IPL 2024: Sunil Gavaskar Expresses Doubt on Former Champions’ IPL Playoff Prospects
IPL 2024: Sunil Gavaskar Doubts Former Champions' IPL Playoff Chances
IPL 2024: Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, legendary player Sunil Gavaskar has rendered a significant decision. Less than two months remain until the event begins, and the teams have already started getting ready. Gavaskar made a daring forecast among his early season predictions. The former batter for India feels that qualifying for the IPL 2024 playoffs for the two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be “not easy.” KKR has only made it into the playoffs once in the previous five seasons, which was in 2021.
Gavaskar, speaking to Star Sports via Sportskeeda, emphasized that the playoff qualification won’t come easy for the former champions, highlighting the necessity of relying on their seasoned experience in both navigating challenging pitches and their extensive IPL tenure. He commended the Indian batting quartet comprising Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, and Venkatesh Iyer, all representing KKR.
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Gavaskar highlighted the significance of experience in handling pressure effectively, noting the exceptional performance of the four players in this regard, particularly praising Rinku Singh’s recent achievements. Meanwhile, at the IPL Players Auction 2024, KKR made headlines by securing Australian pacer Mitchell Starc for a record-breaking amount of Rs 24.75 crore, marking him as the highest-priced player in the tournament’s history. This acquisition surpassed the previous record set by SunRisers Hyderabad’s purchase of Pat Cummins for Rs 20.5 crore in the same auction.
Although KKR invested a significant portion of their budget in securing Starc, they managed to acquire nine additional players by the end of the auction. Despite this expenditure, the two-time champions made a noteworthy move by securing young English fast bowler Gus Atkinson for just Rs 1 crore, marking it as one of the most advantageous deals of the auction.
As anticipation builds for IPL 2024, numerous ex-cricketers are offering their insights and predictions on which teams will emerge as the top contenders and potential champions. Among these discussions, a standout comment has emerged from the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, particularly focusing on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise. Notably owned by Shahrukh Khan, KKR has secured only two titles since the inception of the IPL in 2008. Gavaskar’s observation has garnered attention and intrigue within the cricketing community due to its astute analysis of KKR’s performance history under such prestigious ownership.