IPL 2016 Team and Players Lists, Key Players to watch out from each team

As the Indian Premier League Season 9, takes centre stage, 8 teams in fray will battle it out across the 51-day, 60 match caravan across 10 venues. While there have been certain players who have stood out constantly for a certain team, the auctions of 2016 have added some interesting names to the roster sheets of the eight teams, who can play key roles toward the success of their team.

Here we try to have a look into 5 such players who might just have a big say in their individual team’s success.

Delhi Daredevils

Squad :

Zaheer Khan (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Iyer, Sam Billings, Karun Nair, Sanju Samson, JP Duminy, Chris Morris, Pawan Negi, Akhil Herwardkar, Amit Mishra, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Shahbaz Nadeem, Imran Tahir, Pawan Suyal, Jayant Yadav, Mahipal Lomror, Khaleel Ahmed, Carlos Brathwaite, Pratyush Singh, Chama Milind, Rishabh Pant.

Players to look out for :

1. Zaheer Khan : Skipper Zaheer Khan will be looking to ‘swing’ games towards the Daredevils. Zaheer will be looking to combine with mentor Rahul Dravid to act as a role model and provide timely wickets for Delhi.
2. Quinton De Kock : One of the best and agressive openers, De Kock will be depended upon to provide rollicking starts during the powerplay stages. If World Cup form was anything to go by, Delhi can be rest assured of good starts to the innings.
3. Carlos Brathwaite : Bought in the auctions before his stunning innings in the World Cup final, Brathwaite will be instrumental to provide the necessary fireworks during the innings. With his ability to provide a few overs, the big West-Indian will have a huge role to play.
4. Pawan Negi : The Indian all-rounder, payed the highest price at the auction has the ability to strike it big and turn the ball. With these factors added to the pressure of expectations, Negi will be a vital cog in the Delhi wheel.
5. Nathan Coulter-Nile : Expected to lead the bowling attack alongside skipper Zaheer Khan, Coulter-Nile will also have to strike big with the bat. He will be one of the players to watch out for.

Gujarat Lions :

Squad :

Suresh Raina (Captain), Aaron Finch, Dwayne Bravo, James Faulkner, Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Dale Steyn, Andrew Tye, Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, Pravin Tambe, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pradeep Sangwan, Paras Dogra, Umang Sharma, Jaydev Shah, Akshdeep Nath, Eklavya Dwivedi, Ishan Kishan, Sarabjit Ladda, Shadab Jakati, Amit Mishra, Shivil Kaushik.

Players to look out for :

1. Brendon McCullum : Arguably one of the most aggressive openers, McCullum will look to do what he does best, smash the bowlers to smithereens. If he can do that, the Lions will surely have a foundation from which they can tee-off.
2. Suresh Raina : Skipper this season and IPL’s most experienced campaigner, Raina will be looking to provide the stability and well-timed aggression to Lion’s line-up and also move his troops around cleverly.
3. Dwayne Bravo : A world-class all-rounder and fresh from the world cup campaign, Bravo will look to stifle the opposition batsman with his well-disguised cutters while bowling, and bring out his innovativeness while batting.
4. Praveen Kumar : Leading the bowling attack alongside Dale Steyn, Praveen Kumar will be hard to handle with his ability to swing the ball both ways. Raina will be looking upto Praveen to provide him with timely breakthroughs.
5. James Faulkner : One of the best finishers in the game, Faulkner will be looked up to to apply the finishing touches to the innings. With a wonderful back of the hand slower ball in his kitty, Faulkner will also have a major role with the ball in hand.

Kings XI Punjab :

Squad : David Miller (Captain), Murali Vijay, Akshar Patel, Manan Vohra, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Nikhil Naik, Armaan Jaffer, Kyle Abbott, Anureet Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Mitchell Johnson, Mohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur, KC Cariappa, Wriddhiman Saha, Rishi Dhawan, Marcus Stoinis, Swapnil Singh, Farhaan Behardien, Pardeep Sahu.

