10-team IPL begins today after mega auction reset. Here’s how the squads stack up

10-team IPL begins today after mega auction reset. Here’s how the squads stack up

10-team IPL begins today after mega auction reset. Here’s how the squads stack up

Chandigarh : As the 15th season begins today, The Tribune looks at how the 10 teams stack up.

Lucknow Super Giants

Strong firepower

The new franchise has invested heavily to put together a strong batting line-up in KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Manish Pandey and Marcus Stoinis. Deepak Hooda can start attacking from the first ball, while Jason Holder and Krunal Pandya can be match-winners with bat or ball. Evin Lewis of West Indies would be waiting for his opportunity, too. They have eight bowling options in their likely first XI, though none of them is a leading bowler in a national team.

Ahmedabad Titans

New kids

Jason Roy’s absence, after he pulled out, weakens the batting. Matthew Wade is likely to open with Shubman Gill, while Hardik Pandya, David Miller and Rahul Tewatia have the firepower to destroy any bowling attack. Rahmanullah Gurbaz comes with a great reputation, and they also have Gurkeerat Mann. Rashid Khan is the lead spinner, and Lockie Ferguson and Mohammed Shami would be expected to do the heavy work in pace bowling.

Delhi Capitals

Power-packed

The batting line-up is destructive — David Warner, Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh would be followed by Rishabh Pant, the captain. They also have Mumbai star Sarfaraz Khan, and Rovman Powell has the finisher’s role. Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel are handy bats, too. Anrich Nortje, last season’s star bowler for the team, leads the attack, and will be supported by Mustafizur Rahman and Lungi Ngidi when all overseas players are available.

Punjab Kings

All-round strength

The batting is world-class with the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal Jonny Bairstow and Shahrukh Khan. Liam Livingstone can tear any bowling attack to ribbons and Odean Smith packs a lot of firepower, too. Kagiso Rabada is the only bowler in Punjab squad who is a regular for his national team. They have experienced IPL hands in Sandeep Sharma and Ishan Porel, and Rahul Chahar is the premier spinner. The performance of Raj Bawa, Player of the Match in the U-19 World Cup final, would be closely followed.

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Rajasthan Royals

Strong batting

RR didn’t qualify for the playoffs in 2021, finishing seventh with five wins. They look quite strong in batting this time, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler at the top bolstered by the entry of the exciting Devdutt Padikkal. Captain Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer can hit the ball far and wide, too. They’ve got a strong spin attack in R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, and the pace department looks good with Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult and Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

What would Kohli do?

The glamour team of the IPL is yet to win the title, though they did well by reaching the playoffs in the last two years. After the auction shake-up, the reliable Devdutt Padikkal is gone, and RCB look at Anuj Rawat with hope. Then they have the brilliant Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli, free to be himself after giving up captaincy. Mohammed Siraj leads the bowling along with Harshal Patel, and Wanindu Hasaranga would try to fill the boots of Yuzvendra Chahal.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Back with hope

Sunrisers Hyderabad, who finished last in IPL-2021, are starting anew. Now David Warner is gone and overseas players Kane Williamson, Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram would have to bear the batting burden. Rahul Tripathi would be expected to live up to his billing. Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads the bowling pack, and Umran Malik’s pace would add to the excitement.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Iyer firepower

In Venkatesh Iyer, Aaron Finch, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana and Andre Russell, KKR have an awe-inspiring batting line-up. Captain Shreyas has been in top form in recent times for India, and at Rs 12.25 crore, he was the most expensive batsman at the recent auction. Their bowling is even more impressive — Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Ramesh Kumar are the mystery spinners, and the pace attack has Pat Cummins, Tim Southee and Umesh Yadav.

Mumbai Indians

Perpetual favourites

With Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav at the top three positions, to be followed by the likes of Kieron Pollard down the order, the MI batting is very, very strong. They also have “Baby AB” Dewald Brevis, Player of the Tournament in the Under-19 World Cup. Jasprit Bumrah is the leader among the bowlers, to be supported by Tymal Mills. The absence of Trent Boult, however, would be felt.

Chennai Super Kings

Strong, experienced

Defending champions have a strong batting line-up, though past mainstay Faf du Plessis is missing. The bowling doesn’t appear too menacing, though they do have the experienced Chris Jordan, mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana. Young paceman Rajvardhan Hangargekar, part of India’s U-19 World Cup-winning team, is an exciting signing.