Exclusive: IPL 2024 Strongest Left vs Right-hand Players 11
Young Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill at opposite ends as we look at the current strongest left vs right-handed players 11 for IPL 2024.
It’s a new season of the Indian Premier League, and we are once again back in the territory of watching our favorite players so bonkers in the tournament. Every individual has his or her favorite players. Either they can be right-handers or left-handers, or they can bowl with right hand or left hand. It’s an individual choice to look at.
There is quality in both categories of players – be it right-handers or left-handers. But if we have to form a team of players of these two categories, who among the current payers will make it in the final 11? Well, how about we look at the current best right vs left-handed playing 11 for IPL 2024?
To find out the best 11 players in each category, we will give preference to the performance rating of each player. The performance rating is derived by comparing the IPL and T20 performance of each player against the benchmark in the last two years. Similarly, we will make sure, only four overseas players are selected in each team.
Openers:
Team Left-handed: David Warner & Yashasvi Jaiswal
Team Right-handed: Shubman Gill & KL Rahul
Talking about the best openers in each category, we have Shubman Gill and KL Rahul for Team RH, and David Warner and Yashasvi Jaiswal for Team LH. Gill was the Orange cap winner in 2023, and has been in terrific form in the IPL in the last few years. Whereas KL Rahul has been an IPL legend with supreme performance in the last 5-6 years.
For Team LH, there is another IPL legend, David Warner, who too has been performing extremely well in the IPL for eternity now. Meanwhile, his opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal is in the form of his life currently, and did exceptionally in IPL and T20Is in the last couple of years. So, overall these two form a good opening combination for Team LH.
Middle-order:
Team Left-handed: Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant & Rinku Singh
Team Right-handed: Virat Kohli, Surykumar Yadav & Hardik Pandya
Coming to the middle-order, there is a great mix of fire-power and ice in both Teams. Team RH has Virat Kohli at number 3, Suryakumar Yadav at number 4, and Hardik Pandya at number 5. Whereas for Team LH, there’s Nicholas Pooran at number 3, Rishabh Pant at number 4, and Rinku Singh at number 5. Both teams look balanced, but Team RH seems marginally better overall.
Finishers:
Team Left-handed: Axar Patel & Ravindra Jadeja
Team Right-handed: Andre Russell & Heinrich Klaasen
Talking about the finishers, there is once again no comparison when it comes to the quality of Team RH. The Right-handed team has two best finishers in the world currently in the form of Heinrich Klaasen and Andre Russell. No other player match the quality of finishing these two posses. In comparison, Team LH has Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, who are more valuable as all-rounders than finishers.
But talking about the all-rounders of both teams, Team LH seems to have a slight edge here. While Team RH has Hardik Pandya and Andre Russell as two pace all-rounders in the side, Team LH has more variety with two spin all-rounders in the form of Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, and one pace all-rounder in the form of Sam Curran. Some good batting depth and variety in all-rounders gives Team LH a slight edge here.
Bowlers:
Team Left-handed: Sam Curran, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Trent Boult
Team Right-handed: Rashid Khan, Matheesha Pathirana, Jasprit Bumrah & Yuzvendra Chahal
Now, coming to the most important part, the bowlers, the difference in quality seems purely visible when it comes to right-handed bowlers vs left-handed bowlers. While Team LH has Sam Curran, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Trent Boult, and two all-rounders as bowlers, Team RH has Rashid Khan, Matheesha Pathirana, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, and two pace all-rounders as bowlers.
Overall, the quality of Team RH is exceptional as they have the benchmark pacer, Jasprit Bumrah as well as the benchmark spinner, Rashid Khan. Even the second-best spinner in the competition, Yuzvendra Chahal is a part of Team RH. While Team LH may be relatively low in terms of quality, the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Trent Boult, and Sam Curran are excellent powerplay bowlers, and that is where they make a difference with Team RH.
IPL 2024 – Strongest Left-handed Players 11:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, David Warner, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c&wk), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Trent Boult,
IPL 2024 – Strongest Right-handed Players 11:
Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Andre Russell, Rashid Khan, Matheesha Pathirana, Jasprit Bumrah & Yuzvendra Chahal
So, that’s about the strongest left vs right-handed players 11 for IPL 2024. Overall, Team RH seems stronger on paper for IPL 2024 given they have the benchmark opener, benchmark middle-order batter, benchmark finisher, benchmark all-rounder, benchmark spinner as well as benchmark pacer. But Team LH also looks strong on paper. And if such a match happens, it would be a fighting contest.
Thanks for reading! What’s your IPL 2024 strongest players 11 when it comes to Team Left-handed vs Team Right-handed? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com.
ALSO READ: IPL 2024: Ranking All 10 Teams Playoffs Qualification Probability
Adesh Kothari is the founder of AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics with over 20 years of experience following Cricket.
Cricket to him is like what Football is to Lionel Messi, Singing is to Lata Mangeshkar, Dancing is to Michael Jackson, and Acting is to Clint Eastwood.
Besides his effervescent love for Cricket, Adesh is an MBA by qualification.
