The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) began last month, and the tournament has just crossed the halfway stage as we come to the end of April. The table is beginning to take shape, with minimal movement at both the top and bottom ends expected.
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This season is particularly relevant as the T20 World Cup arrives immediately after, in June. This makes form in this year's IPL an important consideration for selection in the national team squad, particularly for Indian players.
India's squad is reportedly expected to be picked soon, with the deadline coming up soon.
Krunal Pandya better than Hardik Pandya?
On Friday, former India international Sanjay Manjrekar picked his ideal squad of fifteen players for the tournament, which included a few interesting selections, to say the least. The ex-Mumbai star left out all-rounder Hardik Pandya, including his brother Krunal Pandya instead.
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As India's premier pace bowling all-rounder, Hardik is essential in providing balance to the Indian XI in T20 cricket, but his form with both bat and ball have not been up to his best this year. However, he is still expected to be picked as there are next to no alternatives for the role he plays.
Krunal has shown himself to be a useful all-rounder at various points in his IPL career. He has won matches for Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants with bat and ball, and has also represented India before. It is unlikely he will be picked even if he has a good season though, as India already have two left-arm spinning all-rounders in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel who will likely get the nod.
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| Name | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardik Pandya | 8 | 151 | 21.6 | 142.5 |
| Krunal Pandya | 8 | 58 | 58.0 | 141.5 |
| Name | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardik Pandya | 8 | 4 | 46.5 | 10.9 |
| Krunal Pandya | 8 | 5 | 31.2 | 7.4 |
| Name | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardik Pandya | 92 | 1348 | 25.4 | 139.8 |
| Krunal Pandya | 19 | 124 | 24.8 | 130.5 |
| Name | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardik Pandya | 92 | 73 | 26.7 | 8.2 |
| Krunal Pandya | 19 | 15 | 36.9 | 8.1 |
Manjrekar also left star batter Virat Kohli out of his squad, and did not pick southpaw batters Rinku Singh or Shivam Dube, choosing instead to select nine bowling options including uncapped pacers Harshit Rana and Mayank Yadav.
Sanjay Manjrekar's India squad for T20 World Cup 2024: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav, Krunal Pandya.
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