3 reasons why Vidwath Kaverappa should make his debut for PBKS in IPL 2024

Vidwath Kaverappa has been in the headlines for all the right reasons following his sensational bowling display in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy final. The 24-year-old produced memorable figures of 7/53 in the first innings of the summit clash for South Zone against defending champions West Zone.

With an effortless run-up and an easy bowling action, Kaverappa burst through the heart of the West Zone batting lineup. It included the vital scalps of Harvik Desai, Cheteshwar Pujara, Suryakumar Yadav and Sarfaraz Khan in a magical 12-over spell on Day 2. South Zone emerged victorious by 75 runs, and the Karnataka pacer was rightly adjudged the Player of the Contest.

While his bowling in the final got everyone's undivided attention, Kaverappa has been in red-hot form across formats for the past year and a half in domestic cricket. He was bought by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) ahead of the 2023 IPL season after his outstanding performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and Vijay Hazare Trophy last year.

However, the pace sensation did not feature in a single game for the franchise this season. After a promising start under new captain Shikhar Dhawan, the side followed their unfortunate trend of missing the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season. They also finished a lowly eighth in the ten-team race, winning six out of their 14 games.

Arguably the worst-performing franchise in IPL history, PBKS has been in the doldrums for several years and searching for answers. It also begs the question why the talented Kaverappa was not played in a single game in the 2023 season.

However, if the Punjab Kings are to make an upward spring starting next season, they should go no further than handing the Karnataka bowler a place in the playing XI from next season.

As we look ahead to Kaverappa's already blossoming career, here are three reasons he should debut for PBKS in IPL 2024.

# 1 Vidwath Kaverappa's outstanding Domestic form

Cricket, particularly T20, often comes down to picking players on form over their reputation, thanks to the high-risk and volatile nature of the format. Keeping that in mind, PBKS should immediately play Vidwath Kaverappa from game one of the 2024 IPL season.

The young fast-bowling sensation has been a revelation in all formats since debuting for Karnataka late in the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy. Kaverappa made an immediate impact in just his second game, with figures of 3/65 in the quarterfinal against Uttar Pradesh, including the prized scalp of Rinku Singh in the second innings.

This paved way for a remarkable white-ball season later in the year, with Kaverappa starring in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The 24-year-old picked up 18 wickets in eight games at an extraordinary average of 10.72 and 6.36 runs per over economy rate in the T20 competition.

Kaverappa carried his impressive form into the Domestic 50-over competition, grabbing 17 wickets at an economy rate of under four runs per over. Ever since, the young man has only seen his stock rise, with a stellar 2022-23 Ranji season, picking up 30 wickets at an average of 20.43.

This consistent run of form propelled Kaverappa to heroics in South Zone's Duleep Trophy title run, putting Indian cricket on notice as potentially the next big pace-bowling superstar. It is hence incumbent upon the PBKS management to play Kaverappa and maximize his red-hot form and incredible skillset to put on an improved showing in 2024.

# 2 PBKS' lack of a second Indian seamer option last season

There is an age-old saying in the IPL that the teams with the best Indian combination often emerge triumphant despite all the overseas stars grabbing the limelight. The franchises with several high-performance Indian bowlers have often been the ultimate solution to team balance.

A year ago, the PBKS bowling attack would be the perfect sample case for ones trying to avoid this issue as the team boasted only Arshdeep Singh as a reliable Indian seam bowler.

While Rishi Dhawan featured in the playing XI a few times, his military medium pace is only so much effective on the flat pitches in India. The 33-year-old did not have much penetration, picking up only a lone wicket in his six outings.

This forced the think tank to put all their overseas eggs into the pace bowling basket, with two of Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, and Nathan Ellis playing in the eleven at all times.

That compromised their batting, with several young and inexperienced players having to shore up the top order, resulting in a lack of positive results. It also meant that they were forced to play with two or three spinners on their home ground Mohali which is predominantly helpful to seamers.

A proven all-format commodity like Vidwath Kaverappa could be the perfect Indian bowling foil for Arsdheep Singh. It will also allow PBKS to breathe easy in terms of having several pace bowling options at the powerplay and the death overs.

# 3 PBKS' powerplay and death bowling frailties in IPL 2023

Arguably the most critical phases in a T20 inning are the powerplay and the death overs, where the game can take a wild swing in momentum.

It is no surprise that PBKS struggled with the ball in both those periods last season, controlling the run flow and picking up wickets. In the powerplay, the Punjab Kings picked up just 15 wickets in 14 innings, which was second worst behind only the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Added to the lack of penetration was also a poor economy rate in the period, where the PBKS bowlers traveled at 9.22 runs per over. This was the third worst among the ten teams behind the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

To compound matters further, the PBKS bowlers were also discombobulated and fell apart in the death overs. Reliable death bowlers Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh gave runs at close to 10.55 and 9.50 per over, respectively during the phase.

The other overseas stars, Kagiso Rabada and Nathan Ellis fared even worse, conceding runs at 12 and 13 to the over, , respectively. This forced skipper Shikhar Dhawan to even try Harpreet Brar for the last over in an egregious move, one that failed fatally. Such dismal bowling performances at the two most crucial phases has left PBKS with plenty to ponder during the off-season.

However, considering Vidwath Kaveraapa's forte being new-ball and death bowling evidenced by his performances in the SMAT last year, his selection in the PBKS playing XI should be a no-brainer come 2024.