IPL 2018: Key batsmen for each team 

There's hardly a month left for the world's most popular domestic T20 league to begin. This year's IPL is going to be a blockbuster as it marks the return of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals after both of them served a ban of two years.

It's impossible to see raining sixes if you don't have batsmen who have the capability to do it. Fortunately, IPL consists of all the world class batsmen who have entertained all the spectators with their valuable performances.

Let's look into the batsmen from each franchise who will be up to take their team to a huge total and bag the orange cup.

#1 Chennai Super Kings - Suresh Raina

Raina has made a remarkable comeback in international cricket

Raina has made a phenomenal comeback to the Indian team by showing some promising performances on the South African Tour and the ongoing Nidahas Trophy. Raina has shown his masterclass and we would soon have him in the ODI squad too.

Raina has played 72 T20Is in his career and scored 1498 runs at an astounding strike rate of 134.23. He is one of those batsmen who has scored a T20I hundred for India. Raina also has an experience of 223 ODIs and scored 5568 runs at an extraordinary average of 35.46.

He captained the Gujarat Lions in the past two editions. He has proved to be an effective batsman in the IPL. He has played 161 matches and scored 4540 runs at an incredible strike rate of 139.05. Raina will be up to continue his thunderous batting in the IPL too and possibly go on to secure the orange cap.

Faf du Plessis

Faf du Plessis's mature batting has proved to be troublesome for the bowlers

We all know about the capabilities that the South African captain persists. His calm and mature batting has always been a treat for the cricket fraternity and he would be looking forward to continuing his performance in this year's IPL too.

Faf has played 39 T20Is in his career and scored 1191 runs at an exceptional strike rate of 133.22. His credibility automatically increases when it comes to his ODI career. He has played 117 matches and scored 4379 runs at an incredible average of 43.79.

Faf is back for CSK after spending two years with Rising Pune Supergiant. In his IPL career, he has scored 1295 runs in his 53 matches at a decent strike rate of 127.96. Faf would be excited to play for CSK again and would love to live up to the expectations of the team.

#2 Delhi Daredevils - Colin Munro

Munro's hard-hitting will be a treat to the spectators

Whenever we talk about hard-hitting batsmen, Colin Munro is usually found at the top of the list. The Kiwi batsman was the first cricketer to hit three centuries in the T20I cricket. He has played 45 T20Is in his career and scored 1173 runs at an astounding strike rate of 163.59.

Munro was adjudged with the Man of the Series in the recent T20I series against West Indies. He scored 223 runs at a strike rate of 197.34. His recent form is a plus point for the Daredevils. Munro's hard-hitting performances are awaited by the entire team and the spectators.

He is undoubtedly the best top order batsmen which any of the teams could witness. Munro will be up to add a couple of centuries in his bag in this season.

Glenn Maxwell

Maxwell is back to where he started his IPL Career

Maxwell has been undoubtedly the best buy for the Daredevils in the 2018 IPL Auction. He has played 43 T20Is in his career and scored 1072 runs at a blistering strike rate of 165.68.

Maxwell recently gave a thunderous performance in the Trans-Tasman Tri Series, where he was adjudged with the Man of the Series for scoring 233 runs and bagging three wickets.

The Australian has contributed significantly to the Kings Xi Punjab in the past seasons. He has played 57 IPL matches in his career and has scored 1228 runs and bagged 11 wickets.

There is no doubt about the credibility this player. If we look into his recent form, we may witness raining sixes from the Aussie's bat. Maxwell would also be up for the Orange Cup by his thunderous performances.

#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore - Virat Kohli

Kohli will be up to take his team for the maiden IPL title

Kohli is undoubtedly the best batsman currently in all three formats. His batting skills are definitely a treat to everyone's eyes and his captaincy has taken India at an altogether a different level. Although we all know about his pure class, let's get a glimpse of his international career.

Kohli has played 57 T20Is and scored 1983 runs at an exceptional average of 50.85. His T20I career consists of 18 half centuries. The No.1 ODI batsman has played 208 ODIs and scored 9588 runs at a phenomenal average of 58.11. He has scored 35 hundreds in his ODI career, which is the second highest by any individual after Sachin Tendulkar.

