IPL 2020: Predicting and ranking the new-ball bowling pairs of all 8 teams

#7 Royal Challengers Bangalore - Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini

Umesh Yadav has been decent in the powerplay for RCB recently

Another opening pair that is tough to call because of the recent purchase of Chris Morris, Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini are expected to share the new ball.

While the former has been decent in bursts in the powerplay, Saini has mostly been used as a first-change bowler by RCB captain Virat Kohli in the past. However, the speedster's ability to generate swing is very different from the hit-the-deck style of bowling of Morris, and he'll probably share the new ball.

Yadav and Saini are both quality bowlers, but whether they can excel in the powerplay on the UAE pitches is under question, leading to their position at #7 on the list.

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#6 Kolkata Knight Riders - Pat Cummins and Prasidh Krishna

Pat Cummins is the most expensive overseas buy in IPL auction history

Pat Cummins became the most expensive overseas buy in the history of the IPL auction in December last year, but the Australian has played only 16 IPL games in his career, returning 17 wickets at an economy rate of 8.29.

He could be partnered by any one of Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti or Prasidh Krishna, but the former two haven't played much for KKR due to injuries and might not be thrown into the thick of things immediately. Krishna's IPL record isn't great, although he has bowled fast and aggressively when called upon.

While Cummins is a world-class bowler in the longer formats of the game, he hasn't quite proven himself to be at the same level in T20 cricket yet. However, both bowlers could perform decently in tandem, and find a spot at #6 on this list.

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#5 Chennai Super Kings - Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran

Deepak Chahar is recovering from COVID-19

Indian pacer Deepak Chahar has been superb in the powerplay for CSK over the past two seasons, and has swung it both ways to give captain MS Dhoni three overs in the first six. The Rajasthan fast bowler is currently recovering from COVID-19, and it remains to be seen if he will be fit for the IPL 2020 season opener.

His partner for this year's IPL is expected to be CSK's new acquisition Sam Curran. The England all-rounder extracts movement early on in the innings, and could play a role similar to the one Albie Morkel did for the side many years ago. The 22-year-old is expected to pip the likes of Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi and Piyush Chawla to the new ball.

Curran and Chahar are an excellent combination on paper, but the former's lack of inexperience at the IPL level causes them to slot in at #5.

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