CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
The defending champions will be on a high after winning their third IPL trophy last year They lived up to their expectations in their comeback season and they played and defeated every team in a convincing manner. They bought players who are mostly in mid 30’s and their think tank was criticized largely because of this reason but they proved everybody wrong by winning the trophy. Though their team revolved around experienced players like DHONI RAYADU WATSON BRAVO it was the youngsters like Deepak chahar, Billings and Lungi Ngidi with whom Dhoni made the difference. Dhoni marshaled his troops brilliantly like never before and probably 2018 was the best year for Dhoni in terms of batting as well as with his captaincy skills. This season CSK looks even more settled with Watson in prime form after back to back big bash and PSL he is again set to play a major role in CSK’ campaign. Rayadu will again look to prove his mettle as he will be eager to book a spot in India’ world cup squad. The only noticeable buy for CSK in this auction is MOHIT SHARMA with which they look to cover their death bowling concerns. Last year they missed the services of SANTNER and KEDAR JADHAV but this season there are no injury concerns for them and they look good to retain their trophy.
Player to watch out for: RAYADU, RAINA
MY PROBABLE STARTING XI
- SHANE WATSON
- AMBATI RAYADU
- SURESH RAINA
- KEDAR JADHAV
- M S DHONI (WK)
- DWAYNE BRAVO
- RAVINDRA JADEJA
- MITCHELL SANTNER
- DEEPAK CHAHAR
- MOHIT SHARMA/ HARBHAJAN SINGH
- LUNGI NGIDI/IMRAN TAHIR
Based on the nature of the pitch they may want to shuffle their playing XI as they have lots of options like BILLINGS,WILLEY and THAKUR. If they want to have more firepower in their batting they may want to bring BILLINGS or FAF DU PLESSIS in place of SANTNER.
Overall this CSK team is more settled this season and all the other teams should be really worried about this team
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
The former champions and runners up of 2018 edition of IPL , SRH Form a formidable team even after they lost DHAWAN in their ranks they had a very good auction this year bagging Bairstow and guptill and they got VIJAY SHANKAR this time as a much more established player. The biggest talking point for them is the return of POCKET DYNAMITE DAVID WARNER at the top but another latest concern for them is availability of Kane williamson who injured his shoulder in the recently concluded Bangladesh series and David Warner will miss the first week of the IPL due to his national commitments so the biggest question mark will be who will capatin their side in the absence of two of their potential captains at the start of the touurnament if Kane williamson is not available. The another major concern is that still there is no clarity over SHAKIB”S fitness and BCB has told earlier that if SHAKIB is not 100% fit they would not give the NO OBJECTION CERTIFICATE for shakib to participate in IPL
Having said all these concerns,there is never a doubt in their bowling department which consists of BHUVI RASHID KAUL KHALEEL and STANLAKE in their ranks. Lets not forget that they have a very experienced campaigner in NABI who is one guy who can spring a surprise with both bat and ball and he is a match winner with the bat on his day
Players to watch out for: DAVID WARNER, MANISH PANDEY
MY PROBABLE STARTING XI
- WRIDDHIMAN SAHA (WK)
- JONNY BAIRSTOW
- KANE WILLIAMSON
- MANISH PANDEY
- VIJAY SHANKAR
- YUSUF PATHAN
- MOHAMMAD NABI / SHAKIB AL HASAN
- RASHID KHAN
- BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR
- SIDDARTH KAUL
- KHALEEL AHMED
If Williamson is not available at the start of the season they may look to bring GUPTILL in place of him and once WARNER returns he will come directly into the playing XI either in place of guptill or Bairstow.
Overall SRH looks like a strong outfit but may not be strong enough to lift the trophy.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
KKR are always a unique setup, has their own set of fanbase,has some loyal players for them with the likes of NARINE,RUSSELL,KULDEEP,CHAWLA,LYNN,UTHAPPA and always gives tough competition to the opponents.They are the one team we can never write off. IN 2018 many wondered whom would they will give the captaincy to as there were no obvious captaincy choices but they surprised everybody that they gave to DINESH KARTHIK who also did a very very good job and and marshaled his troops well and finished as the third best team only behind csk and srh. Dinesh Karthik like Dhoni played with a settled group of players throughout the entire season and handled them well especially with some injury prone players like LYNN and RUSSELL. The only problem for them in the last season was a back up all rounder to russell whom they did not have one but they have sorted out that issue this season by getting BRATHWAITE in thier ranks this season. They also bought ANRICH NORTJE south african quick who could crank it up at 150 km/h. HARRY GURNEY another noticeable buy who is a very experienced campaigner popular all around the world and played in the recently concluded BIG BASH for MELBOURNE RENEGADES and finished the season with championship and returned with brilliant figures throughout the league and bowled very well in the death overs. He is very well known for his back of the hand slower ones and accurate yorkers and sharp bumber.
