Indian Premier League (IPL) – 2019
India wasn’t necessarily a favoured summer destination for cricket fans and players alike in the pre-Indian Premier League (IPL) era, but the advent of this marquee T20 tournament has changed the global rules. Players crave for participation in the IPL, international sides make their plans to suit the tournament, and even the travel plans of fans get synchronized with the IPL schedule!
Just like the average Indian cricket fan’s thirst for cricket never gets quenched, the clamour for IPL hasn’t diminished. Even the uncertainty over the general election and its possible ramifications on the schedule hasn’t lessened the interest. What’s more, even the upcoming global tournament – the ICC ODI World Cup – hasn’t really dented the interest in the IPL.
The ensemble cast and the legion of super stars make the IPL a must watch and a destination for cricket lovers. It is not often that you see Virat Kohli pitted against Jasprit Bumrah, or David Warner trying to outwit Steve Smith. The romance of the IPL lies in bringing world stars to play with their international opponents, or plot against their national teammates. George Orwell once said that “sport is war minus the shooting”, and never has it been more evident than during the IPL!
And there’s nothing wrong in that, if the action ends up thrilling every cricket fan. The franchise model is new to cricket (compared to the success in other sports) and it will still take time for the likes of Chennai Super Kings or the Kolkata Knight Riders to become the Manchester United’s and Liverpool’s of the sporting fraternity. Yet there is no denying the fact that the IPL is a phenomenon on the global sporting stage, and it would be naïve to dismiss it as just another tournament.
We are certainly not making that mistake and won’t let you make one. Starting from March 23, various venues in India will be treated to some sumptuous cricketing action from the eight franchises. Flashscore will be bringing you every bit of the action live with our unique and informative commentaries. But before that, here’s a look at the teams and what to expect in IPL 2019!
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS (CSK)
One of the most fervently followed franchises in the IPL – the defending Champions are also one of the most successful. In nine seasons, CSK have reached the finals seven times and won the title on three occasions.
The numbers themselves are mind boggling. It is, however, not just the numbers that make CSK the club that is. The fanbase for this Chennai-based side is extremely fervent. So much so, that when CSK were banned for a couple of years, the fans stayed away from the competition itself.
Another unique feature with CSK is their retention policy. Even this year's auction saw them hold on to Mitchell Santner, who didn’t even play a single game last season! The re-signing of former first-team player Mohit Sharma was another sign of continuity.
They were written off as an old team last season, but ended up winning the title. With the combination of MS Dhoni (4,016 runs), Dwayne Bravo (136 wickets), Shane Watson (3,177 runs), Suresh Raina (4,985 runs) and Ravindra Jadeja (1,821 runs & 93 wickets), there is a lot of IPL experience. The South African contingent of Faf du Plessis, Lungi Ngidi and Imran Tahir are in scorching form at present, and that augurs well too.
A perfect side then? Nothing’s perfect in the IPL, especially when your backup is thin. The Indian fast bowling stocks are perhaps lacking, but expect Dhoni to pull a rabbit out of the hat!
Key player: Dhoni
Key domestic player: Raina
Key recruit: Watson
Young player to watch: Shardul Thakur (no one’s young in CSK side!)
Prediction: Last four
DELHI CAPITALS (DC)
Change of name, change of owners and roping in new players – will that solve Delhi Capitals’ problems? For starters, they have never gone beyond the semis. Their last semi-final appearance was in 2012, with three wooden spoons (eighth spot) in the last six seasons.
The changes in personnel have brought Shikhar Dhawan (4,058 runs @ 123.53 SR in the IPL) back into the fold. A number of all-rounders have been signed too – Axar Patel, Sherfane Rutherford, Jalaj Saxena and Keemo Paul cover a lot of bases. Continuing with their penchant for young talent, the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (68x4, 37x6 & 684 runs @ SR 173.60 in IPL 2018), Sandeep Lamichhane and Avesh Khan bring a lot of excitement.
Colin Ingram is also added to bring some international T20 experience to the middle-order, which is predominantly composed of young Indians. Hanuma Vihari made waves with his calm demeanour in England and Australia, so it remains to be seen if he can replicate it in the IPL.
Like in every other season and with every other Delhi outfit, there are so many ifs and buts with the squad. Can Colin Munro overcome his fear of the turning ball? Will the young Indian batsmen be a bit more consistent? They were a paradox last season – top of the scoring charts in the powerplay and bottom of the charts in powerplay economy rate!
