The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicks off tomorrow (26 March 2022) at four venues in Maharashtra. In the inaugural match, Current title holders Chennai Super Kings will take on Kolkata Knight Riders. Ravindra Jadeja will make his Chennai captaincy and Shreyas Iyer will make his Kolkata captaincy debut tomorrow. In the light of the megastar auction, all the teams will be on the field this time with a complete face change.
Let’s have a sneak peek at the 10 franchises and their Squad for the TATA IPL 2022.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Captain: Ravindra Jadeja
Key Players – Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo
The loss of Faf Du Plessis will affect the top order. But it has managed to maintain a more or less similar team. The presence of all-rounders like Jadeja, Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Rajvardhan S Hangargekar, and Moeen Ali will be beneficial.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Captain: Rishabh Pant
Key Players – David Warner, Anrich Nortje, Rovman Powell, Shardul Thakur
David Warner was brought in to replace Shikhar Dhawan. The top-order comprising Warner, Prithviraj Shah, Yash Dhull, Powell, and Rishabh Pant will be a great strength for DC this time. Young stars like Vicky Oswal, Kamlesh Nagercoti, Praveen Dubey, and Chetan Zakaria will also be strong.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Captain: Shreyas Iyer
Key players – Nitish Rana, Pat Cummins, Andre Russell, Sunil Naraine
The highlight is the presence of West Indies all-rounders Russell and Naraine. Apart from Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Ajinkya Rahane and Aaron Finch will support the batting. The absence of an Indian spinner to replace Varun Chakraborty is a setback.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Captain: KL Rahul
Key players – Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder
One of the new teams in the IPL. This is a golden opportunity for Rahul to make an impression about his captaincy to the critics. Many all-rounders like Krunal Pandya, Deepak Hooda, Krishnappa Gowtham, Stonis, and Holder will be in the team but the lack of experience will be a setback.
Gujarat Titans (GT)
Captain: Hardik Pandya
Key players – Shubhman Gill, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Shami, Lockie Ferguson
New team. Hope and challenge for the new team under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya. Having top-class bowlers like Lockie Ferguson, Rashid Khan, and Mohammad Shami would be beneficial. There are no experienced batters in the top order or middle order.
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Captain: Rohit Sharma
Key Players – Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Suryakumar Yadav, Jaspreet Bumrah
The performance of South African youngster ‘Baby AB’ – Dewald Brevis is crucial. If Jofra Archer does not play due to injury, the question of who will open the bowling with Bumrah and who will control the run rate in the death over remains to be answered.
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Captain: Mayank Agarwal
Key players – Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Kagiso Rabada
With the exception of Rabada, the team lacks a foreign pacer. The performance of West Indies all-rounder Odean Smith will be crucial. Fans are waiting to see Mayank make his debut as captain.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Captain: Sanju Samson
Key Players – Jos Butler, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, R Ashwin.
Butler, Van der Dussen, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju, Devdutt, Hetmyer. etc. On paper, Rajasthan has the best batting line-up. The performance of the Ashwin-Hell spin duo will be crucial.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Captain: Faf Du Plessis
Key players – Virat Kohli, Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, Vanindu Hasaranga
Former South African captain Faf Duplessis has been named captain of the team. The departure of Devdutt Padikkal and Washington Sundar, who excelled last season, will be a setback. Virat Kohli’s form is also a concern.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Captain: Kane Williamson
Key Players – Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar
The Indian pacers, led by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, will be in charge of bowling. Their foreign pace unit lacks experience. The arrival of big hitters Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram will invigorate the batting. But the gap left by Warner is still there.
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