Players to watch out for: DINESH KARTHIK, SHUBMAN GILL
MY PROBABLE STARTING XI
- CHRIS LYNN
- SUNIL NARINE
- ROBIN UTHAPPA
- SHUBMAN GILL
- DINESH KARTHIK (WK)
- ANDRE RUSSELL
- CARLOS BRATHWAITE
- PIYUSH CHAWLA
- KULDEEP YADAV
- PRASIDH KRISHNA
- SANDEEP WARRIOR
SANDEEP WARRIOR REPLACED MAVI and again NAGERKOTTI got sidelined this season as well. If they feel they lack firepower in their batting they may bring in NITISH RANA in place any of the fast bowler.
Overall KKR looks like a very very strong outfit and have all bases covered and they definitely one of the dark horses to lift the trophy.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
RR always does not posses huge name in their ranks but still gives their 200 % and for the first time last season they had big players in their ranks like BUTTLER and STOKES
This time they are even more stronger with STEVE SMITH returning and having bought ASHTON TURNER and LIAM LIVINGSTONE in this year’s auction they definitely have the firepower to go all the way through even though they will miss the services of BUTTLER and STOKES in the later half of the IPL they certainly have the backup players with the likes of LIVINGSTONE who is a power hitter just like BUTTLER from England and also provides some useful medium pace bowling option , They have JOFRA ARCHER who will be looking to prove himself again for the one last time so that he will get a spot in England world cup line up. They have bought OSHANE THOMAS from WestIndies who impressed everyone with his fast bowling and sheer pace.The only department which they would be concerned of is their spin bowling which does not have huge names in their ranks but still they have ISH SODHI ,SHREYAS GOPAL, KRISHNAPPA GOWTHAM with whom they can give the opponents a run for their money. STEVE SMITH and ASHTON TURNER will miss the first week of IPL due to their national commitments.
Players to watch out for: AJINKYA RAHANE, SANJU SAMSON
MY PROBABLE STARTING XI
- AJINKYA RAHANE
- JOS BUTTLER (WK)
- LIAM LIVINGSTONE
- SANJU SAMSON
- BEN STOKES
- RAHUL TRIPATHI
- KRISHNAPPA GOWTHAM
- JOFRA ARCHER
- SHREYAS GOPAL
- JAYDEV UNADKAT
- VARUN AARON
Once STEVE SMITH and TURNER returns there will be change in the playing 11.
Overall RR has it in them to reach playoffs but one has to wait and see how far they go in this tournament.
MUMBAI INDIANS
The powerhouse of IPL will be eagerly looking forward to this season as they were knocked out in the preliminary in the last edition and this time they have a more settled unit when compared to the last season. The noticeable buy for them in this season is QUINTON de KOCK who almost forgot how to fail in the ongoing series against SRILANKA. He has been scoring heaps of runs in the internationals as well as for his domestic side. Another noticeable buy is the INDIAN DISCARDED MIDDLE ORDER VETERAN YUVRAJ SINGH who will be looking to prove his prowess for the one last time in his career. They bought LASITH MALINGA this season to add more experience to their bowling attack along with the likes of BUMRAH BEHENDORFF MILNE and McCLENAGHAN. They also have enough firepower in batting with the likes of de KOCK, ROHIT ,ISSHAN KISHAN ,SURYAKUMAR YADAV,POLLARD and EVIN LEWIS. The only concern they will have is the inexperienced spin attack they have with the likes of MARKANDE and RAHUL CHAHAR,Though MARKANDE started the last season with a bang he faded away during the fag end of the tournament so MI will be hoping him to come good along with the likes of KRUNAL PANDYA. BEHENDORFF will miss the first week of the IPL due to his national commitments.
Player to watch out for : HARDIK PANDYA
MY PROBABLE PLAYING XI
- ROHIT SHARMA
- QUINTON de KOCK
- ISHAN KISHAN (WK)
- SURYAKUMAR YADAV
- KIERON POLLARD
- HARDIK PANDYA
- KRUNAL PANDYA
- BEN CUTTING
- MAYANK MARKANDE
- JASPRIT BUMRAH
- LASITH MALINGA
They have ample amount of youth and experience in them and and they enough firepower and proper backup players.
Overall MUMBAI INDIANS has all the capacity and firepower to lift the trophy again.
KINGS XI PUNJAB
The former one time finalists played an entertaining brand of cricket last season and similar to KKR they did not had an Obvious captaincy option at the start of last season but still they believed in ASHWIN and handed over to him the captaincy and he was a mixed captain, was good at times and made some very good game changing decisions and some of his decisions in the later half of the tournament made many to raise their eyebrows in the end they did not qualify for the playoffs. This season they have bought POORAN, SAM CURRAN and MOISES HENRIQUES to bolster their middle order and late hitting duty because last season barring for RAHUL and gayle (to some extent) rest all batsmen did not perform upto the mark. The other noticeable buy this season is tall lanky fast bowler from South Africa HARDUS VIJOEN who was the highest wicket taker in the recently concluded T10 league. As far as spin department is concerned they have quality spinners like ASHWIN,MUJEEB and MURUGAN ASHWIN and a mystery spinner whom they have bought for huge bucks VARUN CHAKRAVARTHY and in the fast bowling department they have TYE ,SHAMI and ANKIT RAJPOOT. The only area of concern for them is the lack of hard hitting All rounders like Russell,CUTTING in their ranks.
