IPL: Who will take the crown?

Its back to that time of the year where jubilation is all around and the people from all over the country rush in from work, call sick, don their jerseys and flock the stadiums day in and day out. Into the fifth edition of the league, there is no doubt that the excitement and surprises just increase game by game and supporters have every right to expect a lot from their team, having a load of cricketing stars and being a twenty-twenty format where anything is possible, at any stage.But this time, the question arises- Who can take the jackpot home? The answers would be mixed of course, but here’s a look at who have the highest chances:

1. Royal Challengers BangaloreRiding on the back of an eventful season last year, where they were beaten in the final (maybe because their Gayle storm didn’t hit the Superkings), the team would surely want to go a step ahead and claim the trophy. A loss in a final always makes you more determined and helps you ponder over where you went wrong. If you thought an in-form Kohli, a consistent AB De Villiers, a composed Vettori and a mighty Chris Gayle aren’t enough, welcome aboard the legendary spinner Muralitharan, who showed his class in the first game itself. In the game against Delhi, one could see how cool the players were, however grave the situation was and that could be the key to their form this season. Hot Contenders!

2. Chennai Super KingsNo prizes for guessing this one, they’re in the lurk for a hattrick of titles. And when you have the Indian captain at your helm, there is less to worry about. He may not have done well in the past few series for the national team, but he is a mastermind at the T20 game. Even though they lost their first game, beating the (recognizably weaker) Hyderabad team by 70 odd runs isn’t a joke. With extra elements like Suresh Raina and Albie Morkel, they can be a force to reckon with.

3. Mumbai IndiansLooking to be the most perfect squad for the tournament, news of Sachin being able to play was music to their ears as they chase their maiden title. In all likelihood, they could be able to do so this year, with Pollard, Malinga and Rohit Sharma, being pretty tough to handle. Also, the Mumbai crowd is extremely supportive and makes things difficult for the away teams.

4. Rajasthan RoyalsAfter winning the first season of the league, the Royals seem to have dissapeared into the dark. Little did they show their form in the other games and the days the team clicked, they won(which rarely happened). The player who could make the difference for them would have to be Ajinkya Rahane, the youngster who nearly notched the first century of the edition scoring a mammoth 98 against the always-in-trouble Punjab. He seems to be on song and assistance from the “wall”, Rahul Dravid, could prove to be an important partnership in their forthcoming matches.

5. Kolkata Knight RidersGambhir and his men sure have the fire power to come out and better their fourth place finish last year. They could pack the surprise element of attack, and could be the party spoilers in significant fixtures. They’re the team to watch out for.All rounders like Jacques Kallis and Shakib Al Hassan only help substantiate my point.

6. Pune Warriors IndiaOn any other day, I’d have picked another team to be up here, but after their performance against a powerful Mumbai side, they seem to have earned their spot here (though it’s quite far off from the top). With Dada leading the team, in the absence of Yuvraj(who is making a speed recovery, much to the relief of the Indians), they managed to beat Mumbai for the first time in the league, that too defending a meagre 130 runs, which should’ve been a cake walk for Ambani’s team. This doesn’t help but raise eyebrows!

7. Delhi DaredevilsAfter their impressive win against Kolkata and suddenly failing to take the tie by the scruff of it’s neck against Bangalore, they once again seem to be in the middle of a mix-up. Though they would only get better as the season progresses, as their star players would arrive from international duty, it would be “Daredevilish” to hope that they make the trophy travel all the way from Chennai to Delhi.

8. Kings XI PunjabCaptain and coach Adam Gilchrist has the task of making full use of the limited resources he has as he takes charge of the team that boasts of the least big names. But captaining the chargers to a finish from the wrong side of the table to the top, he has Punjab fans hoping he does something similar to them. Hard job on hand!

9. Deccan ChargersWith Sangakkara not yet back, the chargers seem to be in a lot of trouble, not only because of their humiliating loss to Chennai, but also because they haven’t really hit it off since the past few seasons. The crowd still backs them and hopes the team would benefit from their cheering, which could prove important to the team’s form. The batsmen need to step up to the task, because that is what seems to be lacking mostly, as they do have a few all rounders like Cameron White and Ryan Harris on their teamsheet. Even youngsters like Bharat Chipli need to find their feet in every game as, if they let the initial matches slip away, the season could end in a bitter fashion for them,yet again.

So, overall there is no reason why this season is going to be any different from the others, every game promises to head to a nail biting finish with all the nine teams hunting for glory!

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