IPL 2020: Rating the batting line-up of each team

The IPL is upon us; it is less than a month away and the excitement amongst fans and players are increasing by each passing day. Almost all players and teams have landed in the UAE and are in the self-quarantine period before they could start training.

The IPL is happening in the UAE, where stadiums in three cities will be used; Sharjah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. As the tournament progresses, the pitches will become more sluggish, slower and the ball will keep low.

Therefore, the teams, especially in the batting department, need to readjust their strategies, as they were earlier picked based on their home grounds in India.

So, here we try –  and we can all only try – to give ratings to the batting order of the teams in IPL 2020:

1. Mumbai Indians- 9.5

Undoubtedly, Mumbai Indians have the most complete batting line-up in this edition of the IPL. From attacking openers to stabilizers in the middle order and powerful finishers, the players in MI fulfill each role in demand. The four-time champions gained the services of Chris Lynn, a destructive force at the top, however, he might not be in the first choice eleven- such is the batting talent of the team.

Expect MI to play a similar line-up like last season. Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock to open, forming a dangerous opening pair. Surya Kumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan in the middle order, both of them can play a defensive and an offensive style against the spinners. The versatile all-rounder, Krunal Pandya will be the floater in the team who can bat in the middle order to keep the run-rate ticking and can also do the finishing job, if and when required.

Hardik Pandya along with Kieron Pollard will take up the finishing mantle. Pandya, who has been busy – happily – during the lockdown with family duties, has been updating social media with his fitness videos. Pollard looks in good shape and form in the CPL. This should be their favored top seven – with the exception of Lynn coming in and Rohit shifting to three – for MI on their hunt for a fifth IPL trophy.

Their only concern is about their tail i.e. Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga don’t provide any batting assistance. Nonetheless, in a nutshell, MI have all their bases covered as far as batting is concerned.

2. Kolkata Knight Riders- 9

The two-time champion were impressive in the auctions as they bought some talented players without overspending, like England’s limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan and England’s future superstar, Tom Banton. However, they have invested largely in Aussie speedster, Pat Cummins for 15.5 Cr INR, who is a much better batsman than people give him credit.

Talking about their batting, it is the most aggressive batting line-up in the IPL that KKR has ever had. With Brendon McCullum – who is a totemic figure of attacking cricket – in the coaching department, expect the Knight Riders to pile on some huge runs in the upcoming IPL.

Going by the form of Sunil Narine in the CPL 2020 with the bat opening for Trinbago Knight Riders, it would be in the best interest of the team – and which adds batting depth – if he opens and plays his all-or-nothing approach. Partnering him will be India’s young prospect, Shubman Gill, who made decent contributions last season batting in the top three. Nitish Rana, another batsman in line for national selection, will slot in at three.

And then, the next three batters, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, and Andre Russell, form the most devastating finishing trio in the IPL this season. Morgan and Karthik can play the dual role of building the innings – to lay a platform for Russell – and finishing the innings as they have done for their national teams in the past few years. And Andre Russell, the beast incarnate of cricket, can change the game in the space of few balls, literally.

KKR has young and decent backups in Tom Banton, Siddhesh Lad, Rahul Tripathi – all three will be contenders for an opening position -with Nikhil Naik and Rinku Singh. KKR looks to have fewer headaches regarding batting than most of the other teams do.

3. Delhi Capitals- 8.5

Delhi Capitals gained lots of positives last season as they made it to the top four – after years of agonizing bottom half finishes – and beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator. However, their inexperience was exposed as they lost to Chennai in the qualifier 2. Delhi made some notable signings in the auctions, most of which is the West Indian Shimron Hetmyer, English opener Jason Roy and Aussie wicket-keeper Alex Carey.

They have also traded in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane. While they prepared a team for the pitch at Kotla, their batting could be effective in the UAE conditions as well. Going by Prithvi Shaw’s form last season and his attacking penchant, he is likely to open. That begs the question, who will partner him? Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane are not much suited for T20 these days, and Jason Roy is vulnerable batter against spin.

However, on the Sharjah pitch – which is a better batting track than Dubai and Abu Dhabi – Delhi could use Roy. Skipper Shreyas Iyer and the dynamic Rishabh Pant are fixed on the team sheet, with the mercurial Shimron Hetmyer giving them an extra middle-order option. The Capitals have plenty of options for the lower order; Marcus Stoinis, Keemo Paul, and Alex Carey- all are capable of tonking the ball long.

Ashwin has been batting higher up the order for Tamil Nadu and he will give the batting depth to the Capitals. As good as the playing eleven looks for DC, they have chinks in their armor. The Indian heavy batting order is – apart from Iyer – not established at the international level and their overseas players are always vulnerable against top-quality spinners. It would be interesting to see who the overseas players will the duo of Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting go with.

4. Chennai Super Kings – 8

‘Dad’s Army’; yes, it’s a cliché which has been used since CSK’s re-emission in the IPL. But just like the last couple of seasons, CSK has proved the truism of ‘with age comes experience’ correct by making it to two finals with a well-aged team. Question; for how long can they rely on last over finishes and the magic of Dhoni? Maybe long enough to keep their top-four position streak intact.

However, the batting is on a decline, and they relied heavily on their bowlers last season. Their top five are most likely to be; Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, and MS Dhoni. Only one out of the five which is Faf du Plessis is an international player and has played at the highest level since last season.

Their lower order too doesn’t give a great deal of confidence. Kedar Jadhav – who is 35 now – has been an irregular member of the national team. Ravindra Jadeja has been batting fairly for India, but his strike rate isn’t one of a finisher. And Dwayne Bravo is not the batsman he used to be.

