By Shawn George: The IPL is back on track after far too long a break, and with Chennai Super Kings leading the pack, it’s sure to be an exiting climax to the season. Last years winners, and current record holders, Mumbai Indians, sit half way down the league in 4th place, though with only a 4 point gap, that could easily change over the coming weeks. One thing is for sure: they won’t want to relinquish their trophy without a scrap. Here’s a brief run down of the teams and their star players.
Chennai Super Kings: The three time, IPL champions, Chennai Super Kings, are one of the best teams currently in the tournament and stand just 2 points below the table toppers, Delhi Capitals. MS Dhoni, arguably one of the best skippers in the modern day era, seems confident the franchise is going to lift the cup for a fourth time. Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur are also anticipated to live up to the crowd’s expectations by producing match-winning performances after a fantastic start to the test series against England.
Punjab Kings: After failing to gain a single win, the hunt for Punjab’s first title continues as they look to move up to the qualifiers spot. Punjab are currently situated 6th in the table with 6 points. They have made a few changes to their squad recently, having sold their core finisher and Australian international, Glenn Maxwell, for over 14 crores to Royal Challengers Bangalore after a disappointing performance last season. Punjab, who have perhaps the finest team on paper, are aiming for their first ever title with the major priority being to move up to the qualifiers’ spot. Will they bottle it? Only time will tell.
Delhi Capitals: The current table toppers, Delhi Capitals and their players are in the form of their life. Rishab Pant, the youngest captain in the tournament has led the franchise magnificently as Delhi cruised to win 6 out of the 8 games they have played. Although Delhi are almost guaranteed qualification, they have suffered a huge blow as vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer is ruled out injured with a dislocated shoulder. However, Delhi will not be looking back as they have one of the best squad depths in the tournament. With the latest purchases of Hetmyer and the recent County Championship winner, Sam Billings, Delhi will only be looking forward to their continuing winning streak.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: With one of the finest batting line-ups in the tournament, Royal Challengers Bangalore, have definitely shown their class by winning 5 out of the 7 games they have played. With the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and newly recruited Glenn Maxwell, Bangalore is definitely proving to be a hot contender for this year’s title. “With so many years of continuous heartbreaks, there is surely a raging determination to lift our first ever IPL title,” declared the team skipper, Virat Kohli, in the recent RCB YouTube channel.
Kolkata Knight Riders: The two-time title winners, Kolkata Knight Riders, will face the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second leg of the season. Kolkata started poorly after winning only two out of first seven matches. The newly appointed skipper, Eoin Morgan and his team, have a mountain to climb after a disastrous season so far. They will take on the red-hot in-form Bangalore Royal Challengers, who are doing superbly well. The super star from West Indies, Andre Russel, is the Kolkata fans’ favourite, despite the fact that he had a very poor (by his standards) first leg. Russel is expected to take full advantage of the beautiful batting tracks set up in the UAE.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson and his team will take on the Punjab Kings in their first match of the second leg. Rajasthan have been hit with a huge blow after MVP, Ben Stokes’ decision to take an indefinite break from all forms of cricket. Nevertheless, Rajasthan has a depth of quality players who can turn out to be match-winners on their day. After having a fine series with South Africa, David Miller is anticipated to take on bigger responsibility and carry his team forward this season.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad are currently at the bottom of the table with a mere two points, having a net run- rate of -0.6. Sunrisers Hyderabad are looking to have a much stronger approach after the sacking of David Warner and appointing Kane Williamson as the new skipper. “The Sunrisers need to win all the remaining seven matches and will be treating every game like a final,” says spin leader, Rashid Khan, according to Hindustan Times. One thing’s for sure: Kane Williamson has complete faith in his players to complete a turnaround and has assured the fans that the team would be giving their 110% effort on the field. It’s a big ask, but you can never write anyone off until the maths tell you it’s over.
