Shai Hope’s India Domination: Four Centuries, White-Ball Mastery and an IPL Auction Breakthrough in Sight

Shai Hope is making India national cricket team bowlers look for answers, and the West Indies national cricket team captain’s extraordinary run on this white-ball tour has opened another question: what could he be worth at the IPL auction? After piling up centuries in both ODIs and T20Is, Hope has become the central figure in a fiercely contested series. Hope, who does not currently have an IPL contract, has given potential bidders plenty to think about ahead of the December auction.

There was a time when the sight of Matthew Hayden or Sanath Jayasuriya walking out to bat would have unsettled Indian bowlers before a ball was delivered. Hope is neither of those destructive openers, but he has brought a different kind of torment to India: a blend of method, patience and sudden power. His response to another Player of the Match award was characteristically understated. “To be honest, they are a bit heavy, and we have got to look at the luggage weight,” he joked, before adding that he was simply trying to give West Indies the best chance of winning. 

Shai Hope’s India Tour: Four Centuries and Match-Winning Consistency

Hope’s tour began quietly, with 12 in the first ODI, but he quickly found his range. He scored 104 in the second ODI and an unbeaten 162 in the third, helping West Indies avoid a clean sweep despite losing the first two matches. The T20Is have been no less remarkable: after 52 in the opener and a brief five-run outing in the third match, he struck unbeaten hundreds in Ranchi and Hyderabad.