'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Over the past few days, the excitement for the 2022 iteration of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has reached fever pitch. For those unaware, the Chennai Super Kings enter the season as defending champions, having outwitted the Kolkata Knight Riders in the summit clash in Dubai in October 2021.
Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore were the other teams to qualify for the IPL play-offs, with the likes of Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals missing out on a top-four berth in IPL 2021. Sunrisers Hyderabad also endured an indifferent campaign and finished rock-bottom.
This time, though, courtesy of the introduction of two new teams and the mega auction, all the IPL franchises have had to hit the reset button. A few got their wish at the auction, whereas others were content to mix, match and stumble upon a formula they felt would serve them well.
Thus, with just a couple of moons remaining before the opening encounter of IPL 2022, the time is ripe to analyse where all teams stand and of course, where they could end up post the culmination of the league stages.
#10 Gujarat Titans
The two new franchises have added more bite and substance to the IPL. Among the two, though, the Gujarat Titans had the lesser impressive auction. They acquired Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill through the draft but still seem to have too many holes to plug.
The Titans would have expected Jason Roy to blaze away at the top of the order. However, the Englishman has since taken an indefinite break from cricket. Matthew Wade remains a capable replacement but lacks the oomph and the international pedigree of Roy. Gill’s strike rate, meanwhile, remains another massive talking point.
Apart from the opening pair, there is a dearth of middle order options – something that might prompt Hardik to bat higher. In that case, though, they will be leaving their end-overs batting light, making it as much a catch-22 situation as any in the tournament.
Their bowling is well-stocked. Lockie Ferguson and Mohammed Shami can bowl in different phases and Rashid Khan is arguably the best T20 spinner on the planet. Yet, Ferguson and Shami have a tendency to leak runs at times and that will allow oppositions to play out Rashid’s overs. Moreover, if the Titans let their rivals post an above-par total, they might not have enough with the willow.
On paper, there is quite a lot of quality and they could dispel notions of them being also-rans very quickly. But that extra spark just seems to be missing from their cabinet.
#9 Sunrisers Hyderabad
In isolation, last season was as woeful a campaign as Sunrisers Hyderabad could have ever imagined. On closer introspection, it was something in the making – something that was only averted because David Warner was turning in herculean displays. So, when they dropped Warner altogether and played a game of musical chairs with their players, the writing was on the wall.
During the auction, they tried to shake things up. They bought big and signed Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran and Rahul Tripathi. They also brought in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kartik Tyagi, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar through the door. What they failed to do, though, was build a decent Indian batting core – a facet that pulled them down multiple times in 2021.
The bowling unit, comprising of Bhuvneshwar, Natarajan, Washington and Umran Malik has enough wherewithal to hold their own, even on batting-friendly surfaces. But at the Brabourne Stadium, the DY Patil Stadium and the Wankhede Stadium, their ability to hit sixes will be tested.
Markram, Pooran and Romario Shepherd might provide a bit of relief in that department, although it must be said their batting still revolves around Kane Williamson. While that isn’t a crime, there is a huge injury cloud hovering above him and he has not played international cricket since November 2021.
The Kiwi skipper can hit the ground running and his match-winning capabilities are not up for debate. It’s just that there are many rough edges that SRH need to smoothen out. And it might be too much to ask of their youngsters.
#8 Kolkata Knight Riders
For much of last season, it felt absurd to imagine the Kolkata Knight Riders in the final of the IPL. They struggled during the first leg and were fervently searching for a moment of inspiration to turn their campaign around. And, it came in the form of Venkatesh Iyer and the UAE leg – a run that ultimately culminated with a defeat to CSK.
Post that, they retained Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer. At the auction, they also signed Nitish Rana, Pat Cummins and of course, Shreyas Iyer, thereby giving their batting unit a decent look.
The problem, however, is that KKR seem to have too many moving parts. Prior to the T20I series against the West Indies, Shreyas’ batting tempo had been the crux of countless discussions. Nitish Rana, too, can get stuck at the crease, whereas Venkatesh, despite his heroics last season, struck at under 130.
