The much awaited IPL 2020 finally kicks off on September 19 with a marquee clash between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings in Abu Dhabi. Here's a quick look at how all the eight teams stack up...
Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni (c), Imran Tahir, Lungi Ngidi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, N Jagadeesan, Mitchell Santner, KM Asif, Shardul Thakur, R Sai Kishore, Faf du Plessis, Monu Kumar, Karn Sharma, Sam Curran, Josh Hazlewood, Dwayne Bravo
Strengths: A very solid core, players who have done it time and again in the IPL. They don't get flustered and, more often than not, don't succumb to pressure. They are built in the image of their captain. In those typically slow and low wickets, their spin-heavy bowling department could come into their own.
Weaknesses: The absence of Suresh Raina will be felt at the top. His runs, experience and boundary-hitting prowess will be hard to replace unless CSK do some smart internal rejigging of the batting line-up. Even if they have proven performers at the top, the absence of hitters at the top could cost them.
Opportunities: They could genuinely fill their XI with spinners and take the pace of the ball from the very first delivery. The likes of Jadeja, Tahir, Kishore and Santner are all spinners who bowl with great discipline. Expect the captain to maximise this technique at least in the early days to give them an edge.
Threats: This is an issue that has been debated to death. The ageing make-up of the squad could cause problems. And if the Raina-shaped hole at the top of the order isn't filled, experiments can quickly lead to multiple unsuccessful changes in the batting order.
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma, Digvijay Deshmukh, Quinton de Kock, Aditya Tare, Saurabh Tiwary, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Jayant Yadav, Trent Boult, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Pattinson, Dhawal Kulkarni, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Rahul Chahar, Chris Lynn, Hardik Pandya, Sherfane Rutherford, Ishan Kishan, Anukul Roy, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mohsin Khan, Anmolpreet Singh
Strengths: A bit like Chennai in that this is a squad that knows how to scrap and win games to make the playoffs. There is a solid leadership group led by Rohit and backed up by the lacks of De Kock and Pollard. That all of their top eight is capable of scoring big runs mean they can keep attacking the bowling.
Weaknesses: The one glaring hole in this squad is the absence of outstanding spinners. In the pitches they are going to play on, that could become an obvious issue. Even though Boult is a glamour name, he is yet to really perform in the IPL. And Coulter-Nile isn't an inspiring choice at death.
Opportunities: The acquisition of Lynn in last year's auction could further solidify their top-order. From an overall perspective, Rohit has the incentive for going for back-to-back IPL titles, something only Chennai has done so far. Also do keep an eye out for the Indian players on the fringes, Suryakumar and Krunal.
Threats: Replacing Lasith Malinga with Pattinson isn't a like for like replacement. The Australian is yet to make his T20 debut in the IPL. Even if they would like to manage Bumrah's workload, the other bowlers do not have the same nous and experience to bowl in his absence.
Kings XI Punjab
KL Rahul, Harpreet Brar, Ishan Porel, Mandeep Singh, Jimmy Neesham, Tajinder Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Hooda, Karun Nair, Chris Jordan. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sarfaraz Khan, Sheldon Cottrell, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammad Shami, Darshan Nalkande, Hardus Viljoen, KC Gowtham, J Suchith, Murugan Ashwin, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Simran Singh
Strengths: In one word: batting. It's top-heavy, with the likes of Gayle and Rahul teeing off. The returning Maxwell hasn't always fired but there is enough potential of that middle order — Neesham, Pooran, Nair, Agarwal et. al. — to surprise bowling line-ups.
Weaknesses: An unreliable squad that's capable of blowing hot and cold. There aren't enough leaders in the team to help out new captain Rahul (last year's captain, R Ashwin has departed for Delhi). There is also a lop-sided feel to the squad, with next to no depth in the bowling department.
Opportunities: If Rahul is looking to prove what he brings to the captaincy table, there is nothing like the IPL to showcase his leadership skills. Even otherwise, Kings XI have assembled a group of players who have underachieved in this format. So this is a good time for all of them to come to the fore.
Threats: A delicate balancing act is required if they are to juggle the overseas-Indian quota of 4-7. They have to have at least one overseas bowler because the Indian options aren't all that good, save for Shami. That means four options from Gayle, Pooran, Maxwell, Neesham, Jordan, Viljoen, Cottrell and Zadran. Not ideal.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
David Warner, Rashid Khan, Sanjay Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Abhishek Sharma, Fabian Allen, Mohammad Nabi, Shreevats Goswami, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Basil Thampi, Billy Stanlake, Sandeep Bavanaka, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Virat Singh, T Natarajan, Siddarth Kaul, Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Jonny Bairstow, Shahbaz Nadeem, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg
Strengths: They tick most boxes for of a T20 team — heavy at the top, spinners capable of bowling at the death and up front and a group of fast bowlers who, between them, have multiple variations. Overall, they, at least on paper, have one of the teams that could go on a long unbeaten run.
Weaknesses: If Warner and Bairstow get dismissed early, it could expose their middle order to some pressure. It's something the top two prevented from happening in 2019. If that happens, the likes of Pandey and Shankar, who haven't played any cricket since February, could struggle for rhythm.
