IPL 2022: Time for the 'big' party

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians at the Maharashtra Cricket Association International Stadium in Mumbai on April 28, 2018. Credit: PTI Photo

Ahmedabad: KL Rahul captain of Punjab Kings bats during match 21 of the Vivo Indian Premier League 2021 between the Punjab Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders held at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, April 26, 2021. Credit: PTI Photo

Dubai: Delhi Capitals batsman Shreyas Iyer celebrates his half century during the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 final cricket match against Mumbai Indians, at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020. Credit: PTI Photo

Two startups will be looking to shake up the established order, while a couple of seasoned campaigners will be hoping to ascend the throne again as the Indian Premier League returns bigger, bolder and richer in its 15th iteration.

Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings — the former five-time winners and the latter four-time champions — will expectedly lead the charge but several former winners, all bolstered in the mega auction last month, have the resources to usurp the heavyweights in the two-month long marathon that will be first fought in Mumbai and Pune before climaxing mostly in Ahmedabad.

So, can Mumbai Indians and Super Kings flex their muscles once again following the forced massive squad overhaul after last season? Mumbai do not have the services of the hugely successful Pandya brothers, while Super Kings won’t be captained by the talismanic Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the first time in 12 years. Things have indeed become tougher for the two heavyweights, but given their rich experience and ability to find players to rise to the occasion, it will be hard for anyone to suppress them.

Between the two, Mumbai look the more balanced unit. They may have lost the Pandya brothers and the dangerous Quinton de Kock but they made some wise purchases — like they always do — at the auctions and once again boast of a squad that has a perfect balance of youth and experience.

Batting is sorted with the explosive Ishan Kishan expected to pair up with skipper Rohit Sharma at the top, followed by Suryakumar Yadav with seasoned Kieron Pollard and Daniel Sams or Fabian Allen expected to lend firepower lower down. Pace attack too is strong in Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills and Jaydev Unadkat while they will be hoping M Ashwin steps up in the spin department.

Although Dhoni may have handed over the baton to Ravindra Jadeja, CSK still appear a formidable force. The emergence of young talent Ruturaj Gaikwad gives them the spunk at the top and they bat really deep, almost until No. 9. Their major concern is the injury (quadriceps) to lead pacer Deepak Chahar who is out for an unspecified amount of time but Super Kings always find a way to paper over such cracks.

Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders, who miraculously made the final last year after lying seventh in the opening half, and inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals too have assembled strong squads this season. KKR have a brilliant batting and spin set-up, while Royals have talent and experience oozing in batting and bowling, both spin and pace.

Delhi Capitals, who have never won the title but have been knocking on the doors the last three seasons, boast of an explosive top-order and a strong bowling unit but the big worry for them will be the non-availability of some players, at least for the early phase. A few of them are involved in international cricket now and will be joining the squad in a few days' time while they will be hoping pace ace Anrich Nortje gets fit as soon as possible.

Expect the two new entrants — Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants — to be no pushovers. Lucknow surprised many with their performance at the auctions, smartly assembling a potent squad. They have experience and depth in batting, flair in spin bowling and strength in pace. Gujarat, on the other hand, do not appear strong on paper and they need a herculean effort if they wish to go toe-to-toe with the top guns.

Finally, will Royal Challengers Bangalore taste glory? Looking at the squad they have pieced together, it is going to be a tough task. They do not have much firepower in their batting and shockingly chose 37-year-old Faf du Plessis as the skipper when all other teams are investing in the future. The only area where they appear sorted is the pace bowling but with weaknesses outweighing the strengths, it could be another empty-handed season.