IPL 2020 - A Preview
Written on September 18th, 2020 by {"login"=>"jcbitshyd", "email"=>"journal@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in", "display_name"=>"Journal Club, BPHC", "first_name"=>"", "last_name"=>""}The Journal Club presents a Preview to IPL 2020 wherein we look at all 8 teams and see where they are likely to end up at the end of the group stage. In this piece, we present our thoughts on the Mumbai Indians, the Kings XI Punjab, the Delhi Capitals and the Chennai Super Kings. We take a look at the teams' strengths, weaknesses and provide our insight into their squads.
PREDICTIONS- OUR THOUGHTS IN 4 SIMPLE LINES:
- Mumbai Indians - Top 2 in the league stage
- Kings XI Punjab - Have a semi-decent shot at the playoffs
- Delhi Capitals - Top 2 in the league stage
- Chennai Super Kings - Expected to make the playoffs, but who knows?
MUMBAI INDIANS
The Mumbai based franchise is the most decorated IPL team of all time, with four IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019 respectively. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to notice the trend, and that's something skipper Rohit Sharma would like to rectify by retaining the trophy for the first time. The core looks solid, with their big names being constant over the past few years, and there's an exciting bunch of youngsters in the mix. Can the defending champions adjust to the new location and conditions to end their "even-year" taboo?
Strengths:
MI boasts one of the strongest opening combinations in Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma. Quinton de Kock has been in exceptional form since being appointed the captain of South Africa in limited-overs cricket, and no one is alien to the beast that is Rohit Sharma when he is in the zone.
Lower down the order, the trio of Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers is enough to send shivers down the spine of any bowling attack, with all 3 players having the ability to clear the field with ease. Pollard's recent performances in the CPL will also be a huge confidence boost for himself, and the MI fans everywhere will be hoping he carries that form with him into the IPL.
With Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah being the likely candidates to bowl the death overs, MI has that department covered adequately too, with these bowlers being amongst the best in the business when it comes to firing in those toe-crushing yorkers we love to see.
Weaknesses:
Chris Lynn was purchased for just 2 crore in the auction for what looked like an absolute steal back then; however, with QDK having performed well for MI in the past and the fact that he's in good form may make it difficult for Lynn to get a spot in the starting XI. Furthermore, his performance in the recently concluded CPL was quite abysmal, something that will be playing on his mind and the minds of the fans and support staff.
With just 3 pitches being used this season, they will get tired and worn out, so the tournament could boil down to which teams play spin better and the ones that have better spinners. The lack of an experienced spinner in the MI squad could severely hurt them this season. While Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar did an admirable job last season, both lack international experience, and both bowl quick through the air compared to relying on flight to pick up wickets, leading to a lack of variation in the spin department. When Malinga pulled out due to personal reasons, the team management was quick to replace him with James Pattinson instead of a more experienced spinner, a decision that could come back to haunt them.
Also, let's not forget what happened the last time MI played in the UAE. In 2014, they failed to win a single of the 5 matches they played there, something that will remain a thorn in the flesh unless they can pull it out.
All in all, the Mumbai Indians start their campaign as one of the favorites, given their incredibly decorated history. If Rohit Sharma can get out of his IPL slump (by his standards) and the young MI spinners step up to the challenge ahead of them, this team has the potential to go very far in this year's edition.
Squad:
Rohit Sharma (C), Sherfane Rutherford, Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock, Aditya Tare, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Mohsin Khan, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Digvijay Deshmukh, Jayant Yadav, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Pattinson
KINGS XI PUNJAB
Kings XI Punjab has always been a team that pledges a lot but doesn't quite deliver as per expectations. Their previous two seasons have seen the side start well but tail off as the group stages went on and thus have to settle for finishes outside of the top 4, mainly due to an over-reliance on certain individuals. KXIP's status as perennial underachievers is highlighted by the fact that they have only ever reached the knockout stages of the tournament twice – in 2008 and 2014, respectively. They even made the final in 2014 but were unable to beat the Kolkata Knight Riders. With former Indian captain Anil Kumble at the helm of the team, one should believe that the side will realistically mount a title challenge this time around.
Strength:
The top-order. An opening combination of Chris Gayle and KL Rahul – who will also lead the side this season – ensures plenty of runs on top of the order. Nicholas Pooran and Mayank Agarwal are also good options either atop or in the middle order. The presence of Glenn Maxwell as a big-hitter and the all-around options of Chris Jordan and James Neesham means the side should have enough firepower to win matches.
Weakness:
While KXIP's lead performers remain strong, the lack of a strong support cast suggests they might struggle again. The likes of Karun Nair, Mandeep Singh, Deepak Hooda, and Krishnappa Gowtham will need to perform more consistently to ensure too much pressure isn't placed on the foreign players. The bowling unit also remains a worry. Mohammed Shami is a capable operator and had some success last season, but far too much will depend on him and Sheldon Cottrell, who is making his IPL debut this season.
