How all 8 IPL teams will line up for their opening game

The Indian Premier League is only a month away and the excitement levels have hit a new high. All eight franchises entered the auction with the desire to find the right combination for their respective sides.

In my opinion, half the battle is won at the auction and the other half is fought in the field. The auction took place in Bangalore this year and the return of the Rajasthan Royals and the Chennai Super Kings was the talk of the town.

The eight franchises gave it their all in the auction to form their teams. Teams like Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Sunrisers Hyderabad look wonderful on paper and are considered strong contenders to win the tournament. The Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab and the Rajasthan Royals have plenty of firepower too but their fans are not too pleased with the team compositions.

On that note, let us take a look at the possible playing XI for each side.

NOTE: These apply only for the first match

Chennai Super Kings

The Chennai Super Kings are making a comeback after two years

The Chennai Super Kings are making a comeback after two long years. The yellow brigade will be led by former Indian skipper MS Dhoni who was retained by the franchise.

Murali Vijay will take up the opening duties alongside Shane Watson. Vijay was one of the key batsmen for CSK before he was released. 'Mr. IPL' Suresh Raina will bat at his usual number three position. The southpaw is the only batsman to have scored over 370 runs in all the ten editions of the tournament.

Faf du Plessis will bat at number four. His ability to rotate strike against the spinners will be crucial for the franchise on slow turning tracks in Chennai. Team India's pair of MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav will take up the finishing duties for the Super Kings. Dwayne Bravo has been CSK's most successful all-rounder and he will bat at number 7 for the side.

Ravindra Jadeja and Imran Tahir are both expected to feature. Their contributions will be important on the spinning tracks of Chennai. The pace department will be manned by two Indian pacers. India's recent recruit Shardul Thakur will take up the responsibility along with the young Deepak Chahar.

Playing XI: Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni(c)(wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir

Rajasthan Royals

Steve Smith will lead the Rajasthan Royals

The Rajasthan Royals tasted success in the inaugural edition of the tournament but their performances dipped since then. The Royals retained Australian captain Steve Smith prior to the auction. An Australian helped them to the title in the first season and the fans will hope for the same result as the young side take the field against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their first game.

Ajinkya Rahane will open the batting with Australian southpaw D'Arcy Short. The two batsmen will be responsible for providing an aggressive start for their team. Skipper Smith will bat at number three. Ben Stokes and Sanju Samson will man the middle order. Wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler will adopt the finishing duties for his franchise.

The bowling department will be led by Jaydev Unadkat. Stuart Binny, Dhawal Kulkarni will act as back-ups whereas K Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal will be handy with their spin. Steve Smith has plenty of options in the bowling department with the likes of Stokes and Short capable of bowling the additional overs.

Playing XI: Ajinkya Rahane, D'Arcy Short, Steven Smith(c), Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler(wk), Stuart Binny, K Gowtham, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shreyas Gopal

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders retained Andre Russell and Sunil Narine

The Kolkata Knight Riders made some tough calls this year as they let go of their skipper Gautam Gambhir. The veteran campaigner changed the fate of the franchise after joining them in 2011. He took them to two titles in the first four years. However, the Purple Brigade retained Andre Russell and Sunil Narine before the auction instead.

The Knights are well-equipped in the top-order. Sunil Narine is expected to open with Robin Uthappa in the first game in the absence of Australian hitter Chris Lynn. Southpaw Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik and under 19 sensation Shubman Gill will bat in the middle order. Ishank Jaggi and the Carribean all-rounder Andre Russell will follow.

The spearhead of the bowling department will be the tall lanky Mitchell Starc who will be accompanied by Mitchell Johnson and Vinay Kumar. Kuldeep Yadav will chip in with some crucial overs in the middle of the innings. The franchise is yet to find a skipper but Robin Uthappa is expected to lead the side.

Playing XI: Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa(c), Dinesh Karthik(wk), Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Ishank Jaggi, Andre Russell, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, Vinay Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav

Kings XI Punjab

The Kings XI Punjab will look to rewrite their fate

The Kings XI Punjab announced their arrival in style in the inaugural season when they managed to reach the semifinals of the tournament. Under the leadership of George Bailey, the Kings also made it to the finals in 2014. The team from the north were desperate for a leader who could guide them to glory, ahead of the auction, and they found him in Ravichandran Ashwin.

In the absence of Aaron Finch, the Universe Boss Chris Gayle will open the batting alongside Mayank Agarwal. Karnataka teammates Karun Nair and KL Rahul will bat at number three and four respectively with Yuvraj Singh and David Miller to follow. Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis will ensure a fiery end to the innings while batting at number 7. Later in the tournament, Finch may take a spot in the middle order where he has been successful for Australia recently.

