Aussies in India: Australian representation in the 2024 IPL

Brought to you by Emmanuel Davis.

A total of 15 Australian cricketers will turn out for eight different IPL franchises during the 2024 edition of the prestigious tournament.

As such, nearly 20 per cent of all foreigners competing in the current edition hail from Down Under, including the new IPL record signing, Mitchell Stark.

This total would have been even higher if Adam Zampa hadn't withdrawn from the Rajasthan Royals squad for personal reasons and Jason Behrendorff departed the tournament favourites, the Mumbai Indians (4.50), through injury.

The players' withdrawals mean that of the 10 IPL franchises, only the Rajashan-based franchise and the second-favoured Chennai Super Kings (4.75) don't include any Australian players.

Besides Mumbai and Chennai topping online betting for instance, according to the listed sites on Techopedia, several other candidates could walk away with the IPL title in 2024.

While the Royals (8.00) can't draw on Australian assistance, the Kolkata Knight Riders (8.00), Royal Challengers Bangalore (9.00) and Gujarat Titans (10.00) all have Aussie players in their squads to help their IPL causes.

Let's run through the franchises that include Australians as part of their foreign quotas for the 2024 IPL tournament, which started last Friday.

We'll name the players and briefly include some facts surrounding their inclusion.

We'll start with the Dehli Capitals that, with four Australians, has the highest contingent from Down Under in its squad.

David Warner, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Jhye Richardson and Mitchell Marsh base themselves in Dehli this IPL season, with Warner captaining The Capitals.

While the other three have both Test and IPL experience, 21-year-old Fraser-McGurk is debuting in the IPL this season as a replacement for South African paceman Lungi Ngidi.

Having recently played his first ODIs for his country, the youngster became the scorer of the fastest List-A century in history, smashing his hundred off only 29 balls last October. As such, the top-order batsman is perfect for IPL-style cricket.

Matthew Wade and Spencer Johnson turn out for the Gujarat Titans this term. Wade is an experienced T20 player, having played 85 T20I matches for his country and represented domestic short-format franchises in Australia, India, England, South Africa and Pakistan.

28-year-old Johnson is a late bloomer in international cricket, having made his T20I debut against South Africa in August last year. The left-arm fast bowler has since taken six T20I wickets and makes his first appearance in the IPL this season.

Kolkata Knight Riders spent A$4.43 million to sign Mitchell Starc for this season, breaking all previous IPL records. In Starc, the franchise has one of the world's elite fast bowlers, who has taken 357 Test wickets, 236 ODI scalps and another 74 in T20Is.

Many might bet he could be the difference in the success of KKR's 2024 IPL campaign.

Ashton Turner and Marcus Stoinis are based in Lucknow in 2024 as members of the Super Giants. At 34, Stoinis has played franchise cricket in Australia, India, England and the USA while Turner, three years younger than his compatriot, has a wealth of domestic experience and is representing his second IPL franchise.

Middle-order batter Tim David has represented Singapore and Australia internationally and is established as a T20 cricketer across the globe.

He is the only Australian member of the Mumbai Indians squad this season, with the Punjab Kings drawing on a single Aussie, the experienced, long-standing Tasmanian fast-medium bowler Nathan Ellis, to secure IPL wickets in 2024.

Top Australian internationals Cameron Green and Glenn Maxwell turn out for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2024.

All-rounder Green moves from the Mumbai Indians to play for RCB for the first time this year, while Maxwell, one of the world's most devastating short-format batsmen on his day, begins a fourth straight IPL season in Bangalore.

Last, but not least, Sunrisers Hyderabad has signed Australian Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins to lead their charge for a second IPL title, with one of the world's premier fast bowlers joined by fellow Australian international Travis Head in the Telangana state capital.

With 111 Tests and 153 ODIs between the two, the new Sunrisers' recruits will add immense value to the franchise's IPL chances.

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