Key player: Dhawan
Key domestic player: Pant
Key recruit: Lamichhane
Young player to watch: Shaw
Prediction: Bottom three
KINGS XI PUNJAB (KINGS XI)
If you go by the IPL auction, then the Kings XI side under their new coach Mike Hesson are a clear winner. They beat strong competition for the signatures of mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy (INR 8.40 crore), England all-rounder Sam Curran (INR 7.20 crore), hard-hitting West Indies’ youngster Nicholas Pooran (INR 4.20 crore) and India U19 star Prabhsimran Singh (INR 4.80 crore).
What’s more, Kings XI have also retained KL Rahul (659 runs @ SR 158.41 in IPL 2018), Chris Gayle (3,994 IPL runs @ SR 150.71) and Ravichandran Ashwin (110 IPL wickets @ ER 6.72).
Digest all this and you will not be alone in thinking that Kings XI are the favourites for this year’s IPL. However, cricket is not simple arithmetic and Kings XI need to do a lot more than being great on paper. Andrew Tye (Purple Cap in 2018 with 24 wickets) last season became the first ‘Purple Cap’ holder not to qualify for playoffs and that is a big reflection of how poor they have been in being consistent.
Where can they go wrong? Nowhere but their minds! Kings XI teams have finished in the bottom two for three of the last four years, and if that doesn’t change this year, they will have to wonder if they are ever destined for IPL glory.
Key player: Rahul
Key domestic player: Nair
Key recruit: Gayle
Young player to watch: Prabhsimran Singh
Prediction: Playoffs
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (KKR)
KKR shunned their glamorous tag last season and did the hard yards in reaching the playoffs under new captain Dinesh Karthik. With high ambitions for this season, their IPL auction strategy saw them acquire the services of all-rounders Carlos Brathwaite, Joe Denly, seam bowlers Harry Gurney (124 T20 matches @ ER 7.72) and Anrich Nortje (who can deliver 150 KMPH thunderbolts with ease).
That makes KKR an exciting pace unit to watch. Lockie Ferguson, Andre Russell and Nortje will make the ball thunder around. Throw in the wrist spin of Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav and Sunil Narine, along with the hard-hitting of Chris Lynn, Shubman Gill and Andre Russell, and it’s some squad.
Salivating, right? The prospect of watching all these players under the same team is definitely exciting. What should worry the KKR management, however, is that at 21 they still have the smallest of all squads. Injury-prone Russell and possible World Cup bound Lynn could hamper their chances later in the season.
Four of the last five seasons saw them reach the playoffs, but win the title only once. With all bases covered, it is only natural to expect KKR to mount a serious title challenge. Whether they can achieve that will come down to a lot of variables and the form of their key players. However, before the first ball is bowled, if there is one side no other team wants to play in the playoffs, it is KKR!
Key player: Kuldeep Yadav
Key domestic player: Shubman Gill
Key recruit: Gurney
Young player to watch: Prasidh Krishna
Prediction: Playoffs and possible final.
MUMBAI INDIANS (MI)
Over the last six seasons, MI have finished (latest first): 5th, 1st, 5th, 1st, 4th and 1st. If this were a mathematical progression question, the answer to where they finish this year would be simple – 1st! Captain Rohit Sharma (4,493 career IPL runs @ avg. 31.86) should be planning for lifting the title.
Even their purchase in this year’s auction indicate a bit of confidence and a sense of calmness. They bought Lasith Malinga (who was a mentor with them last season) and the experienced prodigal son of Indian cricket, Yuvraj Singh (2,652 career IPL runs @ SR 129.68).
The now-forgotten India left-arm pacer Barinder Sran has also been added to cover for Jasprit Bumrah. The explosive Quinton de Kock (4,394 runs in 150 career T20s @ SR 136.6) came via a trade with RCB. All in all, there seems a composed and definite plan to plug the holes in their squad.
So what can go wrong? As Mumbai found out last season, the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard look good on paper, but their middle-order is very brittle. Fitness worries around Hardik, Yuvraj and availability concerns overs Rohit and Bumrah (possible rest in the second half) add even more worries for MI. There are concerns that with not many changes to the squad, MI are practically hoping for a change of fortunes than proactively search for it.
Key player: Rohit
Key domestic player: Krunal Pandya
Key recruit: de Kock
Young player to watch: Kishan (he’s still young!)
Prediction: Might just scrape through to the playoffs or miss it by a whisker.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS (RR)
Fourth last season and playoff places in three of the last four seasons, RR will be one team watched very closely. Not just to follow their fortunes, but also to see a certain Steve Smith return to action. They celebrated that by going for Ashton Turner (now a household name in India after his 84* off 43 in the fourth ODI against India) and West Indies quick Oshane Thomas in the auction.
Even Jaydev Unadkat was brought back at a reduced price, adding teeth to their bowling. However, it still is a flawed strategy – surprisingly, considering how meticulous RR have always been. In Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer they have three potential absentees when (and not if) England call them to the World Cup camp.
