Written by: Eshaan Soni Edited by: Akrit Agarwal Designed by: Kyra Jain & Aradhya Poddar
19th September – 08th November 2020
With a new title sponsor, revised timings, a longer season, different venues, and empty stands, the eagerly awaited Indian Premier League is finally set to return for its thirteenth edition. After a long six-month delay, the eight franchises will once again be battling it out to win the prestigious championship title…
1. Mumbai Indians Securing their fourth title last season, the reigning champions Mumbai Indians will aim to become the first side since the Super Kings in 2011 to retain the crown this year. Explosive Australian opener Chris Lynn and his compatriot Nathan Coulter-Nile were added to shore up the batting and bowling ranks respectively.
Another major addition was the acquisition of former Delhi pace bowler Trent Boult. The core of their team, however, remains intact even in the absence of veteran Lasith Malinga, who opted out of the thirteenth season citing personal reasons. Sharma, Bumrah and Pandya remain and will guide their charge alongside overseas talents like Pollard and de Kock.
Probable Playing XI: 1. Quinton de Kock (WK) 2. Chris Lynn 3. Rohit Sharma (C) 4. Ishan Kishan 5. Suryakumar Yadav 6. Hardik Pandya 7. Kieron Pollard 8. Krunal Pandya 9. Trent Boult 10. Dhawal Kulkarni 11. Jasprit Bumrah Coach: Mahela Jayawardene
2. Chennai Super Kings The Super Kings are among the most successful franchises in Indian Premier League history. They’re also the most consistent, as the only team to have made the playoffs in each edition they’ve been a part of. With IPL veteran Piyush Chawla’s inclusion, “thala” MS Dhoni will now have six quality spin options on pitches that tend to favor spinners. However, CSK’s campaign in UAE hasn’t started off as planned. Both Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh pulled out of the tournament for personal reasons and then 13 members in their contingent tested positive for coronavirus upon landing in Dubai, forcing an extension of their quarantine period.
Probable Playing XI: 1. Shane Watson 2. Ambati Rayudu 3. Faf Du Plessis 4. MS Dhoni (C) (WK) 5. Kedar Jadhav 6. Dwayne Bravo 7. Ravindra Jadeja 8. Piyush Chawla 9. Deepak Chahar 10. Shardul Thakur 11. Imran Tahir Coach: Stephen Fleming
3. Kolkata Knight Riders The biggest story for KKR this year was that of Pat Cummins: the most expensive overseas purchase in the history of IPL. KKR hope their 15.5 crores investment pays off, but the Aussie pacer may find it challenging to leave his mark on the slow and dry wickets in UAE – considering his white ball record in such conditions is unremarkable. However, KKR have a powerful middle order in Andre Russell and Eoin Morgan and a variety of bowling options too.
Probable Playing XI: 1. Sunil Narine 2. Shubman Gill 3. Rahul Tripathi 4. Nitish Rana 5. Eoin Morgan 6. Dinesh Karthik (C) (WK) 7. Andre Russell 8. Pat Cummins 9. Kuldeep Yadav 10. Shivam Mavi 11. Prasidh Krishna Coach: Brendon McCullum
4. Royal Challengers Bangalore Royal Challengers Bangalore are a threat with the presence of Virat Kohli in their side. No batsman has more IPL runs than Kohli, who will captain RCB’s bid for their first title. Among others, Aaron Finch, Chris Morris, Dale Steyn, and Isuru Udana were added to bolster the squad and support the Kohli-ABD duo. The bowling unit looks stronger than ever this year, giving Kohli and coach Simon Katich several options to find the right balance in the playing eleven. RCB must ensure that they perform consistently throughout the season with the bat, the ball, and in the field – having dropped almost 28 catches in the previous edition. With a fresh management and logo, RCB would love to start differently than last season, where they lost their first six games.
Probable Playing XI: 1. Aaron Finch 2. Parthiv Patel (WK) 3. Virat Kohli (C) 4. AB De Villiers 5. Shivam Dube 6. Chris Morris 7. Washington Sundar 8. Umesh Yadav 9. Navdeep Saini 10. Dale Steyn 11. Yuzvendra Chahal Coach: Simon Katich
5. Sunrisers Hyderabad With arguably the tournament’s best top order, Sunrisers Hyderabad will head into the season hoping to make the playoffs. There are, however, a few obstacles they might face. Releasing the fewest number of players before the auction, Hyderabad’s strategy was questioned by many when t he management showed more interest in acquiring young Indian talents like Priyam Garg and Virat Singh than investing in a strong, reliable middle order. David Warner has a lot of work ahead of him if he is to carry his team towards their second IPL title.
Probable Playing XI: 1. David Warner (C) 2. Jonny Bairstow (WK) 3. Kane Williamson 4. Priyam Garg 5. Manish Pandey 6. Wriddhiman Saha 7. Vijay Shankar 8. Rashid Khan 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar 10. Sandeep Sharma 11. Siddharth Kaul Coach: Trevor Bayliss
6. Rajasthan Royals Since their maiden triumph in IPL 2008, Rajasthan Royals have played 9 editions but only qualified for the playoffs thrice. With the likes of Steven Smith, Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, Rajasthan is one of the best teams on paper and seem to be unaffected even after Rahane’s unexpected exit. They have ramped up their line-up by adding the overseas firepower of Tom Curran, David Miller, Andrew Tye, and the experienced Robin Uthappa. However, RR will be the most affected by the unavailability of Australian and English players for the first week of the tournament.
Probable Playing XI: 1. Jos Buttler (WK) 2. Sanju Samson 3. Robin Uthappa 4. Steve Smith (C) 5. Yashasvi Jaiswal 6. Ben Stokes 7. Riyan Parag 8. Shreyas Gopal 9. Jofra Archer 10. Varun Aaron 11. Jaydev Unadkat Coach: Andrew McDonald
7. Kings XI Punjab Last year saw a major shake-up of the squad and coaching staff at KXIP, which hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2014. KL Rahul, who had an excellent run in the previous edition, has been given the onus of captaincy and will also be seen keeping wickets – something KXIP fans will hope doesn’t end up taking its toll on his batting performance. Nicholas Pooran, James Neesham and Glenn Maxwell make the middle order look stronger than ever. Their pace attack looks balanced too, with left-arm seamer Sheldon Cottrell teaming up with Mohammed Shami. A back-up option emerges in Chris Jordan – an excellent death bowler.
Probable Playing XI: 1. KL Rahul (C) (WK) 2. Chris Gayle 3. Mayank Agarwal 4. Glenn Maxwell 5. Nicholas Pooran 6. Mandeep Singh 7. Krishnappa Gowtham 8. Sheldon Cottrell 9. Mohammed Shami 10. Murugan Ashwin 11. Ravi Bishnoi Coach: Anil Kumble
8. Delhi Capitals Delhi Capitals, led by Shreyas Iyer, have a solid mix of youth and experience. They made some big moves in the preseason, signing Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin and acquiring Alex Carey as an excellent backup wicketkeeping option for Rishabh Pant. With a jam-packed top order and a strong Indian core, DC’s main focus will be strengthening their lower middle order.
Probable Playing XI: 1. Shikhar Dhawan 2. Ajinkya Rahane 3. Shreyas Iyer (C) 4. Shimron Hetmyer 5. Rishabh Pant (WK) 6. Marcus Stoinis 7. Ravichandran Ashwin 8. Kagiso Rabada 9. Amit Mishra 10. Ishant Sharma 11. Sandeep Lamichhane Coach: Ricky Ponting
Prediction: final standings after group stage matches In order: Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab.
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