Players to watch out for : K L RAHUL, RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN
MY PROBABLE STARTING XI
- K L RAHUL
- CH GAYLE
- MAYANK AGARWAL
- KARUN NAIR
- NICHOLOAS POORAN (WK)
- SARFRAZ KHAN
- SAM CURRAN
- RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN
- MOHAMMAD SHAMI
- ANDREW TYE
- VARUN CHAKRAVARTHY
With UNIVERSE BOSS in his destructive form and with KL RAHUL again will be looking to rediscover his form their top order again looks rock solid and with POORAN KARUN NAIR and MAYANK AGARWAL in their middle order they can chase down any total and can destroy any bowling attack
Overall KINGS XI PUNJAB has the firepower to go all the way through and one can expect some guaranteed entertainment from this team.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE
The former three time finalists would be the only team that might regret of not being the champions for at least once after being in the finals for thrice and the love and support that their fans have towards them would only make this team stronger and they don’t need any motivation to win the trophy at least once for their loyal fan base. Last season they had the opportunity to qualify for the playoffs if they had beaten the Rajasthan Royals in their final league game which did not happen. This time On paper they once again seem to be a strong batting side but on the bowling front they hardly seem to inspire. With UMESH and SIRAJ as their leading INDIAN bowlers they have NATHAN COULTER NILE and TIM SOUTHEE as their foreign recruits they will expect any of these bowlers to put their hands up and perform on any given day if they want to win the trophy. As far as spin bowling is concerned they have CHAHAL,WASHINGTON SUNDAR and MOEEN ALI which forms a descent spin bowling attack. On batting front they have the real fire power with the likes of VIRAT,ABD,SHIMRON HETMYER,MARCUS STOINIS and PARTHIV PATEL they have one of the best batting line ups in this competition. The noticeable buy this season is obviously HETMYER and another Indian Domestic all round talent SHIBVAM DUBE ,they would want to change their fortunes around this season. MARCUS STOINIS and NATHAN COULTER NILE will miss the first week of the IPL due to their international commitments.
Players to watch out for: UMESH YADAV,HETMYER
MY PROBABLE STARTING XI
- Parthiv Patel (WK)
- MOEEN ALI
- VIRAT KOHLI
- AB De VILLIERS
- SHIMRON HETMYER
- SHIVAM DUBE
- PAWAN NEGI/WASHINGTON SUNDAR
- TIM SOUTHEE
- UMESH YADAV
- YUZVENDRA CHAHAL
- MOHAMMED SIRAJ
Once STOINIS and COULTER NILE return from their international duties they may take the place of MOEEN ALI and SOUTHEE .
This season once again they have the players to win them the trophy but they have to play their skin out for that to happen.
DELHI CAPITALS
New name new jersey new consultant (SOURAV GANGULY) and hopefully new fortunes for the DELHI CAPITALS. The one team who have not played even a single IPL FINAL SO FAR in the current lot and they will be looking to change their fortunes this season around. On paper they look very strong as always and with DHAWAN in their rank they will feel more confident this season around. They have a very very strong INDIAN CORE with the likes of PRITHVI SHAW,DHAWAN,SHREYAS IYER,RISHABH PANT and HANUMA VIHARI and with COLIN MUNRO and COLIN INGRAM their batting looks more than settled and can destroy any bowling line up in the world on the given day. With RABADA,BOULT and MORRIS along with ISHANT and Avesh khan their bowling line up is descent enough to restrict the opposition.As far as spin bowling department is concerned they have one of the most experienced campaigner in AMIT MISHRA ,AXAR PATEL and SANDEEP LAMICHHANE they have a very good spin bowling options. The noticeable buy for them in this year auction is two raw west indian talents SHERFANE RUTHERFORD AND KEMO PAUL. Both are terrific hitters of the cricket ball and RUTHERFORD in particular impressed each and everyone with his monstrous hitting in the recently concluded GLOBAL CANADA T20 and in T10 leagues and kemo paul is an bowling all rounder who can bowl in crucial situations as well.
Players to watch out for: SHREYAS IYER
MY PROBABLE STARTING XI
- SHIKHAR DHAWAN
- PRITHVI SHAW
- COLIN MUNRO
- SHREYAS IYER
- RISHABH PANT (WK)
- SHERFANE RUTHERFORD
- AXAR PATEL
- AMIT MISHRA
- TRENT BOULT
- KAGISO RABADA
- ISHANT SHARMA
They have lots of bowling options like LAMICHCHANE,MORRIS, KEMO PAUL and on the batting front they have COLIN INGRAM who has ample amount of experience by playing all around the world so that they can rotate players and play according to the nature of the wicket
Overall this DELHI CAPITALS have a very strong squad and have all bases covered and could well win their maiden IPL TROPHY.
Bala'Blog 
Great post 😁
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