IPL 2020 is just a handful of days away. It is hands down the most important league in cricket where the cream of the top cricketers battle to find who is the best among them.
High-level cricket has always been associated with test cricket. However, T20 cricket is another league of its own. The dynamic nature of the sport demands constant evolving and winning a T20 tournament becomes harder every year.
Today we’ll discuss the teams which haven’t had the honour of winning this prestigious tournament. We will name the strengths and weaknesses of Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. We will decipher how they stack among other teams and see which team among the three has a higher chance of winning its maiden IPL. Also, IPL being in UAE will add a new layer of factors for other teams.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
How can a team with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers fail? However, with RCB, it has always been the players around these two. Starting with the positives, getting number 3 ranked T20 batsman Aaron Finch for a relatively low fee, was probably one of the best buys of the IPL 2020 Auction.
RCB, however, still faces the same problem which they’ve always had with their batting order. The only keeping options they have are of Parthiv Patel and Josh Phillipe. Phillipe might not make the team due to the restriction of four foreign players. Patel, on the other hand, is fruitful only when used at the top order. This will have Patel opening with probably Finch and push Kohli and de Villiers down the order where they might not get many balls. They may have Kohli to open with Patel, de Villiers at 3. This will have Finch at 4 where he won’t be relatively effective as well.
Bowling has always been the sinking factor for RCB, especially their pace bowlers. They will have to keep the pace bowling tight.
Delhi Capitals
The Capitals’ batting is certainly promising but looks like a double-edged sword. The team has accommodated players like Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, and Prithvi Shaw along with captain Shreyas Iyer, who won’t be utilized properly if not given a chance to play in the top-order.
The bowling, on the other hand, seems well-equipped. The spin department especially has a unique blend of variety and experience. The team will have the services of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, leg-spinner Amit Mishra, left-arm spinner Axar Patel, and mystery spinner Sandeep Lamichhane.
The team faced two massive setbacks with Englishmen Jason Roy and Chris Woakes pulling out of the tournament.
Kings XI Punjab
Here’s where things get interesting. The Kings have mostly stuck with the basic structure of their team, despite struggling in the past few seasons. However, their already existing players have upgraded themselves into serious T20 players.
Captain KL Rahul stands at an impressive second position in the ICC T20 batsmen rankings. They have purchased one of their own, Glenn Maxwell back. Maxwell has regained form to gain the number one spot in top T20 allrounders rankings. Nicholas Pooran has shown potential as well.
Just like batting, their fast bowlers seem to have been on the rise as well. Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell, and Chris Jordan have become great T20 bowlers who can deliver at death overs as well. The spin bowling, however, looks to be an area of concern. The attack does have variety, but the only name stands out is of 20-year old Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Who has the best chance of winning their maiden IPL?
Kings XI Punjab, to answer the question. Delhi Daredevils will have momentum as they finished third last year. However, their batting order is confusion. Striking the right combination is extremely important in T20 and Kings will have a similar but updated combination with what they achieved results back in 2018. Plus adding a lot of T20 specialists and X-factors like Ravi Bishnoi should be fruitful.
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