IPL 2020: Ranking the fast bowlers of the 8 teams

#4 Royal Challengers Bangalore

Morris(C) is set to lead RCB's pace attack.

Overseas Options: Chris Morris, Isuru Udana, Kane Richardson, and Dale Steyn.

Indian Options: Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, and Shivam Dube

After a couple of poor seasons, RCB has finally managed to assemble a pretty strong pace attack. Mike Hesson and Simon Katich made their intent very clear as they bid fiercely to sign Chris Morris for a whopping ₹ ten crore. They also signed Aussie T20 specialist Kane Richardson who has made a name for himself with his performances in the Big Bash League for the Melbourne Renegades.

Add to this fiery Dale Steyn and the wily Isuru Udana from Sri Lanka, RCB has a lethal overseas quartet with more than enough backup for injury.

They seem a bit weaker when it comes to their Indian options. Mohammed Siraj hasn't looked confident on the big stage, and Umesh Yadav hasn't been excellent. But one would hope that with Morris' introduction, Umesh can move back to his preferred position of opening with the new ball. Navdeep Saini has been brilliant in recent times, and he can be expected to carry on his good form.

Final Verdict: RCB has a pretty strong pace attack with a good pool of overseas players. Their Indian players haven't been consistent enough, but if they click, RCB can make it big this season.

#3 Rajasthan Royals

Archer is expected to spearhead RR's pace attack.

Overseas Options: Jofra Archer, Tom Curran, Ben Stokes, Oshane Thomas, and Andrew Tye

Indian Options: Ankit Rajpoot, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, and Akash Singh

RR quietly went about their business in the auction and has assembled a pretty solid squad ahead of next season. Their pace attack especially looks strong.

Jofra Archer is expected to lead the pace attack, and he’s likely to get support in the overseas department from Ben Stokes. Andrew Tye is a brilliant buy as his variations and slower balls will work excellently on the slow Jaipur track. Tom Curran has been consistent in the T20 circuit for quite some time while Oshane Thomas can give them an X-Factor who they can use on pacy tracks.

RR has a good set of Indian pacers as well and signed Ankit Rajpoot on a trade deal. He’ll be backed up by Varun Aaron, who did a decent job after he was introduced towards the end of last season.

They also bought back Jaydev Unadkat, albeit for a lesser sum of money. After a poor IPL season, the Saurashtra pacer came back strongly in the domestic season, performing exceptionally well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy and they’ll hope that he does well with a lesser price tag.

Final Verdict: RR has assembled a strong pace bowling setup, which can do well in both home and away games.

#2 Kolkata Knight Riders

Cummins did very well in DC colors.

Overseas Options: Pat Cummins, Harry Gurney, Andre Russell, and Lockie Ferguson

Indian Options: Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier, and Prasidh Krishna

KKR made the headlines after making Pat Cummins the most expensive overseas signing after roping in the Aussie pacer for a whopping amount of ₹15.5 crore. His arrival makes this KKR pace attack lethal, especially if the Indian duo of Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Naarkoti remain fit during the season.

Harry Gurney has upped his game and has become a highly sought-after death bowler post his performances in the Vitality T20 Blast and CPL 2019. Gurney can share the death bowling duties with Cummins, easing the pressure on the younger pacers. Lockie Ferguson, too has become a key player for New Zealand in all formats and has bettered his game in T20s. He’s expected to do better this season.

The Indian pacers’ list contains an exciting bunch of players as well. Former U-19 stars Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti promised a lot but didn’t feature often due to injuries. If they click, opponents can have a tough time against KKR. Prasidh Krishna, too is a brilliant prospect and has done very well for India A and the Karnataka side.

Final Verdict: KKR has a brilliant set of pacers who can tackle all sorts of pitches but seem a little short on backup in case of injury.

#1 Mumbai Indians

Coulter-Nile adds more variety to MI's pace battery.

Overseas Options: Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga, Trent Boult, Nathan Coulter-Nile, and Kieron Pollard

Indian Options: Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohsin Khan, and Digvijay Deshmukh

This is the easiest part of the piece. Mumbai Indians are by far, the strongest side ahead of the next season, and their pace attack is a key reason for that.

They roped in Trent Boult and Dhawal Kulkarni during the trade window to bring in more variety to their pace battery. In addition to this, they bought Nathan Coulter-Nile for a whopping ₹8 crore, adding him o their squad roster during the auction. With Lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan already in the squad, their overseas pace quartet is the strongest in the league.

They also have the best Indian pacer in Jasprit Bumrah, and he’s to be assisted by Dhawal Kulkarni, who plays for Mumbai in the domestic games.

Final Verdict: Mumbai Indians undoubtedly has the strongest pace attack in the league. They have plenty of backup and a plethora of options to choose from. While this may lead to a selection crisis, it’ll be a happy headache for the MI franchise, who’ll look to defend their title.