IPL 2018: Ranking teams based on their batting lineup

The world's biggest T20 carnival is just around the corner and the frenzy among the fans is beginning to crescendo. While the return of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals seems to have infused the past glory into the tournament already, some exciting buys in the recently held auction have pepped up the things even more.

As expected, batsmen inevitably pose to be the superstars in the shortest format of the game and it is their sheer brilliance with the willow that gets the crowd's monies worth. Come the eleventh edition of the IPL, and the eight teams will be rearing to field their best batsmen to maul the oppositions.

Here, we analyze the eight franchises based on their batting strengths and rank them from the weakest to the strongest.

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#8 Kolkata Knight Riders

Robin Uthappa will once again need to lead KKR's batting department

Arguably, Kolkata Knight Riders come as one of the most depleted batting sides in this year's IPL. In Gautam Gambhir, Manish Pandey, and Yusuf Pathan, the team has lost three of its most experienced and bankable Indian players.

With the Indian trio leaving big boots to fill, the onus will now be on KKR's star performer Robin Uthappa and the newly appointed skipper Dinesh Karthik. While Uthappa and Karthik will be under pressure to do the bulk of the scoring, youngsters Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, and Ishank Jaggi will need to chip in with handy knocks.

The foreign reserves too, look bleak in the batting department. Injury-prone big-hitters, Chris Lynn and Andre Russell, despite being capable of turning a game on its head with their lusty blows, will be doubtful starters. On the other hand, South African pinch-hitter Cameron Delport, given his inexperience in the Indian conditions, might be facing tough times against some high-quality spin.

#7 Chennai Super Kings

MS Dhoni will once again be seen donning the much-awaited yellow jersey

The fans would be welcoming Chennai Super Kings on an emotional note as they look set to make one of the most-awaited comebacks in the tournament's history, after an exile of two years. With MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, and Ravindra Jadeja retained by the franchise, the team's core remains pretty much the same.

Chennai Super Kings are loaded with Indian batting superstars who are well versed in the T20 format. In Murali Vijay, they have a seasoned opener who has the credit of scoring two centuries for the franchise in the past. Suresh Raina, who is one of IPL's biggest superstars will once again look to shoulder the middle order responsibility, along with Ambati Rayudu, before Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav throw caution to the winds.

However, it is the foreign batting set up where the team falls short in multiple aspects. Barring Faf du Plessis, the likes of Shane Watson and Dwayne Bravo have seen their batting form take a major dip in the recent past. England's Sam Billings, on the other hand, hasn't been presented with too many chances to prove his mettle and will require a couple of big scores to get going in the tournament.

#6 Mumbai Indians

Kieron Pollard was brought back by MI using their RTM

The most successful team in IPL's history, Mumbai Indians, will once again rely on their captain Rohit Sharma to lead from the front. While Sharma will have to do the majority of the run scoring, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya will need to bring in their experience and finish off the games in a fashion similar to the one in previous year's tournament.

In Suryakumar Yadav, the Mukesh Ambani owned franchise has yet another sergeant who, with his unorthodox shots, can give plenty of headaches to the oppositions in the death overs. Left-hander Ishan Kishan too will be raring to unleash his big-hitting prowess and make an impression on the selectors.

Mumbai Indians, however, look a bit desolate when it comes to their foreign batting contingent. The middle order will look towards either Kieron Pollard or JP Duminy to fuel the team to respectable totals regularly given the inconsistency of West Indian opener Evin Lewis.

#5 Kings XI Punjab

IPL 2018 will see Yuvraj Singh play for KXIP again

Led by Ravichandran Ashwin, the Punjab franchise looks solid in its batting department. In Aaron Finch, Chris Gayle, and David Miller, the team has three match-winners who, in their full flow, can bludgeon any bowling attack in the tournament.

Aussie all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who has emerged as a valuable asset to his national side, will need to play a crucial role in the death overs and help the team post daunting scores on the board.

Coming to the Indian batsmen, who inevitably form the crux of any IPL squad, KXIP spent a whopping sum on Karnataka's KL Rahul and Karun Nair. While the form of these two talented batsmen will prove to be one of the key factors in deciding the team's run in the tournament, veteran star Yuvraj Singh will be itching to enthral the crowds with his towering sixes.

Other players such as Mayank Agarwal, Axar Patel, and Manoj Tiwary too are well experienced in the format and can contribute with some vital cameos.

#4 Delhi Daredevils

Gautam Gambhir will be back at the helm of affairs at the Delhi franchise

Delhi Daredevils boast of some serious names in their batting lineup. Australian big-hitter Glenn Maxwell and New Zealand's dynamite Colin Munro are well capable of taking any attack to the sweepers on their day.

In addition, English star batsman, Jason Roy, and South African all-rounder Chris Morris also pose major threats to any opposition. However, given that two of their foreign batsmen are openers, the Delhi management will have a headache or two in deciding the team's opening duo.

The team will depend heavily on skipper Gautam Gambhir to give the team a solid start as youngsters Shreyas Iyer and Rishab Pant will look to cruise through the middle overs. Also, DD's other exciting prospects, such as Prithvi Shaw and Vijay Shankar, will be geared up to make a name for themselves in this year's tournament.

A strong top three, backed by a solid middle order, should reap good results to Delhi Daredevils as the franchise looks determined to win its maiden title.

#3 Rajasthan Royals

Steve Smith will look to leave his mark over IPL 2018

Similar to Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals too will be making a comeback to IPL after a gap of two years. With a successful auction, that included making the tournament's most expensive buy, the Rajasthan franchise seems to be pretty well balanced in each department of the game.

England's superstars, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, in the company of captain Steve Smith, would form one of the most formidable batting lineups. From steering the ship in precarious situations to bringing in the power game when required, the foreign trio is equipped with distinguished batting skills and can give nightmares to the bowlers.

Apart from these three players, Rajasthan can even avail the services of D'Arcy Short and Jofra Archer, who took the recently concluded Big Bash League by storm. Indian stars Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson, with their match awareness and collected nature, will prove to be the calming influence that would carry the team forward in the tournament.

#2 Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli will be determined to win the much-coveted title this time around

Royal Challengers Bangalore has had a long history of possessing some of the strongest batting lineups in the history of IPL. Maintaining the same tag, the Bangalore franchise would be sporting a terrorizing lineup of batsmen this time around too.

Consisting two of the greatest batsmen of the modern era in Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, RCB looks set to be the dispiriting influence on the bowling attacks of IPL 2018. The team is further bolstered by the addition of Quinton de Kock and Brendon McCullum, who can power the team to rollicking starts and set the tone going.

All-rounders Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme, and Chris Woakes are also capable of yielding the long willow whenever the need arises.

However, much similar to the previous additions, RCB might fall short in providing reliable backups to their glittering superstars. Players such as Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, and Manan Vohra will need to bring their 'A' game to the fore to ably support the team's heavyweights.

#1 Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Orange Army would be one of the most balanced teams in this year's IPL

Sunrisers Hyderabad boasts a batting order that would, arguably, prove to be the most balanced one in the upcoming edition of IPL.

Two of the franchise's most popular players, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan, will be willing to do their usual best and get the team off to solid starts. While the class of Manish Pandey and Shakib Al Hasan will be guiding the middle order, the belligerence of Yusuf Pathan and Deepak Hooda will be helping the team score big in the death overs.

In Wriddhiman Saha, SRH has an experienced player who can be used a floater in the batting order, depending on the match scenario. In addition, the likes of Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi, Carlos Brathwaite, Sreevats Goswami, and Ricky Bhui would form a strong bench that would provide plenty of options to choose from if the need arises.