IPL 2019: Ranking power hitters of the 8 teams

We all know that the T20 of Cricket is all about providing complete entertainment to the fans, and the audience across the globe and the IPL is one of the prominent league that provides this kind of high octane entertainment without failing.

This type of entertainment is only possible because of the power hitters in each team who are also one of the reasons for a team's success.

While the strike rotation and the sliders are important to any team, the power hitters are the ones with the ability to change the course of the match in a matter of a few overs.

Each team possesses at least three power-hitters in their armory who can a pack a punch which is quintessential in this modern format of the game. Players like Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, and Sunil Narine not only thoroughly entertain the fans who watch this league but also are the primary reason for Kolkata Knight Riders' success in the league thus far.

The Ranking is purely based on the hitting abilities, and not necessarily based on the IPL numbers. This is because a player like Shimron Hetmeyer is one of the most devastating batsmen in the cricketing fraternity, but he is yet to make his IPL debut.

Here is a list of the 8 IPL teams ranked on the basis of their power-hitters in the team.

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#8 Rajasthan Royals

He was a lone warrior last season.

Rajasthan Royals probably have the weakest power-hitters on paper despite possessing players like Jos Buttler, and Ben Stokes. The early stage of the 2018 IPL tournament saw the Royals struggling to put up a decent score on the board, but the decision to send Buttler up the order changed this.

The returning Steve Smith will strengthen the batting line-up, but his arrival will not affect the power-hitting abilities of the team. Apart from Buttler, and Stokes, Krishnappa Gowtham is an Indian name that features in this list and is expected to make into the final XI.

Buttler scores at a strike rate of above 150 in the IPL which is very high considering his average in the tournament which is 34.68. Fellow English all-rounder strikes nearly at 135 and has an IPL ton to his name. While the new recruits like Ashton Turner, Liam Livingston are clean strikers of the ball, but they are relatively inexperienced.

Expected power hitters to make the final playing XI and their T20 strike rates:

1. Jos Buttler - 144.03
2. Ben Stokes - 135.75
3. Krishnappa Gowtham - 168.99

It will be interesting to see how the inexperienced overseas take the team's mantle when the big guns leave for World Cup preparation.

#7 Kings XI Punjab

Destructive opening pair

The opening pair of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle proved to be one of the most destructive opening pair when they are on song. The duo was the main reason for the Kings XI Punjab to register to some wins in the first half of the tournament.

Apart from Gayle, and Rahul, David Miller was the only power-hitter retained by the Punjab team prior to this season's Auction. The Auction saw the KXIP buying the young power-hitter Nicholas Pooran and the experienced Moises Henriques. The event brought the Mandeep Singh from RCB through IPL trade window and the unconventional batsman in Sarfaraz Khan.

Expected power hitters to make the final playing XI and their T20 strike rates:

1. KL Rahul - 138.69
2. Chris Gayle - 147.14
3. David Miller - 139.12
4. Nicholas Pooran - 152.58

Gayle is no longer the player that won the two consecutive orange caps, Miller has not played any significant innings in IPL of late, and Pooran is yet to make his IPL debut. Rahul is still their only ray of hope. They will need their local Indian players to come to the party. This list might look strong on paper, but in reality, it is not.

#6 Delhi Capitals

The poster boy of Delhi Capitals

The Delhi Capitals ranks at the 6th position in this list. The young team from Delhi is filled with power-hitters with their hometown boy Rishabh Pant leading the way. Delhi finished at the last position in the point's table last year despite some heroic performances from Pant and Shreyas Iyer.

With the addition of players like Shikhar Dhawan and Colin Ingram, one can expect the name-changed side to bounce back this upcoming tournament. One of the main reason for ranking Delhi Capitals below even after possessing players of the quality of Colin Munro and Prithvi Shaw is the lack of experience. Munro and Ingram lack experience in Indian condition and the young Indian players are relatively new to the International set-up.

While Pant and Shaw score at a strike rate above 150, Shreyas Iyer, Dhawan, and Munro all have strike rate close to 130 in IPL.

Expected power hitters to make the final playing XI and their T20 strikes rates:

1. Prithvi Shaw - 153.12
2. Rishabh Pant - 162.46
3. Chris Morris - 154.8

Only time will tell how these young players blend with the experienced and swash-buckling batsman in Dhawan.

#5 Sunrisers Hyderabad

IPL Winning captain returns

The IPL season 12 will see David Warner returning to the Sunrisers Hyderabad after the one-year ban from international cricket. This return will improve the power-hitting abilities of SRH by ten folds.