The absence of R Ashwin means there will also be a lot of pressure on the young Mujeeb or less experienced spinners to step up to the plate. A lack of a proven world-class spin option could come back to haunt the side
Moreover, Kings XI have lacked an experienced captain from the past few years. It remains to be seen how Rahul manages to lead the team as a Batsman and Wicket-keeper in this season.
Squad:
KL Rahul (C), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Sheldon Cottrell, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen, M Ashwin, J Suchith, Harpreet Brar, Darshan Nalkande, Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, Nicholas Pooran, Prabhsimran Singh.
DELHI CAPITALS
One of the franchises that show a lot of promise every year but fails to replicate it in the tournament is the Delhi Capitals.
One of the most intriguing factors of the squad is the strong Indian core it possesses with the likes of Shaw, Pant, Iyer, Rahane, and R Ashwin. They are the only team looking like they can go with 3 overseas players very comfortably.
They look like a solid squad that has covered all bases with the likes of the Protea pace battery consisting of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje and Indian quicks Ishant Sharma and Harshal Patel. To balance an already accomplished bowling unit, DC has roped in premier spinners such as R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, and young Sandeep Lamichhane. Their batsmen can play both in extreme pace and turning conditions, thanks to the experience of seasoned campaigners Dhawan and Rahane, the dynamic ability of Shreyas Iyer and Prithwi Shaw, as well as explosive finishers like Pant and Stoinis. This team looks to go far as the tournament progresses.
It will be interesting to see Shreyas Iyer captaining the side yet again, and he has shown that he can have success in the shorter format. The Team staff headed by Ricky Ponting is sure to give a hard time for the other teams as well based on their work balance regime.
A team that looks perfect on paper might crumble in the real tournament, and Delhi Capitals have been no exception thus far. T20 cricket nowadays requires a lot of experience from the players to tackle certain situations in the game. Therefore the youngsters should be able to reply with the expectations being put on them. There should not be short bursts but long innings from the youngsters.
This means that Prithvi Shaw and Shimron Hetmyer will have to take upon the onus of moving the spotlight on the big names, with Shaw having to pace the innings and Hetmyer make optimum use of the old ball with his long hitting. While both have shown glimpses of their talent in the limited opportunities they have earned so far, they need to be able to show that they have the mindset to do it on the big stage?
On the flip side, it will be interesting to see test veterans who will come out to play and what their team strategy is. Are they still good enough for the format? Or will the IPL succeed in exposing their slow scoring rate as it did to Ajinkya Rahane?
The final point of contention is the question mark on Pant's ability. After a much-hyped selection to the Indian national team, he has lacked the temperament to play long innings or even hit boundaries at will, too, the quality that contributed largely to his selection.
Will we see his redemption?
Squad:
Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Rishabh Pant, Harshal Patel, Ishant Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Tushar Deshpande Shimron Hetmyer, Daniel Sams, Keemo Paul, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Sandeep Lamichhane
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
The story of those that always stood by. Will the wounded giant awaken?
Objectively, Chennai Super Kings have been the most consistent franchise in the history of IPL, making it to the playoffs every single season the franchise has taken part in. Several former and current players of the franchise have credited the team's successful run to the enviable support system and immense backing from the coach and captain. The only team to have the same captain from 2008 to present, MS Dhoni, has been the franchise's face, leading from the front and, on several occasions, lighting up the stadium with his powerful shots over the boundary, lightning-quick stumpings, and innovative captaining moments. Backed by the victories of 2010, 2011, and 2018, and stung by the narrow loss in the 2019 finals, CSK will not be settling for anything less than another trophy in the cabinet.
Strengths:-
After the 2018 auctions, the very blatant fact that analysts and experts expected to be CSK's Achilles heel turned out to be their most powerful weapon - Experience. Often memed as the "Dad's Army," the squad has shown that T20 is not just the youngsters game. With the experienced players all raising their hands in critical situations, CSK has always been able to wriggle their way out of most precarious positions and emerge the cool-headed winners. At the top of the order is Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis, veterans of the T20 game. The middle-order has the talisman finisher and captain MS Dhoni, well supported by the likes of Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav. Breakout sensation and swing bowler Deepak Chahar, along with Lungi Ngidi and Josh Hazlewood, will prove to be potent. It would be a crime to not mention CSK's spin arsenal, with new addition Piyush Chawla and veterans like Imran Tahir, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Karn Sharma, and others who will surely thrive in the spinner-friendly UAE conditions.
Weaknesses:-
Several off-field blows have placed the team in a precarious position even before the season has started. With valuable off-spinner Harbhajan Singh bowing out due to personal reasons, CSK is now left without a premier bowler to spin the ball into the left-handers and Dhoni's favorite powerplay partner to Deepak Chahar. Suresh Raina, the talisman at 1 down, too, has withdrawn from the tournament, but if rumors are to be believed, there is a chance of him coming back into the squad. With gaping holes in the squad's line-up, the think-tank of Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni have their work cut out for them in terms of combinations and strategy.
Squad:-
Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni(C), Narayan Jagadeesan, Dwayne Bravo, Kedar Jadhav, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, KM Asif, Lungi Ngidi, Josh Hazlewood, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Piyush Chawla, R Sai Kishore, Monu Kuma