IPL 2021: Predicting what the final points table would have looked like

The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been indefinitely postponed, and cricketers involved in the tournament are beginning to make their way back home.

The halfway point of the league stage witnessed the IPL unravel completely, as multiple players and members of the support staff from many franchises tested positive for COVID-19. The blow came as a shock, as the IPL had proceeded without incident for almost 30 games.

It remains to be seen when we will see our favorite stars in action again. But for now, we predict where the eight teams would have ended up on the points table at the end of the league stage.

---

#8 Sunrisers Hyderabad - currently 8th in IPL 2021

David Warner

SRH are a franchise in deep turmoil, and it's very tough to imagine them moving even one place higher than 8th. After sacking David Warner and appointing Kane Williamson as captain, the Orange Army plummeted to a devastating defeat at the hands of the Rajasthan Royals.

SRH are half the team without Warner, who is arguably the greatest player to have turned out for the franchise. With the middle order misfiring, T Natarajan ruled out with injury, Manish Pandey struggling at the top and Bhuvneshwar Kumar looking out of sorts, Williamson's side would've probably been rooted to the bottom of the points table throughout IPL 2021.

---

#7 Punjab Kings - currently 6th in IPL 2021

KL Rahul

Captain KL Rahul was expected to miss most of the league stage before the IPL was postponed due to appendicitis. In the absence of their skipper and most important batsman, PBKS would've found wins difficult to come by.

The bowling attack led PBKS down consistently in IPL 2021, with new recruits Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith and Moises Henriques failing to impress. The spin attack was boosted by the late addition of Ravi Bishnoi, but the overseas contingent disappointed. Quality all-rounders are nowhere to be found in this PBKS squad, while not a single player delivered what was asked of them consistently.

PBKS might have been able to record a couple of wins thanks to the star power they possess, but probably wouldn't have been anywhere near a playoff spot.

---

#6 Rajasthan Royals - currently 5th in IPL 2021

Sanju Samson

New captain Sanju Samson cut a lonely figure for RR in IPL 2021, as Ben Stokes joined Jofra Archer on the injury list. With a few other players having withdrawn from the tournament, the inaugural IPL champions relied completely on Samson, Jos Buttler and Chris Morris to win them games.

Chetan Sakariya and Mustafizur Rahman were the bright spots for RR in the pace department, with the middle order rarely coming up with meaningful contributions. RR's spin attack was almost non-existent in IPL 2021, and U-19 stars Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kartik Tyagi weren't part of the team for the first few games.

Overall, RR would've managed to rack up a win or two, as Buttler was hitting peak form and Samson was fairly consistent over the last few games. But with a complete lack of firepower in the middle order and in the bowling department, they would've probably missed out on a playoff spot.

---

#5 Kolkata Knight Riders - currently 7th in IPL 2021

Eoin Morgan

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the first half of the IPL 2021 league stage, KKR were placed 7th before the tournament was called off.

The two-time champions were plagued by a number of concerning issues. Their overseas stars - Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan and Pat Cummins - all had only one (or maybe two) performance of note. Shubman Gill couldn't buy a run at the top of the order, while his partner Nitish Rana fell off dramatically after a good start. Morgan's captaincy left a lot to be desired as well.

But KKR could've probably turned their fortunes around to a certain extent in the second half of the league stage. Gill, their talisman with the bat was just regaining his lost form. Russell, too, played a couple of tasty innings before the postponement of IPL 2021, while young Shivam Mavi and Prasidh Krishna put in a couple of eye-catching displays.

KKR could have gone on a winning run, but they still might not have been able to make the playoffs due to their horror start.

---

#4 Royal Challengers Bangalore - currently 3rd in IPL 2021

Virat Kohli

RCB were one of the surprise packages in the first half of IPL 2021. New acquisitions Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson and Harshal Patel powered them to the summit of the points table early on, before the return of Devdutt Padikkal improved matters for the three-time finalists.

But although RCB were among the more impressive teams in the first half of IPL 2021, there's reason to believe that they wouldn't have been able to finish in the top two. Captain Virat Kohli wasn't in good touch by his lofty standards and the franchise's leading wicket-taker Yuzvendra Chahal was dreadful even in Chennai.

Washington Sundar lost his place in the side, while Harshal Patel couldn't adjust to the relatively fast-paced wicket in Delhi. The No. 3 spot in the batting lineup was a source of great worry, while the playing XI didn't have any all-rounders to beef up the lower-middle order.

RCB probably would've scraped through to the playoffs like they did in IPL 2020, which followed a similar pattern.

---

#3 Mumbai Indians - currently 4th in IPL 2021

Rohit Sharma

After a slow start, MI were gaining momentum with two wins on the trot before IPL 2021 was suspended. The defending champions were all at sea in Chennai, where the slowish surface impeded the strokeplay of their attacking batsmen.

Ishan Kishan was dropped from the playing XI after a number of horrific performances, while Suryakumar Yadav failed to build on the starts he got in almost every game. The big-hitting middle order delivered in Delhi, and probably would've been able to continue their good form.

But MI's lineup didn't have the balance it usually does during their title-winning campaigns. Rohit Sharma used every overseas player in the squad over the first seven games, and the absence of Kishan in the XI meant that there wasn't a great deal of depth in the batting department. Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult weren't all that impressive, with the supporting pacers too far from consistent.

The five-time champions would've certainly qualified for the playoffs, but a top-two spot might have proved to be out of their reach.

---

#2 Delhi Capitals - currently 1st in IPL 2021

Shikhar Dhawan

DC have ensured that the absence of regular captain Shreyas Iyer hasn't been felt at all. Under new skipper Rishabh Pant, the 2020 finalists were one of the best teams on display in IPL 2021 and were at the top of the points table when the league was shut down (they had played one game more than CSK).

Driven by their prolific opening combination of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan, DC gave the best teams in the competition a run for their money. In the bowling department, Avesh Khan was the standout performer and was ably supported by a number of different players over the course of the tournament.

With Kagiso Rabada returning to form against the Punjab Kings and the middle order getting some time to spend in the middle, DC would've, in all likelihood, continued their stay among the top two of the IPL 2021 points table.

---

#1 Chennai Super Kings - currently 2nd in IPL 2021

MS Dhoni

By far the most impressive team in the first half of IPL 2021, MS Dhoni's CSK went on a five-game winning streak after losing their opening encounter to the Delhi Capitals.

CSK brushed aside oppositions despite playing at unfamiliar, batting-friendly venues, with all five of their wins having a different Man of the Match award winner. The Men in Yellow narrowly fell short against the Mumbai Indians because of a horrow show from their pace attack, which was probably their only weak link in IPL 2021.

With almost all of the batting lineup in exceptional form, a plethora of all-rounders in the playing XI and an astute captain at the helm, CSK would've been able to ride their early momentum and finish at the top of the points table.