‘He may not play in IPL as well’ – Sunil Gavaskar raises question on India star batter presence in IPL 2024

Sunil Gavaskar, an India great, has questioned Virat Kohli's participation in the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, following the ace batter's withdrawal from the recent Test series against England for personal reasons. The IPL 2024 season will begin on March 22 with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chepauk Stadium.

Earlier Virat Kohli was part of first two Test squad which was going to face England but later he withdraw his name due to personal reasons. Earlier in this month Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma gave birth to their second child.

When Sunil Gavaskar was asked if Kohli will be eager for runs in the IPL after a long layoff, he responded pretty cheekily. "Kya woh kheleng? Kuchh reason ke liye khel nahin rahe hain, shaayad ho sakta hai ke IPL ke liye bhi na khele (Will he play? He is not playing because of some reason, perhaps he may not play in IPL as well,"

Sunil Gavaskar prasies Dhruv Jurel

Gavaskar believes that wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel of the Rajasthan Royals has the potential to be the best player in this season's IPL. Jurel, in only his second Test match, was named Man of the Match for his excellent batting efforts of 90 and an undefeated 39 in India's series-clinching win against England.

Furthermore, Sunil Gavaskar stated, "He may be promoted up in the batting order. Jurel might become a sensation following his success in the Test matches. Even Akash Deep might gain greater exposure in RCB and fill the role of death over specialist which RCB lacked previous season." Gavaskar also praised Mumbai Indians' decision to give Hardik Pandya captain role, allowing Rohit Sharma to bat freely without the added pressure of guiding the team.

"To allow Rohit to play simply as a batter, he has had a hectic season with the World Cup and now this series. This will allow him to play without worrying about other players. I believe it will be really beneficial to the Mumbai Indians," he added.