IPL 2021: Team-wise one player whose batting position can be changed

The new season of the IPL is set to commence on the 9th of April when Royal Challengers Bangalore will play against Mumbai Indians in Chennai. Two IPL’s in the space of six months isn’t something that happens quite often but given the extraordinary circumstances at present, it is the case as the previous IPL just finished on 10th November. Every season, there are many new players who step into the IPL and there are also several new tactics that are also implemented by coaching staff. The team managements always take the help of various stats in order to find out the best possible combinations. Getting the batting order right is very important to a team’s success and sending a batsman in the wrong position could harm the team’s overall chances as well. We have seen plenty of cases where batsmen have been sent in the wrong position including the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell last season. Here’s a look at one batsman who could have his batting position changed during the upcoming IPL season: 1. Chennai Super Kings – Ambati Rayudu Ambati Rayudu. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Ambati Rayudu has been a consistent performer in the IPL for quite some time and has been a key player for both Mumbai Indians and CSK due to his versatility. He can bat anywhere in the top five while also having the ability to play as anchor or aggressor. He predominantly batted at No.3 last season due to Suresh Raina’s absence and did decently considering how the other batsmen performed. In 12 games, he scored 359 runs at an average of nearly 40 and even his strike rate of 127.3 was acceptable. With openers like Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Robin Uthappa, he is definitely not going to get a chance at the top of the order. Suresh Raina’s return will mean that the No.3 spot will also be occupied, and thus we might see the former MI player at No.4. 2. Delhi Capitals – Shreyas Iyer Shreyas Iyer. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Shreyas Iyer came in at No.3 and No.4 the same number of times last season, but him coming at No.4 this season will still be a positional change. He was batting at 3 during the first half of the tournament, but when DC decided to include Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, and Ajinkya Rahane in the same team, there was also a change in tactics. While Shaw and Dhawan were opening the innings, there was no fixed No.3 and it was based on the situation. If there was an early wicket, Rahane would come and if the first wicket didn’t fell inside the powerplay, it would be Shreyas Iyer. However, it won’t be the same story this year and he will most likely bat No.4 irrespective of the fall of an early wicket. If Steve Smith is included in the XI, he will slot in at 3, which would push Iyer to No.4. This might be good for his international ambitions as he will be required to bat at 4 or 5 for India. 3. Kolkata Knight Riders- Dinesh Karthik Dinesh Karthik. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Dinesh Karthik had one of his worst IPL campaigns last year and massively affected his chances of getting back into the Indian team. He was surprisingly used higher up the order by the team management, and the decision had a negative impact on the player and even the club. It was quite a surprising move by the franchise given how well he was doing as a finisher in the previous seasons. He was one of the best finishers in the league, and his range during the death overs is among the very best. DK’s strike rates in the two seasons preceding this one were close to 150, but it wasn’t even 130 in 2020. It clearly indicates the fact that he is better utilized in the latter half of the innings and thus, he might come in at No.6 this season. 4. Mumbai Indians – Krunal Pandya Krunal Pandya. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Mumbai Indians’ middle-order trio of Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, and Krunal Pandya doesn’t have any fixed positions and are always moving up and down the order. However, one observation that was made last season was that Krunal was mostly batting at No.7 while the other two were rotating at 5 and 6. His batting form over the last couple of seasons hasn’t been great, but he showed positive signs of regaining form during the recently-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy where he scored 388 runs in just 5 games at a strike rate of 117.93 while averaging 129.33. Reportedly, he has also been called up to the ODI squad for the series against England, and that is only going to help boost his confidence. He might be given more opportunities at No.5 this season given his recent form. 5. Punjab Kings – Deepak Hooda Deepak Hooda. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Deepak Hooda came into the XI for Punjab during the latter half of the tournament and managed to have a decent impact in their middle order. His performances, especially the 62* against CSK in their last game will ensure that he starts the first couple of games this season. He hasn’t played a single competitive game since the IPL ended because of a dispute with Krunal Pandya just before the domestic season began, which led to him being suspended by Baroda. He batted at No.6 last season but might be promoted to 5 with the new buy, Shahrukh Khan slotting in at 6. The 25-year-old scored 101 runs in 7 games at an average of 101 while striking at 142.25. He will look to build on the positive signs he showed last season and prove that the potential he showed initially is still in him. 6. Rajasthan Royals – Jos Buttler Jos Buttler. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Jos Buttler is one of the best limited-overs batsmen at present and his ability to bat anywhere is of great value to teams. However, teams are often advised to send their best batsmen up the order and thus, it was quite surprising when Rajasthan decided to push him down the order to cover for their weaknesses. He was initially used as an opener, but they moved him to No.5 during the latter half of the tournament. His records as an opener are quite phenomenal and even if he stays at the crease for 5-6 overs, he can put the opposition on the backfoot. The Englishman even showed that during the 3rd T20I against India when he scored a stunning 83* off 52 and he killed the game in the powerplay itself. Given his track-record and destructive ability, RR will surely want him to open the innings once again. A potential opening combination of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler would be a nightmare for opposition bowlers. 7. Royal Challengers Bangalore – Washington Sundar Washington Sundar of RCB. (Photo Source: Twitter) Washington Sundar emerged onto the big stage during the IPL in 2017 when Rising Pune Supergiant used him as a new ball specialist and it worked for him as he was even selected for the Indian team. Thus, he was primarily seen as a bowler and his batting skills went under the radar. It was during the 4th Test match of the series against Australia that he showed his true batting potential when his brilliant 62 rescued India in the first innings. He continued that form into the Tests against England where he made notable contributions of 85* and 96*. Given his form, RCB would want to utilize him in a better manner rather than leaving him down the order. He could potentially be promoted to No.5 or No.6, and there is even an outside chance that they could send him as an opener along with Devdutt Padikkal. 8. Sunrisers Hyderabad – Abdul Samad Abdul Samad. (Photo Source: Twitter) Abdul Samad is one of the many young talented cricketers in India at present, and he was bought in the auction for the 2020 campaign based on Irfan Pathan’s recommendation. Well, his suggestion turned out to be a great one and SRH found a gem in the form of Samad. It isn’t every day that an Indian with the potential to develop into one of the most dangerous batsmen is produced, and thus he is someone to watch out for. He showed glimpses of his ability last season as he scored 111 runs in 12 games at an average of 22.2 while striking at 170.76. He was primarily used at No.7 and someone with such ability should ideally be sent higher up the order. Given the fact that they lacked firepower in the middle order, they might want to send him at No.5 and give him more deliveries to face.

Topics

Featured Section

Current Series

IPL 2025 Auction

IPL Teams

Cricket Fantasy Tips

Cricket Stats

ICC Rankings

Interviews

Twitter Reactions

Cricket Appeal

Social Tracker

More Links

# Follow Us

Other Sports

IPL 2021: Team-wise one player whose batting position can be changed

Getting the batting order right is very important to a team’s success.

8. Sunrisers Hyderabad – Abdul Samad

Latest Articles

Uthappa blames Kohli for ending Yuvraj's cricket career

Cricket as a sport has highest rate of suicide: Uthappa

Reports: KL Rahul opts out of England series