The team from Hyderabad have also made some interesting picks in the auction that will drastically improve their quick scoring skills. These picks include Jonny Bairstow and Martin Guptill. With players like Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey already in the ranks, this is one side to watch out for. Also, the addition of the Indian all-rounder Vijay Shankar boasts the team's balance.

The current captain and the former captain of the side both score at a strike rate close to 140 in this tournament. Bairstow and Guptill are very new to this IPL scene, and Pandey had a dreadful last season, and the absence of an experienced Indian Opener in Dhawan might come and haunt them. These are the reasons for them being ranked at No.5 despite having the best players on the paper.

Expected power hitters to make the final playing XI and their T20 strike rate:

1. David Warner - 142.4
2. Jonny Bairstow - 125.71
3. Vijay Shankar - 128.5
4. Deepak Hooda - 140

If the Indian power-hitters like Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan can support these overseas giants, then SRH can taste the gold this time.

#4 Royal Challengers Bangalore

Brothers of Destruction

The duo of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers is arguably the most destructive world cricket has ever seen. Cricket looks more beautiful when these two play together, but not for the bowlers. These two have been the backbone of this Royal Challengers Bangalore for a long time.

While the addition of players like Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, and retaining the likes of Colin de Grandhomme, and Moeen Ali makes this side a batting heavy team, the inclusion of budding talents like Shivam Dubey increases the bench-strength of the team.

The new additions like Hetmyer, Stoinis, and the retained players like Colin De Grandhomme are powerful hitters of the ball and are known for this format of the game. Dubey is one such player to watch out for.

The experience of Kohli and de Villiers makes this side rank ahead of the other teams.

Expected power hitters to make the final playing XI and their T20 strike rate:

1. Virat Kohli - 133.3
2. AB de Villiers - 148.4
3. Shimron Hetmeyer - 142.42
4. Colin de Grandhomme - 166.8

#3 Chennai Super Kings

Fairy tale comeback

IPL season 11 saw one of the most successful team in IPL history return after a 2-year gap, and they could not have asked for a better comeback story. The MS Dhoni-led CSK team defeated every opponent in its path to lift the coveted prize for the 3rd time.

In the recently concluded IPL Auction, CSK made only one buy, in which they brought back Mohit Sharma to improve the death bowling of the team which was their only problem in the last season.

CSK has one of the best set of power-hitters, and one advantage of this side is most of these hitters are Indians. This allows them to rotate the overseas according to the conditions and the balance.

Expected power hitters to make the final playing XI and their T20 strike rate:

1. Shane Watson - 139.6
2. Faf Du Plessis - 127.4
3. MS Dhoni - 136
4. Dwyane Bravo - 127.3

Don't be surprised if the team in yellow manages to defend the title.

#2 Mumbai Indians

This trio will be key for MI's success

The presence of stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Evin Lewis, Quinton de Kock, Kieron Pollard, and Yuvraj Singh make them second-ranked team in the list of power-hitters.

In the last season, like always Mumbai Indians started slow and struggled to win early games, and when they started to peak, it was too late. They managed to finish fifth in the points table.

With local talents like Surya Kumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan in the bench, MI is a serious contender for this year's IPL Trophy.

Expected power hitters to make the final playing XI and their T20 strike rate:

1. Rohit Sharma - 133.5
2. Evin Lewis - 144.7
3. Hardik Pandya - 132.26
4. Kieron Pollard - 150.5
5. Ben Cutting - 150.4

Like CSK most of their line-up make into the power-hitters list, but that is also their disadvantage. Other than Rohit, none of these players are capable of the waiting game.

#1 Kolkata Knight Riders

Biggest Power-hitters in IPL History

Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, and Andre Russell are probably three of the most powerful hitters of the world Cricket right now. Add Carlos Brathwaite to this list, and this list has destruction written all over it.

While these players are equipped only for quick scoring abilities, versatile players like Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, and Shubhman Gill can score according to the situation of the game.

This is one team that no bowlers would like a bowl when they are on song. If you doubt ask the Kings from Punjab, KKR batsman thrashed KXIP and scored a mammoth 245 runs.

Expected power hitters to make the final playing XI and their T20 strike rate:

1. Chris Lynn - 144.2
2. Sunil Narine - 146.47
3. Andre Russell - 167.4
4. Carlos Brathwaite - 146.

If these power-hitters remain for the entire course of the tournament, then a third IPL trophy is definitely on the cards for KKR.

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