Players to look out for :

1. Glenn Maxwell : ‘The Big Show’ as he is nicknamed will have to provide the fireworks for the Punjab outfit. Given his ability to turn the match around, if Maxwell gets going, going can get tough for the opposition.
2. Mitchell Johnson : Raw. Fast. Johnson, one of the fastest bowlers going around this IPL will lead the KXIP bowling, and his form will be key for the Kings.
3. Murali Vijay : A seasoned campaigner, if picked in the main eleven, Vijay will have to combine with the other opener in Vohra/Marsh to get Punjab off to a good start. A classy batsman, if he gets into form, getting him out will be a headache.
4. David Miller : Captaining a squad for the very first time, Miller will have to be at the top of his game. His ability to strike the ball far and wide will also be a force to reckon with.
5. Akshar Patel : A decent all-rounder, better known for his variations with the ball, Patel will play the role of the lead spinner in the squad, and can be quite useful with the bat.

Kolkata Knight Riders :

Gautam Gambhir (Captain), Chris Lynn, Colin Munro, Sunil Narine, Morne Morkel, Andre Russell, Brad Hogg, Shakib Al Hasan, Jason Holder, John Hastings, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Sheldon Jackson, Manan Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Umesh Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Jayadev Unadkat, Yusuf Pathan, Rajgopal Satish.

Players to look out for :

1. Sunil Narine : Still unpickable, still unpredictable. KKR will be heavily relying on Narine for wickets and to keep the run-flow dry during the innings.
2. Andre Russell : Fast, athletic and strong. Andre Russell will be the most important player for KKR with his pacy, bouncy bowling and immense strength to hit the ball a long way.
3. Manish Pandey : The Karnataka lad will be an important factor to keep the scoreboard ticking at a quick pace with the array of strokes his possesses in his kitty. His ability to stop boundaries with his tremendous fielding ability will also add importance to his role.
4. Robin Uthappa : Opening the innings alongside skipper Gambhir, Uthappa will be heavily relied upon to provide a good start to the innings. His ability to hit a purple patch quickly will make him a player to look out for.
5. John Hastings : Having started strong against Delhi, Hastings will be vital for restricting the batsman from freeing their arms during the powerplay and death overs.

Mumbai Indians :

Squad : Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Ambati Rayudu, Parthiv Patel, Siddesh Lad, Nitish Rana, Unmukt Chand, Shreyas Gopal, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Punia, Jitesh Sharma, Ranganath Vinay Kumar, Jagdeesha Suchith, Akshay Wakhare, Nathu Singh, Kishore Kamath, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard, Corey Anderson, Jos Buttler, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McClenaghan, Tim Southee, Marchant de Lange.

Players to look out for :

1. Rohit Sharma : Along with captaincy duties, Rohit will be entrusted with the responsibility to get Mumbai off to a strong start in the powerplay overs. With his ability to hit the ball a long way, he will surely be someone to look out for.
2. Jos Buttler : A big hitter of the cricket ball and an active wicket-keeper, Buttler will be looking to plant the ball in the stands with his strength.
3. Mitchell McClenaghan : Filling in the boots of Lasith Malinga, McClenaghan will be banked upon to provide MI with vital breakthroughs. An effective bowler in the death, he will have to combine with Bumrah to stem the run-flow.
4. Harbhajan Singh : The most experienced campaigner in the ranks, the turbanator will have to use his experience with both bat and ball to take MI to their third title win.
5. Kieron Pollard : One of the hardest hitters of the cricket ball, a great fielder, useful bowler and an entertainer, Pollard will be a vital element of the MI squad this year.

Rising Pune Supergiants :

Squad : MS Dhoni (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ankit Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Murugan Ashwin, Rajat Bhatia, Ashoke Dinda, Deepak Chahar, Baba Aparajith, Jaskaran Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Steven Smith, Faf Du Plessis, Kevin Pietersen, Mitchell Marsh, Thisara Perera, Scott Boland, Peter Handscomb, Adam Zampa, Albie Morkel.

