IPL 2020: Rating the probable opening pairs of all 8 teams

The 13th season of the IPL is all set to take place in the United Arab Emirates between September 19 and November 10. And, just like every other season, anticipation and excitement and have started to galore among fans.

Fans, as well as pundits, have started to analyse the strength and weaknesses of the all the eight participating teams. One of the key aspects of a strong team is their opening combination. The role of the openers in T20 cricket is exceptionally vital as they set the pace for the remainder of the innings. Be it taking advantage of the fielding restrictions or batting through the innings, and the openers are of vital importance in T20 cricket.

There’s only a handful of days before the first game of the 2020 IPL gets underway and each side in the T20 championship is spoiled for choices as far as their opening combinations are concerned.

Here we rate the possible opening combinations of each team for the 2020 season of the IPL:

1. Delhi Capitals- Shikhar Dhawan & Prithvi Shaw- 8/10

The Shreyas Iyer-led unit are spoiled for riches when it comes to their opening department as they have Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane and Marcus Stoinis in their ranks. Be it Indian or overseas, they have a variety to choose from. Thus, there could be various combinations that could be formed.

Shaw and Dhawan were one of the cornerstones of DC’s improved season last year. And, despite all the other options, it is almost certain that they will go with the tried and tested combination atleast at the start of the tournament.

The presence of three quality Indians and Marcus Stoinis, who performed phenomenally with the bat as an opener in the last BBL for the Melbourne Stars scoring an astonishing 147 not out, is a healthy sign for the Capitals.