5 Most dangerous playing XIs in IPL history

Each team is competitive in the Indian Premier League. Every season of IPL has a different story altogether. If one team is at the top of the table this season, they might finish last in the next one. It has a lot to do with the trading system as well. The players are traded every season and can change the dynamics completely. One great example is Glenn Maxwell to RCB from PBKS this season.

Most of the teams are dependent on a couple of players. When they don’t turn up well, it’s very difficult to cope up with consistency. When Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik struggled last season, KKR couldn’t qualify for the Playoffs even though they had a solid team.

But there are times when teams are just about perfect. There’s hardly anything wrong with the team and if one key player doesn’t step up, someone else will.

Here are such IPL playing XIs from the past that looked completely invincible:

1. Mumbai Indians (IPL 2020)

Mumbai Indians has always been a really strong team. They have had a couple of players who have served the team for a long time. Kieron Pollard, Rohit Sharma, and Lasith Malinga are some of those names.

But they have never had a team just as good on paper and the field like they did last season. Rohit Sharma missed out on a couple of games and Mumbai still looked undefeatable. Pollard was the apt player to lead the team and he did a good job.

Players like Quinton De Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan were on top of the run-getters list. While Bumrah, Boult were in the hold for the Purple Cap all the time. Pandya brothers added spice to the mix and Pollard was at his vintage best himself.

2. Chennai Super Kings (IPL 2013)

Just like Mumbai Indians, CSK has always carried its brand too. In fact, Chennai Super Kings is the most consistent team in the IPL history. They have always shown the way under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.

In IPL 2013, CSK was looking for the coveted IPL trophy for the third time while other teams hadn’t even won it twice. They had a team that could promise them another title. It was a dream run for CSK in IPL 2013 as they finished at the top on the points table.

At the top of the order, they had Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina to do the job. Dwayne Bravo was making headlines for himself with the ball. He was assisted nicely by Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, and Albie Morkel. A young Chris Morris was the icing on the cake.

They lost the finals to Mumbai Indians by 23 runs on a sluggish track. But MS Dhoni fought till the very end to lead his team through the victory. CSK might have won IPL on the other occasions but they never had a team as they did in IPL 2013.

3. Mumbai Indians (IPL 2013)

It was all about Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2013 as they were ahead of the other teams. While CSK had a great start to the tournament, MI did not start as well. Under Ricky Ponting’s captaincy, they barely were winning any matches.

It was the first time that Rohit Sharma took over the leadership reign for MI and the rest is history. Once Ricky Ponting was removed from the playing XI, Dwayne Smith filled up the job with ease. He was partnered by one and only Sachin Tendulkar. It was a consistent show from both of them throughout the tournament.

It was the middle order that was shining like a diamond. Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard all were at their level best. Ambati Rayudu and Mitchell Johnson assisted well towards the end as well.

The bowling department was giving an all-round performance as well. Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha were neat in the spin attack. Lasith Malinga was at his best and he was complimented nicely by Dhawal Kulkarni.

4. Deccan Chargers (IPL 2009)

When the IPL first started back in 2008, all the franchises had picked some great teams. But the best of the lot had to be Deccan Chargers with a power-packed lineup. The team was initially led by VVS Laxman and had a bad start to the season as they finished on the bottom of the table.

Things kind of settled down when Adam Gilchrist took over during IPL 2008 but they still took the wooden spoon. It took them some effort to reverse the situation in IPL 2009. They lost back-to-back four matches in the inaugural season and reversed it completely in the next one with four wins on the trot.

It was mainly their bowling that clicked big time in that particular season. RP Singh was the leading wicket-taker of the season while Pragyan Ojha was up there as well. They won quite a few low-scoring matches which included the finals.

Adam Gilchrist led from the front and scored 495 runs, second only to his Australian teammate Matthew Hayden in the highest run-getters list. Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma provided ample support to him at the top of the order. They redeemed their disappointing performance in the previous edition of IPL by winning the trophy.

5. Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL 2014)

If we talk about the first three seasons, KKR was the only team that had not reached the playoffs. It changed in 2011 with the arrival of Gautam Gambhir as their captain. They went on to win the 2012 edition of IPL but things were only going to get better in 2014 for them.

It wasn’t a great start for KKR in the 2014 edition of IPL. They had won just two games out of the first seven and were on the verge of getting knocked out with a couple of more defeats. But they bounced back and in fact, they didn’t lose a single match in the second half of the season.

Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa were amazing at the top of the order for them. The middle-order included the likes of Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hassan, who were all match winners on their given day. Ryan Ten Doeschate and Suryakumar Yadav would often provide the finishing touches.

Sunil Narine was in his prime back then and one of the mainstays of KKR’s lineup. The pace department included Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav who came to their own in some important matches. Sadly, KKR has not been able to replicate the same form anymore and hasn’t even reached finals since winning it seven years back.