IPL 2021: HOW THE TEAMS STACK UP.
India’s very own cricketing festival is back and we cannot wait to see our favourite teams and players back in action! The pandemic has taken a toll on all of us, and the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League has arrived at a perfect time as an escape from the tumultuous world. So how do the teams look, ahead of an engaging season of entertainment to come?
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
Strengths: CSK is overloaded with experience. Every player has been there and done that, which will help the side overcome unforeseen obstacles. With a captain like MS Dhoni and a returning Suresh Raina at their disposal, the Yellow Army will always be a force to be reckoned with.
Weaknesses: Age is not something that favours CSK. With a whole lot of the side in their 30s, the squad still misses that exuberance that youth brings. The pace department is also shaky.
Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Lungisani Ngidi.
MUMBAI INDIANS
Strengths: The men in blue know what it takes to be successful in the tournament. They have an intelligent captain and possibly the strongest Indian core in the IPL.
Weaknesses: MI tend to succumb to pressure on many occasions. The spin department lacks big-match quality.
Probable XI: Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Trent Boult, Nathan Coulter Nile, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar.
DELHI CAPITALS
Strengths: The Capitals are always fired up and ready to take on challenges. They possess a quality bowling department.
Weaknesses: In the absence of Shreyas Iyer, the middle order can be dicey. Often fall prey on the big match occasions.
Probable XI: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Steven Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Strengths: The two-time champions have struck a good balance and have managed to strengthen their bowling. Skipper Eoin Morgan provides a lot of stability to the side.
Weaknesses: No solid opening pair. Lack of an experienced Indian pacer. The side also tends to mix and match too much.
Probable XI: Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE
Strengths: RCB contain a brilliant top-order and with the addition of Maxwell, the batting is solidified. They have the fire to win.
Weaknesses: The lower middle-order is still a liability. Death bowling can also be a cause of worry.
Probable XI: Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Sachin Baby, Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Navdeep Saini, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
Strengths: Very balanced side with many calculated minds. Arguably have the best opening duo of all the set-ups. Great bowling line-up that has mastered the art of defending scores.
Weaknesses: Tend to crumble if the start is not great. The Orange army also lacks a pinch-hitter towards the end.
Probable XI: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan, Shahbaz Nadeem.
PUNJAB KINGS
Strengths: The newly christened team is packed with X-factor players who can single-handedly guide their team to victory.
Weaknesses: Despite looking extremely potent, the franchise does not have the experience of succeeding on the big stage. They tend to look flustered and fail to perform as a unit when it matters.
Probable XI: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Dawid Malan, Nicholas Pooran, Mandeep Singh, Jhye Richardson, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Murugan Ashwin.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Strengths: RR boast of a destructive batting line-up that runs relatively deep. They are also a top notch fielding unit.
Weaknesses: With Jofra Archer set to miss at least the first few games, the bulk of pressure falls on Chris Morris in the bowling department. They also lack a pure opener to accompany Jos Buttler.
Probable XI: Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Kartik Tyagi, Jaydev Unadkat, Mustafizur Rahman.
With all the teams locked in, it is time to fasten our seat belts and relish the blockbuster action that is to come. As we all know, the IPL never disappoints! So let the games begin and may the best men win!
