IPL 2019: Gautam Gambhir predicts the top four teams of the season

The World Cup is still some months away. While the cricketing world is gearing up for the mega event, there is another big tournament which is coming up before that and it is the Indian Premier League (IPL). The tournament is kicking off on March 23 with a game between defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at MA Chidambaram Stadium and the experts are already busy making predictions about the probable winners.

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir who won two IPL titles as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (2012 and 2014) has also come up with his prediction for the teams that are likely to qualify for the playoff stage. And the former Delhi cricketer’s prediction is bound to upset the supporters of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli – the two current superstars of Indian cricket.

Gambhir almost forgot to name KKR, the team he led with success

Speaking to Star Sports in their IPL analysis show aired on Monday, Gautam Gambhir, who recently received Padma Shri Award, named the four teams of his choice as “Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad, KKR.” In fact, Gambhir burst into laughter over the fact that he had almost forgotten about the Knight Riders, the team he led for several seasons after taking over from Sourav Ganguly.

Gambhir led KKR for the final time in 2017 and was replaced by wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik last year. He returned to his home team Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) as the captain but poor form saw him losing both the captaincy and a spot in the team midway into the tournament. Youngster Shreyas Iyer took over from him.

The absence of CSK and RCB in Gambhir’s top four teams in this IPL could raise quite a few eyebrows. The Super Kings returned to the IPL last season after two years of suspension and lifted the title straight away. It was their third title all of which have come under the captaincy of Dhoni.

The Royal Challengers though haven’t won the trophy even once so far and couldn’t qualify for the playoffs last year, yet the presence of some big names in their ranks in the form of Kohli and AB de Villiers always make them a strong contender for the title.

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