IPL 2014: Top 3 players to watch out for in every team

'South Africa Tour' CHECK! 'New Zealand Tour' CHECK ! 'Asia Cup' CHECK ! 'World T20' CHECK ! 'IPL 2014 LOADING..!!So, yes, after a busy last few months of Indian cricket with its share of highs and lows, we have finally arrived at arguably cricket world's biggest domestic T20 tournament. The tournament may be Indian and is held mainly in India except for election seasons, but the flavour is completely continental. This is the same tournament where every year you see close friends like Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh play for different teams, while not-so-good friends earlier like Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds play for the same team. The 2014 edition is all set to start with a bang amidst various controversies, with a simple and straightforward tagline: The show must go on! Let's have a look at the top 3 players in every team to look forward to this season.Please note that we - Mirza Saadat Baig and Clive Azavedo - have tried to keep our focus away from proven or retained players and have chosen players who have either been bought by different franchises or have evolved as players of late, or are looking to breakaway yet again into the international circuit.

#1 MUMBAI INDIANS

Right from season 1, the Mumbai Indians franchise has always had the knack of picking star players, and it has been no different this time either, with buys such as Michael Hussey, Zaheer Khan and Corey Anderson.

Michael Hussey, who played for Chennai Super Kings in all the 6 previous seasons, retired from the Australian team more than a year ago. At 38, we hope that Mr. Cricket continues to play at his consistent best.

Ace pacer Zaheer Khan has been the go-to man for most Indian skippers over the past decade, but, at the age of 35, his injury concerns aren't getting any lesser. We hope that he stays fit and proves to the world that he still has some cricket left in him and can be one of the key players if India are to defend the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year.

Corey Anderson shot to fame with his 36-ball century against the West Indies earlier this year! The MI franchise have spent huge money on him and would be hoping that he gets totally fit in time and fires with both bat and ball throughout the tournament.

#2 CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

You would probably be wondering why we have mentioned Ravindra Jadeja's name up here. That's because we feel he has grown as a player big time in the past one year. There is certainly no denying that he has actually been doing that every year with a great amount of growth shown from his Rajasthan Royals days back in 2008 to the present. He has become a much more reliable player now with his effective wicket-to-wicket bowling, which has made him the Indian skipper MS Dhoni's go-to man. He even played ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin in the overseas Test tours of South Africa and New Zealand. The CSK franchise would be hoping that he fires on all cylinders yet again this season, both as a clean hitter and a wicket-taking bowler.

Dwayne Smith has always been an underrated player for whichever team he has represented. However, the kind of performances he has given for Mumbai Indians and West Indies in the past prove that he is a brilliant T20 player and the opposition teams should be vary of his big hitting skills.

Another West Indian who could be the player to look forward to in the CSK line-up would be Samuel Badree. The 33-year-old quality leg spinner got limited chances when he played for Rajasthan Royals, but the fact that he is the No.1 ranked player in the ICC T20 international rankings is just the perfect reason why he could be a big cause of worry for the opposition batsmen.

#3 RAJASTHAN ROYALS

Shane Watson has been a star player for RR ever since the inaugural edition in 2008, and now he has been appointed as the captain for the 2014 season. There have never been any doubts on his ability considering that fact that he has been a proven match-winner for both RR and Australia over the years. It remains to be seen, though, if the captaincy responsibility will either the get the best of him or make matters worse since his form hasn't been so good of late.

At an age of 42, Pravin Tambe had a dream start with Rajasthan Royals last year. The success ensured that he made his First-class debut for Mumbai in the same year, as well. RR would be praying that the leggie builds on his promise and has another great tournament, as he is likely to lead the spin attack for the side in spin-friendly conditions of the UAE and most grounds in India.

Steven Smith started off his international career as a leg spinner with a Warne-esque action, but, over the years, it has been his aggressive batting skills that has taken the centre stage. With 3 other proven Aussies in the mix in the form of Watson, Brad Hodge, and James Faulkner, Smith could well be the bankable player for the franchise having even lifted under-performing teams like Pune Warriors in the past on his own.

#4 SUNRISERS HYDERABAD

No one would have thought last year that the Sunrisers would reach the semi-finals after inheriting the team from 'Deccan Chargers', who had a disastrous IPL stint, apart from the title winning 2009 campaign, before being banned from IPL in 2012 for breaching contract terms. However, the team starring Shikhar Dhawan, Dale Steyn, Amit Mishra, Darren Sammy and Ishant Sharma played beautifully as a unit with Karn Sharma being the surprise package. Karn Sharma would thus be a player to watch out for after his excellent display with the ball last year. Can he create the magic once again?

When Irfan Pathan arrived in the cricket arena a decade back, it seemed like he was probably the perfect all-rounder India has been looking for ever since Kapil Dev retired. However, form and fitness issues plagued his career over the years, though he hasn't been written off by fans and critics. He is going to turn 30 this year, and this IPL tournament could be a make or break sort of case for him. If he does well, he could find himself back in the Indian One Day International side considering the fact that the World Cup is less than a year away and a fit and raring to go Irfan could be much more than handy on the pacer-friendly conditions of Australia and New Zealand.