Virat won the Orange Cap in the IPL 2016. In that season, Virat scored 973 runs in 16 matches at a sensational average of 81.08. He scored 4 hundreds and 7 half centuries in the season which shows he is a pure masterclass. Virat will be up to take his team for the maiden IPL title by giving more phenomenal performances.

AB de Villiers

Mr.360 will be up for another rock and roll season with RCB

We all know what wonders Mr. 360 has done. ABD is one of the best hitters of the ball in all formats of the game. He makes Test cricket feel like a T20I. Furthermore, how can one forget his astonishing 31-ball hundred against West Indies.

Let's look into the statistics of this legendary batsman.

De Villiers has played 78 T20Is in his career and scored 1672 runs at an exceptional strike rate of 135.17. The No.2 ODI batsman has played 228 ODIs and scored 9577 runs at a sensational average of 53.5. He has a mouth-watering 25 ODI hundreds under his bag.

AB has an impressive IPL record playing for Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore. He has played 129 IPL matches and scored 3473 runs at an exceptional strike rate of 148.17. He would be looking forward to again give few promising performances for the RCB and play a role to take them to their maiden IPL title.

#4 Mumbai Indians - Evin Lewis

Lewis will be looking to leave his mark in the IPL

Evin Lewis is the best batsman for Mumbai Indians, looking at his current form. He will be up to trouble all the world-class bowlers by his hard-hitting performances.

He has played 14 T20Is in his career and scored 468 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 154.97. He is also one of those batsmen who have scored two or more hundreds in T20Is.

Lewis came into the limelight when he smashed a 48-ball hundred against India in only his second T20I and went on to be the Man of the Match in Windies narrow one-run win.

The capabilities of Lewis are unquestionable in T20Is and he is definitely one of the contenders for the Orange Cap this year.

Rohit Sharma

Rohit will be up to lead his side for the title for the fourth time

Although Rohit is struggling with his form currently, we all are aware of the wonders he has made in the past and what all capabilities he consists. Being the captain of the Indian team of the Niadahas Trophy, he has achieved various accolades in the international cricket.

Rohit was the batsman to score three double hundreds in ODIs. He has played 78 T20Is and scored 1796 runs at an extraordinary strike rate of 135.85. Rohit is ranked 6th in the ODI rankings, where he has scored 6594 runs in his 180 matches at an exceptional average of 44.55.

Rohit has been the biggest contributor to the Mumbai Indians in their entire IPL career. He has led the team to the coveted title thrice. He has played 159 IPL matches and scored 4207. He has 32 IPL half centuries under his bag. Rohit would be looking forward to taking his team to win the coveted title for the 4th time.

#5 Sunrisers Hyderabad - David Warner

Warner has been a constant threat for bowlers in the IPL

Warner has been one of the indestructible batsmen Australia have ever witnessed. Being the captain of the side, he will be looking forward to winning the title for the second time. Warner has been a threat to all the world-class bowlers.

He has played 70 T20I matches and scored 1792 runs at an exceptional strike rate of 140.11. He also captained the Australian team in the Trans-Tasman Tri Series and ended their campaign as the champions.

Warner also has some impressive statistics in his IPL career. He has played 114 IPL matches and scored 4014 runs at a strike rate of 142.14.

He also has three IPL centuries in his bag. Being the current Orange Cap holder, he would like to retain it by his exceptional performances.

Shikhar Dhawan

Dhawan has been in good form recently

Dhawan is having a rock and roll performance in the ongoing Nidahas Trophy. He is undoubtedly in exemplary form and showing up good results in his recent performances. Dhawan's impressive performance in South Africa gave him the opportunity to become the vice-captain in the Nidahas Trophy.

Dhawan has played 35 T20Is in his career and scored 874 runs at a good strike rate of 129.34. Dhawan has immensely contributed to the SRH's fortunes in the past seasons. He has scored 3561 runs in his 127 IPL matches at a decent average of 32.67.