Narine and Russell also embody eccentric cricketers. On their day, they can blow any opposition out of the water. But with Russell struggling for form and fitness, and Narine’s returns dwindling a touch, KKR might be fretting over it. Cummins, meanwhile, hasn’t been very successful in the shortest format, meaning that KKR will have to rely on the inexperienced but talented Chakravarthy and Shivam Mavi.
They also don’t have a designated wicket-keeper. Sam Billings and Sheldon Jackson can fill that role, although it might be tough to include the former in the playing eleven. Both, by the way, prefer batting in the middle order – something that upsets their team balance.
In terms of talent, KKR are placed in the upper echelons of the IPL. They also have an astute and charismatic leader in Shreyas. At this moment, however, it seems a lot of their stars must align if they are to qualify for the play-offs.
They are also placed in a slightly tougher group, meaning that there can be no room for error. And, unfortunately, it seems they might not be able to handle that sort of pressure in IPL 2022.
#7 Royal Challengers Bangalore
This is where things get interesting because the Royal Challengers Bangalore don’t really have a bad team. With Virat Kohli, they will always be in the game and in Faf du Plessis, they have a captain with ample experience of lifting IPL titles. Oh, they also have Karn Sharma – long considered a lucky charm in the IPL having been part of title-winning sides at CSK and MI.
Jokes apart, RCB did brilliantly to assemble an exceptional bowling attack. Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj and Wanindu Hasaranga bring different strengths to the fore and account for almost all conditions they might encounter in the IPL. They still lack a proper fifth bowler but if the aforementioned quartet function at optimum capacity, the fifth bowler might not have trouble in slipping by.
The bigger concern is their batting. While du Plessis, Kohli and Maxwell can single-handedly win games, each comes with a slight caveat. Firstly, du Plessis will have to acclimatize to a different culture. Kohli might have to cast aside the conversations around his strike rate and Maxwell must prove that he can produce two top-drawer seasons in succession.
If one or two of the troika have below-par seasons, RCB don’t have much to fall back on. Dinesh Karthik can win them the odd game but hasn’t been as consistent in recent seasons. They also don’t have AB de Villiers around in a playing capacity anymore, meaning that Anuj Rawat and Mahipal Lomror have huge boots to fill.
When RCB click into gear, they will have the requisite firepower to outwit even the best sides in the IPL. The question, however, is how often they can do that. As things stand, it seems it might not happen regularly enough.
#6 Rajasthan Royals
Last time out, Rajasthan Royals had an array of stroke-makers in their ranks. They also flexed their muscles but that materialized intermittently, meaning that they had to consign themselves to another underwhelming campaign. The identity to stick with stroke-makers has remained, although there has been a significant change in the personnel they have brought in.
Devdutt Padikkal and Shimron Hetmyer – two of their high-profile batting acquisitions, should walk into the eleven. Padikkal’s batting position might not be set in stone yet but he has the game to fit anywhere in the top three. Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal – the two batters RR retained, will also be chomping at the bit to leave their mark in the IPL.
On the bowling front, the additions of Prasidh Krishna, R Ashwin, Trent Boult and Yuzvendra Chahal paints a solid picture. None, however, is looked upon as a death bowler – something that can undermine everything good they do elsewhere.
For all his heroics in ODI cricket, Prasidh’s T20 record is quite ordinary. Similarly, teams have taken apart Ashwin and Boult in recent seasons, meaning that the onus is firmly on Chahal to weave his magic. They might also have a problem balancing out their eleven.
They have James Neesham and Nathan Coulter-Nile to function as the fifth bowler. But both aren’t genuine all-rounders. Including Neesham will weaken the bowling and the introduction of Coulter-Nile will hamstring their batting. They also don’t have any Indian all-rounders (apart from the inconsistent Riyan Parag) who can fill that void.
So, it seems that RR might not have the resources to sustain themselves for an entire IPL season. The belligerence at their disposal means that they will upset the established order, and will do so quite convincingly too, especially at high-scoring venues. But when push comes to shove, they might just rue the gaps they failed to plug.
#5 Lucknow Super Giants
As the IPL mega-auction veered towards its conclusion, there was a consensus that the Lucknow Super Giants had been one of the more impressive franchises at the table. They acquired a strong first-choice eleven and seemed to have covered almost all bases.
