IPL 2021: The English stars looking to put their name up in lights

The glitz and glamour of the Indian Premier League returns on Friday as the world’s biggest Twenty20 competition begins its 14th season.

Eight teams play 60 games across the next two months in a festival of cricket and plenty of England stars will be hoping to make their mark on the tournament.

From established IPL regulars such as Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, to the likes of Liam Livingstone and Dawid Malan looking to put their name up in lights, we turn the spotlight on the Englishmen taking part in this year’s edition.

The stars

England white ball skipper Morgan heads into his first full season as Kolkata Knight Riders captain after taking over from Dinesh Khartik midway through the 2020 campaign.

He is only the second England player to take charge of an IPL franchise after Kevin Pietersen and is widely considered to be the best leader in world cricket.

After scoring 418 runs at a strike rate of 138.41 in 2020, Morgan’s form will be key if KKR are to improve on their fifth-placed finish.

But if you are looking for a team packed with English talent to back, Rajasthan Royals are the only option.

Buttler opens up the batting and keeps wicket for the Royals and has scored 300 or more runs in each of the last three seasons — including in 2019 when his campaign was cut short after eight games to help prepare for the World Cup.

He is almost overshadowed by Ben Stokes, though, who was the most expensive player in the IPL back in 2017 and 2018.

Stokes has opened the batting for Rajasthan and bowled less overs than you would expect in last season’s IPL, not that it stopped him having a big say on proceedings.

Plus, if Jofra Archer recovers from his elbow and finger issues, the 2020 MVP may well jet out to join Stokes and Buttler midway through the season.

Primed for big roles

The Royals are not the only franchise with more than one Englishman at their disposal, with all-rounders Moeen Ali and Sam Curran both on the books at Chennai Super Kings.

It is Curran’s second season at CSK after he made a big impression in 2020, playing every game and performing numerous different roles for MS Dhoni’s struggling side, including opening the batting and being deployed as their finisher.

Ali, 33, has endured a difficult winter after suffering from coronavirus while in Sri Lanka with England and moves to CSK after three years at Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Like Curran, his versatility will stand him in good stead to get plenty of opportunities and he may be eyeing up an opening role following Shane Watson’s retirement from cricket.

After lighting up his first IPL in 2019, scoring 445 runs in 10 games at the top of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s order, Jonny Bairstow found himself out of the team at times in 2020.

But his blistering form in the ODI section of England’s tour of India, scoring 94 and 124 in the first two games, mean he is in a good place to push back into their first-choice XI and recreate his dangerous opening partnership with David Warner.

Even if he has to wait for his chance, Bairstow is often at his best when given the chance to prove people wrong.

Part of the rotation

Chris Woakes and Tom Curran may have to be patient for opportunities in their first seasons at Delhi Capitals.

Curran, 26, moves following two seasons with Rajasthan, while Woakes is playing his third IPL season but his first since 2018.

Both will need to take any chances they get with both hands with South African quicks Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje ahead of them in the pecking order.

Although tempted to include him on the bench warmers list with the legendary figure of Chris Gayle already inked in at the top of Punjab Kings’ batting line-up, Malan will get chances in his first IPL.

Still ranked as the No1 international T20 batsman, Malan, 33, would have been expecting a gig in the world’s premier T20 competition.

Like with England, the constantly underrated left-hander will have to put some scores together quickly if he is to prove his worth to the Kings.

Bench warmers

As is always the case, there are a number of English players who will not be expecting much action in India.

Wicketkeeper Sam Billings is the understudy to Indian star and Delhi captain Rishabh Pant, while the presence of Australia’s Marcus Stoinis and the West Indies’ Shimron Hetmyer in the middle order mean chances as a batsman are unlikely.

Livingstone’s stock continues to grow in England and he will be hoping for more than the four appearances he got for Rajasthan in his previous stint at the franchise in 2019.

White-ball specialist and IPL veteran Chris Jordan has fallen down the pecking order at Punjab after a mixed bag of performances in 2020, although rediscovering his lethal yorker could spell more chances.

Jason Roy was a late call-up to Sunrisers as Mitch Marsh opted against playing just last week and with Warner, Bairstow and Kane Williamson all in the squad, chances will be at a premium.