KNOW YOUR IPL TEAM

DISCLAMER: This blog post was to be posted before the match today but the writer himself was too excited and busy for the inaugural match.

The great Indian Premier League begins today. Make no mistake, its image might have been dented due to the current controversies but once the IPL kicks off, it's going to be the one of the hottest topics discussed amongst all age groups and cricket will take the center stage. It’ll keep the cricket lovers hooked and booked for the next 45 days. It’s an absolute treat for cricket lovers.  Eight teams having players from all nationalities will battle it out in the world’s biggest T20 league. The different thing about this IPL from last year’s edition is that the teams will have a different look & combination compared to previous years. Well, you probably know everything about IPL, so let me cut to the chase and give an overview of all the teams.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS:

Led by MS Dhoni, the team is not as strong as it once was. A very strong batting line up in McCullum, Smith, Du Plessis, Raina and Dhoni. The team has world class all rounders with Jadeja, Ashwin and Bravo leading the front. Ashwin and Bravo were in great form during the world T20 which augurs well for the team. The bowling can be taken apart as Nehra and Mohit Sharma have never been consistent, so it’s imperative that the team finds a place for Hilfenaus/Badree. They can’t be very flexible with the playing XI this time.

Probable XI: 

McCullum/Smith, Raina, Du Plessis, Dhoni, Bravo, Jadeja, Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, Nehra, Badree/Hilfenhaus, Baba Aparijith/Ishwar Pandey

If both McCullum and Smith play, Ishwar Pandey will also play but both Badree and Hilfenhuas will have to sit out. If Badree/Hilfenhaus play, Baba Aoarijith comes in.

DELHI DAREDEVILS: 

This is the only team to not have retained any player before the auction. Kevin Pietersen will be eager to show why he was wrongly sacked by the ECB. This team probably has the best lot of Indian domestic batsmen available with Murali Vijay, Manoj Tiwary, Saurabh Tiwary and Kedhar Jadhav in the lineup. The team boasts of a very strong middle order in KP, Taylor, Karthik and Duminy. The Indian bowlers in the team are slightly inexperienced; hence it’s imperative that Parnell plays.

Probable XI:

Vijay, Manoj Tiwary/De Cock, KP, Taylor, Karthik, Duminy/Saurabh Tiwary/Kedhar Jadhav, Parnell/Neesham, Rahul Sharma, Unadkat, Shami, Shabaz Nadeem.

If Duminy goes out, it makes way for De Cock and either Saurabh Tiwary/Jadhav will play. Tiwary can open if De Cock is left out as Karthik as a keeper is available.

KINGS XI PUNJAB: 

A great batting line up again with pujara at the top, providing solidity. Also, the team has impressive youngsters like Manan Vohra & Mandeep Singh to take the attack to the opposition. Sehwag, Miller, Maxwell, Bailey can send shivers down the spine of any bowling attack. Johnson heads a talented but inexperienced pace attack. The spin department looks very shaky with Murali Karthik as the front line spinner. If Sehwag fires, the team will be oozing with confidence.

Probable XI:

Sehwag, Pujara/Mandeep, Manan Vohra, Maxwell, Bailey, Miller, Wriddhimann Saha, Johnson, Awana/Rishi Dhawan/Balaji (any two), Murali Karthik

Miller could make way for Thisara Perera if the bowling doesn’t click.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS: 

A very young team as always but with not many big names. The largest pool of players to chose from. Batting looks decent. They will have to fit in a quality player like Steve Smith somehow. Indian players in the team are low on experience and that is the case with some foreigners as well. Have good all rounders in Kevon Cooper, Watson, Faulkner and Stuart Binny. A big factor that might affect their performance is that they won’t be playing at their fortress Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur.

Probable XI: 

Rahane, Unmukt Chand, Samson, Watson, Hodge/Steve Smith, Abhishek Nayar, Binny, Faulkner/Kevon Cooper, Southee/Richardson, Vikramjeet Malik/Dhawal Kulkarni, Praveen tambe

As I said, the team has great variety and great balance. 

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD: 

The best bowling lineup in the whole tournament. Steyn, Mishra, B Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Karan Sharma, Irfan Pathan & Darren Sammy. A very explosive top order in Dhawan, Warner and Finch buts it’s imperative one of them bats through since not much experience is available in the middle order. Captaincy may affect Dhawan's performance.

Probable XI:

Dhawan, Warner, Finch, Venugopal Rao/Anirudh Srikkant, Naman Ojha, Sammy, Pathan, Karan Sharma, Amit Mishra, Dale Steyn, Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Ishant Sharma

Finding the right bowling combination according to the conditions will be the key to their success.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE:

Best batting lineup in the whole tournament consisting of Gayle, Kohli, De Villiers, Yuvraj. Bowling can be erratic as both Aaron and Dinda can be expensive. It’s important that Starc/Rampaul plays. Albie Morkel provides the much needed balance. Should chase if they win the toss.

Probable XI: 

Gayle, Parthiv Patel, Kohli, Yuvraj, De Villiers, Vijay Zol, Albie Morkel, Starc/Rampaul, Dinda, Varun Aaron, Shadab Jakati/Yuzwendra Chahal

Muralidharan could come in for Morkel to strengthen the bowling.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS:

They have the most perfect balance among all the teams. Morkel, Umesh, Vinay Kumar in the pace bowling department, Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla the spinners and Gambhir, Uthappa and Pandey complete the top order. Kallis, Shakib and Doeschate give the ideal balance required to the team. Only weakness could be that Kallis doesn’t get a move on and takes up deliveries to put pressure on others.

Probable XI:

Gambhir, Uthappa/Bisla/Manish Pandey(any two), Kallis, Shakib/Doeschate, Yusuf, Chawla, M Morkel, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Sunil Narine

MUMBAI INDIANS:

The former champions might not have done the right thing by not retaining Maxwell and Johnson. It’s very important that Mike Hussey bats through. Need Harbhajan to perform consistently or else there'll be huge pressure on Malinga & Zaheer. Corey Anderson and Pollard can be partners in crime and finish off the innings. The team doesn’t have much flexibility.

Probable XI:

Hussey, Tare, Rohit, Rayudu, Pollard, Anderson, Jalaj Saxena, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Ojha, Malinga

Ojha is the key here as if he's in good form, it'll be easier for MI to put breaks on the opposition. CM Gautam can come in for jalaj Saxena.

The team which stands out from the others is Kolkata Knight Riders purely based on the balance of the side. But hold on, it’s the IPL. Almost everything is uncertain. You never know which team may spring up a surprise and emerge champions. So just sit back and ride this IPL Bandwagon. 

You now know the teams, so go ahead and pick your favourites and share your views about what you think can be the deciding factor this IPL or who could be the players to watch out for!