Not a lot has changed since then. None of their players (barring Mark Wood) has been side-lined for the upcoming edition of the IPL and they seem primed to field the first-choice eleven they largely had in mind during the auction.
At the top of the order, the prospect of KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock batting together is very enticing. Manish Pandey, especially under Gautam Gambhir’s tutelage, could be a handful. The middle order also seems stacked with Deepak Hooda, Jason Holder, Krunal Pandya and Marcus Stoinis capable of playing their part.
On the bowling front, Avesh Khan brings fire, pace and wickets. Ravi Bishnoi has grown in stature since his international debut and should enjoy himself on bouncy surfaces. Dushmantha Chameera and Holder, meanwhile, are two of the more underrated T20 bowlers going around.
Apart from Bishnoi, though, they might be a little short in the spin-bowling department. Krunal and Krishnappa Gowtham can keep things tight but lack penetration. If they are unable to pick as many wickets, LSG might find it difficult to contain strong batting units, especially at venues such as the Brabourne Stadium, the MCA Stadium and the Wankhede Stadium.
Moreover, they are placed in a relatively tougher group, alongside the Delhi Capitals, the Kolkata Knight Riders, the Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals. They also don’t have many like-for-like replacements, which in the current climate, is a huge gamble. Rahul’s captaincy credentials are up for debate too.
They will still make a fist of their debut IPL campaign, make no mistake about it. It’s just that when the pressure is amped up against some of the league’s biggest gunslingers, they might fall a tad short.
#4 Chennai Super Kings
In 2021, CSK did what they usually do after a dubious season. They hit back instantly and trampled almost every opposition on their way to the title. When the auction came around, they stayed true to their identity and only engaged in bidding wars that were absolutely necessary to the make-up of their side (read Deepak Chahar).
From that perspective, it is a bit of a dampener that he isn’t available for the entirety of the tournament. He also leaves a massive void – a void that CSK can’t fill with one particular player but a void that can be filled because, well, CSK have a knack of getting things right.
In Rajvardhan Hangargekar, they have a future superstar. Ravindra Jadeja is an all-format current superstar, and Ruturaj Gaikwad is just a stone’s throw away from becoming one. Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo and of course, MS Dhoni have been bestowed with that tag for long. If they are able to recreate that sort of magic remains to be seen but their experience could again be invaluable.
CSK lost quite a few important players (du Plessis, Hazlewood and Shardul Thakur). But they did well to bring in Adam Milne, Chris Jordan, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius and Shivam Dube – players who might not make you jump out of your seats but players who will do what CSK ask of them.
Can CSK retain their IPL crown?
Hence, this prospective CSK campaign has an unfamiliar ring to it. On paper, they don’t look the most daunting IPL franchise. And they don't have Dhoni at the helm. But they are placed in a more favourable group and Dhoni, despite not being captain, will have a significant presence in the dressing room.
CSK also don’t count their chickens before they hatch. So, expect them to take this particular qualification race deep. They will have to battle ring-rust, a slightly newer combination and different conditions. But it seems it will work out just fine, again.
#3 Mumbai Indians
After back-to-back IPL-winning campaigns, MI came crashing down to earth in 2021. They were in contention for large swathes but they couldn’t get going during the home stretch. The mega-auction also meant that they lost several of their match-winners. So, under ordinary circumstances, this should be a season where they struggle.
These yardsticks, however, don’t apply to teams of MI’s ilk. They didn’t have the greatest IPL auction ever, but did enough to craft a well-moulded side. They broke the bank for Ishan Kishan and alongside Rohit Sharma, the youngster could have a massive say in where MI end up. He also has a point to prove with the T20 World Cup on the horizon.
Similarly, Suryakumar Yadav has looked a man possessed since his international debut. While he endured a sticky patch in 2021, he seems to have overcome it now and should be firing on all cylinders after returning from injury.
In Kieron Pollard and Tim David, MI have two excellent finishers. Pollard’s pedigree is known to almost every cricket fan in the world. David, however, hasn’t fared too badly in recent times and could be the X-Factor player MI crave in IPL 2022.
