IPL 2020: 3 Teams that have the best chance of lifting the trophy

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The Indian Premier League (IPL) has continually evolved with the start of every new season, and by doing so has set new benchmarks for every country's T20 league. One of the most interesting things that the IPL has done is to bring auctions into play, where teams will bid for the players that they would like to have in their franchise. Along with the fact that the player gets sold to the team with the highest bid, this also allows teams to understand how valuable the player is to their competitors.

Since the structure of their team all comes down to how well they perform in the auctions, what this has done is allow the franchises to narrow down exactly who they want in their teams, along with their backup options. This helps the franchises in building their idea of the perfect team with the vision obviously being to lift the IPL trophy at the end of the season.

Having the perfect team does not guarantee you the trophy. The perfect testament to this is the fact that the Royal Challengers Bangalore have never won the IPL despite having had players such as Shane Watson, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Mitchell Starc, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli among others, who happen to be some of the biggest names in the history of cricket.

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However, what does happen when an auction strategy is successfully implemented, is that it significantly increases the franchise's chances of winning. With that being said, here's a look at some of the best teams that could well lift the trophy this year.

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#1 Mumbai Indians

Having made impressive trades to add to their title-winning team along with retaining almost the entirety of their core, the Mumbai Indians unit was stronger before the auction, than most teams after the auction.

With a roster that boasts of names such as Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock and Chris Lynn in the batting department, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult in the bowling department and Kieron Pollard with the Pandya brothers in the all-rounders department, you can tell that the most successful franchise in the history of the IPL means business in 2020.

The only problem that Rohit Sharma would have, as the captain of his side, would be the problem of plenty. It's difficult to imagine players like Lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan watching the game from the dugout, which is most likely to be the case.

#2 Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals

The first team ever to win the title, the Rajasthan Royals haven't had much luck on their side lately and would be looking to change their fortunes this year.

The Royals had an impressive unit last season, and are even looking better this year. With the addition of fresh faces such as young Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tom Curran and Robin Uthappa, Rajasthan look ready to hit the ground running in this year's IPL.

A team that already has cricketing giants such as Steve Smith, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes would fancy their chances with the new additions that have been made to their roster. However, the only worry for the Royals would be the injury of their star paceman Jofra Archer, who has been ruled out of this season.

RR remain favorites despite Archer's injury, and will be attacking from the word go to reclaim what was once theirs!

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#3 Delhi Capitals

Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw

A team filled with young talent such as Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant and Kagiso Rabada along with their captain Shreyas Iyer, the Delhi Capitals have added the one thing in their squad that denied them a chance at the title last year - experience.

While they already had players such as Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma in the squad, they missed having a solid anchor in their explosive batting department. The addition of experienced campaigners Ajinkya Rahane and Ravi Ashwin, whom DC brought in through the trade window, does exactly that.

To add more firepower to their already big-hitting batsmen, they've now brought in Shimron Hetmyer and Marcus Stoinis. In their bowling department, they have excellent spinners in the form of Ashwin, Axar Patel and Sandeep Lamichhane who can all control the flow of runs, along with Rabada who needs no introduction.

Their only cause for concern would be the withdrawal of Chris Woakes just 21 days before the start of the IPL. However, The Delhi Capitals would have a replacement plan in mind and would want to script history this year by winning the IPL for the first time ever.