Gautam Gambhir picks his four teams for playoffs, feels CSK may not qualify

What's the story?

Former Indian opening batsman and two-time IPL winner Gautam Gambhir has revealed his picks for the four teams that are likely to make the play-offs of IPL 2019. Surprisingly, Gambhir left out the name of defending champions Chennai Super Kings from the list.

In case you didn’t know

The 12th edition of the IPL begins from 23rd March with the defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on the fan favourites Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chennai. Both Mumbai and Chennai are three-time champions and will be looking to make history by becoming the first team to lift the coveted trophy four times.

The heart of the matter

Speaking to Star Sports in their IPL analysis show, Gautam Gambhir named the four teams of his choice as Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kolkata Knight Riders. Gauti later burst into laughter over the fact that he had almost forgotten his former team Kolkata Knight Riders. "

How can I forget KKR!" he exclaimed. It was under his leadership that KKR had won the IPL title two times - in 2012 and 2014. Gambhir had made KKR a strong force to reckon with in the IPL and the team was on par with Mumbai and Chennai as the strongest team in the IPL.

However, other cricketing experts on the show like Matthew Hayden and Mitchell Johnson opined differently from Gambhir. While Hayden picked CSK, KKR, MI and SRH as the top four teams, on the other hand, Johnson selected CSK, Royal Challangers Bangalore, MI and the Rajasthan Royals.

Interestingly, Gambhir also left out the name of fan favorites – Royal Challengers Bangalore.

What's next?

The 12th season of the Indian Premier League kicks off at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on 23rd March with a mouth-watering clash between CSK and RCB. Although some teams like Mumbai, Chennai look certain to make the playoffs, the issue of the availability of some overseas players because of the impending World Cup in May may play spoilsport.

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