IPL 2021: Rating The Chances of IPL Teams Winning the Title

It’s about time that the 14th edition of the prestigious Indian Premier League gets underway. The teams haven’t changed much from last year but the auction before this season has changed the dynamics slightly. But more or less, the core of all the eight teams remains the same.

While the teams that underperformed last season would look to make Anjun amends, the top teams would look to continue their dominance. The strategies for all the franchises must already be in place.

Let’s Take a Look at the Chances of Each IPL Team of Winning the Title.

#8 Punjab Kings

Rating – 4/10

The franchise has changed its name from Kings XI Punjab to Punjab Kings. This is probably the team that has brought in the most number of changes before every season, be it in the squad or the coaching staff. They have hoped for a change in the fortune each year but somehow, the team hasn’t been able to put through competitive efforts throughout the league stages.

It was way back in 2014 that the Kings had qualified for the playoffs. Since then, the team has been languishing in the second half of the points table. Just like the last edition, the batting line-up depends heavily on the captain KL Rahul. The likes of Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran would need to contribute big time to lift the batting unit.

Even the bowling department is lacking an experienced spinner. The pacers seem good on paper but they would need to deliver on the ground. Unless they perform as a unit and not rely on individual performances, the chances of the Punjab Kings winning the IPL title this year look grim.

 

Punjab Kings: The franchise has changed its name from Kings XI Punjab to Punjab Kings.
Image Source: Punjab Kings Offical Twitter (@PunjabKingsIPL)

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It's about time that the 14th edition of the prestigious Indian Premier League gets underway. The teams haven't changed much from last year but the auction before this season has changed the dynamics slightly. But more or less, the core of all the eight teams remains the same. While the teams that underperformed last season would look to make Anjun amends, the top teams would look to continue their dominance. The strategies for all the franchises must already be in place.

Let's Take a Look at the Chances of Each IPL Team of Winning the Title.

#8 Punjab Kings

Rating - 4/10 The franchise has changed its name from Kings XI Punjab to Punjab Kings. This is probably the team that has brought in the most number of changes before every season, be it in the squad or the coaching staff. They have hoped for a change in the fortune each year but somehow, the team hasn't been able to put through competitive efforts throughout the league stages. It was way back in 2014 that the Kings had qualified for the playoffs. Since then, the team has been languishing in the second half of the points table. Just like the last edition, the batting line-up depends heavily on the captain KL Rahul. The likes of Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran would need to contribute big time to lift the batting unit. Even the bowling department is lacking an experienced spinner. The pacers seem good on paper but they would need to deliver on the ground. Unless they perform as a unit and not rely on individual performances, the chances of the Punjab Kings winning the IPL title this year look grim.  
Punjab Kings: The franchise has changed its name from Kings XI Punjab to Punjab Kings.
Image Source: Punjab Kings Offical Twitter (@PunjabKingsIPL)

#7 Rajasthan Royals

Rating - 4.5/10 At first look, the Rajasthan Royals squad looks heavily studded with overseas superstars. Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Chris Morris are some of the biggest names in world cricket. However, Archer has an injury to his elbow due to which he would miss a few games. But the bigger problem is the absence of an experienced Indian contingent. None of the Indian players in the squad is a regular in the national side. Even the captain Sanju Samson hasn't been able to establish himself in the Indian team. Only 4 overseas players can feature in the playing XI and 7 Indians need to play. For that very reason, Rajasthan Royals might struggle again. They had finished at the bottom of the points table in 2020. It's going to take a monumental effort from them to finish in the top half.  
Rajasthan Royals: Rajasthan Royals squad looks heavily studded with overseas superstars.
Image Source: Rajasthan Royals Offical Twitter (@rajasthanroyals)

#6 Royal Challengers Bangalore

Rating - 5/10 Year by year, the fans of Royal Challengers Bangalore have hoped for their maiden title. But the trophy has eluded Virat Kohli and his men for so many years. Kohli and AB de Villiers are the deadliest duo you can ask for on a cricket field. These two have been entertaining the crowd for a number of years and yet, RCB isn't amongst the top teams.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: The fans of Royal Challengers Bangalore have hoped for their maiden title.
Image Source: Royal Challengers Bangalore Offical Twitter (@RCBTweets)
The franchise has invested heavily in big names over the years but those players have performed well below par. This year, Glenn Maxwell has been roped in with a multi-million dollar deal. But the Australian had a terrible time in IPL 2020 where he couldn't even hit a six in the entire season. Kyle Jamieson also earned a major deal from the auction. That's going to put huge pressure on him as well as Maxwell to perform. The squad looks strong. However, we have used this statement for RCB before the start of each season. If the team doesn't begin well, it tends to lose the plot. Virat Kohli would hope for a change in the pattern but he needs the big guns to fire consistently.