Similar to the last season, CSK will line-up a spin heavy eleven, where Mitchell Santner and Piyush Chawla will be used to elongate the batting. Murali Vijay, Sam Curran, and Ruturaj Gaikwad are the backup options at Dhoni’s disposal.

5. Kings XI Punjab-8

Kings XI Punjab have made it to the top four just twice in 12 seasons; 2008 on the back of Shaun Marsh’s spree of runs and in 2014 they topped the table as Maxwell went berserk throughout the tournament. Unfortunately, for them, they couldn’t win the trophy on either occasion. Punjab have constantly changed captains, coaches and have revamped their team in the auction in the desperation of a solitary title. Consequently, they made some big buys in this auction; roping in Sheldon Cottrell, Glenn Maxwell, and Chris Jordan.

Punjab looks a fairly dangerous batting line-up in the IPL. At the top; the new captain, KL Rahul, has been in ominous form for India since World Cup last year, pairing with Chris Gayle – the Universe Boss who doesn’t need any introduction – followed by West Indian smasher Nicholas Pooran.

KXIP will face a dilemma regarding the selection of their overseas players, with Chris Jordan, Sheldon Cottrell, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman as overseas bowling options. Indubitably, Glenn Maxwell will pip over James Neesham for the finisher role- on the UAE tracks where Maxwell wreaked havoc in 2014.

This leaves the middle order looking slim. Players like Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, and Deepak Hooda will have responsibilities of anchoring the innings, especially in the middle overs. Even though they had batting stalwarts in the team for the past two seasons, Punjab have flattered to deceive, especially after having a brilliant first half when their wheels just fall apart.

Gayle last played an international game over a year ago; their Indian middle-order hasn’t had any great deal of individual success in the IPL; Maxwell apart from the 2014 season has performed below expectations; hence once again KL Rahul will have to carry the bulk of batting load on his shoulders.

6. Rajasthan Royals-7.5

The champions of the first season, Rajasthan Royals, couldn’t reach the final even once after 2008. Post their ban of two years, Rajasthan revamped their squad, retained a few of their players back but still due to inconsistency in the batting and lack of threatening bowling mantle, they haven’t made any huge mark on the IPL.

Rajasthan have an elite group of first-choice four overseas players, but it isn’t enough for a title victory. They have traded Rahane to Delhi and now Steve Smith is their permanent captain. Jos Buttler, one of the most destructive opener in T20 cricket, has a spot fixed at the top. But it is still not clear who will open with him?

India’s under-19 star Yashasvi Jaiswal, or the much-adored Sanju Samson, or the veteran Robin Uthappa; we could see anyone open alongside Buttler. This leaves Steve Smith, a great long format batter, but his effectiveness as a batsman – though he has a sharp captaincy mind – in T20 cricket is yet to be proven. Ben Stokes, who will probably bat at 6, has failed to deliver on his price tag for the Royals for the last couple of seasons.

David Miller and Tom Curran are not amongst Rajasthan’s first choice overseas players, so they will warm the bench for most of the time. Riyan Parag and Mahipal Lomror are too young- expecting any substantial contributions from them in the lower-order would not be wise. Rajasthan lacks hostility in the middle overs, which is a new norm, massively required in T20 cricket.

7. Royal Challengers Bangalore-7.5

In another universe, where a trophy is just decided by the skill in the batting department, RCB would have won the title multiple times. But, in this universe, cricket is a great leveler and bowlers do matter – even if treated with disdain in the T20 format – hence RCB’s trophy cabinet is empty and they have only themselves to blame. Their legions of fans should be appreciated for their undying support year after year. Their team has reached the final three times, but couldn’t clear the last frontier on either occasion.

Bangalore, have been left holding the wooden spoon twice in the last three seasons. Apart from their bowling frailties, their overdependence on the duo of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers has hampered their success. Honestly, this year too, even with some big-name signings, Kohli and AB will have a heavy job to do.

Openers; Parthiv Patel becomes a liability post the powerplay overs and Aaron Finch will find facing the spinners equally challenging in UAE. Kohli at three – which we believe to be his ideal batting position in limited-overs cricket – and de Villiers at four will provide with the much-needed impetus in the middle overs and the onus will be on one of them to see the side through to the final overs.

Moeen Ali, if he plays, and Chris Morris will find it difficult to attack the pacers on the sluggish tracks in UAE, especially in the later parts of the tournament. Shivam Dube is a work in progress as a finisher. And the RCB tail looks long, as Washington Sundar at number seven seems a spot too high for him. The batting order, once again, will largely revolve around the two protagonists of RCB.

8. Sunrisers Hyderabad- 7

For a moment – just, for a brief moment – remove David Warner and Jonny Bairstow from the Sunrisers team, what kind of batting attack we can see? We can see a batting line-up, in all modesty, not worthy of a playoff berth.

Warner and Bairstow had a dream season as batsman last year, but without them scoring, the team looks ordinary, at best. This was evident in the eliminator against Delhi – as both the openers left early for national duties – and SRH could only post a below-par total. Warner, Bairstow, Rashid Khan, and Billy Stanlake will be their first choice overseas players, leaving out Kane Williamson, Fabien Allen, and Mohammad Nabi on the bench.

Manish Pandey can play the anchor role but isn’t a marauder of the cricket ball, by any means. The same applies to Vijay Shankar as well. With Nabi on the bench, youngsters like Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Virat Singh, and Abdul Samad could be entrusted with finishing duties.

SRH lacks a power-hitter in the lower middle order and therefore Rashid Khan might bat at seven! Coach Trevor Bayliss needs to pull a rabbit out of his hat for SRH to have a chance at winning the trophy.