IPL 2019: One Indian stalwart from each team who can be instrumental

IPL is the most exciting time of the year in the Indian cricketing calendar. Its been 11 years since the inception of the Indian Premier League but it has never lost its sheen over the years, in fact, it has got only better with each passing year and it will be no different this year too when the tournament begins its 12th season the coming summer.

The reason for the success of the IPL and its superiority over the other leagues is its longevity and seldom does the audience gets bored of the tournament. This is because of the presence of stars from all over the globe.

We all know that this year's IPL will commence amidst a packed calendar in international cricket which includes ICC World Cup 2019, set to happen in England and Wales.

So the BCCI has decided to prepone the IPL from its usual slot of April to March so as to give enough rest for the World Cup-bound players before the marquee event.

Here are the Indian players from each team who could be the star performer for their team.

#8 KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab)

KL Rahul needs a good IPL to get his confidence back

Lokesh Rahul had a scintillating IPL last year but the team as a whole failed to capitalize on a good start that Rahul single-handedly provided. They went on a winning spree for the first few weeks of the tournament before things went downhill for Punjab, and they eventually finished seventh in the points table.

After having a great IPL last season, Rahul's personal form gradually dipped to an extent that he was dropped from playing eleven for the Australia Test match. IPL 2018 saw him scoring over 650 runs and finishing amongst the top run-getters and one can expect the same from him again in 2019 too.

Will he be the person to deliver Punjab its first title?

#7 Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi Capitals)

The newly recruited Delhi based Shikhar Dhawan has been in fantastic form of late in the T20 format and the Delhi Capitals are lucky to have the "Gabbar" in their team at this stage of his career when he is in prime form as far as the limited overs format is concerned.

Dhawan is an absolute superstar in ODI cricket for India and in 2018, he ended up as the leading run-scorer in T20 internationals in the world.

He did have a great IPL in 2018 for the SunRisers Hyderabad, where he performed consistently at the top of the order combining well with Kane Williamson but he was traded to Delhi before the auction.

Will Delhi and Dhawan have a great IPL? Only time will tell.

#6 Ajinkya Rahane (Rajasthan Royals)

Like KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane too needs some sort of redemption. Otherwise, his career could soon end up at crossroads. Once viewed as an all condition player, now he is a pale shadow of himself.

He lost his place in the ODIs because of several criticisms regarding his rate of scoring and the irony is that his performance as a Test player has taken a hit as well in trying to overcome those limitations in limited overs cricket.

But with age still on his side, he could redefine himself this IPL as India doesn't have Test match after Sydney until the West Indies tour. So Rahane's only chance at the highest level will be the IPL as he is not considered for the ODI squads anymore.

He led the Rajasthan Royals pretty well last year in the absence of Steve Smith taking them to the playoffs but he didn't have a good tournament with the bat. He will hope to change that and be a star performer for RR.

#5 Robin Uthappa (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Robin Uthappa is an IPL legend and one of the mainstays of the Kolkata Knight Riders team ever since his arrival to the team. He usually goes about his job giving good starts to his team but he didn't have a good IPL last year which he will hope to rectify this time around.

Uthappa had always remained in the fringes for a national team call-up anytime but with the team settled now, his dreams of an international return is all but over as age is not on his side. But he will hope to deliver for the Knights and act as a guide to youngsters like Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana.

With the likes of Dinesh Karthik, Rana and Gill performing well, his performances were overshadowed last year, Robin Uthappa will look to all again this year and hope to be a star performer for his side.

#4 Manish Pandey (SunRisers Hyderabad)

One of the most unconventional yet a pleasing player to watch when in full flow, Manish Pandey came into limelight when he became the first Indian to score a century in the history of IPL way back in 2009. That knock made sure selectors realize that he was a player for the future.

In 2018 auctions, he was brought at a whopping INR 11 crores by the SRH franchise but he failed to create any sort of impact that he did while playing for the KKR in the past seasons.

With Shikhar Dhawan moving to Delhi Capitals, this is Pandey's chance to grab the opportunity in both the hands and perform well for SRH just for the confidence shown by them to retain him ahead of the auction which was a major surprise.

Can Pandey help SRH and a returning David Warner to get hold of the silverware?

#3 Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)

Rohit Sharma has been in form of his life in the white ball cricket and MI will hope that Rohit will bring his A game to the forte and be a match winner for the team again this season.

As we all know, Rohit can be deadly dangerous on his day and has the ability to tear apart any opposition in his way but last IPL was equally bad both for Mumbai Indians and Rohit. While Rohit could manage only 286 runs, Mumbai Indians didn't make the playoffs after a poor start to their campaign.

With Rohit in full fitness and top-notch form, Mumbai can surely hope that this year can be their's to reclaim the trophy and win it for the record fourth time in history. He may not be available the entire time and could be rested for few matches here and there with the World Cup in sight, but he remains their best batsman who could end up as a star performer.

#2 Suresh Raina (Chennai Super Kings)

Suresh Raina has gone off the radar for quite a sometime now and had an ordinary season last year taking into standards that he had created for himself over the years.

Raina is the leading run-getter in IPL with close to 5000 runs which makes him an IPL and T20 legend and has the capability to walk into any T20 side around the globe. Such is the impact he has created with the Chennai Super Kings and teams he has played for so far in his career.

Raina has been out of the national reckoning for a while. He did make a comeback in the ODI series against England, but it was not fruitful for him and was soon shown the door. But with Dhoni at the fag end of his career and finisher's role looking vacant, this is a perfect chance for Raina to make a case for himself for a place in the side.

Can the undisputed King of IPL deliver again?

#1 Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

India v Pakistan - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup

Virat Kohli is arguably the best batsman going around in the world and everyone knows that. The fact that makes him special is the consistency he has shown across all the formats. Till date, he is the only player to score 4 IPL centuries in a single season and even the Universal boss, Chris Gayle has not achieved this feat.

Every time he steps on to the field, he gives his hundred percent and expects his team to do so as well. He has led India well across formats, but IPL has been a different ball game for him altogether. Since taking over as the skipper of RCB, Virat has found it tough to cross the finishing line and elusive IPL trophy is still missing from his cabinet.

As a player, he is the second leading run-getter in the IPL but will he inspire a strong RCB unit this time around?

Also Read: https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/ipl-2019-the-dark-horses-in-each-team