3 top cricketers from Madhya Pradesh in IPL 2024 ft. Avesh Khan

The Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association has produced talented players, who have created an impact not just at the domestic level, but also in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and on the international circuit.

A new name from MPCA has now emerged at the ongoing IPL 2024. Representing the Punjab Kings (PBKS), Ashutosh Sharma grabbed the spotlight during his team’s recent match against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Chasing a daunting total of 200 runs, PBKS batters Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh stitched together a 43-run seventh-wicket partnership as the former dominated with a 17-ball 31. Though it was Shashank who played a match-winning knock, Ashutosh’s contributions in the middle were crucial.

While he played as an impact substitute against GT, Ashutosh was included in the main XI against SRH. He shared another key partnership with Shashank as the two put up an unbeaten 66-run stand off just 27 deliveries but fell just two runs short of chasing down the target.

But apart from Ashutosh, there are quite a few players from Madhya Pradesh who have been a part of the cash-rich event and have made a name for themselves. On that note, here’s a look at the top three cricketers from Madhya Pradesh who are at IPL 2024.

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#3 Rajat Patidar

30-year-old Rajat Patidar made headlines following his heroics against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2022 eliminator. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricketer notched up a magnificent century and remained unbeaten, scoring 112 off 54 deliveries.

After a poor showing in IPL 2022, RCB released him ahead of the following season’s auction. He returned to the franchise as a replacement player and eventually ended up being the third-highest run-getter for the franchise that year.

Patidar made his international debut against South Africa in the third ODI during India’s tour of South Africa in December 2023. The RCB batter then earned his Test cap in India’s second game of the five-match series against England in Visakhapatnam.

After missing out on the 2023 edition of the tournament due to an injury, Patidar returned to action this year but is yet to impress with the bat. In the four games that he has played so far this season, Patidar has registered scores of 0, 18, 3, and 29.

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#2 Venkatesh Iyer

Another cricketer from Madhya Pradesh who gained limelight at the IPL is Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer. The two-time champions secured Iyer’s services for INR 20 lakh at the 2021 auction, and since then, he has been a regular face in their XI.

After a successful outing in his debut season, Venkatesh Iyer earned his India call-up soon and made his T20I debut on November 17, 2021, against New Zealand. He then represented India in the ODIs against South Africa in January 2022, marking his debut in the 50-over format.

But his international career has been at a standstill, with his last appearance for the Men in Blue coming on February 27, 2022. Nonetheless, he has been a force at the IPL.

In 40 matches for KKR, Venkatesh Iyer has scored 1021 runs, including eight half-centuries and a hundred. He scored his maiden IPL ton in the 2023 edition at the Wankhede Stadium against Mumbai Indians. Venkatesh has been struggling to get going this time around but will be hoping to repeat last year’s heroics.

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#1 Avesh Khan

India bowler Avesh Khan is yet another player from Madhya Pradesh at the IPL. He is currently representing the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the ongoing edition of the tournament. Avesh Khan made his debut for RCB in IPL 2017 before shifting bases to Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2018.

After representing DC for four years, Avesh Khan was roped in by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the IPL 2022 mega-auction. He represented the KL Rahul-led side for two seasons before the franchise traded him for RR’s Devdutt Padikkal.

The 27-year-old put in some noteworthy performances in the 2022 edition for LSG, which helped him earn his India call-up in both the white-ball formats. Ever since making his India debut, he has been a regular in India’s T20I and ODI squads.

In 51 IPL matches, Avesh Khan has picked up 57 wickets at an economy of 8.62 and an average of 27.61. He registered his best bowling figures of 4/24 against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in his maiden outing with the Lucknow-based franchise in 2022.