Opportunities: The abundance of Indian players, both capped and uncapped, will view this as a tournament to remind the think tank as to what they are capable of ahead of two back-to-back T20 World Cups (think Pandey, Shankar, Ahmad, Bhuvneshwar, Virat, Priyam and so on).
Threats: Only two of Williamson, Rashid and Nabi can play. That's problematic. Crucially, both Warner and Bairstow like the ball to come on, something that will not happen a lot in the pitches there. Also, if Bhuvneshwar isn't managed properly, his recent injury record could spell trouble.
Delhi Capitals
Shreyas Iyer, Kagiso Rabada, Marcus Stoinis, Sandeep Lamichhane, Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohit Sharma, Alex Carey, Daniel Sams, Shimron Hetmyer, Shikhar Dhawan, R Ashwin, Prithvi Shaw, Lalith Yadav, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Tushar Deshpande, Anrich Nortje, Amit Mishra, Keemo Paul, Harshal Patel, Rishabh Pant
Strengths: The very strong Indian core — Shreyas, Dhawan, Rahane, Pant and Shaw — at the top is ably supplemented by Hetmyer, who was in good form in the recently concluded CPL T20. Add the likes of Ashwin and Mishra, two spinners who will relish playing in conditions likely to be favourable for them, and they could emerge as strong contenders.
Weaknesses: The fast-bowling department does have a few glamour names but it doesn't have the strength in depth to last a gruelling campaign. Both Radaba and Sharma are fine bowlers but they haven't bowled a lot since getting injured at the start of the year.
Opportunities: After underperforming for years, they finally clicked as a unit last year to reach the playoffs. After adding a few players, this could finally be the year when they go further to win the final.
Threats: The withdrawal of Chris Woakes and Jason Roy has left their squad weaker than what it could have been. Even if their first XI covers most bases, a campaign as challenging as this will depend on bench strength, especially in the fast-bowling department.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Siddhesh Lad, Shubman Gill, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier, Rinku Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, M Siddharth, Ali Khan, Nikhil Naik, Tom Banton, Chris Green
Strengths: Even if their top two doesn't have adequate back-up, their middle order is absolutely stacked. They have only improved in this area after the addition of Tom Banton, who can clear the ropes with ease.
Weaknesses: The side's Indian core, even if it's promising, are a bit unproven at this level. Gill, Mavi, Nagarkoti, Krishna et. al. all have potential but can they turn it into performance this season itself?
Opportunities: They have multiple foreign bat, spin and seam options available to them. If Narine is asked to open the batting again, it brings in that unpredictability factor into the equation. If Varun, who is yet to prove himself here, plays, they could even think about going with three frontline spinners.
Threats: If the Indian batsmen don't perform in the middle-order, a lot would depend on what the likes of Shubman and Russell do with the bat. They will also hope that Kuldeep has a better IPL than last year because he gives their bowling attack a different option.
Rajasthan Royals
Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson, Andrew Tye, Kartik Tyagi, Ankit Rajpoot, Oshane Thomas, Mahipal Lomror, Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat, Rahul Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, Akash Singh, Jofra Archer, David Miller, Robin Uthappa, Tom Curran, Varun Aaron, Shashank Singh, Manan Vohra, Jos Buttler, Anirudha Joshi
Strengths: A very strong overseas core right through the team — right from Buttler at the top to Archer at the end — could stand them in good stead for the challenge. What also helps is the experience that several Indian players have in this format.
Weaknesses: The Indian fast bowlers do not inspire much confidence. Sure, Unadkat can be deadly on his day but those are few and far in between. The others do not have experience at this level or are two green.
Opportunities: Smith's leadership for a first few seasons could open the door for several young Indians to perform — Riyan and Yashavi especially. In the bowling, can go the other extreme and look to go for extreme pace with Oshane and
Archer up front.
Threats: The continued absence of Stokes, who is back in New Zealand because of his father's health, is a cause of concern. Smith's situation after being hit on the head is also a cause for concern.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj, Chris Morris, Josh Philippe, Moeen Ali, Aaron Finch, Isuru Udana, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, Parthiv Patel, Shahbaz Ahamad, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, Pawan Negi, Devdutt Padikkal, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Gurkeerat Mann Singh, Adam Zampa, Pavan Deshpande, Washington Sundar
Strengths: This has been said a few times before. Their top order is so loaded that it's not inconceivable to think they could bat out the 20 overs between them. And the acquisition of Zampa could further reinforce the spinning department.
Weaknesses: This has also been said a few times before. There just isn't enough Indian batsmen in the middle order. Also the fast-bowling department, despite the inclusion of Morris, looks feather-weight to defend totals.
Opportunities: Using Moeen will allow them to go in with four capable T20 spinners (Sundar, Zampa and Chahal being the other three). Padikkal's talents at the top could give them an extra dimension at the top.
Threats: Morris has been hit for plenty recently and Steyn isn't the same force in this format. Defending even big totals could be a problem if they get their bowling combination wrong, an age-old problem in this franchise.