IPL 2019: Rating the batting lineup of each team

The Indian Premier League is set for an early start this season owing to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 which will follow. The schedule for the first 2 weeks has been released by the BCCI and the defending champions Chennai Super Kings will take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the season opener.

The teams have put in a lot of effort in the recruitment of players and planning for this season and are hoping to win the coveted title. Few teams have changed their management or support staff while few have changed their captains for this season.

The trading phase also saw Shikhar Dhawan move to Delhi, Quinton de Kock to Mumbai and Marcus Stoinis to RCB. The auction which soon followed was filled with surprises for the viewers and fans will be waiting to see Yuvraj Singh don the blue of the Mumbai Indians this season.

Having said that, let's rate the all-important batsmen of every team and whether the squad selection is up to the mark.

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Rajasthan Royals

Rating- 6.5/10

Expected Batsmen to make it to the Playing XI: Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tripathi

Steve Smith was extremely important for the Rajasthan Royals

The Rajasthan Royals seem to have the weakest squad on paper though they always seem to creep through to the playoffs one way or the other. Steve Smith who was banned from playing last season was ready to play this season but an injury to his elbow has seriously threatened his chances of playing this season.

With their other core overseas top order players, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes set for an early return to England due to the World Cup, the RR side doesn't have a convincing backup and lacks firepower at the top. Ajinkya Rahane has been decent in Tests for India but hasn't had much limited-overs action. The rest of the top order batsmen, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, and Manan Vohra certainly lack the firepower and the lack of big names will affect them.

Their other overseas batsmen, Ashton Turner, and Liam Livingstone seem to be an excuse for overspending on Unadkat. The same kind of haste was shown in recruiting D'Arcy Short last season and it won't be a surprise if a same kind of thing occurs this time around. The Royals will rue their purchases in the auction and whether they play well or not, their top order looks weakest on paper.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Rating- 7/10

Expected Batsmen to make it to the Playing XI: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana and Dinesh Karthik

DK did the bulk of the scoring last season

The Kolkata Knight Riders have always picked out a squad which met their requirements and didn't go all out to draft big names into their side. This time though, the lack of known names in the top order might be a problem for the team. Chris Lynn hasn't been in good form the past year. Sunil Narine is evolving as a batsman but his short presence at the crease doesn't help the other batsmen in any way.

Robin Uthappa hasn't been seen much in the domestic circuit and was doing commentary for some time and if he's rusty this season too, then skipper Dinesh Karthik will have problems on his hand to deal with.

Though they possess a good squad, it almost always DK or Nitish Rana who stood at the crease while wickets fell around them. Shubman Gill will certainly be used more this season and it's a positive sign but the lack of backup players or alternatives can hit them hard this season.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Rating- 7.5/10

Expected Batsmen to make it to the Playing XI: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow(WK), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, and Yusuf Pathan

Manish Pandey failed to justify his hefty price tag last season

The Sunrisers Hyderabad didn't see much action in the auction as they signed only three players, Jonny Bairstow, Martin Guptill, and Wriddhiman Saha. Their batting order seems to have an explosive front 3 as David Warner, Bairstow and Kane Williamson seem set to join hands at the top.

The problem for the Sunrisers Hyderabad arise from the No.4 position as their middle order batsmen seem to be either lacking in form or experience and that may hurt a side like SRH who plan their things out well ahead.

Shakib al Hasan is set to miss a part of this season due to injury and if he leaves, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, and Vijay Shankar will mostly make the playing XI leaving them with a brittle middle order. Pandey, especially had a woeful time with team India as he was made to watch from the sidelines and is out of the reckoning for a WC spot.

SRH have a well-balanced squad with adequate backups for all their players but their weak middle order hasn't been dealt with and injuries might affect them at the fag end of the season.

Kings XI Punjab

Rating- 8/10

Expected Batsmen to make it to the Playing XI: KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair and Mandeep Singh

Punjab will want Rahul to start from where he left off last season

The Kings XI Punjab have assembled a decent squad this season and their top order looks more stable following the signing of Nicholas Pooran. Few big-name signings during the auction were Sam Curran and Varun Chakravarthy.

They have a lot of squad depth and plenty of backups and have a lot to be happy about but there seems to be lack of experience and too many options available and this might influence the selection process adversely. KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal, Pooran and Mandeep Singh are necessities and it will be a battle between David Miller and Chris Gayle for another overseas spot.

