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The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) is only a few days away. All 10 franchises will be eyeing the coveted prize, for which they have assembled their side through trades and shrewd moves at the auction.
As the slightly overused phrase goes, 'Batters win you matches, while bowlers win you tournaments.', the same naturally holds true for the IPL as well, with the past being a testament to it. Having a prolific bowling unit is essential if teams wish to make a mark in this highly competitive tournament, and since there is a provision for only eight overseas players in the squad, the bulk of the bowling attacks are often Indian candidates.
One of the major problems that franchises have is maintaining the high quality of the bowling attack through Indian bowlers, which the competition demands. After spending astronomical amounts on overseas candidates, they are left to rope in mediocre names in terms of local options to round up their bowling unit.
Although each franchise have a good pool of Indian bowlers in terms of quantity, they differ greatly in terms of quality. On that note, let us rank the Indian bowling pool of each IPL franchise ahead of the 2024 edition.
#10 Royal Challengers Bangalore
The three-time finalists' bowling unit rebuild did not go as planned in the IPL mini-auction. The franchise had already weakened their bowling department by letting go of Shahbaz Ahmed for Mayank Dagar in a trade move in the off-season.
Coupled with the release of Harshal Patel, there is hardly any credible Indian presence in the bowling setup. The spin department only comprises Karn Sharma and Mahipal Lomror. The lineup of Yash Dayal and Vijaykumar Vyshak along with uncapped names like Rajan Kumar and Avinash Singh makes for grim reading, and an impending over-dependence on their bowling spearhead, Mohammed Siraj.
#9 Kolkata Knight Riders
Much like RCB, the two-time champions' Indian pace department is far from ideal. The franchise have suffered greatly due to a lack of impactful names in their pace bowling unit across the last couple of editions.
Heading into the 2024 season, the franchise have Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, and Vaibhav Arora as their primary Indian pace bowling candidates. Although there is potential, there is just not enough threat as compared to the opposition sides.
What KKR have an improvement over the RCB Indian bowling pool is the fact that they have a solid spin bowling contingent built on local names like Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma. The duo showcased their ability in the 2023 season, and could be a serious threat, particularly on spin-friendly surfaces.
#8 Gujarat Titans
The injury to Mohammed Shami weakens GT's Indian bowling strength to a large extent. In terms of pace bowling options now, the franchise have the experienced Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, and the emerging Kartik Tyagi and Darshan Nalkande. The rather interesting blend of names could arguably go either way, making it one of the most unpredictable bowling units in the entire league.
GT's spin bowling is largely overseas in the form of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed, but they do have good local options like R Sai Kishore, Manav Suthar, and Rahul Tewatia. However, how much game time they actually get is a huge question mark.
#7 Chennai Super Kings
CSK's Indian bowling strength largely depends on how Deepak Chahar can function at full fitness. While the franchise do have names like Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur, it is Chahar who glues the entire bowling unit together.
Apart from the aforementioned names, who are responsible for the majority of strength in terms of the Indian bowling pool, the defending champions also have Nishant Sindhu, Shivam Dube, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, and Simarjeet Singh as potential options.
Deshpande had a monumental 2023 season, but his economy remains a huge concern for the side. Mukesh has had his injury struggles of late while Dube has not been extensively used with the ball by MS Dhoni.
#6 Lucknow Super Giants
LSG's Indian bowling pool strength arises from the successful spin bowling pair of Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya. The duo have complimented each other quite well across the last couple of editions, and they are certain to play a key role once again for the team, especially in home conditions. The team also have local options like Krishnappa Gowtham and Deepak Hooda, who have proven to be handy options with the ball in the past.
However, they do not boast the same prowess when it comes to the pace department. Shivam Mavi's acquisition is a crucial one for the team, while other emerging players like Yudhvir Singh, Yash Thakur and Mohsin Khan have a lot of promise, but do not solve the matter at present.
#5 Delhi Capitals
Much like LSG, it is the prowess and fine form of DC's Indian spin bowling pool that propels them onto this list. The duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav have the potential to be the most prolific spin duo of the tournament if the franchise play their cards right.
Although the team have solid local pace bowling options, it cannot be termed ideal by any means. Their biggest Indian name in the pace bowling pool is arguably Mukesh Kumar, who has had an eventful last 12 months. He will have a bigger role to play this season, while he will have the experience of Ishant Sharma and the pace of Khaleel Ahmed and Rasikh Dar to work with.
#4 Punjab Kings
PBKS' Indian contingent has been reinforced with Harshal Patel's acquisition, which was much needed as the bowling unit was dominated by overseas names.
Although the franchise still do not have many local options in terms of bowling, the names they have do boast quality. Arshdeep Singh's credentials speak volumes about him being the leader of the bowling pack.
Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar could be a serious spin duo, but they have not been able to perform at their best. Despite that, the Indian spin bowling pool looks good on paper, and can be assisted by overseas part-time candidates if required.
Other Indian options also come across as promising, especially in the form of Karnataka's Vidwath Kaverappa and the ever-reliable Rishi Dhawan.
#3 Rajasthan Royals
The inaugural winners bolstered their Indian bowling pool by acquiring Avesh Khan in a trade move. Now, with Prasidh Krishna ruled out of the tournament, it proves to be a smart trade move at the expense of Devdutt Padikkal, who never quite settled with the side in the middle order.
The franchise have a stocked and versatile Indian pool of pacers with Sandeep Sharma there for experience, while Kuldeep Sen and Navdeep Saini bring pace into the mix.
However, the strength of the RR bowling unit, in terms of Indian names, comes from the spin bowling duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. The experienced pair have controlled the middle overs for quite a while now, and RR's success lies in how they perform, especially with the batting unit taking care of itself as always.
#2 Mumbai Indians
Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya's return in a different sense from each other, is expected to turn the franchise's Indian bowling pool around. The pair of match winners come across as a welcome addition for the five-time winners, who struggled in this department in the 2023 edition.
However, apart from the aforementioned duo and a brilliant overseas bowling unit, MI's Indian bowling pool stands out for other reasons as well. Akash Madhwal and Arjun Tendulkar are credible prospects to round the bowling unit around while the spin department also boasts local names.
Piyush Chawla and Shreyas Gopal bring experience with them, especially the former, who enjoyed his most successful IPL season at the age of 34. Kumar Kartikeya marks his inclusion in the mix as a versatile option as well.
#1 Sunrisers Hyderabad
SRH have always been known for their Indian bowling pool, and it is no surprise that ahead of the 2024 season, they host a slew of credible names.
Finishing last in the previous season, the franchise are desperate for a turnaround, which can be a reality if the old and the new forces unite for the cause. Stalwarts Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Undadkat and T Natarajan can still work their magic, while they have one of the most promising pace bowling candidates in Umran Malik. Akash Singh also comes across as a solid backup option, as he proved in the 2023 season for CSK.
They also have their local spin bowling pool covered, led by the duo of Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Ahmed, while Abhishek Sharma can roll his arm over if needed as well.
