IPL 2018: Top 3 batting line-ups

From the 7th of April, 8 IPL teams will begin their quest for the ultimate glory, the IPL title. Battle lines are drawn, as preparations of all the teams reach the final stages. Teams have made their strategies and plans regarding their approach and the manner in which they are going to utilise the players in their squads.

One of the key aspects of T20 cricket is batting. There is a general misconception that a team with big hitters is a good batting side. It is important to have a balanced batting line-up that is well equipped to perform in any match situation and in all types of playing conditions. Keeping in mind all these aspects, we will look at 3 teams which have the strongest batting line-ups in IPL 2018:

#3 Delhi Daredevils

Through the years, Delhi Daredevils have struggled to find the right team combination going into the IPL. While they do acquire effective players at the auction, they fail to utilise them properly in the tournament.

This time they seem to have struck a perfect balance when it comes to selecting their batting line-up. They retained young batting stars like Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, both of whom have a fantastic record playing for the Daredevils. Daredevils had a young batting side last year because of which they struggled in pressure situations. They seem to have rectified that by buying experienced T20 players like Gautam Gambhir, Colin Munro and Glenn Maxwell.

Chris Morris bats with a strike rate of 165.66 in the IPL

Munro had a disappointing time playing for KKR, but he seems to have grown as a batsman, and he is in red hot form at the moment. Jason Roy, the destructive England opener, can be another option for opening the batting.

They have big-hitters like Glenn Maxwell and Chris Morris, for whom no ground is big enough. Daredevils have also built a strong bench by getting some handy Indian batsmen. They have experienced players like Gurkeerat Mann and Vijay Shankar, while they also have young U19 stars in Prithvi Shaw, Manjot Kalra and Abhishek Sharma. With such a balanced batting side, Daredevils will be a team to beat this IPL.

#2 Sunrisers Hyderabad

Warner and Dhawan - the best opening pair in this year's IPL?

In the last couple of seasons, Sunrisers Hyderabad have been known for their strong bowling unit. But they have made a conscious effort of making their batting line-up equally strong this time around.

They had already retained their captain David Warner before the auction, and at the auction, they used their RTM card to get back Shikhar Dhawan. While Warner has been one of the most consistent batsmen for the Sunrisers, Dhawan has been in splendid form of late. By reuniting Warner and Dhawan at the top of the order, they have arguably the most potent opening pair of this year's IPL.

In the past few years, Sunrisers have been over-dependent on their top order and haven't been able to find a settled middle order. They have taken care of that problem by buying Manish Pandey and retaining Deepak Hooda. Pandey and Hooda, both of whom are currently part of India's T20 squad, have been in good touch with the bat in the recent past and will want to perform well in the IPL to cement their place in the national side.

Sunrisers also bought back the ever dependable Kane Williamson. The Kiwi captain is a decent T20 batsman and can bat at any position in the batting order. In Shakib Al Hasan and Carlos Brathwaite, they have experienced T20 batsmen who can get quick runs at the back end of the innings. Sunrisers seem to have covered all the bases when it comes to batting, and it will be a difficult task for opposition bowlers to stop them from getting big runs.

#1 Royal Challengers Bangalore

Kohli and de Villiers can annihilate any bowling-attack

Almost every batting record in the history of the IPL belongs to players from RCB. RCB have always packed their batting line-up with power hitters, adopting a bold and fearless approach when it comes to batting. This year will be no different for RCB. Even though they let go of Chris Gayle at the auction, they have found able replacements in Brendon McCullum and Quinton de Kock.

While McCullum has years of T20 experience behind him, de Kock was spectacular for Delhi Daredevils. With Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the team, they don't have to worry about their middle order.

Kohli and de Villiers have entertained the crowds all over the country with their dazzling batting, and with the kind of form that they are in, they will be a terror to the oppositions. They have a long list of all-rounders in the squad who are more than handy with the bat.

Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme, Pawan Negi and Chris Woakes all have the ability to use the long handle to good effect. Knowing the importance of a good Indian contingent, they bought proven IPL performers like Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh and Parthiv Patel, forming formidable bench strength. RCB's mighty batting line-up can demolish any bowling-attack, thus making them the strongest batting side in IPL 2018.