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We try and analyse where the franchisees stand depending on their bench strength and which are the battles to look forward to.
They may have never won the IPL in its last 7 editions but purely on bench strength, they seem to be finally on course to correct the previous disappointments.
- Strength: Maximum number of match winners. The team boasts of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Michell Starc. Forget everything else and imagine Gayle and De Villiers on song together. The match will be over before you can blink!
The opening bowling lineup is also strong and lead by Mitchell Starc and Varun Aron.
- Relative Weakness: Team lacks a good spinner. Iqbal Abdulla has done well for KKR in the past and will lead the team’s spin department but he doesn’t have adequate support.
- X-Factor: Gayle… or is it De Villiers? … wait, Gayle, right? What about Kohli? Are you forgetting Starc’s pace?
-Team Balance: 8/10
They have been by far the most consistent team in the Indian Premier League. Many pundits expect this two time winner of the IPL to go all the way this time too.
- Strength: Strong batting. Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Smith and Faf Du Plessis are all match winners in their own right. The opening as well as the middle order look settled and Dhoni might have a problem of plenty in this department. Plus though retired, the classy Michel Hussey is back in the team after spending a year with the Mumbai Indians.
- Allrounders: Ravindra Jadeja versus Irfan Pathan. With the inclusion of Pathan junior in the side, Dhoni has the option of going for a spinner or a medium pacer at the crucial number 7 slot.
- Relative weakness: There is no clear match winner in the bowling department. The best in the squad is Ravichandran Ashwin. The others are containing bowlers like Mohit Sharma and Matt Henry.
- X-Factor: MS Dhoni’s captaincy
- Team Balance: 7.5/10
Strength: Balanced batting lineup. Virendra Sehwag might be past his prime but is always a threat. He will be joined by Murli Vijay at the top who has been in good form and was one of the better batsmen in the last test series versus Australia. Shaun Marsh and captain George Bailey are experienced T20 batters and did I mention a certain Glen Maxwell?
The bowling attack would be marshaled by Mitchell Johnson who after having a relatively lackluster World Cup picked up his game in the last two games which mattered.
- The fringe India players: Axar Patel and Wriddhiman Saha. Both have tasted international games but always been second choice. Saha would like to cement his Test berth with a good show as Dhoni has retired from that format. Patel made his presence felt last year in IPL with the second best bowling average and would now want to show the selectors that he is a serious contender for Ashwin’s place in the starting eleven of the Indian team.
- Relative Weakness: No major support to Johnson and Axar Patel in the bowling department. The opposition will target the other bowlers and can afford to be circumspect against Johnson.
- X-factor: Glen Maxwell the finisher
-Team balance: 7.5/10
- Strength: The bowling department. Mohammed Shami and Zaheer Khan will handle the new ball. If one is at the peak of his career, the other is an experienced hand. The attack also boasts of two genuine leg spinners in Imran Tahir and Amit Mishra, a rarity in any day and age.
- Plenty of all-rounders: The South African duo of JP Duminy and Albie Morkel will ensure that the team is always balanced and bats deep. Add Angelo Mathews to this mix and the team doesn’t lack finishers.
- Weakness: The top order. Except Yuvraj Singh, there isn’t a match winner at the top. That too if you consider Yuvraj a top order batsman. Getting the team off to a good start is a specialist’s job and the team lacks experience in this regard.
- X-Factor: Yuvraj Singh’s comeback bid
- Team Balance: 7/10
- Strength: Explosive openers in David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan. Both the lefties are in fine form and can take apart any bowling attack on their day. Their one down batsman, Kane Williamson, had a disappointing World Cup but is generally a very dependable batter.
The team also has a strong fast bowling line up. Dale Steyn and Trent Boult opening the bowling will be sight to see. The team also has Bhuvneshwar Kumar who exploits the new ball well.
- Weakness: Unavailability of Kevin Pieterson is a blow to the team. Though if he had played how he’d have gotten along with Eoin Morgan would be an interesting watch. On a serious note, the team also lacks a quality spinner.
- X-Factor: The explosive David Warner
- Team balance: 7/10
- Strength: The Aussie all-rounders. Shane Watson and James Faulkner were the all-rounders for the world champions in the World Cup. Both add a lot of stability and flexibility to the team.
The team boasts of quality batsmen in Steven Smith and Ajinkya Rahane. Both aren’t exactly known for their T20 game but cannot be discounted by any opposition either.
- Weakness: The bowling on paper looks weak. Tim Southee is the biggest name in the attack and bowling on Indian pitches isn’t the same as running through a side in New Zealand.
-X-factor: Watson, the bully.
-Team Balance: 6.5/10
- Strength: Bowling attack. Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav under the tutelage of Wasim Akram will be a force to reckon with. The team’s home ground Eden Gardens has always supported the spinners and this team has two wily tweakers in Sunil Narine and Brad Hogg. If they bowl in tandem, they might choke the middle overs.
- Other talents: Robin Uthappa and Shakib Al Hassan. The first has been knocking on the Indian team’s door for a long time now. The second is a genuine allrounder who takes to this format beautifully.
- Weakness: Gautam Gambhir doesn’t have the luxury of a strong middle order. Yusuf Pathan has proven himself as a finisher on earlier occasions but the other teams know how to exploit his weakness to short pitched bowling now.
- X-Factor: Sunil Narine is back!
- Team Balance: 6/10
- Strength: The core team. Rohit Sharma, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard and Harbhajan Singh have been with the franchisee for long and are all match winners in their own right.
The team has a genuine allrounder in Corey Anderson who will add strength to the lower middle order.
- Weakness: Heavily reliant on old hands. Malinga has lost a yard or two and the Mumbai Indians rely on him way too much. Plus, Harbhajan isn’t the Turbanator of old. Trusting these two to lead the bowling attack is a risk. If the old Harbhajan does show up, he’ll have a good partner in Pragyan Ojha.
Rohit will have to bear the burden of most of the batting and the undoubtedly talented captain isn’t exactly known for his consistency. The fast bowling department also looks weak and the opposition can afford to play out Malinga easily.
- X-Factor: A rested and hurting Pollard
- Team balance: 5.5/10
