The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League is a little away from now. Even though the dates of the tournament are not finalised yet due to the general elections in India, the fever of T20 cricket has started to grip the fans. Several players have made their names big after entering into the Indian cash-rich league.
From the likes of Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rinku Singh to many others, the Indian tournament has given rise to many big-wigs in the Indian arena. Several players desire to enter into the tournament to take a big stride into their careers. Notably, there will be several players entering the tournament for the first time. Here we discuss five such big names who are set to make their IPL debuts:
1 - Shamar Joseph: West Indies new sensation Shamar Joseph will be playing the Indian cash-rich league for the first time. After his brilliance in the Test series against Australia, Joseph has become a talent to hunt. He has been picked by Lucknow Super Giants for the upcoming season of the tournament as a replacement player for Mark Wood. The England Cricket Board has pulled out Wood from the tournament to manage his workload. Joseph has been signed for INR 3 crore by the Super Giants.
2 - Gerald Coetzee: Another international superstar coming into the tournament is South Africa's pacer Coetzee. The right-arm pacer picked a record 20 wickets in his maiden appearance in the ODI World Cup 2023. He also set the record for most wickets picked by a Proteas bowler in a single World Cup edition. He was signed by Mumbai Indians in the IPL auctions 2024 for 5 crore. Coetzee was picked by Rajasthan Royals during the IPL 2021 as a replacement for Liam Livingstone Rajasthan Royals but he did not play a game then.
3 - Nandre Burger: Left-arm speedster from South Africa, Burger is another Proteas star in the IPL line-up. He impressed many with his performances during the India vs South Africa Test series, where he picked 11 wickets, the joint most for South Africa. Burger has been signed by Rajasthan Royals at the auctions for a price of INR 50 lakhs.
4 - Spencer Johnson: Australian pacer Spencer Johnson had a year to remember in 2023. He had a brilliant KFC BBL|12 season for Brisbane Heat where he picked 19 wickets in the tournament. Johnson picked 3/1 on his debut at The Hundred when he bowled against the likes of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt for the Oval Invincibles. He picked a handsome purse of INR 10 crore by Gujarat Titans at the IPL 2024 auction.
5 - Rachin Ravindra: New Zealand young sensation Rachin Ravindra is also set to make his IPL debut. After breaking records in the ODI World Cup 2023, Rachin was picked by Chennai Super Kings for the upcoming season for a sum of INR 1.80 crore. He was recently part of the Test series against South Africa and is a gun top-order batter along with his ability to spin the ball.
