TOI takes a look at what may lie in store for
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
(RCB), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) beginning on March 22.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU
RCB have adopted a new team name, jersey and logo for the 17th edition. But the old question still remains — when will they end the title drought? The pressure has increased after the women’s team won the WPL.
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STRENGTH: With a batting line-up comprising Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell – RCB will bank on their willow strength.
Throw in Cameron Green and Rajat Patidar, their balanced top five can outbat any opposition.
WEAKNESS: Lack of quality spinners is a concern. With legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga surprisingly released, RCB could not find a replacement at the auction. Leg-spinner Karn Sharma, Himanshu Sharma and part-timer Maxwell, do not inspire confidence.
OPPORTUNITY: The Indian line-up, comprising domestic performers like Patidar, pacers Akash Deep and Vyshak Vijaykumar can turn match-winners.
THREAT: At home in Chinnaswamy with shorter boundaries, RCB can be found wanting at the death. Without Harshal Patel, they are short of options and may turn to Alzarri Joseph or Reece Topley for the job.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2016 champions, have assembled a squad packed with match-winners. They broke the bank to acquire the services of Pat Cummins. They also strengthened the batting by adding Travis Head and Hasaranga, which gives it a very strong look on paper.
STRENGTH: Sunrisers have the best of foreign talent at their disposal, but all of them cannot play on a regular basis and to get the combination right will be tricky. Mayank Agarwal at the top can be dangerous. However, their trump card will be South African Klaasen.
WEAKNESS: Lack of consistency has been their biggest problem. Add to that poor performances of domestic players. Barring Klaasen, the rest struggled to perform last year. In bowling, Malik and Natarajan need to find their range.
OPPORTUNITY: It will be a great opportunity for Cummins to rally a beleaguered side. The proven big match winner that the Australian is, it will remain to be seen if he can emulate David Warner and win the title. For the domestic trio of Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi and Abdul Samad it’s another opportunity to come good.
THREAT: The Sunrisers rely heavily on their overseas players. The form of Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen and Pat Cummins holds the key and they will hope Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Washington Sundar and T Natarajan stay free of injury.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Shreyas Iyer is back as the skipper and thataugurs well for KKR. Gautam Gambhir is back too, as the mentor. Hopefully, the former skipper, who led them to two titles, will be able to motivate the team.
STRENGTH: Batting is KKR’s strong point with the likes of Phil Salt, Shreyas Iyer, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rinku Singh ready to explode at any time. They also have formidable spinners in Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma.
WEAKNESS: Apart from Mitchell Starc, the pace department looks a little soft. Having been picked for a record price, there will be pressure on the Aussie to deliver. Starc will have to depend on pacers like Chetan Sakariya, Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana for support.
OPPORTUNITY: Phil Salt, who replaced Jason Roy, has a chance to prove that the management was right to back him. He can bat in any position and that
gives the team flexibility.
THREAT: Andre Russell is a huge asset when he is in form, but has not always been consistent. An injury to him or Starc can throw KKR’s campaign out of gear. Even Iyer’s fitness will be keenly watched.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
CSK have everything going in their favour — a great team, the opener at home, the final at Chepauk. It can be the ideal Dhoni swansong and the team is up for it.
STRENGTH: The depth. Almost every player in their team has international experience and they know what it takes to deliver on the big stage.
WEAKNESS: Injury to Matheesha Pathirana, their No. 1 death bowler. The team will be desperate to have him back.
OPPORTUNITY: The fear-factor that this team invokes is unmatched. Opposition teams often wilt under that pressure. It can happen this time too.
THREAT: Ability to deliver away from home, because the bowling attack may lack a little bit of sting on pitches where the ball comes on to the bat.
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