#5 Kolkata Knight Riders

Rating- 6/10 Kolkata Knight Riders have missed the playoffs berth for a couple of seasons now. They used to be amongst the consistent teams for a number of years. But that has changed in the last couple of years. The problem that Rajasthan Royals have is valid for the Kolkata Knight Riders as well.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Kolkata Knight Riders have missed the playoffs berth for a couple of seasons now.
Image Source: KolkataKnightRiders Offical Twitter (@KKRiders)
Dinesh Karthik, the skipper, has plenty of experience at both international arena as well the IPL. But that's about it. There are many experienced overseas players like Eoin Morgan, Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins. But the Indian contingent consists of majorly youngsters. The addition of Harbhajan Singh would help their cause. This team needs their overseas players to put together consistent good performances to stand a chance of winning the title.

#4 Chennai Super Kings

Rating - 7/10 There isn't any team that is as consistent as the Chennai Super Kings in terms of qualifying for the playoffs. The Men in Yellow had reached the playoffs every single season they featured in until 2019. But they came across a horrible season in 2020. What worked so well in 2018 came back to haunt them a couple of years later.
Chennai Super Kings: There isn't any team that is as consistent as the Chennai Super Kings in terms of qualifying for the playoffs.
Image Source: Chennai Super Kings Offical Twitter (@ChennaiIPL)
In the squad, there were many players in their late 30s. Experience does matter but to a certain extent. You need a good mix of youth and experience to build a solid team. This season, the team has added a few more known names. Yet, somehow it's still not the daunting CSK unit that used to frighten the opposition. However, MS Dhoni knows it all. He has won several games that were lost. The task at hand would be tough but if the Super Kings pull it off in spite of the difficulties, it shouldn't come in as a surprise to anyone.

#3 Sunrisers Hyderabad

Rating - 8/10 Always very tough opponents, Sunrisers Hyderabad one again have a great squad. If you need overseas firepower, there are David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan to deliver. And if you want local experienced lads, the likes of Manish Pandey, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kedar Jadhav, Sandeep Sharma stand tall.
Sunrisers Hyderabad has always been brutal in the bowling department.
Image Source: SunRisers Hyderabad Offical Twitter (@SunRisers)
This franchise has always been brutal in the bowling department. Once again, they have perhaps the best bowling unit amongst all the teams. Also, there is enough gas in the tank for the batsmen to deliver throughout the tournament. The Orange Army could well end up winning its second title this season.

#2 Delhi Capitals

Rating - 8/10 Shreyas Iyer, the regular skipper of Delhi Capitals, is going to miss the initial few matches due to a shoulder injury. Rishabh Pant, who has been India's player of the year so far, will lead the side in Iyer's absence. The youngster has a superb bunch of players to lead and has a great chance of showing his leadership skills. The best audition for that would be by winning the league.
Delhi Capitals have a realistic chance of winning their first IPL title.
Image Source: Delhi Capitals Offical Twitter (@DelhiCapitals)
Delhi Capitals have a realistic chance of winning their first IPL title. They reached the final last year but ended up as the runners-up. However, that should serve as motivation to go one step further this year. There is an abundance of talent in all 3 departments, so much that it would be hard to leave out players from the playing XI. There is good mix of experience and youth that provides perfect balance to the team. This team has the potential to win the trophy this season.

#1 Mumbai Indians

Rating - 9/10 Circle around the cricketing globe and you won't find a T20 team as compete as Mumbai Indians. Rohit Sharma, the leader of the pack, is regarded as one of the best in the business. He has ample support from the core group that even his occasional failures don't impact the team that much. One after the other, there are so many match-winners. Be it batting, bowling or fielding, the franchise possesses more firepower than any other one.
Mumbai Indians: Mumbai Indians are the only team to have won the IPL 5 times.
Image Source: Mumbai Indians Offical Twitter (@mipaltan)
Mumbai Indians are the only team to have won the IPL 5 times. They have won the last 2 editions and would be looking for a hat-trick. There's a good chance that might happen indeed. If the core remains free from injuries, we could well see Rohit holding yet another IPL trophy in his hands at the end of the league. Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
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