Bowling wise, they are a little weaker than usual. By spending money on Jofra Archer (who is not going to play this season), they left themselves rummaging for Indian bowling alternatives. None boasts as much class and grace as Archer, but Basil Thampi and Jaydev Unadkat could act as the ideal foil to Jasprit Bumrah.
They don’t have a world-class spinner either. But hey, that has been something MI have wilfully neglected, often prioritizing bulking up their batting. Speaking of batting, Dewald Brewis and N Tilak Varma could be absolute wildcards and could take the IPL by storm.
The most telling, bit, though, is that MI will play quite a few matches in Mumbai, where the surfaces are expected to aid their style of play. And it certainly casts the 2021 IPL champions as one of the front-runners for the top four.
#2 Punjab Kings
For years, the Punjab Kings (Kings XI Punjab previously) have been ridiculed for their approach (or lack thereof) at the IPL auction table. This time, however, it all seemed to fall in place beautifully.
At the top, Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan seems an opening partnership made in cricketing heaven. Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone can hunt down any bowling attack, and Shahrukh Khan has proven himself to be an adept finisher in domestic cricket. Odean Smith, too, knows how to clear the fence.
With the ball, Kagiso Rabada is expected to add wicket-taking nous. Arshdeep Singh, who was retained, can bowl in different phases, whereas Rahul Chahar would also want to show the Indian selectors that he belongs at this level. Harpreet Brar, despite not being very extravagant, knows how to be efficient.
PBKS also have a few exciting youngsters to call upon. Raj Bawa distinguished himself at the recently concluded ICC U-19 World Cup in the West Indies. Atharva Taide, meanwhile, is someone who has been frequently setting the domestic circuit ablaze.
In fact, PBKS look so destructive on paper that the only problematic area could be the lower middle order, especially if they get pegged back early. But with the appointment of a new power-hitting coach and a similarly firebrand auction strategy, it seems they are ready to fight fire with fire.
And after years after not fulfilling their potential by playing conservative cricket, this could just be the breath of fresh air the franchise needed.
#1 Delhi Capitals
For most of IPL 2021, it looked as if the Delhi Capitals would break their IPL hoodoo. But akin to recent seasons, they capitulated in the games that mattered, meaning that they had to settle for a third-placed finish.
That, by the way, was the worst possible outcome for them after having qualified as table-toppers. Not just because another opportunity was passed up, but also because they had to let numerous players go.
So, this reset (if you can call it that) has seen them procure the services of overseas stars such as David Warner, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Marsh, Mustafizur Rahman, Rovman Powell and Tim Seifert. They also acquired Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur.
Thus, there is enough quality for the Capitals to make another splash in the IPL. The question around the availability of their players is slightly more pertinent but with youngsters like Sarfaraz Khan and Yash Dhull wanting to leave a lasting imprint on the IPL, they might be able to offset it.
The more poignant facet, though, is that Rishabh Pant seems to have developed into an extremely mature cricketer. He has learnt how to mix caution with aggression and has shown glimpses of being a top-class captain too.
Marsh, Powell and Warner are also excellent buys. Each can rip any bowling attack to shreds and has been in good form lately. Powell, in particular, might have a watershed IPL season in 2022. Shardul, meanwhile, can bat much higher and provide more value to DC as an all-rounder, with Axar Patel not too far behind.
Prima facie, the bowling might look a little lighter than 2021. But it must not be forgotten that Khaleel and Sakariya played for India not very long ago. Kuldeep remains a match-winner on his day, and Mustafizur has been excellent at the death since the start of 2021. Axar and Shardul, when fit, also make India’s first-choice squad with ease.
Thus, there is not a lot to suggest that the Delhi Capitals will relinquish their IPL perch. They have youthful exuberance. They have experience. They have a shrewd captain. And most importantly, they have a team that can complement each other very well.
If they win the entire thing is another matter altogether. But don’t be surprised if they breeze through the league stages again!
Looking for fast live cricket scores? Download CricRocket and get fast score updates, top-notch commentary in-depth match stats & much more! 🚀☄️
