Next in queue: Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore
Four teams, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, and Royal Challengers Bangalore now have one win from two matches. Among them, Rajasthan Royals looked the strongest. They were the runners-up from last year and kept most of their core players. In Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson, they have three most explosive batters in their top-order and the introduction of their impact substitute Dhruv Jurel almost won them their second match. In bowling they have the experienced Trent Boult and Yuzvendra Chahal to lead the way.
KKR did not look too strong as their top-order faltered in both matches. They will be happy with the performance of RahmanullahGurbaz but may need to bring in Narayan Jagadeesan in place of Mandeep Singh or Venkatesh Iyer. However, their spinners looked in form. If they stick to their three-spinner formula with Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and young Suyash Sharma, then Eden Gardens can become a fortress for them. They would also be happy with all-round performance of Shardul Thakur and will hope that Andre Russell joins the party soon.
Ruturaj Gaikwad is the standout star for MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings. Their aged players perform would be a concern for them but the early form shown by Shivam Dubey, Devon Conway, and Moeen Ali will give them comfort.
Royal Challengers Bangalore also will be happy with their batters, especially Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis. The loss of Rajat Patidar will be a big blow for them but they will hope Glenn Maxwell gets some form and contributions come from the finishers like Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Anuj Rawat. The exit of Reece Topley is a problem for them but the return of Hasaranga will be a big boost.
