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#3 Mumbai Indians
Over the past couple of years, the Mumbai Indians have been head and shoulders above the rest of the pack in the IPL. Inevitably, they’ve adorned that particular journey with a brace of titles, which rather remarkably, has taken their tally to five.
Thus, it might be prudent to pencil down MI as potential winners for the third successive season. However, this is perhaps where things get interesting, for there exists something called the law of averages.
According to that theory, the Mumbai Indians are on the cusp of a collapse because they’ve been so supreme in the last two editions of the IPL. There is, however, a bit of cricketing logic to support the aforementioned narrative too.
MI usually play their home games at the Wankhede Stadium – an arena that is quite high-scoring. This time though, they play none of their games at their fortress, while they also have to tackle a combined total of nine games in Chennai (five) and Delhi (four).
For the uninitiated, Chennai and Delhi generally offer strips that are a tad slow, meaning that their usual bellicose proclivities might have to take a back seat. And, even though MI have a superb record against CSK, that could be attributed to the mental block that has engulfed the Chennai-based franchise.
Moreover, their spin bowling quartet, which comprises of Jayant Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Piyush Chawla and Rahul Chahar would be cast under a massive scanner, for they might have to do the heavy lifting.
Having said that though, there is enough quality in MI’s ranks to offset all the aforementioned contingencies and reach the play-offs again.
Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock are as explosive a pair as any in white-ball cricket, whereas Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav would be looking to strengthen their T20I credentials via the IPL.
Lower down the order, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard form a fearsome pair. Hence, even if their top order fails, they might have enough in the tank to post above-par totals, even against high-quality IPL bowling attacks.
To add to it, they can call upon Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. In fact, the duo comes into the tournament after taking a break from cricket, meaning that both would be raring to go come the IPL.
While one can still expect MI to perhaps make the final and even win the competition altogether, they might just drop off during the group stages, before peaking at the right time.
Despite the prospective lull in the round-robin phase though, they still remain the team to beat in IPL 2021.
#2 Sunrisers Hyderabad
Since their inception in 2012, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have been one of the more consistent teams in the IPL. To put things into perspective, they’ve made the IPL play-offs for five consecutive seasons – a run which stretches back to their maiden IPL triumph in 2016.
Throughout that tenure, David Warner has become indispensable, while he has found able allies in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kane Williamson and more recently, Jonny Bairstow and Rashid Khan.
Thus, as things stand, SRH seem to have all bases covered for IPL 2021, not just because of the variety in their bowling attack, but also because of the ammunition in the batting department – something that is often overlooked.
For IPL 2021, SRH have at least four different opening combinations, with each seeming just as dangerous as the other. If they wish to rekindle their 2019 formula, they might rely on Bairstow and Warner, while they could also use Warner and Williamson at the top.
Additionally, Wriddhiman Saha has thrived when entrusted with opening duties, whereas another novel alternative, in the form of Jason Roy, has also surfaced, prior to the 2021 edition. And, from what has transpired recently, Messrs. Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, in full flight, aren’t too shabby, are they?
More importantly, they seem to have found a power-packed middle order – an area that has long been their achilles heel.
To that end, perhaps Jonny Bairstow could be utilized at No.4, with the Englishman fulfilling a similar role for the Three Lions. Jason Holder, Manish Pandey and Mohammed Nabi, meanwhile, could also be used to fill that void. Though each has been in the scheme of things previously, one feels they might have a lot more to prove this season.
Speaking of Manish Pandey, players like Kedar Jadhav and Vijay Shankar find themselves in a similar predicament. Both were part of India’s 2019 Cricket World Cup squad but flew home with their tails between their legs.
Since then, Vijay Shankar has not played a lot, owing to injuries, whereas Jadhav’s reputation took a massive hit during IPL 2020. Thus, if any Indian player has a point to make, it is perhaps the aforementioned pair.
The bowling unit, on the other hand, effectively select themselves. The potential partnership of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan is pretty mouth-watering, while Sandeep Sharma offers them the ideal fail-safe avenue. Rashid Khan, meanwhile, stands tall as the best spinner in T20 cricket, meaning that SRH have arguably the most well-rounded bowling attack in the IPL.
Also, SRH play nine of their fixtures in Chennai (five matches) and Delhi (four matches) – something that aids the bowling resources at their disposal. And, as far as them enrolling their name in the top four is concerned, well, they’ve made a habit of it already, haven’t they?
#1 Delhi Capitals
Prior to IPL 2021, the Delhi Capitals were dealt a severe blow when Shreyas Iyer was ruled out for the entirety of the season. Immediately, the attention has shifted towards Rishabh Pant, who despite setting the international cricketing landscape ablaze, remains a captaincy greenhorn.
However, as the days have ticked by, there has been growing evidence that Rishabh Pant could be the right man for the job. Not just because he has several experienced heads to show him the ropes, but also because Pant and Ricky Ponting seems a match made in heaven.
Also Read: Buckle up, Rishabh Pant the captain is upon us
Furthermore, in Shreyas’ absence, the acquisition of Steve Smith seems an inspirational decision, considering the latter can seamlessly slot in at No.3 and drop anchor, if required.
Apart from the Australian, Sam Billings and Umesh Yadav, both of whom were signed in the IPL 2021 auction, provide excellent options. The latter would, in all likelihood, complement the likes of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada expertly. The former, meanwhile, can morph into an adroit finisher, alongside Marcus Stoinis.
Chris Woakes, on the other hand, could be used in a variety of roles, considering his versatility and his ability to contribute as a three-dimensional cricketer.
Most tellingly though, much like SRH, the Delhi Capitals have several players waiting to change narratives.
Ravichandran Ashwin, post a magnificent red-ball series against England, might just have put himself into the white-ball reckoning too. However, at this moment, that seems contingent to his performances in IPL 2021. Axar Patel, too, might look to further his case for the T20 World Cup, once he recovers from COVID-19.
Additionally, Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan, both of whom have been maligned for different reasons, would be wanting to show India what they’ve been missing.
To put things into context, the Mumbaikar notched up a record-breaking season in the Vijay Hazare Trophy recently – something that has pushed his previous troubles into the periphery.
As for the left-handed batsman, well, he just seems to come alive when people have written him off. And, make no mistake, he has fallen down the T20I pecking order extraordinarily. Another Shikhar Dhawan redemption act in the IPL then, eh?
Moreover, DC play eight of their 14 encounters in IPL 2021 in Kolkata (five games) and Mumbai (three games). For the uninitiated, both venues offer good pace and bounce for batting, whereas those aspects could also be used as a weapon by tearaway quicks such as Nortje, Rabada and Umesh.
Hence, it might be difficult to look past the Delhi Capitals as table toppers. Not just because of the undeniable quality they have in their ranks, but also because the incentive a major chunk of their players have.
Though Rishabh Pant’s captaincy might be put under a gruelling grind in the IPL play-offs, one can expect it to hold up pretty decently prior to it.
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