IPL is a franchise-based competition and it is not a criterion that there must be a homegrown player. However, fans expect a local cricketer from the city or state where the franchise is based. Interestingly, in the current times when franchises are particular about the emotions of the fans, some teams still do not have a homegrown cricketer. On that note, here, we take a look at three franchises that do not even have a single local homegrown player for IPL 2024.
1) Chennai Super Kings
CSK had the likes of R Ashwin and M Vijay an important part of the playing XI in the past. However, on their entire roster, they do not have a single cricketer who hails from Tamil Nadu.
There were expectations that the franchise would go for Shahrukh Khan. However, they invested in Sameer Rizvi. CSK has to be careful about the fanbase of the side after MS Dhoni retires. Retaining the local fans by investing in some talented Tamil Nadu stars could be a good choice.
2) Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans is a part of this list of franchises that do not even have a single local homegrown player for IPL 2024. Hardik Pandya was the captain of the side in the last two campaigns. Urvil Patel was also a part of the side. Now, both are not in the team.
GT has invested in a lot of talent from Haryana while their skipper is from Punjab. The franchise has a lot of local talent pool to pick from. May be, they could do this in the next seasons.
3) Kolkata Knight Riders
This has always been the complaint about KKR. After Sourav Ganguly, not many popular West Bengal players turned up for KKR.
West Bengal is booming with talent and KKR could have identified some youngsters. However, they chose to fill the gaps based on requirements. It needs to be seen if someone like Abhimanyu Easwaran get a chance in the future.
