The cricket carnival, the Indian Premier League, is just 11 days away. All the franchises have begun their preparations, and it’s that time of the year when hardly any international cricket will be played. The India vs. England Test series has concluded, and Australian and New Zealand players are also free to travel to India after their Test series came to an end today.
Meanwhile, during IPL 2024, many players will be seen on the field after a long break. Let’s take a look at star Indian players who are making a return after missing months of cricket.
1. MS Dhoni
The CSK skipper now plays only in the Indian Premier League, and he will be returning to the field after one year. Last season, under his captaincy, the Chennai Super Kings lifted their 5th IPL trophy. At 42, MS Dhoni is the oldest player in IPL 2024 season.
2. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has been absent from cricketing action since India’s home T20I series against Afghanistan. The former RCB captain played his last match on January 17 against Afghanistan. He missed all five Test matches against England due to personal reasons. Amid the break, he welcomed his second child. Virat Kohli will be seen donning the RCB jersey for the 17th consecutive season.
3. Hardik Pandya
The career of the Surat-born all-rounder has been marked with injuries. Pandya caught a leg injury during the World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh and was sidelined for the remainder of the tournament. Ahead of IPL 2024, he has been declared fit and will be seen captaining the Mumbai Indians.
4. Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant will make his long-awaited return in IPL 2024. The keeper-batter’s career was put on hold after his freak accident in December 2022. A serious knee injury kept him out of cricketing action for the entire 2023 year. The cricketer had to work hard to regain his fitness and agility after undergoing knee surgery. Now, the NCA has declared him IPL-fit, and he will be seen captaining the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming season.
5. Suryakumar Yadav
The Mumbai Indian batter has been out of action since December 2023. During the 3rd T20I in the South Africa tour, the Indian captain picked up an ankle injury while making a fielding effort. He was then ruled out of the remainder of the tour and the Afghanistan T20I series as well. In IPL 2024, Suryakumar Yadav will make a return after missing three months of cricket.
6. Ishan Kishan
After playing the T20I series against Australia post-World Cup, Ishan Kishan requested a break from the BCCI due to mental fatigue. However, the Indian cricket board was left unimpressed with him as he had attended some events during this period. Later, he made himself unavailable for the Ranji Trophy season, which led the BCCI to make an unemotional decision of axing his central contract. He will sport the keeping gloves for the Hardik Pandya-led MI. The season will be crucial for him after the recent setback he has faced.