Australian opener Aaron Finch has had a start-stop career ever since he made his debut a few years ago. However, it seems like he has come of age now with more consistent performances in recent times, with the world record 156 against England last year being the ultimate highlight. He delivered a couple of good knocks in the recently concluded World T20 and has climbed to the top of the rankings in the ICC T20 batsmen list. He would be hoping to carry his form forward in what would be his debut season with the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

#5 KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

The KKR management have restored their faith in swashbuckling Yusuf Pathan, and he would surely be wanting to give his best and prove them right. He has always been a dangerous batsmen with his ability to hit clean sixes with minimal effort and is more than handy with his off-spin. His form has been good in the recent domestic tournaments, and it would be great to see him carry that form to the IPL.

Robin Uthappa is a player who has time and again shown his promise, but somehow consistency has eluded him. He played some useful knocks for his previous franchise Pune Warriors India, and, if he is anywhere close to his T20 potential(with a strike rate of 131), he could be a devastating force to reckon with for the Knight Riders.

Gautam Gambhir has been one of the most successful openers in the past decade and has played some brilliant knocks under pressure for both the Indian team and KKR in the past. Many feel that he was probably made scapegoat by the Indian selectors, since his form in limited overs cricket wasn't all that disappointing when he was dropped. The 2014 edition would give him another chance to prove to himself (though he has denied that he is going to bank on IPL for a national comeback) and the selectors that he is still worthy of finding a spot in the Indian XI and that the Men in Blue would need him next year in the World Cup.

#6 ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE

Sixer king Yuvraj Singh faced a lot of unwarranted flak after the World T20 finals for his painstaking 21-ball 11 at the crease. Agreed, he did not bat well that day, but it remains a fact that the Sri Lankans bowled brilliantly, with even the in-form Virat Kohli and Dhoni struggling to play their shots in the end. However, Yuvraj still remains one of the most destructive batsmen in the shortest format of the game, and, if he finds his bowling touch back, he could just add even more value to the team. Virat Kohli was adamant on getting Yuvraj in the side, and the RCB management had to fetch out Rs. 14 crores this year to grab him, thereby making him the most expensive buy of the season. Lets hope Yuvraj silences his critics with a brilliant display this season.

Ashok Dinda has been one of the most successful Indian fast bowlers in the domestic circuit, with legends like Sourav Ganguly and Waqar Younis often praising his talent. He hasn't quite converted that talent when it has come to the big games consistently, be it for India or his former IPL franchises KKR and PWI. Hopefully, he will show his growth this season and be Kohli's wicket-taking bowler.

Muttiah Muralitharan is a name that needs no description. He holds many records, with his 800 wickets feat in Test cricket unlikely to be challenged by any bowler in the future. However, at 42, it remains to be seen if he still has the fire and zip left. With no international-level spinner playing for RCB, Murali may well find his place in the XI and would be hoping to spin the opposition away.

#7 KINGS XI PUNJAB

The name synonymous with the Kings XI this year has been Virender Sehwag, one of the most devastating openers the game has ever seen. However, at the age of 35, many critics have questioned the value he can add. Die-hard fans wouldn't agree and would be hopeful that he terrorizes bowlers the same way he has done, so far. After having scored a century for MCC in Abu Dhabi last month (one that came after 1.5 years), he played a couple of promising knocks for Delhi in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy. If he carries this form, the bowlers must surely beware of the Nawab of Najafgarh.

Cheteshwar Pujara has proved everyone that he is here to stay when it comes to Test Cricket and is certainly one of the most exciting and dependable batsmen that India has for the future. However, he hasn't been given chances in the shorter formats and also got limited opportunities during his stint with RCB previously. He would be hopeful of announcing to the world that he could adapt and play brilliantly even in the T20 format.

George Bailey stamped his presence on the international arena as a T20 specialist before finding his place in the ODI and Test teams, as well. Captaincy is nothing new to him having been the captain of the Australian T20 side and also his Big Bash team 'Hobart Hurricanes'. Personally, we feel that Bailey's best is yet to come considering his ability to stabilize and attack, both depending on the situation of the game.

#8 DELHI DAREDEVILS

Kevin Pietersen is arguably one of the best English batsmen of all time. However, the South African born has always been embroiled in controversies and also got dropped from all international formats by the English Cricket Board. England clearly missed him in the World T20, and his fans would be hoping that DD's new captain shows his proven ability yet again to the world and also to the ECB!

JP Duminy has been one of the best buys made by the DD management this season along with Quinton de Kock and Ross Taylor. He has always been a reliable player be it for South Africa or any of his IPL franchises in the past. Even in the recently concluded World T20, Duminy played a couple of brilliant mature knocks, and the Daredevils would be banking on his ability big time.

IN! OUT! IN! OUT!: That's been Dinesh Karthik's international career graph. Ever since MS Dhoni entered the scene a decade ago, Karthik has always found it difficult to keep his place in the Indian national side for too long. However, he has been a successful IPL batsman in the past, especially for Mumbai Indians. DD would be hoping that he justifies the 12.50 crore rupees price tag that they spent on him and plays some handy knocks in the middle.