IPL 2018: One player each IPL team cannot afford to lose through injury

An IPL season, which spreads over 60 games, is packed with a tight schedule. The high octane energy levels, scorching Indian summer, and frequent travelling can cause the best of cricketers to fatigue, which in turn can lead to injuries.

Over the years, multiple teams have been plagued by injuries to their players, which has had an adverse impact on their fortunes. Here is a list of one player for each IPL team, who will be missed dearly if they get injured.

Chennai Super Kings - Suresh Raina

In the 2018 auctions, the Chennai Super Kings retained their depth in the batting order like they usually do. With the likes of DJ Bravo, Ambati Rayadu, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kedar Jhadav, they are expected to bat up to number seven or eight. However, one thing that CSK lacks, in short, is the firepower to score quick runs at the top of the order. Suresh Raina has always been that accelerator for CSK coming in at no. 3.

If Raina is injured, there will be multiple options to fill his place, but the strike rate of 139.05 will be hard to replicate. Also, Dhoni is known to use Raina as a slow bowling option in Chepauk. The 2-3 overs bowled in the middle of the innings can be crucial as well and hence, Raina is a valuable asset that CSK cannot afford to lose.

Sunrisers Hyderabad - Bhuvaneshwar Kumar

Sunrisers Hyderabad has always been an economical side, defending low scoring totals with strangling bowling. The likes of Mustafizur Rahman, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, and Rashid Khan have helped them do so. Bhuvneshwar provides a good two overs of quality swing upfront and invaluable overs at the death. His slower balls and accurate yorkers are an asset to any captain.

If Bhuvi is injured, there is a dearth of fast bowlers who can lead their bowling department. Siddarth Kaul, Carlos Brathwaite, Billy Stanlake, or Chris Jordan, do not match Bhuvi in terms of accuracy, wicket-taking abilities, and the ability to soak in pressure. Bhuvi's absence can spell doom to SRH's chances of defending low totals.

Kings XI Punjab - Andrew Tye

Kings XI will be looking to vie for their first ever IPL title this year. They have definitely racked up a quality side to go all the way. They have plenty of riches with the bat including the likes of Indian stars like KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Manoj Tiwary, Yuvraj Singh, and overseas options like Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, and David Miller. But the problem lies in their fast bowling department. Either Andrew Tye or Marcus Stoinis have to spearhead their attack.

Tye was excellent for Gujarat Lions last year and is coming off a good season at the Big Bash League. He will be crucial for Kings XI to defend some pressure matches. In his absence, Stoinis has not proved to be efficient in the death overs. The other available options are Mohit Sharma and the untested Ben Dwarshuis. Hence, Tye's wicket-taking overs will be crucial for Kings XI to go all the way this time.

Kolkata Knight Riders - Andre Russell

Koltaka has gone the RCB way of punting heavily on a handful of stars. They paid a whopping Rs. 40 crores for just four players in the form of Chris Lynn, Mitchell Starc, Sunil Narine, and Andre Russell. With Starc ruled out, Narine in trouble with his bowling action, and Lynn always on the verge of an injury, their worries will be even higher if Russell gets injured. He recently missed the PSL due to a Hamstring injury.

There are plenty of reasons to worry about his injury to aggravate. Russell has been a handy finisher for KKR with a blistering strike rate of 173.41. His overs at the death are of immense help for KKR who are already struggling to grapple with Starc's absence. Losing Russell will be equal to the loss of two players for an already depleted KKR side.

Mumbai Indians - Krunal Pandya

Krunal has been a vital cog in the Mumbai Indians set-up for the past few seasons. It was evident when Krunal was the costliest buy for MI at the auction for Rs. 8.8 crores. He has played multiple innings in a matured fashion to finish off close games or rescue the team from a downfall over the seasons. While bowling, his overs in the middle have come in handy as he has picked up 10 wickets at an economy of 6.8 runs per over.

MI, who are usually poked fun at for having the luxury of sporting two teams from their squad, have somehow fallen short of options in the spin department this year. Barring the untested Rahul Chahar and Akila Dananjaya, their only other option is the part-timer, JP Duminy. They will find it tough to travel to places like Chennai, Bangalore, and other slow tracks without Krunal.

Delhi Daredevils - Chris Morris

The Delhi Daredevils batting is well settled with the likes of Jason Roy, Gautam Gambhir, Colin Munro, Prithvi Shaw, Rishab Pant, and Glenn Maxwell. They have a good spin department as well. But like most of the other teams in the IPL, their death bowling is a cause for concern. Apart from Morris, there does not seem to be a lot of a hope to defend low totals.

Kagiso Rabada, Daniel Christian, and Trent Boult have not been economical at the death. Morris has been stupendous with his last few overs in the innings with an economy of 7.5. His lower order blows can come pretty handy while chasing big totals as well. The loss of Morris will be hard to fill for DD.

Rajasthan Royals - Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes ended as the costliest buy of the auction for Rs. 12.5 Crores. The southpaw's ability to strike the ball cleanly and bowl in pressure situations has been phenomenal. He has picked up 12 wickets in his 12 IPL matches and has a majestic strike rate of 143. Stokes is coming off a lean season filled with sanctions and injuries. He would be rearing to go for Rajasthan and prove he is worth the big bucks.

In Stokes absence, there can be a like-to-like replacement in the form of Jofra Archer who has had an outstanding run in the Big Bash League. But this would be his first season in the IPL and in Indian conditions. Stokes, who has already understood the pressure of the IPL and the plight of Indian conditions, will be crucial for Rajasthan.

Royal Challengers Bangalore - Virat Kohli

RCB, as a team, has had a roller coaster fortune in the IPL over the last decade. The team finished a lowly 8th position last year even with a lineup boasting of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, and Shane Watson. One of the primary reasons for their failure was constant injury plaguing their top batsmen. Kohli and De Villiers are two batsmen who can pick themselves and their batting slots in the current line up.

Other than them, the batting order is still very unsure and definitely short of Indian options who can soak in the pressure and finish an innings. Kohli has in the past done this and has been the anchor. In his absence, RCB will definitely not have the firepower to fill his place with another Indian batsman. The options they have are Manan Vohra, Pawan Deshpande, Mandeep Singh, and Sarfaraz Khan.

The incredible amount of confidence and intensity Kohli brings would also be missed. Moreover, we cannot see a hapless Kohli sitting in his dugout and biting his fingers when his team is in trouble.

Overall, let us hope that we have fewer injuries as possible in this year's IPL. On a serious note, it is also a reminder to the BCCI for giving more importance to a player's itinerary and gaps between games to ensure fewer casualties.