Also the lack of IPL experience for their players might come back to hurt them and they may rue a few choices like opting to release utility players like Marcus Stoinis or overspending on unknown Varun Chakaravarthy.

Overall, they have a well-balanced squad but they need to keep their heads clear for the selection process.

Mumbai Indians

Rating- 8/10

Expected Batsmen to make it to the Playing XI: De Kock(WK), Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal and Hardik Pandya

Rohit Sharma

The Mumbai Indians didn't tinker much with their squad during the auction period and released few players who weren't used much last season. They also made a great move in signing Quinton de Kock from RCB during the trading phase. The MI side seems to have a solid batting order and core around which the team is set to function.

De Kock will open the batting and Evin Lewis seems to be the likely option to partner him though it would be interesting to see Suryakumar Yadav continue in that role. Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Yadav, and the Pandya brothers will complete what is a long batting order dominated by Indians. The problem with the Mumbai Indians is that they have no other overseas option to turn to in case one of Lewis or de Kock fails.

Kieron Pollard certainly isn't what he used to be and Yuvraj Singh will have to fight for his place in the team. With 3 of India's World Cup prospects in the squad and Hardik aldready injured for the Australia series, the team will be cautious in fielding their playing XI and this seems to be the only concern in the highly talented side.

Delhi Capitals

Rating- 8.5/10

Expected Batsmen to make it to the Playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Colin Ingram, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant

Prithvi Shaw will be a player to watch out for

The Delhi Capitals have been consistently finding themselves at the bottom of the table and this season, they have gone all-out to ensure that doesn't happen. Apart from christening the team, they acquired Shikhar Dhawan from SRH in a trade for all-rounders Vijay Shankar and Abhishek Sharma and spinner Shahbaz Nadeem. As a result of their auction and trading activities, they have one of the strongest top orders on paper.

Shikhar Dhawan will be a big source of runs for them at the top and is expected to open the batting with the highly talented Prithvi Shaw. The batsman was unlucky not to play in Australia and will be raring to go after recovering from injury. T20 veteran Colin Ingram has been ever impressive this season too and will fit in perfectly in the DC top order.

Shreyas Iyer has sizzled in the domestic circuit and will push for a chance in the Indian team with good performances in the IPL. Rishabh Pant has suddenly got himself into the race for a World Cup spot and this will certainly add to his ambition of doing well this season.

With backups in Colin Munro, Sherfane Rutherford, and Hanuma Vihari, the Delhi Capitals can go all the way this season.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Rating-8.5/10

Expected Batsmen to make it to the Playing XI: Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, and Shivam Dube

Virat Kohli

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have brought together another tremendous set of top-order batsmen for this season, though their openers seem to be the only problem. Parthiv Patel seems to be the right choice and it seems like skipper Virat Kohli will open the batting along with him.

They made good signings in the form of Shimron Hetmyer and Shivam Dubey who will be good sources for quick runs and blistering knocks due to their great ball-striking abilities. AB de Villiers won't have the pressure of international cricket on him and can freely function and will want to lift his first IPL trophy this season.

Marcus Stoinis was signed from KXIP following a trade for Mandeep Singh and he will fit in perfectly in the middle order though RCB can try him as an opener along with Parthiv.

RCB have a good squad with a lot of good backups and have a lot of chances of winning their maiden title.

Chennai Super Kings

Rating- 9/10

Expected Batsmen to make it to the Playing XI: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, and Kedar Jadhav

MS Dhoni looked in great touch last season

The Chennai Super Kings have always been the powerhouse of the IPL and have had few of the best batsmen in the world playing for their side. They have ensured that on their return, the trend hasn't changed. They possess a formidable batting line-up with more than enough backups for which the only enemy seems to be their age which really doesn't seem to matter much.

Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu quashed doubts about opening troubles as they were on song for the entire season and took opposition bowlers for a ride. Watson seems to have carried the form all other T20 leagues and is riding high in the PSL right now. Rayudu will have a lot to play for as his IPL performance will have an impact on his World Cup spot. Little needs to be said about Suresh Raina or MS Dhoni as their stats speak for themselves.

Kedar Jadhav's return to the side lends more balance and an extra bowler for Dhoni to throw the ball to. All in all, CSK possess a great top order filled with energetic and entertaining batsmen.