IPL 2019: One major area of concern for each team ahead of the tournament

The twelfth edition of the biggest T20 league is all set to start in less than two weeks time and the training has already started. The auctions in December did give some teams a new look, some teams a chance to fine-tune their squads while some other teams remained almost identical to last year.

With all the strategies and plans put in by the management and analysts, teams have fared much smarter at the auctions over the last two years as compared to the previous auctions. However, there lies at least one major weakness in almost all teams, taking into consideration the unavailability of players due to the world cup. As we near the beginning of the season, we take a look at one major area of concern for each team.

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Chennai Superkings - Agility on the field

The defending champions will have to look after their fielding outside the circle

Probably the only team with almost all bases covered, the defending champions start the tournament as one of the favourites. After converting their weaknesses (overaged players and inexperienced pace attack) into strengths last year, CSK showed why they are the best in the business.

Although the age and experience of the players helped CSK a great deal in batting and bowling, it haunted them in the fielding department. Dhoni moved out of his comfort zone and prioritized experience over agility. The likes of Watson, Harbhajan, Tahir, and Rayudu having pretty safe pair of hands were found as weak links in the outfield. The leakage of runs on the field was the biggest chunk in their armoury despite Dhoni using the fielders as wisely as he could. The lack of agility remains the only weakness this year too with an otherwise ideal squad.

Going into the tournament, the defending champions look one of the most settled sides with not much to worry about the unavailability of players for the world cup.

Delhi Capitals - The Indian pace attack

Boult, Morris, and Rabada will form the pace attack for Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals, formerly known as Delhi Daredevils are yet to win their first ever IPL trophy. However, they do have a pretty balanced squad this year with a perfect blend of youth and experience. The auctions and the trading window saw Delhi make some really impressive moves, but one major area of concern lies in their Indian pace contingent.

Possessing one of the most lethal overseas pace attacks in the form of Morris, Rabada, and Boult, Delhi lacks firepower as far as Indian pacers are concerned. The four major names include Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, and Nathu Singh.

While Ishant has fared below par in the limited overs formats over the past few years, the likes of Nathu Singh and Avesh Khan lack experience and might prove to be the weak links. Harshal Patel seems the best option among Indian pacers with his experience in the IPL and his big hitting abilities.

However, Delhi does have a chance to turn their weakness into a strength if the Indian pacers find a way to deliver consistently.

Kings XI Punjab - Finishing with the bat

KXIP had a disappointing second half in the 2018 season

One of the three teams yet to win their maiden IPL title, KXIP flattered to deceive in the 2018 season. Winning 6 of their first 7 games, KXIP were on course for the playoffs but the 6 losses in the next 7 games saw them crash out of the group stage. In a disappointing season last year, they got good contribution from the top order but failed to capitalise on the platform laid by the openers.

The middle and lower middle order is heavily reliant on David Miller, who has not been in great form over the past couple of years. Also after releasing Stoinis, there is no other player who can be given the role to finish with the bat. Sam Curran might prove to be a handy option, but he too is not a guaranteed starter. With a top-heavy lineup, KXIP would want Miller to be at his absolute best and someone else to ably support him in order to avoid the fortunes of last year.

Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh might prove handy at the death with the bat though.

Kolkata Knight Riders - The bench strength

The absence of an overseas strike bowler might cost KKR

Two-time champions KKR did overspend on their overseas stars in the 2018 auctions, leaving the bench weak. The first choice XI had several match-winners but the replacements were either too inexperienced or did not prove to be good enough, as they found out when Starc was ruled out of the tournament. Starc was subsequently released for the 2019 season and a number of handy players were bought instead.

However, the problem of a weak bench still remains the major area of concern for KKR. The pace bowling department has Russell, Brathwaite, and Fergusson to accompany the 3 Indian promising youngsters, who are far too inexperienced. Russell himself is prone to injury and Fergusson is known for his inconsistency. Anrich Nortje might prove to be a surprise package though.

Similarly, in the batting department, there is hardly someone who can fill in for the first choice batsmen like Lynn, Uthappa, Rana, Gill, and Karthik.

Mumbai Indians - Depth in bowling

The over-reliance on Bumrah is the major weakness for Mumbai

The three-time champions Mumbai Indians have traditionally been a side with a strong and varied bowling attack. However, a close look at the current squad suggests the lack of reserves in the bowling department.

With Malinga not in his prime, the pace attack is heavily reliant on Bumrah. But with the World Cup scheduled just after the IPL, the Indian team management might ask Bumrah to skip the latter half of the tournament to prevent injury. Also, the Indian pace reserves are not great who can fill in the shoes of Bumrah. McClenaghan has not been in great form of late and Behrendorff might be unavailable for a major part of the tournament.

The spin department has Mayank Markande, who was the find of the 2018 season, and Krunal Pandya. But the reserves in Rahul Chahar and Anukul Roy are too inexperienced, which might prove to be costly in case one of the main spinners get injured.

Rajasthan Royals - Availability of players

The absence of major overseas players might leave RR at a state of disadvantage

The winners of the inaugural season, Rajasthan Royals finished fourth in the tournament last year in the absence of their first choice captain. However, Smith is all set to be back after serving a one-year ban. After repeated failures of Darcy Short, Buttler was sent out to open and that turned out to be a masterstroke as Buttler won them numerous games almost single-handedly. Stokes found form with the ball in the latter half of the tournament. Jofra Archer became the impact player they needed, providing breakthroughs at all stages of the game.

All these four players are also integral parts of the world cup squads of their respective nations and hence are likely to miss a major part of the latter half of the tournament, which will leave RR at a state of disadvantage. Even the likes of Oshane Thomas might miss a part of the season. RR will be the most affected team due to player unavailability for the world cup as all their first choice overseas players will miss a crucial part of the tournament.

RR will, however, be delighted seeing the batting prowess of Perth Scorchers' Ashton Turner, whom they bought in the recent auctions.

Royal Challengers Bangalore - Death bowling

RCB have traditionally been weak at the death

One of the three teams along with Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab to have never won the title, RCB continue to have issues with death bowling. The area which they have failed to address since the past 6-7 seasons has been one of the major reasons why they have not achieved the kind of success they could have. They have lost matches from unimaginable situations due to their weak death bowling and the same issue might haunt them in the 2019 season too.

Among the current lot, Umesh is a strict no at the death. Southee, Coulter-Nile, and Siraj are the only available death bowling options, but even Siraj is at a stage where he needs to improve a lot to become a reliable option. Also only one among Coulter-Nile and Southee is likely to feature in the XI at a time. The addition of Stoinis might help them to some extent though.

Sunrisers Hyderabad - Middle and lower middle order

SRH would like to have an in-form Manish Pandey in the middle order

The runner-ups of 2018 seemed to be the most balanced side after the 2018 auctions and despite missing someone like Warner, they finished at the top of the table after the league stage. The 2019 auctions saw them fill in a few slots and giving them an even stronger look. There is no major area of weakness as such for the Sunrisers Hyderabad for the upcoming season.

If we look into all aspects of the squad, the middle order seems to be the weakest link, though not exactly a weakness. The form of Pandey was a concern for the whole of the 2018 season and Shakib is yet to prove himself with the bat for SRH. Yusuf did reasonably well and Deepak Hooda was far too inconsistent. SRH will hope all of them to be in their prime form in order to lift the trophy this year. The presence of Vijay Shankar will strengthen the middle order to some extent though.

Although the middle order is not that big a worry, the lack of options for the first choice players in the middle order might be a concern if someone like Pandey continues his poor run.