T20 World Cup 2024 is going to begin on Saturday in Dallas, with tournament co-host the United States taking on Canada. The worldwide T20 tournament has been expanded to 20 teams. This time lower-ranked nations have a GREAT chance at the top level. Also, keeping the usual favorites in the title race.
250-plus players at this tournament and the biggest stars in the cricket world. The tournament co-hosts, the United States will be up against Canada. But before we watch that game, let’s take a look at the top five players that could make a big difference in the tournament.
#1 T20 Player: Phil Salt
Age: 27
Team: England
In January 2022, Salt played his first T20 series. He had a strike rate of 193.54 against the West Indies. Then, he repeated his aggressive performance when England went to the Caribbean in December last year. He scored 185.95 in five T20s, including back-to-back hundreds. He succeeds Alex Hales at the top of England’s Twenty20 order. Well, a difficult task given that Hales and captain Jos Buttler helped England win the championship in 2022.
For nearly a year after the win in Australia, England was the holder of the TWO main cricket trophies in the globe. Salt’s recent form might benefit England. He scored 435 runs in 12 games for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2024 IPL. And his inning helped the team win its third title.
#2 T20 Player: Jasprit Bumrah
Age: 30
Team: India
Since his debut in 2016, Bumrah has emerged as the world’s best T20 bowler. Despite his quick pace, he has yet to assist India win the Twenty20 World Cup, which they have been vying for since 2007. He also missed the 2022 edition due to an injury. Bumrah’s age remains an advantage, and this time he brings both form and fitness to the competition.
During the last Indian Premier League season, he took 20 wickets in 12 games, with a 6.48 economy and a 16.80 average. It clearly showed Bumrah’s bowling capabilities in this format. And it made him the most potent pace threat in international T20.
#3 T20 Player: Heinrich Klaasen
Age: 32
Team: South Africa
You can easily compare Klaasen’s big-hitting with India’s Suryakumar Yadav, who now leads the T20 batting rankings. WHY??? Because these two hitters are similar not just in terms of official rankings, but also in their unexpected but scorching styles. Yadav’s shot selection is flashy, whereas Klaasen’s is more traditional. But he compensates with power.
Plus, Klaasen is very effective against spin. He had a strike rate of 158.93, which jumps to 196.42 after a team’s innings against both spin and pace. In the 2024 IPL, he proved it by smashing spinners at 181.36. And, with spin set to play a crucial role in the tournament’s second stage. So, no doubt, Klaasen’s performances will help South Africa break its World Cup drought.
#4 T20 Player: Rachin Ravindra
Age: 24
Team: New Zealand
This young batter dominated the 2023 World Cup in the 50-overs format. Ravindra, whose surname is a combination of India’s two batting icons Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, scored 578 runs in 10 matches to help New Zealand get to the semifinals. He scored a STUNNING century on his World Cup debut against England.
Ravindra gained T20 experience with the Chennai Super Kings in the last IPL. He made 222 runs at a strike rate of 160.86, and the Black Caps will be trying to duplicate their World Cup achievement.
#5 T20 Player: Nicholas Pooran
Age: 28
Team: West Indies
From the Indian finest League to the Big Bash, from SA20 to ILT20, the Hundred, the PSL, the UAE T10, the Bangladesh Premier League, and, of course, the Caribbean Premier League, Pooran has emerged as the West Indies’ finest T20 star. He has seized the baton from Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, carving out a niche for himself in franchise leagues throughout the world.
Pooran will be the TOP hitter for the West Indies in its home Twenty20 World Cup. Remember, it’s a tournament where the Caribbean squad hopes to make up for their first-round Twenty20 elimination in 2022 and miss the 2023 ODI World Cup.
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