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#6 Punjab Kings
Akin to every IPL season in recent memory, the Punjab Kings decided to shuffle their pack prior to the IPL 2021 Auction. Glenn Maxwell and Sheldon Cottrell were shown the door, while Dawid Malan (the No.1 ranked T20I batsman), Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith and Shahrukh Khan came into the fold.
Despite the annual influx of new faces though, there seems to be something missing, as far as the Punjab Kings are concerned. And, on finer introspection, one feels that they might find it tough to stumble upon their ideal playing eleven.
At the moment, Punjab Kings are stacked with top-order options. In IPL 2020, Chris Gayle batted at No.3, with KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal opening the batting. Since then, the West Indian has also batted in the middle order for his country. However, with the Universe Boss not being utilized at the top, a layer of productivity is scalped from his batting.
Apart from the above, Punjab Kings might also have to solve the Dawid Malan quandary. Though the Englishman has surged to the top of the T20I batting rankings, there still exists skepticism around his methods. And, with Malan and Rahul playing similar roles, the Punjab Kings might not be able to accommodate both in the same team.
The bowling department is another grey area for the franchise. While they have brought Meredith and Richardson on board for IPL 2021, one reckons they might not be the cure to their bowling ailments. To put things into perspective, neither has experience of playing in the IPL.
Additionally, the Punjab Kings might’ve missed a trick by not signing a top-drawer Indian pacer (read Umesh Yadav) to act as a foil to Mohammed Shami. In the absence of the former, the latter, who himself arrives on the back of an injury lay-off, might find it tough to contain opposition batsmen.
More importantly, though, the Punjab Kings would have to fight their inherent characteristic of fiddling at the drop of the hat – something that was laid bare for everyone to witness in IPL 2020. And, with even more alternatives in 2021, Anil Kumble and KL Rahul would have their work cut out.
Thus, much like previous editions, the Punjab Kings, owing to the talent in their side, seem quite decent on paper. However, as has been the norm, they might find it difficult to fit these components together.
Subsequently, it won’t be a surprise if they string a few victories together but ultimately fail to crack the play-off code.
#5 Royal Challengers Bangalore
For much of IPL 2020, there was genuine optimism that the Royal Challengers Bangalore had tided over their bowling woes. In fact, one might not be wrong to suggest that the bowlers powered the Bengaluru-based outfit into the IPL playoffs. Yet, just as one suit began increasing in stature, the other (batting) came crashing down.
Hence, when the IPL 2021 Auction came around, RCB decided to add even more firepower to their batting unit.
Glenn Maxwell, who has often flattered to deceive, was procured for an eye-watering sum, whereas an astronomical amount was also shelled out for Kyle Jamieson. Daniel Christian came in through the RCB revolving door as well, meaning that in the aforementioned troika, RCB have enough batting might to take the pressure off AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli.
However, in their pursuit of achieving batting excellence, they might have just left themselves woefully short on the bowling front.
For a chunk of IPL 2020, Chris Morris became RCB’s leading bowler. The South African bowled with the new ball and also held his own during the final stages of the innings.
However, with the pacer no longer around, that mantle has transferred to Kane Richardson, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini and to an extent, Daniel Christian. While each has impressed in patches in the IPL, each has also been guilty of being lackadaisical, especially in clutch situations.
Moreover, the spinners, namely Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal, come into IPL 2021 low on confidence. The pair was carted all over the park by English batsmen in the recently concluded white-ball series and alarmingly, seemed bereft of ideas.
And, with RCB playing seven matches (four in Ahmedabad and three in Chennai) on comparatively spin-friendly surfaces, they might struggle to keep the opposition batsmen in check. Additionally, it would also test the batting abilities of Daniel Christian, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell and Kyle Jamieson to the hilt.
Thus, with a relatively threadbare bowling closet and conditions that might not suit their batsmen as much, one feels RCB might struggle to repeat their IPL 2020 heroics, despite Virat Kohli opening the batting.
Though the latter could put them in better situations to win matches, the former might just come back to haunt them. Déjà vu?
#4 Chennai Super Kings
During the Chennai Super Kings’ last match in IPL 2020, MS Dhoni sent the world into a frenzy with a couple of words: “Definitely not”. Ever since, there has been incredible excitement around Dhoni's return to competitive cricket, which begins against the Delhi Capitals on 10th April. “Last Dance” saloon, eh?
Even the staunchest of CSK fans would admit that the Yellow Army has an almighty mountain to scale in IPL 2021. Not just because quite a few players are past their prime, but also because catastrophic chinks were exposed in their armor, last time out.
Firstly, their archaic approach of building an innings before exploding was woefully exposed on tracks that aided stroke-making. And, with pitches in Bengaluru (three games) and Mumbai (five games) primed to follow similar traits, CSK might have to drastically change their modus operandi.
To that end, perhaps the inclusion of Moeen Ali and Robin Uthappa might help, although that may have to come at Faf du Plessis’ expense. Ruturaj Gaikwad, meanwhile, will be looking to build on the solid platform he set during IPL 2020.
Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina might have enormous roles to play, considering their prowess against spin in the middle overs. However, with neither having a lot of competitive cricket under their belt, the teething phase could stand out like a sore thumb.
And then, of course, there is the matter of MS Dhoni dusting off his ring-rust before IPL 2021. Five months ago in the UAE, the wicket-keeper looked out of sorts. Not only did he fail to get going, his decision-making also smacked of indecisiveness – something that simply isn’t associated with Dhoni.
Yet, with a fairly adept auction under the belt, the Yellow Army would hope that MS Dhoni regains his mojo, for no single individual personifies a team as much as Dhoni does with CSK. In blunter terms, CSK do well when Dhoni does, and vice versa.
Furthermore, in Moeen Ali, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran and Shardul Thakur, they might have all-rounders capable of turning IPL games on their head, across a variety of conditions.
In addition, Deepak Chahar would be wanting to remind the world of his abilities, while Dwayne Bravo would be chomping at the bit to reclaim his status as one of T20 cricket’s premier bowlers.
Thus, on paper, it seems that CSK, despite the odds being racked up against them, might just have enough to ensure that MS Dhoni attains the “Last Dance” he craves. After all, it rarely happens that the wicket-keeper doesn’t accomplish what he sets out to achieve.
And, for a cricketer that has shed blood, sweat, tears and the occasional bout of emotion for the franchise, that might perhaps be fitting too.
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