3 teams who are prime contenders to win IPL 2019

IPL 2019 is going to kick off in a couple of months. The hosting Country isn't decided yet due to the 'Indian General Elections' that are going to be held from March to April 2019. There is a strong possibility that the IPL could be held ' The United Arab Emirates' or 'South Africa'. These are countries that have previously hosted the IPL.

BCCI is still waiting to release the schedule for IPL 2019. They are trying to make sure they choose the location and schedule after analyzing all the aspects that could hinder its process going forward. If they decide to host it in India, they have to organize it in such a way that it does not clash with the election dates.

Fans can't wait to watch this season as there are going to be a lot of superstars playing the tournament together like always. It's a tournament that provides real entertainment for the fans from all over the world.

Although this season's IPL is going to get a little less attention, as the hype gets built around the 'World Cup' which is going to be held in England after the IPL finishes.

It's going to be a crazy tournament with the eight teams trying to win the IPL trophy. We look ahead and analyze three teams that are favourites to win the trophy this season.

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#1 Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians will look to win the title for a record fourth time this season.

Mumbai Indians will look to win the IPL crown for a record fourth time this season. They have already won the trophy in 2013, 2015 and 2017 and are one of the most successful franchises in the tournament.

They are again going to be one of the favourites to win the trophy as they have assembled a great squad with a mix of retained players and the players they bought in the IPL Auction last month.

Led by Rohit Sharma, they look like covered in every position. They traded Quinton de Kock from RCB before the IPL auction last month while they bought some high profile players like Yuvraj Singh and Lasith Malinga in the IPL auction.

They have added these players with some more names to an already impressive squad that consists of Rohit Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard and many other quality players.

These players have the experience of winning the trophy together as they have shown that in previous years and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them lift the trophy again by the end of the season.

#2 Chennai Super Kings

Chennai will be looking to defend their title after winning it last year.

Chennai Super Kings have been one of the most dominant franchises in the history of IPL. They were temporarily banned from the tournament for two years but returned to the tournament impressively by winning the IPL trophy last season in 2018.

They are an experienced team who knows what it takes to win this trophy. They are currently tied with Mumbai Indians in trophies won as they both have won three times. They are led by the former Indian skipper MS Dhoni, who guided them to the championship last season.

They didn't add many players in the IPL auction as they retained most of their squad from the previous year. They already have MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh and Shane Watson in their lineup.

Going into the IPL auction last month, everyone knew they would not make any big moves as they had retained their key players already. They still bought Mohit Sharma as their biggest signing for Rs. 5 crores.

With such a quality lineup and a decent bench, they are going to be very difficult to beat. They have every chance to win the trophy this season and make it two in a row.

#3 Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad are one of the most balanced sides this season.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have already won the title once and will be looking to add another when they take the field this year. They are going to get David Warner (the former Australian vice-captain after his ban from all forms of cricket is over) back in their squad to challenge for the trophy this season.

They have a well-balanced squad with players like Kane Williamson, Shikhar Dhawan, Manish Pandey, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan who can easily take down their opponents on a given day.

They bought Martin Guptill (Rs 1 crores), Wriddhiman Saha (Rs 1.2 crores) and Jonny Bairstow (Rs 2.20 crores) in the IPL auction last month. They have a great coaching staff in the form of VVS Laxman, Muttiah Muralitharan and many other quality coaches.

If they can work together and compliment each other, they are going to be a tough team to beat and could potentially go on to lift their second IPL trophy this season.