IPL 2024: Heroes and Underdogs of Group Stage

Nathan Revell | 12:00am BST 19 May 2024

The regular season of the Indian Premier League 2024 is entering its final phase, and the plot for places in the playoffs is growing every day. At this stage, the main favorites and disappointments of the current edition of the world’s most prestigious team cricket tournament can be named with confidence. If you want to predict IPL 2024 with the aim of profit, then go through Mostbet ro’zgistlin o’tish. It is a reliable bookmaker that offers the best cricket betting opportunities.

Hearing from Rajasthan

The most prominent revelation and the main sensation of the IPL 2024 season is the wards of Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals. The “Royal” team shows a surprisingly balanced and impressive performance in all aspects and is rightfully sitting at the top of the points table after 10 rounds.

The incredible success of the Royals is ensured by their modern and powerful system, which has no weak spots and no outstanding “anchor” player. Due to the selection of such talented players, the team is equally formidable both at home in Jaipur and in the away fields.

Fall of Bangalore

At the same time, the undisputed underdog and biggest disappointment of the current IPL schedule can be considered the legendary Royal Challengers Bangalore. Ward legend Virat Kohli is firmly entrenched at the bottom of the points table, scoring only 3 wins in 10 matches played.

There are several reasons for RCB’s disappointing performance. First and foremost, the team clearly lacks top-class bowlers who can contain the onslaught of powerful opponents in the final overs. There is also an obvious abundance of so-called “anchor” players with the bat, preferring caution to cricket. As a result, the once formidable collection has become an ideal “punching bag” for almost any opponent.

However, some rays of hope for the disillusioned Bangalore fans can still be seen at the end of the group stage. In the last home match against Gujarat Titans, captain Kohli was finally able to show his unmatched class, smashing the opponents’ runs for 70 runs in just 44 overs of cricket. And the young British All-rounder Will Jex really lit up the “Ninewa” field with his incredible performance of 100 runs! As a result, RCB won the match with a score of 201:100.

Perhaps, this success could be the beginning of the latest revival of the once formidable Bangalore club. However, the total turnaround time is very short.

Challenges of the Giants

The situation is not much better for another giant of Indian club cricket – Mumbai Indians. They are also plagued by serious internal problems, stemming from a long-running dispute between the team and its legendary captain and leader, Rohit Sharma.

The sudden removal of Sharma from the post of senior captain has led to a major disruption in the spirit of the team and a complete loss of clear leadership. Despite the great power of champions like Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and other stars, under the leadership of new captain Hardik Pandya, the team is struggling to balance the squad well and find a balance between defense and attack.

However, the chances of the “Indians” advancing to the qualifying round are still there, although very small. In the current schedule of Mumbai Indians, not only Bumrah – the world’s best bowler in the T20 format, but also a host of world-class batsmen are playing. If Pandya’s team manages to win all the remaining 5 matches of the group stage, they will probably enter the top four.

New Rules – New Challenges

A key feature of this year’s IPL was the introduction of a new rule regarding the use of the so-called “impact player”. According to this innovation, in the last overs of the match, each team has the right to use an additional special batsman to increase the speed of the attack.

It must be admitted that the new rules have already introduced a significant element of uncertainty during the games. For example, during the team, a new unprecedented world record of T20 cricket was recorded – Delhi Capitals team managed to score an amazing 261 runs in a match against Lucknow Super Giants! Other clubs are also continuing – in 8 matches of the current season, the limit of 250 runs per match has been exceeded.

From this, an obvious conclusion emerges: teams with strong bowling and bowling line-ups will have a greater chance in the next round of playoffs. Chances are high that the fate of the IPL 2024 title will be decided precisely in the fierce battle between attack and defense in the final stages of the tournament.

Cancellation of Favorites

At the moment, the team with the highest chances of getting guaranteed qualification for the final round and, as a result, fighting for the title of the tournament, is the Rajasthan Royals. The “royal” club from Jaipur needs only one win in the remaining 5 group stage games to become the first team to secure a place in the playoffs. Right now, the Royals have a comfortable lead – 16 points after 10 rounds. During the regular tournament, teams play 14 games, and 16 points is generally considered a safe margin to reach the final stage.

However, the “Jaipurites” themselves remember well the misfortunes they experienced last season. After that, despite 7 wins, Rajasthan failed to advance to the playoffs due to the worst average of secondary indicators compared to Mumbai, which also finished with 8 wins. So, the Rajasthan club will get full qualification guarantee only after getting 8 or 9 successful results in the group stage.