T20 specialist Andrew Tye will lead the pace attack along with his partner Mohit Sharma. As things stand, the Kings XI Punjab look like one of the most balanced sides in the competition.

Playing XI: Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, KL Rahul(wk), Yuvraj Singh, David Miller, Marcus Stoinis, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Axar Patel, Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma.

Mumbai Indians

The Mumbai Indians clinched three titles in the first decade

The Mumbai Indians are the most successful team in the IPL with three titles to their name. The Men in Blue, led by Rohit Sharma, are the defending champions. They defeated the Rising Pune Supergiant in the previous edition to capture their third title.

The franchise procured some important players in the auction. They have two aggressive openers in the form of Evin Lewis and Ishan Kishan. The southpaws will be the key to Mumbai's success. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Mumbaikar Suryakumar Yadav will bat in the middle order with Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya to follow. The star-studded batting lineup can accumulate a lot of runs over the course of the tournament.

Pat Cummins and Mustafizur Rahman will be tasked with bowling with the new ball. Young wrist spinner Rahul Chahar will spin his web alongside uncapped Krunal Pandya while Jasprit Bumrah will take up the responsibility during the death overs.

Playing XI: Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan(wk), Rohit Sharma(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Pat Cummins, Rahul Chahar, Mustafizur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Sunrisers Hyderabad have been consistent performers

David Warner was procured by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014 and since then their fortunes have taken an upward swing.

Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner will open the batting for SRH in IPL 2018. The duo has been the most successful opening pair in the IPL. Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson will bat at number three. His ability to play the spinners with the ease is a bonus on the slow pitches in Hyderabad. Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan and Deepak Hooda will follow. Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha will bat at number 7.

The Sunrisers have plenty of depth in their batting and the presence of all-rounders gives them depth in the bowling too. The spearhead of their bowling attack will be Bhuvneshwar Kumar who grabbed the Purple Cap in the previous couple of editions. He will be accompanied by Sidharth Kaul, Basil Thampi and Afghan sensation Rashid Khan. SRH's success will depend mainly on the openers and the death bowlers.

Playing XI: David Warner(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Deepak Hooda, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Basil Thampi, Siddharth Kaul

Royal Challengers Bangalore

The Royal Challengers will be led by Virat Kohli

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have always been a strong side on paper. The scenario is no different this time as well. They will be led by Indian skipper Virat Kohli. The presence of AB de Villiers and Brendon McCullum will strengthen their batting as they look to register their first triumph.

Manan Vohra and Quinton de Kock will open the batting. McCullum is likely to miss the first match due to the four foreigners quota. The flamboyant Virat Kohli will bat in his favourite number three position. 'MR 360', de Villiers will bat at number 4. Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan will occupy the next two positions respectively.

Young all-rounder Washington Sundar will grab the number seven spot. The bowling department will be manned by three pacers and one spinner. Yuzvendra Chahal will lead the spin attack. Chris Woakes, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Umesh Yadav will handle the pace department. RCB will play their season opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders on a pacer friendly Eden Gardens track.

Playing XI: Quinton De Kock(wk), Manan Vohra, Virat Kohli(c), AB De Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Chris Woakes, Nathan Coulter Nile, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav

Delhi Daredevils

Gautam Gambhir will most likely lead the Delhi Daredevils

The Delhi Daredevils have been one of the worst performers in recent years. The arrival of Gautam Gambhir though has raised fans' hopes. After a successful captaincy stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders, the experienced campaigner will most likely lead the Delhi Daredevils this time around.

The absence of Glenn Maxwell from the first game would mean that both Jason Roy and Colin Munro get a chance in the playing XI. Gautam Gambhir will take the number three spot from which he can play the anchor role. Recent Indian recruit Shreyas Iyer will bat at number four followed by wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant at number five. All-rounder Vijay Shankar will play the finisher's role along with Chris Morris at number six and seven respectively.

The bowling department will be led by South African pacer Kagiso Rabada who will be accompanied by Morris and Mohammed Shami. Veteran wrist-spinner Amit Mishra will handle the spin duties alongside his counterpart Shahbaz Nadeem. Vijay Shankar and Colin Munro can also chip in with some overs. Maxwell will replace Jason Roy once he lands in India after Aaron Finch's marriage.

Playing XI: Colin Munro, Jason Roy, Gautam Gambhir(c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(wk), Vijay Shankar, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Nadeem.