IPL 2020: Ranking the batsmen of all the teams

T20 cricket has revolutionized the way teams look at batsmen and bowlers, and this format has always favoured batsmen right from the onset. While teams are realizing the importance of good bowlers, and are bidding heavily for them, most teams are still batting-heavy and rely on their batsmen to win games for them.

The IPL is no different, and the teams, this year went all out to strengthen their respective batting units. Players like Shimron Hetmyer (DC - ₹7.75 crore), and Glenn Maxwell (KXIP - ₹10.75 crore) received lofty bids in the auction.

On that note, let's take a look at the batting line-ups of the 8 teams and rank them based on their strength.

Note: The list contains batsmen who bat till No.4. The likes of Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell haven't been considered in this list.

Disclaimer: The opinions in this article belong solely to the author and need not reflect that of Sportskeeda.

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#8 Kolkata Knight Riders

Morgan's previous stint with KKR wasn't too good.

Overseas Options: Tom Banton (wk), Eoin Morgan, and Sunil Narine

Indian Options: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Siddesh Lad, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik(C), and Nikhil Naik

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KKR stands at the bottom solely because players like Andre Russell are not considered in this list. Without Russell, the KKR batsmen either lack experience or haven't succeeded in subcontinent conditions.

First things first, KKR has the weakest opening pair in the league, and the fact that they'll have to rely on Sunil Narine to get the runs is an ominous sign. Also, Tom Banton hasn't played a single game in the subcontinent and his volatile batting style makes him an iffy prospect. Shubman Gill remains their only solid opening option.

KKR also signed a couple of decent Indian options like Rahul Tripathi and Siddhesh Lad as backup options but it'll be Nitish Rana and Dinesh Karthik who'll have to shoulder most of the responsibility in finishing games.

KKR also spent a considerable amount of money to sign Eoin Morgan in the auction but the England skipper hasn't tasted success in India. He's certainly been in great form this year and could taste success, but on paper, he is not a match-winning pick.

Final Verdict: KKR's overseas options aren't satisfactory and this will put a lot of pressure on the likes of DK and Shubman Gill to shine.

#7 Chennai Super Kings

Dhoni hasn't been seen in action since the World Cup Semi-Final.

Overseas Options: Shane Watson, and Faf du Plessis

Indian Options: Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(C), Ambati Rayudu, N Jagadeesan, M Vijay, and Ruturaj Gaikwad

A couple of seasons back and CSK would've been on the top of the list. But most of their batsmen have aged and are way past their prime. This list sadly includes skipper MS Dhoni who has been scoring well in every season up till now.

CSK ought to have signed an opener in the auction but they decided not to and chose to splash their cash on Piyush Chawla instead. But both Shane Watson and Faf Du Plessis had poor strike-rates last season, and that was a major reason for their slow starts last season.

The likes of Ambati Rayudu didn't do well last season and their form hasn't improved since then. Rayudu can succeed if he opens the batting again but his comeback in the domestic circuit has been rather middling.

CSK will again rely on MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina to score the runs for them. But both of them haven't played cricket for a long time and it'll be interesting to see how they perform. There are a couple of exciting backup options like Jagadeesan and Ruturaj Gaikwad who are too good to be bench-warmers and should be given chances to play.

Final Verdict: Age and the lack of exciting options up top means that MS Dhoni and Raina will have to do the bulk of the scoring for CSK this season.

#6 Rajasthan Royals

Steve Smith's form will be crucial for RR.

Overseas Options: Jos Buttler, and Steve Smith(C)

Indian Options: Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa, Manan Vohra, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Anuj Rawat

Despite having a host of overseas options, the RR batting lineup has a lot of holes and is very susceptible to collapses. Barring Buttler, the rest of the options aren't traditional T20 players and haven't adapted well to Indian conditions. Steve Smith does have a decent record in India but his strike-rate is too low for a T20 player.

The Indian options are led by Sanju Samson and the newly signed Robin Uthappa although it's their Mumbai teenager Yashasvi Jaiswal who looks most promising. Samson is sure of a starting berth as he's in scintillating form in the domestic circuit. Uthappa had a rather poor IPL and followed it up with middling performances in the domestic season. Yashasvi should be given some chances as he can combine well with Riyan Parag who bats in the middle-order.

Final Verdict: Most of RR's overseas options have to adapt to Indian conditions and remain unconvincing options on paper. They have do have a couple of exciting youngsters along with Sanju Samson but it'll be tricky to accommodate them in the playing XI.

#5 Sunrisers Hyderabad

Williamson(L) hasn't done enough to guarantee him a starting place.

Overseas Options: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, and Kane Williamson(C)

Indian Options: Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Sreevats Goswami, Wriddhiman Saha, Virat Singh, and Priyam Garg

SRH has the best opening pair in the entire league but that doesn't automatically make them a top batting side.

While Kane Willamson is still the captain, his form in T20s has gone down since IPL 2018, and he had a poor IPL 2019. He could make just 156 runs in 9 matches at a sub-par strike-rate of 120 and his presence complicates SRH's overseas combination.

Among the Indian options, no one barring Manish Pandey seem good enough. A lot was expected of Vijay Shankar in the start of 2019, but he failed to live up to expectations and had a poor IPL 2019. An injury added to his woes, and he hasn't done great for Tamil Nadu in the domestic games following his recovery.

While players like Virat Singh and Priyam Garg are exciting options, it's difficult to say anything about them without actually seeing them play among the big names. Players like Williamson, Warner, and Manish should mentor these youngsters, and the team should give them enough game-time to prove their worth.

Final Verdict: SRH has the strongest opening pair in the league but doesn't have the strongest top order. Manish Pandey will have to do the bulk of the scoring as Williamson needs to be benched to accommodate other overseas players.

