IPL 2020: Ranking 8 teams based on their finishers

The auctions for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League came to an end in December and now that we know the full squads, it's time to rate the strengths and weaknesses of all the 8 teams.

Quite frankly, there's no squad that is perfect heading into the season but some are surely better than others on paper. The finalists of last year Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings didn't have much to add to their respective squads in the auctions but they did buy some quality back-up players, which only made them stronger.

Furthermore, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders did some big business in the auctions. Both teams signed some big names, filled some holes, and in the process, improved their respective squads considerably from last year.

As for Delhi Capitals, if anything, they look stronger than last year heading into IPL 2020, thanks to some really good buys. Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Sunrisers Hyderabad didn't really manage to address their respective weaknesses in the auction, which means there is some imbalance in their squads heading into next season.

Here, we are going to rank teams based on the finishers they have in their squads. Finishers play a crucial role in any limited-overs format. Their ability to remain calm under pressure and take their respective teams home from any situation makes them indispensable. Also, these are players that can change the complexion of a game in the matter of some overs. These finishers go for big bucks in every IPL auction, as we saw with Chris Morris (₹10 cr) and Glenn Maxwell (₹10.75 cr), who were bought by RCB and KXIP respectively in the IPL 2020 auctions.

Without further ado, let's take a look at who has the best pool of finishers in their squad.

Note: The views of the author do not necessarily reflect those of Sportskeeda.

#8 Sunrisers Hyderabad

Kane Williamson and Jonny Bairstow will be important for SRH's chances ( Image Credits: iplt20.com/bcci)

Finishers: Mohammad Nabi, Mitchell Marsh, Vijay Shankar, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg and Wriddhiman Saha

Sunrisers Hyderabad, over the past couple of years, have had a thin lower middle-order and it is something they failed to address in the IPL 2020 auctions once again. Due to the lack of quality finishers, they seem to lack that firepower in their batting department, which means they could quite possibly struggle to score quickly in the death overs of their batting innings if the top order fails to contribute.

Follow Sportskeeda for more Cricket news.

If anything, they have become weaker in that department from last year as the likes of Yusuf Pathan and Deepak Hooda have now departed. Players such as Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Mitchel Marsh, Mohammad Nabi, and even Wriddhiman Saha will now have to take the responsibility of batting in the death overs.

On paper, it seems David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kaine Williamson, and Manish Pandey will again have the responsibility of scoring big.

#7 Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals are a top-heavy side ( Image Credits: iplt20.com/bcci)

Finishers: Ben Stokes, David Miller, and Riyan Parag

In the auctions, Rajasthan went hammer and tongs for Shimron Hetmyer but ended up with David Miller, who will most probably be used as a finisher in the upcoming IPL season. The South African hasn't been great in the IPL over the past couple of years but his addition has definitely strengthened the already weak Royals middle-order.

Last season, all the responsibility of scoring in the death overs landed on either Krishnappa Gowtham or Ben Stokes but now, it seems only Stokes is the known death over specialist, along with Miller as Gowtham has left the franchise.

While SRH have no recognized hard hitters, Rajasthan seem to have only two and they will now have to depend on Riyan Parag, which is not ideal given his age. All in all, if Miller and Stokes fire for RR, they will look a much better team.

#6 Royal Challengers Bangalore

This year's IPL brings new hopes for RCB ( Image Credits: iplt20.com/bcci)

Finishers: Chris Morris, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, and Gurkeerat Singh Mann

Royal Challengers Bangalore have always been an underperforming side in the Indian Premier League and IPL 2020 brings an opportunity for the Virat Kohli led side to change their fortunes. But their squad has several loopholes; the lack of experienced finishers being one of them.

The recent rise of Shivam Dube and Gurkeerat Singh Mann will give Simon Katich some relief but both of them weren't consistent last season and Dube has only played one season in the IPL. The inexperience of playing in crunch situations is what can cost the two Indian finishers.

Furthermore, the signing of Chris Morris will add that firepower and cool head in the lower middle order. Moeen Ali was another player who came into his own towards the later stages of last year's IPL and Virat will be hoping that the Englishman fires from the get-go next season, as he will be needed. The doubts over the consistency of RCB's finishers is what ranks them so low.

Going into the next season, on paper, RCB will again be considered as a top-heavy team unless the likes of Ali, Morris, Gurkeerat, and Dube step up and perform consistently.

#5 Delhi Capitals

DC have one of the best batting units ( Image Credits: iplt20.com/bcci)

Finishers: Ravichandran Ashwin, Chris Woakes, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel and Shimron Hetmyer

Delhi Capitals have one of the strongest if not the strongest batting order, on paper. They have brilliant depth in the opening department and the middle order but the lower order is what could turn out to be a concern for the Shreyas Iyer led side.