#6 Kings XI Punjab - KL Rahul

Rahul was bought for a whopping price of 11 Cr

Rahul was bought for a whopping price of Rs.11 Cr by the Kings XI Punjab. The reason why he has so much value is due to his ability to give a strong start to the team.

Rahul has played 14 T20Is in his career and scored 476 runs at an emphatic average of 47.6 and strike rate of 145.67.

He is one of those Indian batsmen who have a T20I century. Rahul also has decent IPL statistics. He has played 39 matches and scored 725 runs which comprise of four half-centuries.

Rahul would be looking forward to living up to the expectations of the team and convert his good starts into big scores.

Chris Gayle

Gayle will be up to entertain the spectators with his thunderous performance

If anyone wants to see raining sixes in a match, Gayle would do the job for you. The hard-hitting batsmen the world has ever witnessed will be up to represent a new team.

Gayle has played 55 T20Is in his career and scored 1589 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 145.11. His credibility automatically increases when it comes to IPL. He has played 101 IPL matches and scored 3626 runs at a thunderous strike rate of 151.21.

Gayle has immensely contributed to the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the past seasons. He has five IPL centuries under his bag.

Furthermore, how can one forget his knock of 175 runs against the Pune Warriors. Gayle would be looking forward to adding some more centuries under his bag and entertain all the spectators with his performances.

#7 Kolkata Knight Riders - Chris Lynn

Lynn is currently suffering from a calf injury

Lynn's participation in this year's edition is uncertain due to his calf injury. However, as the team officials haven't given any confirmation for the same, he can be taken into consideration.

His immense contribution to the Knight Riders forced them to but him for 9.60 Cr in the auction. He is a well built, hard-hitting batsman who has played 10 T20Is and scored 158 runs at an exceptional strike rate of 137.39.

He came into the limelight while playing for KKR in the last season. He scored 384 runs in the 12 matches he played at a thunderous strike rate of 158.02. He was one of the key batsmen for KKR and played a huge role in all of their successes in the last edition.

KKR would be hoping that Lynn would recover from his injury before the IPL starts because his absence can have a great impact on the entire team.

Dinesh Karthik

Karthik will be leading the KKR side

The captain of the Knight Riders will be taking over the entire team's responsibility as well as the wicket-keeping roles. However, the most important job for him will be to score big runs for the team and, if we looking into his recent form, he has all the capability to do the same.

Karthik has some promising statistics in his career that makes him a worthy player. He has played 18 T20Is and scored 240 runs at an impressive strike rate of 139.53. In his first-class career, he has played 157 matches and scored 9214 runs at an astounding average of 42.07.

Dinesh Karthik gave a few promising performances for the Gujarat Lions in the last season. He scored 361 runs in 14 matches at a phenomenal strike rate of 139.38. Karthik, along with the captaincy, will be looking forward to scoring big runs and take his team to the coveted title for the third time.

#8 Rajasthan Royals - Steve Smith

The Aussie captain is currently dominating all the formats of the game

The Aussie captain is currently dominating all formats of cricket. His captaincy has taken Australia to an altogether a different level. His consistency has proved to be very effective for the team in order to win crucial matches.

The No.1 Test batsman has played 63 Tests and scored 6187 runs at a sensational average of 62.49. In his impressive ODI career, he has played 108 matches and scored 3431 runs at an exceptional average of 41.84.

Smith captained the Rising Pune Supergiant last season and took them to the finals where they lost to Mumbai Indians. He has played 69 IPL matches and scored 1703 runs at an impressive average of 37.02. Smith would be looking forward to leading the Royals side and contribute by hitting big runs.

Rahul Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi scored with a strike rate of 146.44 in IPL 2017

Tripathi is the lone uncapped player who makes the list, and why shouldn't he, looking into his contribution for the Rising Pune Supergiant in the last edition. Rahul Tripathi was bought for Rs. 3.4 crores by Rajasthan Royals.

He came into the limelight when he played a match-winning knock of 93 off 52 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders.

He scored 391 runs in the 14 matches he played at an impressive strike rate of 146.44. He proved himself as an effective top-order batsman for the team.

Tripathi would be looking forward to playing for a new team and provide strong starts to the Royals. He would also be looking forward to convert his good starts into big scores.