64 off 25 deliveries with three boundaries and seven maximums. The West Indian resurrected a sinking KKR ship with his counterattacking knock, helping them post a massive 208/7 in 20 overs.
It was the sparkplug that kickstarted KKR's incredible campaign as they won the contest by four runs, and the rest is history.
Russell enjoyed one of his best all-round IPL seasons, scoring 222 runs and picking up 19 scalps.