IPL 2024: Best Indian XI of the second week

The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) concluded its second week with Punjab Kings’ three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium. In the second week, the tournament satiated its supporters with some intriguing matches. 

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) looked superb in the week and are in the first and second spots on the points tally with their three victories each. Mumbai Indians (MI) failed to win their account on the points table, losing their only match in the week against Rajasthan Royals (RR).

Talking about individual performances, overseas names such as Sunil Narine, Trent Boult, Quinton de Kock, and Nicholas Pooran looked stupendous for their teams and made it to the list of top performers in the week. Along with these eminent foreign names, some Indian players also did their jobs exceptionally.

Here is the best Indian XI of the second week

1. Virat Kohli

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) faced a humiliating seven-wicket defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium but their veteran stalwart Virat Kohli looked stupendous with his bat. Following the early departure of captain Faf du Plessis, Kohli took the matter into his own hands and hit a half-century. The 35-year-old stood at the crease until the end of the innings and took RCB’s total to 182 runs with his 83-run knock off 59 deliveries.

2. Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan was excellent with his bat against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the EKANA Stadium. Chasing a huge target of 200 runs, Punjab required a fierce start from their openers Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow. The skipper along with his English teammate stitched a 102-run partnership in just 11.4 overs and gave an ideal start to the side.

Bairstow went back to the pavilion after scoring 42 off 29 but Dhawan continued his attack on LSG bowlers. In the 17th over, the Southpaw lost his wicket after scoring 70 off 50, and following his departure, PBKS innings got derailed and could amass only 178 runs in a reply.

3. Rishabh Pant (WK)

After struggling to be among the runs in the first two games, Rishabh Pant looked extraordinary with his bat in the second week of the tournament. In the 20-run win against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he hit 51 runs off just 32 deliveries and helped his side post an enormous total of 191 runs on the board. Against KKR, DC got a 106-run hammering but as a captain, he exhibited his fighting spirit and produced a 55-run knock from his bat in just 25 balls.

4. Riyan Parag

This season, Riyan Parag has delivered magnificent numbers to Rajasthan Royals (RR) efficiently. Against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium, he displayed his batting mettle again. Following a low target of 126, Rajasthan got a ferocious start but lost their top three batters in a quick time. Parag again stepped up with his bat and played an unbeaten knock of 54 off just 39 with eight boundaries to take his team home comfortably.

5. Shreyas Iyer (C)

Shreyas Iyer has led KKR from the front, so far, this season. Against the Challengers at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the two-time champions emerged victorious by seven wickets and Shreyas scored an unbeaten 34 off just 24. Kolkata recorded IPL’s second-highest team total of 272 against Delhi in Visakhapatnam and Iyer again looked confident with his 18-run innings off 11 balls.

6. Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh’s aggressive batting style makes him perfect to play in the lower-middle-order and finish the innings. Against DC, KKR put up an unprecedented batting show and the 26-year-old contributed 26 runs from his bat in just eight deliveries. His swift innings was studded with four and three maximums.

7. Axar Patel

Axar Patel showcased his bowling brilliance against CSK in Visakhapatnam. Defending a total of 191, Delhi contained the Yellow Army on 171 and the left-arm spinner chipped in with a frugal spell. In his three overs, Axar gave away only 20 runs and took the prized scalp of Daryl Mitchell. 

8. Mohit Sharma

After recording an embarrassing 63-run loss at the hands of CSK at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, GT returned to winning ways with their seven-wicket victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Mohit Sharma received the Player of the Match award for his disciplined bowling. The pacer racked up 3/25 figures in his four overs and helped the hosts restrict Hyderabad to 162. In his brilliant spell, he got rid of Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Washington Sundar.  

9. Mayank Yadav

In the second week of the tournament, IPL fans witnessed the Delhi-born pacer Mayank Yadav’s bowling excellence. Riding on his fiery bowling, Lucknow defended 199 runs successfully and won their first game of the season by 21 runs. The 21-year-old splurged only 27 runs in his four overs and dismissed Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, and Jitesh Sharma. The speedster also got the Player of the Match award for his stunning bowling show.

Mayank continued his excellent work against RCB on the difficult bowling track of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Pursuing a target of 182, Bengaluru found Mayank too hot to handle. He started his spell with the crucial scalp of Glenn Maxwell, who returned to the pavilion on a duck. 

After Maxwell, he hunted another Australian Cameron Green in his second over. He concluded his impressive spell with Rajat Patidar’s wicket. The youngster’s bowling effort (3/14 in four overs) guided LSG to a convincing 28-run win. Mayank became the Player of the Match for two consecutive games. 

10. Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal has looked decent for RR in the tournament, thus far. Against MI, he supported Trent Boult to wreck the hosts’ batting unit. The leggie recorded 3/11 figures in his four overs and played a vital role in concluding Mumbai’s innings on only 125. His three victims in the contest were Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, and Gerald Coetzee.    

11. Avesh Khan

The Sanju Samson-led RR thumped MI by four wickets at the Wankhede Stadium and won their third consecutive game in the season. Trent Boult and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up three wickets apiece and Avesh Khan also delivered a thrifty spell to his side. The 27-year-old got the better of Piyush Chawla in his four overs and leaked only 30 runs.