IPL 2020 - A Preview (Part 2)
Written on September 19th, 2020 by {"login"=>"jcbitshyd", "email"=>"journal@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in", "display_name"=>"Journal Club, BPHC", "first_name"=>"", "last_name"=>""}The Journal Club presents the second part in its 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 Kolkata Knight Riders, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Rajasthan Royals and the Sunrisers Hyderabad. We take a look at the teams' strengths, weaknesses and provide our insight into their squads.
PREDICTIONS- OUR THOUGHTS IN 4 SIMPLE LINES:
- Royal Challengers Bangalore - Could mount a strong challenge, decent shot at the playoffs
- Kolkata Knight Riders - Strong contenders for a top 4 finish
- Sunrisers Hyderabad - Expected to make it to the playoffs easily
- Rajasthan Royals - Just enough to mount a challenge, could be a surprise package - but very grave squad challenges
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders have not made it to the knockout stages only twice since 2014. Their performance was a little disappointing last year, where they finished fifth with only six wins to their name. The highest scorer being Andre Russell, who scored 510 runs in 14 games. Brendon McCullum, their head coach, recently said he was confident about Dinesh Karthik leading the side because he is an experienced campaigner. The side will settle for nothing less than a top 4 finish this time, especially after the reinforcements brought in. Given the squad, one expects them to be in the conversation with traditional powerhouses like Chennai and Mumbai and at least finish in the top four.
Strengths:
For the former champions, the batting line up looks much more reliable than last time with the promising Shubman Gill set to open the innings. All-rounders Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and a strong batting department, including Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan, Tom Banton, Nitish Rana, and Rahul Tripathi, gives the management a whole host of options. The management has paid a lot to bring back Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan, who provide much-needed experience for the team.
While the batting is really good, KKR's bowlers, especially the spinners, will also be among the captain's trump cards. Narine and Kuldeep Yadav being among the best spinners out there. Not only this, but fast bowlers like Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, and Lockie Ferguson are also a good mix of experience and youth.
Weaknesses:
Staying fit and away from injuries will be of major importance to KKR as the backup cast is likely to find it tough to match up due to a lack of experience. Players like Dinesh Kartik, Nitish Rana, Shubhman Gill have no proper backup. Rinku Singh, Siddhesh Lad, Rahul Tripathi, and Nikhil Naik are the only other options, and most of them haven't had sufficient IPL experience. Another weakness can be too much dependence on Andre Russel, No doubt he was their best player from last year, but the team can't be over-dependent on him. That apart, the team must also not fail to give Russell the desired platform to show off his skills as another rift in the camp like last year will not augur well for the morale and could have a lasting impact.
Squad:-
Dinesh Karthik (c), Andre Russell, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine, Chris Green, Eoin Morgan, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik, Praveen Tambe, Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Tom Banton, Varun Chakravarthy.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE
A team that has been so often associated with big promises and disappointment, it can be considered perfectly analogous to the performance of South Africa in ICC tournaments. 3-time finalists, they have always been led by a strong batting line-up and a bowling unit that seems very disconnected and unable to keep up the tempo.
And that is the exact challenge head coach Simon Katich has decided to take on.
A number of changes are visible in the RCB camp, with AB set to don the gloves after almost 5 years. This comes on the back of responsibility, with AB also saying he's available to put in an over or two per match if needed. The return of AB behind the stumps changes the equation drastically in two major dimensions: his technical ability and athleticism behind the stumps surpass Parthiv Patel's even today, but the biggest difference made is the chance to play an extra bowler/all-rounder to back the relatively weaker bowling unit, which they could not do earlier as they had to play AB and Parthiv. Another expected change would be the opening pair, with Devdutt Padikkal likely to walk out with Aaron Finch, followed by Kohli at 3 and AB at 4. One of their key strengths this season could be the young Indian talent they have managed to round up. The only thing that remains to be seen is who the 2 all-rounders will be. They have Morris, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, and Pawan Negi to choose from. Dale Steyn, Zampa, Isuru Udana, Chahal, Washington Sundar, Saini, and Umesh Yadav form the bowling unit.
Strengths:
RCB's biggest strength lies in its formidable batting line-up. Over the years, the RCB squad has had some of the most prolific T20 batsmen. They have skipper Virat Kohli who is arguably the best white-ball batsman in the world. The RCB squad also has an explosive T20 batter in the form of AB de Villiers. These two have been the pillars of RCB's batting for years now, and a lot will depend on the flamboyant duo if RCB is to win the IPL 2020. The inclusion of Aaron Finch in the RCB squad at the IPL 2020 auctions has further bolstered the franchise's batting. Besides the top order, they also have the likes of Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, and Chris Morris, who have the ability to go berserk on the bowlers from the word go. Youngsters like Devdutt Padikkal and Joshua Philippe can also be lethal at the top order.
Weaknesses:
The RCB squad doesn't have an Indian batsman who can hold the innings together during the middle overs. They sure have Gurkeerat Mann but hasn't yet proved himself in the IPL. Moeen Ali is another option who could do the job, but if RCB decides to play Finch, De Villiers, Morris, and Steyn, then RCB will have to stay put with Mann. Another fragility that the RCB squad has is its death bowling. Over the years, RCB have lost matches from winning positions because of their horror show at the death. Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Siraj have been costly at the death for RCB, and Virat Kohli will have a tough time if he decides to play Yadav and Siraj alongside Navdeep Saini. Kane Richardson's absence could also cost RCB, as they might have to rely on old South African warhorse Dale Steyn to deliver.
