Ahead of the start of IPL 2024, former South Africa batsman AB de Villiers has picked the player to watch out for in the tournament. The seventeenth season of the IPL is scheduled to get underway on Friday (March 22) with a mouth-watering clash between reigning champions Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Leading players from around the world will be plying their trades in IPL 2024. The likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, MS Dhoni, and several other big names will be in action in IPL 2024. However, AB de Villiers believes the player to watch out for in IPL 2024 is 22-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal.
The opening batsman is set to play for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024. The upcoming season will be his fifth in the IPL. After failing to touch the 300-run mark in his first three seasons of the tournament, Jaiswal scored a staggering 625 runs in IPL 2023 with the help of five half-centuries and one century.
He recently starred in the five-Test series against England as well. While no other batter could score more than 452 runs in the series, Jaiswal slammed a record 712 runs with the help of two back-to-back double centuries and three half-centuries.
“There is one guy that I absolutely cannot wait to watch. That is (Yashasvi) Jaiswal. He showed in the Test format what he is capable of. Now it is time for him in T20 cricket to really show his talent.
“With the amount of confidence he took from that Test series (against England), to take that into this IPL, I am expecting fireworks from this guy. I am expecting at least a 500-plus season, maybe even 600-plus,” said AB de Villiers on his YouTube channel.
AB de Villiers’ overseas pick:
Speaking further, AB de Villiers revealed the name of the overseas player he is excited to watch in action in IPL 2024. The former Royal Challengers Bangalore picked South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs who will be representing Delhi Capitals.
“He had a very good SA20 tournament. The year before that, he was a bit out of form, but this year, he has put up his hand and showed signs of what he’s capable of. He is a very talented young player, hits the ball very, very hard, he offers a lot with the ball in hand as well, he can bowl you off-spin, and he is absolutely incredible on the field. So, keep an eye out for him,” said AB de Villiers.
