IPL 2018: Rating the teams after their opening games

All eight teams participating in the Indian Premier League 2018 have played one match each in the tournament. While some of them have impressed with their terrific performances upfront, others have found it difficult to hit the ground running.

As expected, the teams batting second have had the upper hand and all the games of the tournament have been won by the chasing side so far.

Let us rate the teams with respect to their first look in the competition:

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Rajasthan Royals: 3/10

RR lost their first game by a huge margin of 9 wickets

The Rajasthan-based franchise was unable to make a strong comeback into the tournament after the two-year hiatus. RR slumped to a 9-wicket defeat against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening game of the season at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Hyderabad on Monday (April 9).

After being in a strong position at 48-1 after the powerplay, the Ajinkya Rahane-led team lost eight wickets in the next 14 overs and could score just 77 runs to put up a meek total of 125-9 at the end of the first innings. They disintegrated before the might and mettle of the SRH bowling line-up.

Their bowling effort was just as abysmal. Defending a small total, they could scalp just one wicket and never looked in the game throughout the chase. The bowlers bowled too short or too wide and never posed a real threat to the home batsmen.

The fielding from RR was underwhelming too, as they dropped the dangerous Shikhar Dhawan for a duck in the very first over of the second innings.

Rahane and Shane Warne have a lot of issues to tend to before their next game on Wednesday (April 11). They must focus on initiating and augmenting improvement in all three aspects of their game.

Delhi Daredevils: 4/10

Gambhir couldn't save DD's sinking ship

After the conclusion of the IPL auction earlier this year, DD had covered all their bases in terms of squad depth and variability. This year, they have a proven captain in Gautam Gambhir and their players are privy to invaluable tutelage from the legendary Ricky Ponting.

However, they could not pull off a win in their first game of the season against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali on Sunday (April 8). After being put in to bat first, the DD skipper exuded class at the top of the order and scored an impressive fifty.

However, no other batsman managed to cross 30 runs and it seemed as if Delhi were 20-30 runs short after they reached a total of 166-7 at the end of 20 overs.

However, it was still a substantial effort and Punjab could’ve been pulled into a tricky situation in the chase, had DD bowled with complete precision and single-minded focus.

KL Rahul’s willow was too difficult for them to control though, and the right-hander ended up scoring a half-century in just 14 deliveries at the top of the order. His incredible knock, which is now registered as the fastest 50 in the history of the tournament, broke the back of the DD bowling.

A bowling line-up consisting of Mohammad Shami, Trent Boult, and Amit Mishra should be able to make a difference in T20 cricket. However, the trio was smashed all around the park, first by Rahul, and then by Karun Nair.

Gambhir and Co. ultimately capitulated to a 6-wicket defeat with an over to spare in the second innings. Rishabh Pant came in to bat at Number 5 and that seemed to put him under additional pressure. Shreyas Iyer seemed uncomfortable at one-down and Vijay Shankar was promoted to Number 4. The ploy that DD were employing clearly didn’t work on the day.

They might want to make few changes in their batting line-up for the next game and find a way to constrain the run-flow with the ball, especially in the first six overs.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 4.5/10

Yet another underachieving side for the franchise?

The tale of woe has extended itself yet again for Virat Kohli and his perennially underachieving franchise. Every year, the squad RCB put together looks star-studded, powerful, and unquenchable. However, the same old story repeats itself yet again, and they turn from the unbeatables to the beaten more often than not.

IPL 2018 has not started off well for the franchise. They lost their opening game to Dinesh Karthik’s Kolkata Knight Riders, which, quite frankly, looked like the worst side on paper before the culmination of the tournament.

Admittedly, the Men in Red put up a pretty strong total in the first innings of the game. Riding on the backs of powerful knocks from Brendon McCullum, AB de Villiers, and Mandeep Singh, they scored 176-7 in their quota of 20 overs. However, Kohli’s tepid innings of 31 off 33 deliveries and failures from Quinton de Kock and Sarfaraz Khan would worry the RCB think-tank.

However, it was the bowling that led RCB down, yet again. Sunil Narine’s 50-run burst at the top of the order swung the momentum violently in favour of the Knight Riders right at the beginning of the chase. The bowling changes brought on by Kohli during this period were questionable at best and outrageous at worst.