Players to look out for :

1. Ajinkya Rahane : A fluid stroke-making batsman, Rahane came into T20 as a prominent test-match player. However his stint with the Rajasthan Royals shot him into limelight, and he hasnt turned back ever since. Opening the innings, Rahane fits into the role perfectly, and can anchor or play aggressively with ease which will be important for Pune.
2. Kevin Pietersen : Fresh from his Big Bash League stint, KP will be looking to stamp his mark in the tournament. Known for his big-hitting and strike-rotating abilities, Pietersen will be a vital component of Pune’s batting order.
3. Ishant Sharma : Ishant Sharma, India’s test squad spearhead will be looked up to for early wickets. With his tall height, pace and bounce, Ishant Sharma will be skipper Dhoni’s go-to man.
4. Ravi Ashwin : Undoubtedly one of the best modern-age spinners, Ravi Ashwin will be looking to spin his vicious webs this time around for the Pune Giants. Also the lead spinner in the squad, Ashwin will be one of the players to watch out for.
5. MS Dhoni : Donning a new jersey after eight straight years, Dhoni will be quintessential for Pune’s success this year. With all his experience added to his monstrous ability to wield the bat, the skipper will be looking to carry on his legacy from the Chennai Super Kings.

Royal Challengers Bangalore :

Squad : Virat Kohli (Captain), Varun Aaron, Harshal Patel, Sachin Baby, Mandeep Singh, Stuart Binny, Sarfaraz Khan, Iqbal Abdulla, Vikas Tokas, Praveen Dubey, KL Rahul, Parvez Rasool, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sreenath Aravind, Vikramjeet Malik, Kedar Jadhav, Abu Nechim Ahmed, Akshay Karnewar, Shane Watson, Chris Gayle, AB De Villiers, Samuel Badree, Adam Milne, Kane Richardson, Travis Head, David Wiese.

Players to look out for :

1. Chris Gayle : Perhaps the most aggressive batsman in World T20, Gayle is almost a house-hold figure in Bangalore. Starting at the top of the order, he is capable of single-handedly demolishing the opposition. If he gets going, there will be no stopping him.
2. Shane Watson : The highest paid player in the 2016 auction, Watson is a perfect all-rounder. With his ability to smack the ball hard and provide wickets with th ball, Watson will be an integral part of the RCB line-up.
3. Virat Kohli : Just fresh from the World Cup, Virat has been in phenomenal form, ending the world cup with an average of over 130. This IPL if he gets going, he will be unstoppable. His aggression and youthful exuberance will also add to RCB’s chances this year.
4. AB De Villiers : Mr.360, as he is called, AB is probably the best adaptive batsman in T20 cricket. His innovation and power has always deemed him dangerous, and this year is no different.
5. Kane Richardson : In the absence of leaders Starc and Badree, Richardson might have a go ahead of Milne, due to his capacity to provide the wickets often. Richardson will be expected to lead the attack and provide the goods, which he has done often for the Aussies.

Sunrisers Hyderabad :

Squad : David Warner (Captain), Ashish Reddy, Ricky Bhui, Bipul Sharma, Trent Boult, Ben Cutting, Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, Deepak Hooda, Siddharth Kaul, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun, Eoin Morgan, Mustafizur Rahman, Ashish Nehra, Naman Ojha, Yuvraj Singh, Kane Williamson, Vijay Shankar, Karn Sharma, Barinder Sran, Tirumalasetti Suman, Aditya Tare.

Players to look out for :

1. David Warner : Anointed skipper, David Warner will be looking to get back into to form after a below-par World Cup campaign. If he does get into form, nothing worse for the opposition.
2. Ashish Nehra : Leading the pace attack, Nehra will have to use the acres of experience under his belt and continue his World Cup form to provide a stiff challenge to the batsmen.
3. Mustafizur Rahman : One of the best finds of 2015, Rahman can be quite hot to handle with his well-disguised off-cutters. If drafted into the main 11, his four overs will be very crucial.
4. Shikhar Dhawan : With Yuvraj ruled out for the first two weeks, Dhawan will be given the added responsibility to play his innings with maturity. Along with David Warner, he will have to guide Sunrisers to a respectable total.
5. Kane Williamson : Williamson will be monumental for adding that extra stability to the middle order. With Yuvraj missing in the line-up, Williamson will have to stitch useful partnerships with the other batsmen, which makes him a key factor.