KKR vs SRH. (Source -IPL/BCCI)
The 17th edition of the IPL 2024 came to an end with KKR winning their third IPL title. The tournament was mostly dominated by the batters whereas the bowlers struggled to be in the contests. There were run fests all over and many records were broken in the tournament. It was one such edition where the bowlers were nearly irrelevant and near to nothing. If not for the second half, things would have been worse.
The domination of either MI or CSK was missed in the season and the likes of KKR, SRH, and RR were the top sides of the tournament. Some teams punched above their weight and put on a great performance. Others just did not live up to the expectations. While some teams had an insane comeback in the league, other teams collapsed to get going after a good start in the league.
Here’s the ranking of all teams based on their performance in the league:
10. Gujarat Titans – 4/10
GT vs CSK. (Source -IPL/BCCI)
Gujarat Titans finished 8th in the tournament. But they were probably the worst side of the edition. None of their batters or bowlers were in good form. Some of their key players were either out of touch or were consistent. They never took off after the first three matches and seemed too easy to be beaten.
9. Mumbai Indians – 4.5/10
MI ( Source: IPL )
Mumbai Indians, for the squad they had, performed underwhelmingly. The 5-time champions suffered the wooden spoon for the second time in three seasons. While MI had many players who did individually well, they could not do well as a team. Hardik Pandya was not accepted well by the fans and it was rather a forgettable season for them.
8. Punjab Kings – 5/10
SRH vs PBKS, IPL 2024. (Source -IPL/BCCI)
The Punjab Kings had a good bowling lineup. Their finishing had good emerging talents. But their top-order batting cost them a lot of games. The home conditions suited their style of play with good bowling wickets. Outside the home, they were not competitive enough. For the 10th time in a row, they failed to make it to the playoffs.
7. Lucknow Super Giants – 6/10
LSG fielding ( Source: IPL )
Lucknow Super Giants had a good first half where they won 4 of their first 5 matches. At that point, an impressive youngster, Mayank Yadav, sustained an injury, which meant a huge dent in LSG’s performances. After getting a good start, LSG collapsed. Their wins were determined by the performances of Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran.
6. Delhi Capitals – 6/10
Delhi Capitals. (Source -IPL/BCCI)
Delhi Capitals did not have a good start. In their first 5 matches, the North Indian franchise lost 4 and seemed to suffer a wooden spoon. But giving a chance to Jake Fraser-McGurk turned out to be a masterstroke. His presence in the side helped them to win a lot of matches. But towards the last 3-4 matches, they couldn’t sustain the momentum.
5. Chennai Super Kings – 6.5/10
CSK ( Source: IPL )
Chennai Super Kings, at one point, looked a certain entry for the playoffs. But in the last two matches, they suffered crucial losses. Their campaign was not consistent as they had a roller coaster of a journey. In the second half, they won and lost a match on a consistent basis. A bit of consistent run would have helped them to gain the momentum.
4. Royal Challengers Benglauru – 7.5/10
RCB team sad ( Source: IPL )
Royal Challengers Bengaluru had an insane turnaround in the season. The 3-time runner-ups lost 7 of their first 8 matches and had a chance of 1 per cent of qualifying. From there, they won all their 6 matches to qualify for the playoffs. Despite losing the Eliminator to RR, their turnaround was inspirational and worth to be lauded.
3. Rajasthan Royals – 8/10
Rajasthan Royals ( Source: IPL )
Rajasthan Royals had two different phases in the league. In the months of March and April, they played 8 matches and won 7 of them, losing only one. But in May, they won one and lost eight matches. In the first half, they seemed to be the team to beat. In the second half, nothing seemed to be working for them. Their only win in the phase was against RCB.
2. Sunrisers Hyderabad – 9/10
Sunrisers Hyderabad. (Source -IPL/BCCI)
Sunrisers Hyderabad entered the final for the first time in 8 years. They were the second-best team in the league and were carried by the performances of their batters. In the bowling department, only Pat Cummins and T Natarajan bowled well on a consistent basis. But in the final, it was their batting unit that let them down.
1. Kolkata Knight Riders – 10/10
KKR vs SRH. (Source -IPL/BCCI)
Kolkata Knight Riders had a near-perfect team so much so that they are now being compared among the greatest IPL teams of all time. They had the best balance for a team with 6 bowlers and all the batters doing well for them. They had no particular flaw and did not rely on an individual to win games for them. For the first time in 10 years, they won the cup.