Squad:
Virat Kohli (C), Parthiv Patel, AB de Villiers, Chris Morris, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shivam Dubey, Aaron Finch, Umesh Yadav, Adam Zampa, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Dale Steyn, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Mann Singh, Isuru Udana, Devdutt Padikkal, Shahbaz Ahamad, Joshua Philippe, Pavan Deshpande
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Despite being the champions in the first season of the IPL, the Rajasthan Royals have, over the years, emerged as the team with a lower winning ratio as compared to some of the other prominent teams. They do have three playoff performances under their belt, but never gave the confidence of going the distance in those seasons. In a nutshell, Rajasthan has been the team that packs a punch for small durations and crumbles under pressure against the big names. With the IPL 2020 around the corner, there are fresh expectations from them, but their fans also clearly know what to expect and whatnot.
Strengths:
It doesn't look like Rajasthan possess a great batting unit or an excellent bowling side, but just seem to have the right combination of players to do the job. Of course, there would be the presence of quality foreign players like Jos Buttler, Steve Smith, and David Miller, but the core of the team lies in its youngsters, who would be looking to make a mark for themselves. Yashaswi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Kartik Tyagi -- all products of U-19 World Cups, would look to perform to the best of their abilities and win some matches for their side.
Weaknesses:
Royals have a lot of problems to deal with even before the start of the tournament. Heavily reliant on English and Australian stars, the team might miss their presence in the first few matches, since players from both the teams are currently playing a series in England. To top it all, there is still no clarity as to when Ben Stokes will join the team. He is in New Zealand currently, with his family, due to his father's ill health. A concussion to Steve Smith before the recently concluded England vs. Australia ODI series means that his availability is also in question. It will be interesting to see how Unadkat leads the side in Smith's absence.
Furthermore, it's a team that looks patchy on the surface with many promising names but some questionable cohesiveness. Robin Uthappa's place in the best 11 is confusing at best, David Miller's best days came quite a long time ago, and a lack of international quality spinners (in what is likely to be a spin-friendly tournament) are all troubling signs at best.
Apart from that, their bowling unit consists of some good overseas players but doesn't instill the confidence of a champion bowling side. Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, Varun Aaron, and Jaydev Unadkat might be good on their day, but the attack does lack some firepower. The attack might be a tad too dependent upon Archer to bail them out of trouble.
Squad:
David Miller, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Robin Uthappa, Shashank Singh, Steven Smith, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ben Stokes, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Tom Curran, Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Akash Singh, Andrew Tye, Aniruddha Joshi, Ankit Rajpoot, Jaydev Unadkat, Jofra Archer, Kartik Tyagi, Mayank Markande, Oshane Thomas, Rahul Tewatia, Varun Aaron
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
What comes to your mind when someone says Sunrisers Hyderabad? David Warner- one of the greatest cricketers in IPL history known for his consistency and the one to bring home an IPL trophy in 2016. Since that eventful season, they've made it to the playoffs of each season. They had a good season in 2017 but couldn't make it to the finals, coming back stronger in 2018. Herein came the revolutionary transfer of captaincy to Kane Williamson. In 2019, they bought Bairstow in a moment of genius as he produced some brilliant innings. Still, they had some issues like Williamson's injuries, lack of strength in the middle order, and the unavailability of Warner, Bairstow, for the whole season.
After a good season in 2019, what changes have they made to their squad?
They let go of Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, and Martin Guptill, who had been part of the team for years but couldn't give that impression they were needed.
To compensate for these departures, they roped in Fabien Allen and Mitchell Marsh during the 2020 auction.
Strengths:
The top order: David Warner, Jhonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, and Manish Pandey, a solid combination any franchise would dream of. They have been performing consistently over the years. For those of you who've followed the Australia vs. Pakistan series over the past couple of years, these numbers should come as no surprise- Warner averages 55 and scores at a strike rate of over 140 in the UAE in T20I's. Williamson and Bairstow are also great players of spin, having been consistent performers in the Emirates.
As you move down this star-studded line-up, you run into 2 Afghan stalwarts in Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan. The latter has made the IPL his own, and he's up for the UAE challenge, with stats to back him - he's bowled 41 overs and taken 18 wickets, maintaining a miserly average of 11.8 runs per game in T20I's on Arab soil. The presence of slow tracks should bolster his confidence highly. Nabi has also been a mainstay in the SRH line-up, complementing Rashid's vicious turn with some economical bowling and power hitting.
Bowling has been very crucial for SRH. They have Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, a 2-time purple cap winner that can move the new and old ball both ways, making him arguably the most accurate bowler to hit the deck in the IPL. With the likes of Sandeep Sharma, who can show variations in bowling, this pair will be threatening to opponents because the conditions are suitable for both the bowlers.
Weaknesses:
One thing SRH has been struggling for years is their middle-order. Until last season they couldn't find anyone to shift gears in the last 5 overs. Vijay Shankar showed promise, but his performance wasn't that great last season. Who is next after him? During this year's auction, they bought some young and local talent like Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, and Virat Singh, who can play a role in the middle order, but none have taken to the big stage yet. If the top order falls early, we can't trust these inexperienced/young players to do the job and get to a decent total.
Squad:
David Warner (C), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Mohammad Nabi, Vijay Shankar, Rashid Khan, Fabian Allen, Mitchell Marsh, Sandeep Bavanaka, Sanjay Yadav, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Billy Stanlake, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Jonny Bairstow, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami