The 9th edition of the Indian Premier League is currently underway and each of the 8 teams has played 2 or more matches already. This year's IPL is a slightly different proposition as two former champion teams are not a part of it. The most successful franchise in IPL history, Chennai Super Kings, and the first ever IPL winners, Rajasthan Royals, are both facing a two-year suspension following their involvement in the spot-fixing scandal. Two new teams, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions, have taken their place and include some of the top players from the tainted teams.
We have already seen some exhilarating action in the VIVO IPL 2016 so far and it is only going to get better as the tournament progresses. All teams have played 3-4 matches except Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have played just 2 games, and this is an ideal stage to figure out where each team stands in terms of being contenders for the title. Let's take a closer look at the performance of the 8 franchises participating in the 2016 edition of the IPL:
Kolkata Knight Riders
The two-time IPL champions have got off to the perfect start in the current IPL season and are placed right on top of the league table with 3 wins from 4 matches. KKR brushed aside Delhi Daredevils in their first match of the season by a margin of 9 wickets but lost their next game to the defending champions Mumbai Indians at home by 6 wickets. Just when it looked like Gautam Gambhir's men were losing track, they bounced back superbly to win back-to-back matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab with consummate ease. Going by their current form, KKR are on course to make it to the IPL playoffs and may also pull off a third title triumph.
Gujarat Lions
One of the two new franchises to have joined the IPL, the Gujarat Lions, have made quite an impact in this season already. In fact, GL is the only team not to have lost a single game in the VIVO IPL 2016 so far. They made a terrific IPL debut beating Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets and followed it up with another dominating performance against fellow newbies Rising Pune Supergiants. In their 3rd game, the Lions edged past 2015 champions Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium by 3 wickets to maintain their unbeaten run. If they continue to play in this manner, the Gujarat Lions may become the 2nd team after Rajasthan Royals to win their first IPL.
Delhi Daredevils
The Delhi Daredevils have registered an incredible comeback in this season of the Indian Premier League. After being thrashed by the Kolkata Knight Riders by 9 wickets in their first match, DD hit back by inflicting an imposing defeat over the Kings XI Punjab team by 8 wickets. In their 3rd match, the Daredevils faced off against the mighty RCB and conceded 191 runs after deciding to field first. However, they rode a blistering century by in-form batsman Quinton de Kock to romp home by 8 wickets and signal their resurgence in the IPL. Things are starting to look brighter for Delhi and they will be aiming to reach the playoff stage this time.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Royal Challengers Bangalore have only played 2 matches thus far in the tournament and have had mixed results. They started their campaign on a high as they scored 227 runs against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, winning the game by a huge margin of 45 runs. RCB batted quite superbly in their 2nd game, too, and set Delhi Daredevils a target of 192. However, they were taken by surprise as their opponents chased down the total with 7 wickets still in hand and 5 balls to spare. RCB have the firepower to bounce back after a loss and are among the top contenders not only to qualify for the playoffs but also to win their maiden title.
Rising Pune Supergiants
The MS Dhoni-led Rising Pune Supergiants made a dream IPL debut by dishing out a humiliating loss to defending champions Mumbai Indians on their home ground by 9 wickets. However, things turned sour for them very quickly as they were thrashed by the other new franchise in the tournament, Gujarat Lions, by a margin of 7 wickets. Next, RPS hoped to register a comeback against bottom-placed KXIP but ended up losing another match, this time by 6 wickets. The Pune team will have to pull up their socks in both batting and bowling in order to pose a threat to the other teams in the league.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Ever since the Sunrisers Hyderabad have joined the IPL bandwagon, they have been struggling to get things right. It has been all too similar for them this time around, too, as they lost their first 2 matches in the tournament. They lost their first game to RCB by 45 runs and this was followed by another embarrassing loss to KKR by 8 wickets at home. However, just when they seemed down and out, SRH produced a stellar performance to get the better of the Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets. The Hyderabad team has shown signs of clawing their way back into contention for registering an unexpected maiden title triumph.
Mumbai Indians
The defending champions Mumbai Indians have been through some troubled times in this season so far. They had an inauspicious start to their title defence as they were subjected to a 9-wicket defeat by new franchise Rising Pune Supergiants. MI staged a recovery by inflicting a 6-wicket loss over two-time champions KKR at the Eden Gardens. However, their joy was short-lived as they lost consecutive games against Gujarat Lions and Sunrisers Hyderabad to slump down the points table. Mumbai Indians may not be looking good enough to reach the playoffs at present, but they have fought their way back in the past and have every chance of doing it once again.
Kings XI Punjab
The Kings XI Punjab have easily been the weakest team on display in the tournament so far. It was a poor start for KXIP as they lost their first match of the 2016 IPL to newcomers Gujarat Lions. The situation became worse as Delhi Daredevils pummelled them by 8 wickets in their 2nd match. Punjab's third match saw a mini comeback from them as they won against RPS by 6 wickets. But it turned out to be a flash in the pan as KXIP suffered a 6-wicket loss at the hands of league-toppers KKR. The performance of the Kings thus far in the 2016 IPL has left much to be desired and may culminate in yet another disastrous campaign.
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