DC have added Shimron Hetmyer to their squad, which gives them some firepower and that will give Ricky Ponting some flexibility with his team selection. The additions of Chris Woakes and Ravichandran Ashwin give DC something they didn't have last year - experience.

Pant played well in that finishing role last year and now that he has some support from Hetmyer and Woakes, the southpaw could possibly bat higher up the order next season.

#4 Chennai Super Kings

MS Dhoni remains as important as ever ( Image Credits: iplt20.com/bcci)

Finishers: MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Sam Curran, Kedar Jadhav and Ravindra Jadeja

Last season's finalists Chennai Super Kings have a good squad going into the season but the question is - are most of their players past their prime? The likes of Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, and Suresh Raina weren't great last year and because CSK haven't added any fresh blood in the batting department in the auctions, more will be expected of the experienced core.

On Paper, CSK have a strong batting order as they bat really deep and that allows MS Dhoni to play his natural game. The CSK captain was brilliant last season, along with Ravindra Jadeja with both of them wreaking mayhem in the lower order and with the addition of Sam Curran, CSK have become stronger in the finishing department. Also, the likes of Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur have shown that they can bat during the death overs, which gives some more comfort to the top order batsmen.

But there will always be that doubt with CSK as their squad is full of players who don't play cricket for months before IPL.

#3 Kings XI Punjab

KXIP have an insane batting unit, on paper ( Image Credits: iplt20.com/bcci)

Finishers: Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Deepak Hooda, Krishnappa Gowtham, and Nicholas Pooran

Kings XI Punjab made a lot of buys in the auctions in December. They went for the right players, signed them, and now they look like a really strong unit. Anil Kumble has an incredible batting unit to work with and if they do well with the ball, KXIP can be considered as one of the favorites for IPL 2020.

The signings of Deepak Hooda, Krishnappa Gowtham, and Glenn Maxwell make their middle-order really strong and also, the recent rise of Nicholas Pooran will give the KXIP captain KL Rahul some confidence. They have some big-hitting match-winners in their batting department, which will make life difficult for any bowling unit in this year's IPL.

Also, James Neesham is a brilliant back-up option to have, along with Chris Jordan, both of whom can bat and can be able replacements for almost anyone. Gowtham has proven his quality as a finisher for RR, over the past couple of seasons and teh records prove how dangerous both Pooran and Maxwell can be. If any one of the above mentioned batsmen get in their groove, KXIP will be in a better position to win than lose.

KXIP have a good pool of finishers at their disposal but almost all of them have been inconsistent with their performances in the IPL. Kumble would be hoping they step up next season.

#2 Mumbai Indians

The Pandya brothers bring firepower ( Image Credits: iplt20.com/bcci)

Finishers: Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Shefrane Rutherford and Krunal Pandya

The four-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians have the most balanced side on paper heading into IPL 2020. The additions of Chris Lynn, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Trent Boult will give their squad some much needed new blood and quality.

MI are a settled side and Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, and Krunal Pandya are one of the biggest reasons for that stability. They have been MI's middle order for quite some time now and next season, Rohit Sharma will again be looking upto the three of them in order to change the complexion of a game.

Both Hardik and Pollard know each other really well and the two of them together are a deadly combination, to say the least. Krunal didn't have a great time with the bat last year and he will be looking to improve that in IPL 2020. The three of them together have the experience, quality, and the winning pedigree and that is the reason why they rank second on this list. Also, MI have an able replacement for Pollard in Shefrane Rutherford, who was signed from Delhi Capitals in the trade window.

If MI are to retain their crown next season, their finishers will have to play a key role in it.

#1 Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR have Andre Russell, someone who is very hard to stop ( Image Credits: iplt20.com/bcci)

Finishers: Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Nitish Rana and Eoin Morgan

Andre Russell - the sole reason why Kolkata Knight Riders are on top of this list rather than Mumbai Indians. He is known as Superman for a reason and in IPL 2019, he was consistently depositing balls into the stands during the death overs and singlehandedly winning KKR games.

Now, KKR look stronger than last season as they have added the England's World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan into their team and that will give Russell some much needed support next season. Add Dinesh Karthik's experience to that, and you have a brilliant looking middle-order.

With KKR's batting lineup, any target is attainable as one can count on either of the above mentioned three batsmen to score big on any given day. Morgan will also bring his leadership to the table, which means there will be another cool head in a young KKR side. Also, if either of Karthik or Morgan want to bat higher up the order, Nitish Rana can be easily used in that finisher role. Rana has never shied away from the crunch situations and he is more than capable of changing the game with the bat.

Karthik's concern will be the bowling department, same as last year but they have addressed that weakness with the signing of Patt Cummins.

Nevertheless, KKR have the best finishers heading into IPL 2020, on paper.