That will leave a lot to do for the likes of Ajinkya Rahane (3,427 career IPL runs @ avg. 32.95) and Smith (1,703 IPL runs @ avg. 37.02). Liam Livingstone (SR 142.37 in T20s) is an exciting and hard-hitting batsman, but a lack of experience in the Indian conditions has often caught many batsmen on the wrong foot in the past.
K Gowtham remains the lone finger spinner in the squad, which could be another danger unless they get more out of Turner. There is still a lot of uncertainty around the Indian bowling contingent – Varun Aaron, Unadkat and Dhawal Kulkarni – who tread that thin line between being reliable and inconsistent.
Key player: Smith
Key domestic player: Sanju Samson
Key recruit: Turner
Young player to watch: Rahul Tripathi
Prediction: Bottom four
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE (RCB)
In the last seven IPL seasons, Virat Kohli’s men have come third in 2015 and second in 2016. Barring that, it has been a barren five seasons with much promise but too little delivery. And, every season, the average RCB fan keeps thinking – this is the year!
Will it be this time? For a change, they decided to shun their penchant for too many top-order hitters. Out went Quinton de Kock (but his recent surge in form could be unsettling) and Brendon McCullum, while in came Heinrich Klaasen. Also joining the ranks is the highly-rated, hard-hitting all-rounder Shivam Dube (who is still a raw Thisara Perera, at best).
Of course, the addition of the exciting Windies’ youngster Shimron Hetmyer has caught everyone’s attention. Also, Marcus Stoinis joins via a trade and augments the legion of bits-and-pieces all-rounders in the squad together with Moeen Ali and Colin de Grandhomme.
The problem for RCB through the years has been their over-reliance on the Kohli (4,948 IPL runs @ avg. 38.35) and AB de Villiers (3,953 runs @ SR 150.93) combination. Unless Hetmyer joins the nexus, it could be another frustrating year for Kohli.
Questions over Kohli’s presence with the side deep in the tournament are also out in the open, but RCB have done nothing to address his potential departure. In addition, with Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Siraj manning the Indian fast bowling contingent for RCB, it could be a case of boom or bust (often bust last season).
Key player: AB de Villiers
Key domestic player: Kohli (in capitals, please!)
Key recruit: Hetmyer
Young player to watch: Shivam Dube
Prediction: Surprise if they make the playoffs.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD (SRH)
Not counting their earlier avatar as Deccan Chargers, SRH have had finishes of 4th, 6th, 6th, 1st, 4th and 2nd (latest) in the IPL. That is as consistent as MI to say the least. Here is a team that can never be counted out of the playoff race, if not the title race!
Definitely not, for their astute planning in the auction. They have traded the sulking Shikhar Dhawan (for all the runs he scores, there’s no point in having a disgruntled player in your ranks) for the trio of Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, and Shahbaz Nadeem. Considering the way Shankar has turned up this season, it might end up being a smart move!
They have also added Jonny Bairstow and Martin Guptill to cover for the potential absence of David Warner in the initial stages. Wriddhiman Saha was bought back (at a lowered price) to cover Bairstow later in the season. With Kane Williamson (735 runs in IPL 2018 @ avg. 52.50) and Manish Pandey (2,499 IPL runs @ avg. 28.07) in the ranks, the SRH batting unit looks solid as ever.
That is nothing, of course, compared to their bowling which has been the IPL’s best for the last couple of seasons. Rashid Khan (21 IPL 2018 wickets @ ER 6.73), Siddharth Kaul (21 IPL 2018 wickets @ SR 18.85) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (120 IPL wickets @ ER 7.15) are as good as it gets in this format. Add Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed and Basil Thampi to that list – SRH have one frightening bowling unit!
Key player: Williamson
Key domestic player: Shankar
Key recruit: Rashid Khan
Young player to watch: Ricky Bhui
Prediction: Playoffs.
So there it is! Each teams’ fans will be dreaming of IPL glory, but we will have to wait to Sunday, May 19 to find the winner. On paper it looks a contest between CSK, KKR, Kings XI, and SRH, but you just never know what can happen in the heat of battle!
A schedule hampered by the general elections in India, and franchises having to plan their assault around potential absentees during the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup, doesn’t change the fact that the IPL is the most awaited tournament of the season – even ahead of the World Cup – for the players, the franchises, and the public.
Teams are currently scrambling to get their houses in order ahead of the first match on Saturday, March 23, but come the big day, the world will be treated to some of the best cricketing action anywhere for the two months that follow. What a ride it should be!
By Sridhar Bhamidi
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