#4 Royal Challengers Bangalore

Finch will have to work on his poor record in India.

Overseas Options: Joshua Phillipe, Aaron Finch, and AB De Villiers

Indian Options: Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli(C), and Devdutt Padikkal

Despite having the world's best batsman in their team, RCB's top order isn't the best in the league. This is primarily due to their sub-par opening pair which is mostly going to be Parthiv Patel and Aaron Finch.

RCB bought Finch for ₹4.4 Crore in the auction, and the Aussie skipper is certainly in great form in this format. But he doesn't have a great record in India and failed to make runs the last time Australia toured India. His IPL stats aren't encouraging to see. Barring the 2016 season, Finch hasn't been comfortable batting in India and wasn't able to make good use of the power play. He could make just 134 runs in 10 games at a poor average of 16.75 in his last IPL season.

Parthiv Patel meanwhile hasn't been able to go on after the power play. He needs to convert his starts into big scores. Young Aussie keeper Joshua Phillipe and Karnataka opener Devdutt Padikkal are quality options and should be considered as alternate options.

RCB has a pretty formidable line-up post their opening pair. The likes of Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers are sure to strike fear in the heart of any bowler and they're likely to be the major run-scorers for them.

Final Verdict: A sub-par opening pair is likely to be an issue for RCB although the rest of their batting looks solid.

#3 Mumbai Indians

Lynn is too good an option to keep on the bench.

Overseas Options: Chris Lynn, and Quinton De Kock

Indian Options: Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma(C), Ishan Kishan, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, and Saurabh Tiwary

MI's middle order is surely among the best in the league, but their top 4 looks a bit shaky after the opening pair.

Mumbai beefed up their top order by snaring Chris Lynn at his base price and the Aussie can form a deadly opening pair with De Kock. But fielding both the overseas openers causes a lot of confusion in their overseas combination as they have a lot of quality overseas pacers who'll remain on the bench.

While Suryakumar Yadav has been doing well at No.3, Rohit Sharma will want to bat there due to Lynn's arrival. Surprisingly, Rohit hasn't had such a great IPL career, and his last 2 seasons in the IPL have been very average. This has no connection with his international career as he was in great form before both the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

The other Indian options are not necessarily the best as they have been inconsistent in IPL games despite being good performers in domestic tournaments. One would expect more from the likes of Ishan Kishan and Aditya Tare.

Final Verdict: Mumbai Indians has a complicated overseas combination and a problem of plenty can spell trouble for them. Their Indian batsmen barring Suryakumar Yadav have been inconsistent. But their very strong middle-order and opening pair more than compensate for this, and their overall performance isn't likely to get affected.

#2 Kings XI Punjab

Rahul(L) and Mayank(R) will be key to Punjab's success this season.

Overseas Options: Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, and Glenn Maxwell

Indian Options: KL Rahul(C), Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Mandeep Singh, and Prabhsimran Singh

Kings XI Punjab under Anil Kumble has assembled a destructive batting line-up ahead of IPL 2020. Newly-appointed skipper KL Rahul will be the backbone of this side's batting and it's fair to say that he has been the best Indian batsman in the IPL for the last couple of seasons. His form has extended to the international arena where he's the highest-ranked T20I batsman from India.

To open along with Rahul, the Kings have a host of options. Mayank Agarwal has impressed as a Test opener but he has always been a good limited-overs player. Though he batted at No.3 last season, he's more than capable of opening the batting this season.

Chris Gayle has been the first-choice opener for Punjab in the last couple of seasons and the 'Universe Boss' hasn't disappointed. He made 490 runs in just 13 games last season at a brilliant strike-rate of 153.60. Though his form has seen a dip since then, he has always been a consistent scorer in the IPL and could return to his old ways.

Nicholas Pooran and Glenn Maxwell further give the Punjab batting a destructive edge. Maxwell especially has added a new dimension to his batting and has masterminded many chases for the Melbourne Stars. He has started to pace his innings very well and will be the first-choice No.4 for Punjab.

Players like Karun Nair, Mandeep Singh, and Prabhsimran Singh are decent backup options.

Final Verdict: Punjab has a destructive batting line-up with solid backup, and they can excel this season.

#1 Delhi Capitals

Shreyas Iyer has led from the front for the Delhi Capitals.

Overseas Options: Jason Roy, Alex Carey, and Shimron Hetmyer

Indian Options: Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer(C), and Rishabh Pant

The Delhi Capitals was very active during the trade window and has assembled a rock-solid top order this season. Their Indian batsmen are the strongest in the league and will be their main strength this season.

Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, and Ajinkya Rahane are all quality options and are likely to battle for the 2 opening slots. While Dhawan's place is likely to be assured due to his consistent showings in the IPL, both Shaw and Rahane have been good, and it'll be interesting to see who the first-choice opener for Delhi will be.

Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant are likely to slot in at No.3, and No.4 and both of them have been terrific in the IPL. Iyer has been tremendous for India and has made the No.4 spot his. Pant, meanwhile, has seen a rise in performances and will hope to carry that confidence into the IPL and play his natural game.

DC also has a couple of terrific overseas options to consider. Jason Roy offers backup to the opening slots and has been in great form for England. Alex Carey meanwhile is a very versatile batsman and can bat at any position, and is a great backup option for Pant.

Shimron Hetmyer has played a couple of brilliant knocks on Indian soil and has shown his ability to bat on Indian conditions. He has improved a lot since IPL 2019 and will be a destructive force for DC this season.

Final Verdict: 5 Strong Indian options and equally good overseas players make this Capitals' batting line-up the strongest in the league.