Consequently, KKR cruised to a 4-wicket victory in 18.5 overs, courtesy Narine’s explosive batting and the dual effort from Nitish Rana and Dinesh Karthik down the order.

If RCB want to challenge for the title this season, they have to go full throttle with their batting in every game henceforth and find a way to make their bowling more effective and utilitarian.

Mumbai Indians: 5/10

Mumbai Indians have lost their opening game, yet again!

Mumbai Indians have a history of being slow starters in the IPL. They tend to lose their maiden match more often than not, and take time before they start punching the opposition in their typical, heavyweight manner.

This time around, for most part of the chase, it looked like they might be able to clinch a win in their first game of the season. However, Dwayne Bravo’s impeccable innings snatched the game away from the hosts at the Wankhede Stadium and powered CSK to clinch the opener of IPL 2018.

It was a one-wicket victory for the Men in Yellow and while a lot of credit must be given to Bravo, it seemed as if MI got too complacent in the business end of the game. They failed to reach a domineering total in the first innings of the game and set a target of just 166 for MS Dhoni and Co.

Rohit Sharma’s team brought things back beautifully in the second innings of the game, only to give it all away to the fight from CSK.

They will not be too disappointed with their effort, though, as they showed positive signs through the game. Once the guns in their team start firing with a little more precision and consistency, they will be back on track for their title defence.

Chennai Super Kings: 6.5/10

Bravo was the hero with the bat as well as the ball

Though the Super Kings pulled off a thrilling victory against their arch-rivals, Dhoni would know that the manner in which they won was far from convincing. CSK’s return to the tournament has been enhanced by a win, but to go deep into the competition, they must minimize their weakness, which were clearly on display against the Mumbai Indians.

The bowling effort from CSK was top notch as they managed to restrict a powerful side like MI to just 166 on a flat deck. However, their batting looked concerning, to say the least.

They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and could not build a steady partnership anywhere through the chase. If you peruse through this team’s history in the tournament, you will notice that they have the tendency to fall like nine pins in the one-off game.

This niggle has caused them the league in the past, and they must focus to rip it out of their system before they have to pay a big price for it once again.

Kolkata Knight Riders: 7/10

KKR ran away with a strong home victory

Karthik started off his captaincy career with the Knight Riders in a strong and convincing manner. He tamed the RCB attack with his dynamism as a leader and his dependability as a batsman. He sustained the ploy of sending Narine to open the innings and it paid dividends yet again against the revamped bowling unit of the visitors.

Their bowling looked scratchy in places but their batting clicked well in the second innings of the game. If they wish to go deep into this tournament, they will have to focus on gelling together as a team so as to fill the voids created by the departure of Gambhir and the injury to Mitchell Starc.

For now, their campaign has begun on a positive and promising note.

Kings XI Punjab: 8/10

Ravi Ashwin's captaincy reign has started well

The synchronized madness that was displayed by the KXIP unit in the auction makes a lot more sense now. This team looked dangerous now and has the ability to clinch the trophy this year, if it manages to perform like it did against DD on Sunday (April 8).

They spent big money on Rahul and their skipper, R Ashwin, and both the Indian internationals have already started living up to their price tag from the auction. Ashwin led the team with guile and intelligence, while Rahul stormed through the visitors with his swashbuckling batting.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman impressed on his debut, while Karun Nair donned the responsibility of a finisher to take the team home.

Overall, this looks like one of the best KXIP squads in the history of the IPL. Their bowling attack looks fresh and unyielding, while their batting line-up breeds variability. The only concern for the team management would be Yuvraj Singh’s below-par performance and the doubt that hangs over the second opener.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 10/10

It was a perfect performance from the Men in Orange

David Warner was at the core of the Sunrisers Hyderabad and losing him in the lead up to the tournament must’ve been a blow for the franchise. However, they put up a brilliant all-round display against the Rajasthan Royals at home on Monday (April 9), and proved that they are strong enough to challenge for the trophy without the Australian southpaw.

Warner’s leadership responsibilities were taken over by a dynamic Kane Williamson, while his batting prowess was not missed due to some excellent shotmaking by Dhawan at the top of the order.

It was a perfect game for SRH. They bowled like virtuosos to restrict the Royals to just 125 in 20 overs, they fielded with athleticism and vigilance to affect two run-outs in the innings, and they batted with authority to clinch the game by 9 wickets. It was a terrific all-round performance from them.