Ever since it was announced that Rising Pune Supergiants were going to be one of the two new teams, the excitement surrounding who they would play began. And when they picked MS Dhoni as their first pick in the IPL draft for the two teams and announced Stephen Fleming as the coach, it became clear that they were trying to replicate the CSK model in Pune.
Also read: VIVO IPL 2016 New Teams: All you need to know about Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants
With several marquee players and international captains like Faf du Plessis, Steven Smith and Dhoni, it will be interesting to see who they pick to start the opener against Mumbai Indians on Saturday.
Also read: IPL 2016 Highest Paid Players, Full List of IPL Season 9 Player Salaries
Here is the predicted XI for Rising Pune Supergiants:
Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane may not be a first-choice opener for India but that should take nothing away from just how good he is, when it comes to opening the batting in the IPL. Playing for Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians, Rahane has scored more than 2,000 runs at an average of 33.76 and a strike rate of almost 120.
Although he is not as destructive as someone like Brendon McCullum, he has a vast array of shots and makes use of placement and timing to pick up his runs. As the World T20 showed, you don't have to be big and strong to score runs and Rahane will be hoping to continue his impressive IPL track record to the Rising Pune Supergiants and get them off to a good start.
Faf du Plessis
Although Faf du Plessis has only just crossed 1,000 IPL runs, his performances for Chennai Super Kings before Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith formed a potent opening partnership was enough to suggest that he could open the innings with aplomb. Although he has been playing in the middle-order for both CSK and South Africa over the past year, he has the shots to succeed as an opener.
Although he has scored more T20I runs for South Africa in fewer games than in the IPL, it is largely because he hasn't had a settled role at his previous team, where he was almost used as a floater. With an assured role as an opener, it is only a matter of time before the South African T20 captain replicates his international form in the IPL.
Kevin Pietersen
Given the form that he has been in the last year in various domestic T20 leagues, it was a surprise that he wasn't even mentioned as a possible candidate to play for England in the recently concluded World T20. But, despite his impressive performances, it is surprising to note that he has only played 32 matches in the IPL.
It is also not because of poor form that he has played so low, because his numbers are impressive. In the IPL, he has scored 928 runs at an average of 37 and a strike rate in excess of 130. Those are exceptional numbers for someone batting at No.3 and he will be looking to improve upon them under the stewardship of the IPL's most successful captain, MS Dhoni.
Steven Smith
Steven Smith will be adorning the Pune IPL jersey once again. But since the last time he played for the Pune Warriors, a lot has changed. Back then, he was just another Australian batsman, but now he has transformed into one of the finest current batsmen. Although his form in the shortest format of the game isn't as impressive as his Test or ODI numbers, his quality is still undeniable.
Australia might not have raised many eyebrows at the World T20 but Smith's pedigree as a batsman has been proven on more than one occasion over the last few years. With his unique ability to access areas of the pitch that other batsmen dare not dream of, he will be a vital cog in the Pune machine. As he proved with the Rajasthan Royals last year, he is more than capable of holding his own in a format that is usually dominated by big hitters.
MS Dhoni
After eight years with Chennai Super Kings, it will certainly be interesting, to say the least, to see Mahendra Singh Dhoni play for a different IPL team. While Dhoni has won plenty of trophies with India, it was with CSK that he made a name for himself and managed to create a team in his own image, with a settled core of players almost throughout his entire stint at the team, but now all of that is in the past.
Although he still probably is one of the finest wicketkeeper batsmen in the game right now, it will be interesting to see how he handles the captaincy of a completely new team. As a batsman, he is only 14 runs shy of becoming only the sixth batsman to score 3000 IPL runs. While he will certainly achieve that feat soon, whether he can continue to hit long and hard will be something to watch out for.
Mitchell Marsh/ Thisara Perera
When it comes to the No.6 slot, Pune have three very good options. If the deck is seamer-friendly and they want a bowler to make the most of it, Albie Morkel would be a good bet. If it is a slow, low track, Thisara Perera with his cutters, will be useful. However, the player for all conditions and the probable first choice is going to be Mitchell Marsh thanks to his big-hitting and efficient bowling.
Given that the Pune pitch is likely to assist the seamers more, Marsh is a better bet as he is a much better batsman than Morkel, whose skills are on the wane. With a T20 record that is only getting better and the experience of playing in Perth, on one of the fastest pitches in the world, the Australian is likely to slot in perfectly as the side's utility player.
Irfan Pathan
Despite being in sublime form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Irfan Pathan wasn't selected in India's World T20 team. What was even more surprising was the fact that despite being in fantastic form, he was almost unsold and ended up being picked up at his base price by Pune. Although 1 crore might not seem like a bargain, given the strength and depth that he provides with both bat and ball, he most certainly is.
Capable of swinging the new ball and also bowling crucial yorkers at the death overs, Pathan's performances almost warrant a place in the side for his bowling alone. And that isn't even mentioning his batting, which is more than handy and at No.7 provides the perfect transition and final flourish to the innings.
Ravichandran Ashwin
He might not have had the backing of his captain in the series against Australia and in the World T20, but when it comes to the IPL, Ravichandran Ashwin is MS Dhoni's go-to bowler. Whether it is in the powerplay, where he needs wickets or if the game is getting away from him, Ashwin is always Dhoni first preference. And in the IPL, the off-spinner has repaid that faith as well.
Going into the ninth edition of the IPL, the 29-year-old is just 10 wickets away from becoming the sixth bowler to take 100 IPL wickets. Although he will be bowling on tracks that aren't known to assist spinners massively, he has the variations necessary to trouble batsmen on any kind of surface. And he will be massively important to their chances of success in the tournament.
Murugan Ashwin
Before the IPL Auction 2016, not many outside of those who religiously follow Tamil Nadu in the domestic circuit are likely to have known too much about Murugan Ashwin. But after fetching a whopping 4.5 crore in the auction, everyone was curious to know more about him. One of the reasons why fetched so much money was because of his sessions as a net bowler for Chennai Super Kings.
The 25-year-old, who is a leg spinner and has no relation to his namesake and Indian international Ravichandran Ashwin is likely to form a potent combination with the latter and present batsmen with two unique challenges. Although he doesn't have a lot of experience, under the guidance of MS Dhoni and support from the other Ashwin, he should flourish if he fulfills his potential.
Ishwar Pandey
One of the backbones of the Chennai Super Kings side in 2015 was the form of their fast bowlers. Despite the presence of Ashish Nehra and Mohit Sharma, two Indian internationals, it was the performance of the uncapped Ishwar Pandey that caught the eye. The fast bowler showed immaculate control over his line and length and showed that despite not having express pace, he can cause batsmen trouble and at the same time keep things quiet as well.
So it was no surprise to see him being snapped up by Dhoni, who prefers accuracy over raw pace. Although, there is the option of both RP Singh and Ashok Dinda, it is likely that the captain goes with the tried and tested player, so Pandey will certainly get a good run of games to prove that he isn't just another one-season wonder.
Ishant Sharma/ RP Singh
Although Ishant Sharma has primarily become India's Test bowler, his performances in the shortest format aren't the reason why that is the case. In fact, his height and ability to hit the deck hard often troubles batsmen on pitches that offer some variable bounce. With the Pune deck expected to be one that assists the seamer, Ishant Sharma is certain to enjoy playing there.
Although he can be expensive at times, he gets the nod in this line-up thanks to his ability to pick up wickets. While there might come a time, later in the tournament, where RP Singh or Ashok Dinda are chosen ahead of him, at least for the start, Ishant is likely to spearhead the attack.
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