How To Get Selected in IPL Team: Step by Step Guide 2024

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has grown to be the richest cricket tournament in the world over the years, where teams, players and management all rake in millions of rupees every season.  Even outside of salaries, players in the IPL receive a windfall of money due to sponsorship offers from the biggest cricket betting sites. Hence, India’s cricket goldmine is obsessed with cracking the code of how to get selected for IPL teams, a move that would pretty much secure their future even if the players’ run in the national team is short-lived.

Fortunately, every IPL team spends a good amount in unearthing potentials through scouts from across the globe, albeit mostly India, as it costs them way less than buying an established superstar at the auction table.

An ideal example of this would be Australian speedster Mitchell Starc going for a whopping ₹24.75 crores at the IPL 2024 auction as Kolkata Knight Riders couldn’t find a proper fast bowler over the last few years. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, struck gold with Jasprit Bumrah who was found by their head scout John Wright at a domestic tournament.

The IPL selection process is quite varied, where not only the global superstars but also the players doing well in the domestic tournaments also have a great chance at grabbing eyeballs. There are no specific answers as to how to join an IPL team, but performing consistently is definitely one of the most proven ways.

How to Play in IPL

Numerous domestic tournaments take place around the entire year and IPL scouts keep close eyes on the top performers. While the Ranji Trophy remains the biggest stage at the domestic level, other tournaments like Syed Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare Trophy and other state-based leagues like TNPL (Tamil Nadu Premier League) and KPL (Karnataka Premier League) are also monitored.

Ranji Trophy

Launched by BCCI way back in 1934, the Ranji Trophy has been a litmus test for upcoming cricketers and it has successfully produced cricketing legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and more, who went on to represent the national team.

However, competing with an entire nation of cricketing talent to get into the first eleven of a country is nothing more than an improbable dream. Getting selected on the other hand in IPL, where a player’s temperament, fitness and specific skillset are prioritized for a T20 over format is much more realistic. Hence, many successful players like Rishabh Pant, Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, Krunal Pandya and others have been unearthed by different IPL franchises who have gone on to make a difference. Rishabh Pant, particularly, has been a gem of a pick who got into the national team after delivering in IPL for Delhi Capitals. He is also the captain of the franchise currently.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

This T20 format tournament was launched by BCCI in the 2006-07 season with the advent of T20 cricket at the international level, with the inaugural T20 World Cup also taking place in 2007. This tournament has led to players like Ishan Kishan, T Natarajan, Shivam Dube, Prasidh Krishna and more to get the limelight through IPL and it has made India a strong cricketing nation. All the mentioned players went on to represent India at the international level with Ishan Kishan also going on to score the fastest double century in ODIs. He has also garnered 15 fifties in the IPL so far.

U-19 World Cup 

While the top Under-19 World Cup performers have always been brilliant prospects for the senior team, those junior stars still had to keep performing at the domestic tournaments to keep their national team chances intact. However, the introduction of IPL changed everything. Players like Shubhman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Ravi Bishnoi and many other youngsters got a glorious platform in IPL to make the big jump. While Gill is now India’s first-choice opener in limited-overs cricket, Shaw and Bishnoi have also attained memorable moments with the Indian team over the last few years.

Participation in Other T20 Leagues

Apart from these domestic tournaments and under-age international tournaments, Indian cricket also tournaments like TNPL, KPL, UP T20 League and others from where players rake up huge IPL contracts. Defending IPL champions CSK broke the bank to pick Sameer Rizvi as he joined as one of the highest-paid names on the 2024 IPL team players list. Yet another such example would be mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, whose TNPL performances earned him an IPL spot at the 2019 IPL auction. A proper example would be Pravin Tambe, who was picked by Rajasthan Royals at the age of 41 years, after being spotted in an invitational tournament back in 2013.

Social Media Impact

As strange as it would seem, social media is an integral part of our everyday life today and Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana got his lucky breakthrough in IPL team CSK owing to his viral social media clip that was seen by skipper MS Dhoni.

Consistency, Fitness, and Skill

A format as fast and short as the T20 and a tournament as competitive as the Indian Premier League demands one to be fit at all times. A fast runner in the outfield and quick in-feild inside the 30 yards save a lot of runs in T20s and every team cherishes such players.

IPL teams also prioritize a player's temperament and specific skill sets. For example, a strong pinch-hitter scoring at a fast strike rate or an economical bowler will be prioritized over a player with a good all-round cricketing qualities.

Stay Updated and Network

With social media seeping into every corner of the world, the element of luck has been reduced to a large extent. Players can easily keep track of upcoming tournaments and follow which scout will be available where. Hence, keeping abreast of future events and networking within the cricketing community could provide to be valuable.